The Presidents Daughter

Rain Check

Patrick

After a long journey from the operation table to the ice again I finally get released. The playoffs don't start til next week so I still couldn't play in a game just yet but just knowing that I'm good to go makes me feel a lot better going into the post season. I can do all drills at practice and I'm back on my line. I feel like part of the team again and being out there was so much better than watching.

And to celebrate this very exciting moment the guys were practically forcing me to come to the bar with them. I got through this whole season without going to a bar but I don't think I can wiggle my way out of this one.

"Do we have to go" Aaliyah asks sadly and I sigh. I didn't want to make her go but I didn't want to go without her. She's my voice of reason and I would hate to know what would happen if I went without her.

"Please" I beg.

"I just... I don't think I can go to a bar again" she defends

"It's not the same bar. Plus I would leave you and Ryan will be there if you need him" I assure her.

"I can't just forget what happened... I want to... so bad. But it happened and I can't change the fact that being in a bar makes me so uncomfortable. Being around intoxicated people makes me feel sick. I can still feel his breath on my skin and that nasty smell of alcohol on him. I can't go" she whispers.

"I promise you that's not going to happen again, I won't let it" I promise.

"I just don't want to go through that again. That type of emotional stress isn't good for me" she claims.

"We went this whole season without going to a bar. If I keep saying no they're going to get suspicious. Just do it this one time" I plead. She lets out a long sigh as she looks away from me so I can't see how upset this made her. But I knew.

"Alright..." she says softly. I could tell she was only doing this because I asked her to. And it honestly made me feel like shit. "I'll go with you."

I let out a long sigh as she just walks away from me. Not a kiss or a I love you before she left, she was just gone. And I felt so bad because I was being selfish and I was making her do something she didn't want to. She was only doing it because she loved me and sacrifice is a part of being in a relationship. But I know that this is something she never wanted to do again and I guilted her into coming. I couldn't do that to her, there's not a good enough reason to hurt her like this this.

So I call Jonny up and I decide to change up the plans.

"Hey what's up" he answers the phone.

"I'm gonna have to take a rain check tonight" I tell him.

"I knew you would flake" he accuses.

"I'm not flaking... I just don't think going to the bar is the best for me" I try.

"That's not it" he accuses. "You haven't stepped foot in a bar since you and Aaliyah had that fight last year. That was nearly a year ago" he says.

"I know. I couldn't forget that night if I tried. And trust me, I tried, I've tried my hardest, but it's a painful reminder that people are counting on me and it's selfish of me to expect them to conform to my needs so I can go out and get pitty drunk. So instead of dragging Aaliyah to the bar and making both of us miserable I'm going to take her somewhere nice and spend the night with her without the baby since we already got a sitter" I explain.

"What happened to her" he asks. "I know something happened. I know it had to have been bad if she moved home for a while and wouldn't talk to you."

"It was awful. I don't want to say because it's not my place to tell. But she was in a bad situation, a situation that was totally avoidable had I stopped drinking for a second to notice something was wrong. But I wasn't there for her and she was hurting. All I had to do was be there for her and I wasn't. Now it's just easier for us not to do stuff to bring back those memories. She said she would come tonight but only because she wanted to make me happy. Not because she wanted to or even felt safe enough to do so.

So I'm going to find us a nice place for dinner and probably just walk through the park. Maybe visit MAC for a little" I shrug.

"Look at you being a good boyfriend" he teases.

"I might be stupid but if you would have seen her face before she turned away from me a second ago you would know that I couldn't go through with this. She deserves better and I wanted to give it to her" I explain.

"Well you better treat her right, because you won't find another like her" he insists.

"Don't I know it."

So after hanging up with him I call and make a reservation at the nicest restaurant in town. I tell her not to dress to party like and she does not disappoint. She had on the same dress the day we met and it made my heart happy. Every time I look at her its like the first time, and now that's she's in the dress it's even more so. I make her take some pictures with me before dropping Bella off at the sitters. We then drive into the city and Aaliyah starts to get curious. But there's plenty of bars here so I don't think she's figured out we're not going yet. Finally I pull into a parking spot and she looks at me weird.

"What bar is this" she wonders.

"It's not a bar, it's a restaurant. In fact this is where we had our first date" I explain as she smiles big.

"I thought this looked familiar! Why are we here" she wonders.

"Because it was wrong of me to try and get you to go to a bar. I see the guys every day and if they want to hang out with us then we can have them over again or meet them for lunch. But you don't belong in a bar and neither do I. All we need is for me to slip up with all those temptations in there. The thing about our mistakes is that we need to learn from them and be better. So that's what I'm going to do. I ordered us the best seats in the house and then we can just hang out in the park without the baby for once" I say.

"Patrick... that is the sweetest thing you've ever done for me. Thank you" she says softly.

"Of course baby. I don't want you to be miserable and uncomfortable. I want to have fun and I want to do it with you. So we can eat dinner and you can show me all the pictures of Bella" I insist.

"That sounds wonderful" she agrees.

So we go inside and get seated at the table. We order before she reaches over and rests her hand on mine as they say on top of the table.

"Thank you for doing this" she says.

"I would do anything for you, you know that right" I question.

"Of course" she smiles.