Saturday, March 12, 2011

Chapter Thirteen: 8 months later

Sidney stepped off the bus in Philadelphia. There was a slight breeze that put a chill in the air. He drew in a sharp breath and lifted his pack onto his shoulder. They were playing the Flyers that night, and would be heading to the rink pretty soon. He was thinking about Diana and how he had left things back in Pittsburgh. They had gotten into an argument about something stupid, and he had stormed out with out kissing her goodbye or saying he loved her. The image of her tear stained face danced in his head, as he remember the last things they said to each other. He had grabbed his bag and opened the front door, turning to her he had grumbled "I'll see you when I get back Diana."

She responded with "Whatever, I don't care if you do or not." With that he had slammed the door and left. Coming back to the present, he ran his hand through his hair as he tossed his pack onto a chair in his hotel room. Dropping onto the bed he closed his eyes and sighed. He wished he could take it all back. He wished he could go back to that moment, wrap his arms around his wife and tell her he loved her. But he couldn't, the best thing he could do was make it up to her when he got back home.

Jordan broke into his thoughts with a slap on the leg. Sid sat up and looked at his friend. "Hey we're going down to have some breakfast, you wanna come?" Jordan said watching his captain intently.

"Yeah, sure I'll come along. I'm hungry." They laughed as they left the room and headed down to the restaurant attached to the hotel. They joined the rest of the boys at a bunch of tables that had been pushed together. After ordering they joked and talked, enjoying their time together. It was great being on the road, because it gave them a chance to have a real bonding experience. They were close, like brothers and it was important to have that time. Sid love being with his teammates, it was always fun and exciting.

"How's Diana doing, Sid? I bet she's ready for the baby to come out right?" James Neal said, laughing.

Sid nodded and smiled, thinking back to a few nights before when Diana had mentioned how she was 'soooo'  ready for the pregnancy to be over. "Yeah she's getting pretty uncomfortable. She seems to be in pain quite a bit, and the braxton hicks are really rough. Not to mention the little guy kicking the heck out of her."

"Well, it's not too much longer. Any day now right?" Geno commented as he chewed on a piece of bacon.

"Yep, any day. She says the sooner the better. Ha!" Sid grinned, and took a gulp of his orange juice. After breakfast, the boys piled onto the bus and headed to the rink for their practice. Sidney texted Diana, telling her he was sorry for their fight and that he loved her. Within seconds, he got one back saying, 'me too'.

He smiled and leaned his head back closing his eyes. His phone began to vibrate again, so he picked up and looked at it. It was Diana. He hit the talk button and answered, "Hey baby girl, how's it going?"

He could hear a low groan coming from the other end of the line. Sitting straight up, his voice took on a tone of concern. "Baby? What is it, what's wrong?"

"You need to come home Sid. It's time." His wife rasped as if in extreme pain. Suddenly she screamed and he heard a crash.

"DIANA!! Baby answer me!!!!" His teammates turned to him, eyebrows raised wondering what was going on. Seconds later his mom was on the phone.

"Sid come home! Come home now! The baby's coming, I had to call 911. Her water broke and she passed out. SID COME HOME!!!" The sound of a click, sent shivers of fear through his body.  Marc looked at him, worry all over his face.

"Sid what's wrong? What happened? Is Diana okay?" Marc Andre, watching his face as Sid jumped up and went up the the driver.

"Where are we? How far from the rink? I have to go, I need to get home. Diana..she...." He couldn't even finish, his voice strained with fear as he choked back the tears that were threatening to pour down his face. The last time he'd felt this terrified was when she was hit by the truck years ago. His heart was pounding fiercely in his chest.

The bus had just pulled into the lot of the rink. Sid flew off the bus and was about to hail down a cab, when Dan grabbed his arm. "Sid, what happened? I need to know what's going on. if you aren't going to play tonight then I need to know why."

"It's Diana, something happened the baby's coming and I have to go." He replied the tears he'd been fighting back finally starting to stream down his cheeks.


Diana screamed as the next contraction hit her. She clung to Trina, tears pouring down her face. She was sweating and panting. They had been in the delivery room for what seemed like forever. According to the clock it had only been about an hour. "I'm tired mum." Diana whispered, leaning her head against the wall. "I want Sid!" She choked back more tears as she said his name. Closing her eyes she prayed he would get there soon. She needed him to be with her. Nothing else mattered, just as long as he was there.

Just as another sharp contraction ripped through her body, she heard a familiar voice just outside the door. "WHERE IS SHE? I want to see my wife!" Suddenly Sidney burst through the door and immediately pulled Diana into his arms, caressing her back and kissing her between apologies and I love yous. She kissed him back, crying even harder. She was so happy he had made it.

The nurse came in and said she wanted to check Diana to see how far dilated she was. Sitting up on the bed, the nurse check her cervix. Smiling she looked up at the couple, "You're there, time to start pushing."

Sid looked down at his wife, as she reached out and grasped his hand in hers. She smiled at him weakly, trying to muster up some hidden strength. He gave her hand a little squeeze. "Here we go love." He said kissing her head. Her hand tightened around his as she began to push, pain shooting through her entire body. Trina stood beside her, wiping her forehead with a cool, damp cloth. Between pushes, Diana laid her head back,closing her eyes. Then she'd be right back to pushing again.

"That's it, you're doing great, one more good push and his head should be out. Come on honey, you can do it." Her Doctor encouraged, as Diana pushed as hard as she could. She screamed as she felt the baby's head slip out. Two more pushes and he tumbled out into the Doctor's arms. He was then immediately laid on Diana's belly, as she sobbed and touched his head gently with her finger.

Looking up at Sid, she saw his own eyes were filled with tears as he placed his hand on his first born child's head. The baby was screaming, and it was the most beautiful sound they'd ever heard. Sidney bent and kissed his wife, fighting to find words. "I love you Diana." He finally managed to whisper as he kissed her again.

After he was allowed to cut the cord, they took the baby and cleaned him up wrapping him in a little blue blanket. Diana and Trina smiled as Sid held his son for the first time. His smile was as big as the sky and tears streaked his face as he stared down at his child. He then walked over and kissed his mom on the cheek.  Diana's own face was streaked with tears as she watched her husband and their son.

"What are you two naming him?" Trina asked, peering at her first grandchild.

Sid looked at Diana. She smiled and nodded. "Acelin Troy." Sidney said proudly, as his wife reached up and pulled the blanket back so she could see her son. Sid sat on the chair next to her, and they sat there admiring the love they had created. He was beautiful, dark hair and olive skin. He was the perfect combination between the two. "Little Acelin Troy Crosby." Diana murmered as she bent over and kissed her son's forhead.

"It's a beautiful name, for a beautiful baby boy. Congratulations!"

Sid and Diana looked at each other with pride. "I love you Sidney." "I love you too Diana." And with that, they kissed each other and their son.

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