Payton
"YES" I yell as Jon catches the popcorn I tossed at him in his mouth.
"We're getting too good at this" he laughs standing upright after having to move some to catch the popcorn I tossed his way.
A second later there's a knock on the door and I look over to Jonathan.
"Were you expecting someone" I ask.
"No, but I never am yet all of our friends find their way up here" he shrugs.
"Yeah, but we usually have to buzz them into the building first" I remind him.
"That's true" he remembers.
I walk over and open the door. I see my sister there and it makes sense, she has a key to this place.
She looks up to me with tears staining her face and my heart just breaks. Her hair is a mess and she had almost nothing with her.
"Oh Bailey... what happened" I ask bringing her into a hug.
"Patrick" she hiccups and I break the hug.
"I'm gonna fucking kill him" I yell walking out the open door and she stops me.
"No... it isn't his fault" she insists.
"I don't give a shit who's fault it is, you're upset and that makes me upset" I defend.
"Can I please explain first" she begs and I sigh. I see Jon motion to the couch and I take her there. We sit with her and she turns to me.
"Patrick is going to Switzerland" she says and I raise a eyebrow.
"With another girl" I ask and she shakes her head.
"He's going to play hockey until the lockout ends" she explains. I turn to Jon and he nods.
"He was talking about it but I didn't think he would do it. There's a league there a bunch of guys are playing in. He was looking at the team Seguin was on but he never said he was going. I thought those plans fell through" he explains.
"He leaves tomorrow" she sniffles.
"I'm sorry. But he's going to come back" I remind her.
"But when? That's what sucks. Is it going to be days or weeks. Months" she asks.
"That I don't know. But he'll be back" I assure her.
"I don't want him to leave. He tried to get me to come with him but I can't. I can't just leave my job and those kids for only god knows how long. But so much can happen when so much is uncertain" she sighs.
"There's two things in life: control and uncontrolled. You can't control what happens to you but you can control how you let it effect you" I try.
"So what am I supposed to do? Sit around and wait for him. I love him Pay" she says softly. She looks up in my eyes and I sigh hard.
"I know you do, I would be stupid not to realize that. I know your relationship has always been complicated and I know this isn't helping. But if you really love him you'll figure it out."
"I do love him, more than anything."
"Then you gotta fight for him. This isn't like how you helped me with Ryan. I knew I was never getting him back, but you still helped me so much. You helped me move forward even though I felt like my life was over, but it was still going. The world doesn't stop turning long enough for us to heal properly. We have to keep spinning with it" I explain.
"I didn't know what to do, I came here as soon as I left his place. But I'm happy I did. I feel a little better" she says trying to give me a smile.
"Give this time to sink in, don't be afraid to feel bad for yourself. It'll get better but it's going to to hurt. Just know he will be back and you will be ready for him when he is" I say.
"Thank you. And there's one more thing I need to tell you" she says.
"Of course, what is it" I ask.
"I'm pregnant" she smiles and my eyes nearly pop out of my head.
"You're what" I gasp. I couldn't hear her over the shock.
"I am having a kid" she reiterated.
"I'm going to be a aunt" I whisper.
"You are. It should be here in February" she explains and I shake my head.
"So you're what... four months" I ask and she nods.
"Yeah" she smiles.
"What the fuck! That's so awesome! Does Patrick know" I wonder.
"Yeah. We've known for two months now, but that's why he wanted me to come with. He doesn't want to be gone when the baby gets here" she explains.
"Patrick is going to be a Dad" Jon asks and I roll my eyes.
"We've been over this" I laugh.
"Holy shit" he nearly yells.
"Yeah, pretty crazy huh" my sister chuckles.
"Are you guys going to move in together? Is he coming back when the baby is born? How are you going to work" I spit.
"I have no idea. I'm going to have to do this without him and it sucks" she sighs.
"I'm so sorry" Jon says.
"It's okay, I get it" she shrugs.
"No... I mean I'm sorry this is happening in the first place. I'm going to try really hard to get Patrick back home as soon as possible" he insists.
"Thanks Jon, that means a lot" my sister admits.
She collects herself and heads home. She texts me when she gets there because I'm crazy about people driving emotional. I grab a drink and look to cuddle but I can't find Jon.
I go up to our room and find him sitting on the bed. I sit next to him and he grabs my hand sets the drink down so he can hold me with both of his. He plays with my fingers as he continues to stare out into nowhere.
"What are you thinking about" I ask.
"I never thought about how bad this lockout is, and I'm not talking about hockey. Yeah, I miss it, but this is affecting more than my game. It's effecting families. People don't know when their husband is coming back, like you said peoples lives can't just stop because the nhl has. This affects everyone, the players, the families, the fans. It's October now and we haven't made any ground.
I know I make fun of Patrick because of how sensitive he can be but he really loves your sister. He's so excited to be a dad and now he might have to wait to be one. I can't imagine him being thousands of miles away from Bailey when the baby comes, that's not fair" he explains.
"It isn't, but it's life. It's a serious of questions and pressure to find some answers" I reply.
"I want answers" he insists.
"You want what's best for everyone, and there's no answer for that" I say.
"I know... I just-" he stops. "What if I lose you too" he asks.
"Are you leaving" I ask.
"No, but things happen. Something could happen" he defends.
"We can't worry about the uncertain" I defend.
"Everything about the future is uncertain" he reminds me.
"And that's why we live in the moment, because we can actually have a say in that" I try.
I grab his face and pull it to me and see tears in his eyes. I know this was so impossibly hard for him. He has such a huge heart and he wants what is best for everyone. But that's impossible to obtain.
"I keep thinking about what if that was me. What if I had to go play over seas and you had to stay and you were pregnant with my child. That is a decision no man should have to make" he sighs.
"That's life baby, and I know it's hard. But everything happens for a reason" I explain.
"Can you promise me something" he asks.
"Of course" I assure him.
"No matter what happens in the future... never change" he begs and I smile.
"I wouldn't dream of it."