I hope everyone has a great Easter and has time to spend with your family. I am hanging with my niece and nephew this weekend. Last night we went to an egg hunt in the dark and had to use flashlights. It was really cool and this ideas came to me, so I decided to have a little fun with it. Enjoy...
This past year has been really hard for the Hawks. First with Marshall Pitman's death, then TK in rehab and more recently the media attention with Rex's announcement, the whole team needed some TLC. The PR department decided to host a family day and to kick off the spring season, and what better way than an Easter Egg Hunt?
This sounded like a great idea….to everyone but Nico. It's not that he doesn't approve of Easter or the holiday in general; he just knew this was going to be a logistical nightmare for his security team. During the off season, he usually runs with half his normal staff to cut down on payroll. He didn't have enough guys to cover an event like this. To make matters worse, he was only given a week's notice of this event.
Apparently, he and his team are the only ones who know the backstage drama of all the wives and girlfriends. During a home game, Nico's team usually had the added stress of keeping girlfriends and wives separated; especially for those players who had both. Somehow when the invitation list went out, everyone was invited. Nico sent text messages to all the players telling them if they were married, they were only allowed to invite their wives and to tell their girlfriend to stay away. He knew it was going to be a major issue, but had no control because he wasn't sent the list for review prior. He briefed his staff as best he could.
The team decided to host the event one week prior to Easter because they would have maximum participation in case some were traveling during the actual holiday. The week leading up the event was spent decorating the stadium and stuffing plastic eggs. Nico was in a foul mood having to re-arrange most decorations because streamers were blocking cameras and he needed to ensure the eggs were secure after stuffing. You can call him paranoid, but he wasn't taking any chances. This would be an easy way to take out half the team in one small event.
The security team was tasked with hiding the eggs in the stadium chairs during their walk-thru security check. These eggs would be for the older kids, something to provide a challenge. The younger kids would have the sidelines and the field. There was food and games planned like toss the egg and spoon races and even face painting. The team went all out. There were prizes for each event and even a best dressed costume contest. One of the end zones was transformed into an Easter Village for the Easter Bunny. They hired a guy to come in for pictures and he would also start off the egg hunt.
The players and all the family members were actually excited to have this day to sit back and relax with their families and re-connect before Spring Training started back up. They knew they would miss a lot of family time and thought this was a great way to make up for that.
The morning of the event started well. The weather was unusually warm. The temperature has been creeping up the past few days and it even got up to 70 degrees the day before. This was going to be perfect weather to spend all day outside. The expected high was 72 and little cloud cover. Everyone was excited because they wouldn't have to dress in bulky coats and gloves for the egg hunt.
The staff arrived early to put the finishing touches on everything. Nico was already in a foul mood. He has already had three calls from upset girlfriends about not being allowed to bring their children because after all their father was a player. Nico thought to himself some players need to use more protective gear to prevent these situations. He smoothed things over as best he could, but knew one of them would probably show up.
Dani arrived at the stadium a little before 9 with three huge baskets. Nico was surprised to see there because her children were older. He walked over to her car to help her unload her stuff. "Good morning Dr. Santino, It's a pleasure to see you, but I wasn't expecting you to be here."
She turned to him with a smile, "I volunteered to help make door prizes and I'm going to help with face painting and a few games if needed. I haven't seen you much this week. How have you been?"
"Very busy, this is worse than game day. I know it's just the families of the staff, but sometimes that brings more drama than it's worth."
Dani thought that statement was strange, "How can this bring more drama? There are only a quarter of the people here and you have probably dealt with all of these people before. You fix their problems; they all know who you are and your reputation, so how can this be harder than a game day?"
"My reputation?"
"Nico, everyone here is scared of you. They think you could kill them with your sunglasses. All it would take is a nod of your head, and one of your security goons will come out from behind a tree and drag them away to be never heard from again."
Nico laughed at this statement. "I don't have goons, and there are no trees in the stadium, I had them removed for security reasons." He winked at her and helped her carry her stuff inside.
Dani met up with Matt and a couple of the other trainers to get all the other stuff moved to the field. Nico walked back to his office feeling a little better. Somehow Dani's smile seemed to relieve his stress a little. Also her being here was an added bonus if he needed help defusing a situation between the wives. She has helped in the past with the WAGs and most of them know her from sessions. She is well respected by all.
The players were beginning to arrive and the training room and locker rooms were becoming over crowded so Xeno started directing the traffic to the field. The only person who hasn't shown was the guy who was supposed to wear the rabbit suit. Nico spent three days completing background checks because no one wanted to do this. He understood because all the players wanted to be with their families and the rest of the staff was all busy. He finally found one guy with a clean record. He called the guy's cell number three times, but there was no answer. He left voice messages and sent about five text messages. The event was supposed to start in 10 minutes. Where was he going to find a rabbit?
He was walking down the hall when his phone buzzed. It was a text message from the guy, "Sorry I'm not going to make it. My wife went into labor and we are at the hospital having a baby."
Great, now we're screwed. Nico wasn't paying attention to where he was going and he walked right into someone. It was Dave, one of the janitors. Dave fell to the floor and Nico apologized and helped him up. "Hey Dave, I need your help. You and I are about the same size and shape. I need you to be a rabbit for me." Dave kind of stepped back. "Um, What?"
"Sorry, I have a problem and was wondering if you can help me? The guy we hired to be dress as the Easter Bunny for the event is not going to make it. I have the costume in my office, but I need someone to wear it. The costume will only fit a few people because on last minute, it was all I could get. You and I are about the same height and weight. It would fit me, so I'm sure it would fit you. Can you please do this favor for me? I will owe you."
Dave only had to think about this for a few seconds, Nico is always going out of his way to help others and having Nico owe you a favor could always be a good thing. "Sure I'll try it on." Nico and Dave walked back to Nico's office. They pass Dani in the hallway. "Nico have you seen the Bunny? The kids are getting restless and this is supposed to start soon." He nods at her, "I have it under control, we will be out there shortly." They walk off toward his office and Dani heads to the field.
When they get to Nico's office, he hands Dave the suit and tells him to change in his private bathroom in case any kids are in the building. Dave moves to the bathroom and Nico checks the messages on his phone. He has a text message from Xeno. Some kids set off a stink bomb in the west hallway and no one can find Dave. Nico sends a text telling his team to take care of it, Dave is busy. Finally, Dave comes out of the bathroom and the suit fits perfectly. Nico helps him put the over-sized head on and helps guide him down the hallway.
As they come out of the tunnel leading to the field, the kids come running toward the bunny. As soon as they see Nico, they stop. He thinks to himself, they are afraid of him. He guides Dave over to Easter Village to take pictures with the kids. He only has to tell them once to form a line. He's surprised at how well the kids listen versus their parents. It's getting really hot outside and the suit is made of 100% polyester. Usually, that would not be a problem in NY but today it's hotter than normal. Dave whispers over to Nico that it's getting really hot inside the suit and that he is already sweating. Nico tells him that he'll be back in one hour to give him a break.
As Nico walks back toward the stadium, he takes his phone out and sets an alarm to remind him. Usually, he's good with remembering, but if something comes up, he may be distracted. Dani and Matt walk over to Nico. Matt's the first to speak, "Everything seems to be going well so far." Dani looks out over the crowd, "Every Egg hunt I've been to with my kids have gone well. Usually, there's no alcohol at these kinds of events so it cuts down on the fighting. The only time there's a problem is when the kids fight over the eggs." Nico gets a message on his phone, "Let's hope things stay quiet, excuse me."
He walks back toward his office. He wants to check security monitors. He can see every inch of the stadium from the comfort of his quiet office. As he's walking down the hallway, he wipes the sweat off his brow and decides he will need to keep a closer eye on Dave. He enters his office and grabs water from the fridge. As he sits at his desk, a text comes through from Xeno that they are switching to the radio communication now. Nico pulls out his ear piece and tucks the receiver in his pocket. He can hear his team check in and give small reports every now and then.
As he flips through the video screens, he notices the children on the screen with Dave. They are sweating and there's no shade on the field. One of the trainers come over to set up a tent for them. Nico decides even 45 minutes is probably too long for Dave in that suit. He grabs a cold bottle of water from the fridge and walks back toward the field. As he steps out of the tunnel on the field, he puts on his sunglasses and smiles at the comment Dani made earlier.
As he approaches the line of kids, he can hear one whisper something about the scary security dude. He clears his throat and tells the kids that the Easter Bunny needs to take a carrot break. Some kids groan in protest but none of them say anything. They just slowly walk back over to where their parents are. Dave is relieved to see Nico. Nico takes the bunny by the arm and guides him back toward the tunnel. Matt sees them leaving and thinks something may be wrong, so he goes to help.
Just as Nico and Dave turn the corner in the tunnel, Dave collapses. There's a kid walking in front of Matt and just as he turns the corner, the kid sees Nico standing over the Bunny pulling his head off. The kid's about to scream when Matt picks him up and covers his mouth. All they need now is for all the kids to see the Easter Bunny lying on the ground. Matt yells up to Nico, "Are you alright?" Nico has already called for help on the radio. He looks back to Matt, "Yes. He's ok; get that kid out of here."
Matt covers the kid's eyes and leads him back to the field to find his parents. Dani sees him holding the kid and jogs over to them. "What happened?" Before Matt could say anything, the kid looks over to Dani, "The scary security guy killed the Easter Bunny!" Dani reaches over and takes the kid from Matt. She tries to comfort him and looks over at Matt. "What happened?" Matt shrugs his shoulders, "we were walking toward the tunnel. Nico and the bunny were walking ahead and when we turned the corner, Nico was leaning over the bunny. I think he overheated. Nico's taking him inside."
She is holding the child. "Sweetheart, let's go find your dad." Dani feels bad for Nico because of the comment she made earlier. Matt sees the player and runs over to get him. When his dad comes over he explains that the scary security dude didn't kill the Easter Bunny. The Bunny was sick because he was hot and thirsty. He told the kid that the bunny will be back outside soon and they could look for eggs.
Matt and Dani walk back to the tunnel but no one was there. They walk in the building and Xeno tells them Nico and Dave are in the training room. When they go into the training room, they see Dave sitting on a table and one of the team doctors putting in an IV. Nico looks worried, "He is dehydrated and overheated, but otherwise ok."
Dani and Matt both let out a sigh of relief. Nico looks over to Matt, "How is the child doing?" Matt kind of smiles, "He's ok and with his dad. He thinks you killed the Easter Bunny. We need to get the rabbit back on the field before you get mobbed by a group of angry kids." Nico looks over at him, not even a little amused at this situation. Matt picks up the suit and walks out to the hallway.
Dani and Nico follow, "What are you doing?"
"Nico, there are over a hundred kids out there, all expecting the Easter Bunny to lead them on the egg hunt. If the bunny doesn't come back, they really will get upset. I may have been joking but still, we need to do something." Nico nods his appreciation as Matt walks off with the suit.
Dani and Nico are left in the hallway. She smiles over at him, "You do know I was kidding about killing someone with your sunglasses right?" Nico looks over at her, "I know, but seeing the children afraid of me is a little bothersome."
He's about to say something else when Matt comes back out of the bathroom carrying the suit. "It doesn't fit, my butt's too big."
Dani looks over at both of them, "What are we going to do? We have to find someone quick." Nico hears a report on the radio about the kids getting restless again. Finally he looks over at Dani and then Matt, "Don't you dare say a word about this." He takes the suit from Matt and walks into the bathroom. As soon as the door closes, they both bust out laughing. Just the thought of Nico in a rabbit suit was too funny for words. Dani pulls out her phone and gets the camera ready. She has to get a picture of this. Finally, her and Matt calm down and try their best to compose themselves before he comes back out. As soon as Dani and Matt see Nico walking out holding the oversized head by one ear, zipped from neck to toe in a furry white suit and a ridiculous poke-dotted bowtie, they lose it again. She snapped as many pictures as she could before Nico came after her.
The only thing that stopped him was a noise coming from down the hall. A child was coming and he needed to put the head on. Matt and Dani calmed down and both took one of his arms to lead him back on to the field. He whispered to them that they needed to make an announcement that the egg hunt was going to start soon because he was starting to get hot.
After the egg hunt was done, the trainers has taken that time to set up a few event tents over the Easter Village so the kids could pose on the Easter Bunny's lap for pictures. Dani made sure she got a turn posing with the Easter Bunny. The best part about all of this was the fact that none of the players knew who was in the suit. The rest of the afternoon went by relatively quietly. Some of the players did ask if Nico was around, but Dani and Matt kept their mouths shut only saying that they knew he was probably watching somewhere close. At the end of the day, Nico and Dani walked quietly back to his office. She left him at the door only saying this was the best Easter event she has been to in a while.