{Patrick}
"Ah, it feels good to be back in Chitown." Jonathan sighs, as we exit the airplane and walk through the boarding gate back into the Chicago airport.
I smile, swinging my backpack over my shoulder.
"I agree, Jonny." I laugh, as Jonathan and I walk beside each other through the airplane departure gate.
It's Saturday, March 11, about 5:00 in the evening.
The Blackhawks have just arrived home from a fairly long road trip.
And damn, does it ever feel good to be back in Chicago.
The boys and I are all exhausted, as we played a long and hard game last night against the Dallas Stars.
Thankfully, we pulled off a win.
"Hey fuckers!" Shawzy yells, as he puts an arm around Jonny and his other arm around my shoulders.
"Hey Shawzy." Jonathan laughs, shaking his head.
We head through the departure gate, and take our first few steps in the Chicago airport.
"How the fuck do you have so much energy all the time, man?" I ask, shaking my head.
Shawzy laughs, loudly.
"I'm just young." He shrugs, before running over like the child that he is to bug Duncs and Seabs in front of us.
Jonathan sighs, laughing.
"And we're not young anymore?" Jonathan asks, looking over at me.
I laugh, rolling my eyes.
"We totally are. Shawzy's just a little shit." I laugh, shaking my head.
Jonathan laughs, smiling down at the ground.
"Are you doing anything tonight?" I ask, looking over at Jonathan.
"I don't think so. I'm going to try and get to bed early." Jonathan shrugs.
"You're welcome to come over for dinner at the apartment tonight, if you want." I shrug.
Jonathan smiles.
"Thanks Kaner, but I'm alright. I'm exhausted, plus I don't want to intrude on you and Abby. And the little one that she's carrying." Jonathan laughs, looking over to me.
"Alright, Jonny. You're always welcome to the apartment though. I hope you know that." I say, quietly.
"Thanks Kaner." He says, smiling.
For the next few minutes, the team walks together towards the main entrance to the underground parking lots, where all of our vehicles are parked.
We reach the underground parking lot, and each go our separate ways to our cars.
I say goodbye to a few of the guys around me, and then head towards my car.
I get in, turning on the engine, and allowing the car to heat up for a few moments.
It's mid-March in The Windy City, and the temperature is starting to increase gradually, but it's still fairly cold.
There is also still a ton of snow on the ground.
After a few minutes, I back out of my parking spot, and begin the drive back to Trump Tower.
***
"Abby!" I call into the open apartment, as I close the door behind me.
Smiling, I hear a few footsteps coming from upstairs.
I take off my shoes and jacket, heading further into the apartment.
Within a few moments, I notice her at the top of the staircase.
She makes her way down the stairs in a hurry, and I meet her at the bottom of them.
She jumps into me, and I laugh, as I spin her around in a small circle.
"Oh, Patrick, I've missed you!" Abby giggles, kissing me on the cheek gently.
I set her down, hugging her tightly.
"I've missed you too, love." I say, kissing her forehead.
She smiles up at me, running a hand through my curls.
"Oh it's so nice to see you again, you don't even understand how much I missed you." She giggles, kissing me on the nose gently.
I take her hand, holding her close to me for a few moments.
"I missed you too, Abigail." I say, quietly.
She giggles, looking up at me.
I smile down at her, my eyes moving to her baby bump.
She's wearing a tighter-fitting baby blue t-shirt, and her baby bump protrudes a little more than usual.
I smile, placing both of my hands on her stomach.
"How are you feeling?" I ask, smiling.
She places both of her hands over mine, that are resting on her bump.
"Better than I was last week." She giggles.
I laugh, kissing her on the lips softly.
"I don't know if you can see a difference, but your baby bump has definitely grown since I last saw you." I say, raising my eyebrows.
I smile down at my hands that are both resting on her still-fairly-small baby bump.
She bites her lip, looking up at me.
"I can definitely tell a difference, believe me. I almost don't fit in my favorite pair of jeans." She rolls her eyes, laughing.
I laugh, kissing her on her forehead gently.
The two of us stand like that for a few moments, before we part.
"Are you hungry?" She asks.
I nod, laughing.
"I should have known. When are you not hungry?" She laughs, rolling her eyes jokingly.
"Never." I reply, giggling.
She laughs, and the two of us head towards the kitchen.
"I was craving pizza last night, and there are a lot of leftovers, if you want that." She shrugs, opening the fridge.
My eyes widen.
"No way, I'm craving pizza!" I say, laughing.
She laughs, pulling the box of pizza out of the fridge.
"You're such a guy, it's hilarious." Abby laughs, as she places a couple slices of pizza on two different plates.
I laugh, as she walks past me towards the microwave, to heat up the pizza.
As she walks past me, I notice that she's wearing leggings, and my eyes find her ass.
Over three months pregnant, and Abigail still has one of the sexiest bodies I've ever seen.
I slap her ass, as she walks past me.
Her ass is tight.
"You still have a tight ass." I say, running my tongue along my upper lip.
She giggles, placing the pizza in the microwave, and pressing start.
She turns around, walking over to me.
"What can I say?" She winks, biting her lip.
I laugh, and grab her wrist, pulling her closer to me.
I press my lips against hers, tilting her backwards slightly, and giving her ass a squeeze.
She lets out a noise of surprise, as she bites my lower lip.
The microwave finishes, and it beeps a few times.
She pulls away slightly, and I can feel her smiling against my lips.
"Question," I say, as we part, and she crosses the kitchen to grab the food from the microwave.
"Shoot!" She giggles, placing the other plate of pizza in the microwave.
I sigh, watching her from behind.
"Are you in the mood?" I ask, tilting my head slightly.
"For...?" Abby asks, furrowing her eyebrows.
"For sex." I reply, smirking.
She bites her lip, smiling down at the ground.
"Honestly, Patrick... I don't know..." She finally says, tilting her head.
"It's totally fine if you're not, it's just that you're so fucking hot and we haven't had sex in so long." I laugh, moving over to her.
I take her hand, kissing her cheek.
She giggles, blushing.
"I'm sorry Pat, but not tonight. Soon." She says, looking up at me.
I nod, smiling.
"Fine. I guess I'll just have to overcome my undeniable longing to make love to you because you're so fucking beautiful, and you have such a nice ass." I sigh, jokingly.
She giggles, kissing me on the nose.
"You're ridiculous, Patty Kane." She says, rolling her eyes playfully.
I laugh, pulling out my plate from the microwave.
"I know." I shrug, winking.
With that, the two of us head over to the dining room table, each of us taking a seat.
I sit with my back to the window, and she sits across from me.
"You played amazing, in all of your games this past week." Abby says, taking the first bite of her pizza.
I smile, at my lap, before looking back at her.
"Thanks Abbers." I say, taking a bite of the warm, gooey pizza.
I close my eyes, fully indulging in the taste of the pizza.
"Damn. This shit is good." I say, shaking my head.
Abby laughs, taking a sip of her water.
"Yeah, I know." She agrees, laughing.
For a few minutes, the two of us eat in silence.
But I don't mind the quiet.
Neither of us do, actually.
Finally, Abby breaks the silence, looking up at me from across the table.
"I'm sorry," She says, quietly.
I furrow my eyebrows, finishing my bite.
"For what?" I ask.
"For breaking down, last week. It's not fair of me to depend on you when I'm such an emotional wreck, you have your own things to worry about, and I'm so sorry for-" Abby starts, but I cut her off.
"Abigail. Stop." I say, quietly.
She looks back at me, her mouth partly open, and her head tilted slightly.
But, she doesn't say anything back.
After a few quick moments, she closes her mouth, and simply smiles down at her lap.
I reach my hand out across the table, and she takes it.
I squeeze her hand, smiling back at her.
She blushes, biting her lip.
And although neither of us say anything, we both clearly understand what the other is trying to say.
We are communicating in a way that is far deeper than using our voices.
***
After dinner and hanging out on the main floor of the apartment for a few hours, Abby and I decide to head to bed.
We are both exhausted, and are in-need of a good night's rest.
I finish brushing my teeth, turn the light off in the bathroom, and then walk into the main part of Abigail and my's bedroom.
Abby is lying on her side of the bed flipping through a magazine, the lamp on her night-table dimly illuminating the room.
She's wearing spandex and one of my Blackhawks t-shirts.
Pulling back the covers on my side of the bed, I lie down, sighing happily.
"Feels good to be back in your own bed?" Abby asks, not looking up from her magazine.
"You have no idea." I laugh, closing my eyes.
I open my eyes again, and her eyes are still locked on her page in her magazine.
I roll over closer to her, and kiss her at the bottom of her arm, starting at her wrist.
I move my kisses up her arm, watching her carefully as I do so.
She bites her lip, giggling, until she finally gives in, once I reach her shoulder.
She throws her magazine aside, and rolls over so she is lying on top of me.
I laugh, as she presses her lips against mine.
My hands find her ass, and I let them rest there.
She runs her hand through my hair, as I slip my tongue into her mouth.
Moaning, I roll over so she is on the bottom.
"Careful, Pat." She giggles, between kisses.
I plant a few kisses along her collarbone, smiling as I do so.
"I know." I say, careful not to squish her belly.
She giggles, and I kiss her neck.
"Oh, how I've missed you, Abby." I sigh, happily.
She laughs, looking up at me.
"I've missed you too, Pat. It's so nice to have you home." She says, smiling.
I nod, kissing her on the nose gently.
"It's good to be back with you too, Abby. And we can't forget that little one either." I say, moving my eyes down to her belly.
She laughs, biting her lip.
"Nope, we can't forget the little one!" She chuckles, as I tuck a piece of hair behind her ear.
With that, Abby kisses me once again, rolling over so I am on the bottom.
After a few minutes of sweet kisses, Abby and I decide to head to bed.
She reaches over to her lamp, and turns it off, making the room completely dark.
The city lights twinkle just outside our window, and it really does feel like it's just Abby and I in this whole big world.
Well, Abby, myself, and the little one she's carrying, of course.
Abby rolls onto her side, and I press myself up against her.
My chest is pressed to her back.
I wrap my arms around her, and place both of my hands on her baby bump.
She rests her hands over mine.
I kiss the back of her head gently.
"This love is ours, Patrick." Abby says, a smile in her voice.
"This love is ours." I reply, quickly.
I press my lips against the back of her head, her warm fingers intertwined with mine, over her baby bump.
Smiling, my mind begins to wander.
There comes a point in life when you find a way of living that works for you.
When you find a way to live, that provides you with everything you need to be, essentially, happy.
And this way of life, this mindset, is called a state of mind.
They say that once you have found your state of mind, that you don't dare let it go, because it can be hard to find, and sometimes can require soul-searching.
But lying here with the love of my life in my arms, our child inside of her, I'm pretty damned sure that I have found my state of mind.