He Never Knew
Author - BanksPortmanMendozaWu (Or Tara, if you want my real name)
Summary - Fulton meets into the family that he never knew he had.
Feedback - Go for it. But be gentle. This is my first fic in MD-verse.
Notes - This is my first (well, tied first) fic that I am posting in this fandom. I am kind of worried about this one because I am also kind of worried about getting back into writing (that is why I have to fics going at the same time, so that there is a bit of diversity in my work out there. But then again, I am a little insane.) This is a little angst and such, and I hope it doesn't completely suck. If it does, I may just have to cry like a little baby.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Coach Orion, Sir?"
"What!" The irritable coach of the Eden hall Mighty Ducks exclaimed as he turned to the young girl standing behind him. The girl jumped and held out a piece of paper to him.
"I was asked to deliver this" she explained softly. "It is for one of your players. Very urgent apparently."
Orion took the piece of folded paper from the girl and nodded his thanks. The girl smiled a little and turned, leaving the rink. Orion glanced once again at the note in his hand. Written clearly on the front was the name of the player that the note was to be given to, but at that very moment, he didn't want to disturb the team practice. They had won their game the day before, but just barely, and now, he wanted them to train hard for the next one. He slid the note into the front of his clipboard and watched the scrimmage.
But soon, curiosity got the better of him. He was never one to be able to hold onto something like that, he always wanted to know everything as soon as it happened. And he knew that it would not be fair to hold back this note from its owner, especially if it was important. What was the word that the messenger had used, 'urgent'
Orion blew his whistle. "Fulton, get over here!"
Fulton Reed skated over to where Orion was standing, and in the normal fashion, Dean Portman, his best friend, followed him. Soon, the rest of the team had gathered nearby.
"What did I do coach?" Fulton asked, worried. It was obvious that he and Portman, his usual partner in crime, were searching their minds for something that could get them in trouble. Portman's face then changed, so either he had not found anything, or he had given up.
"Note from the main office. Urgent." he handed Fulton the note. Fulton looked down at it then unfolded it.
"Its from my dad" he announced. Orion rolled his eyes.
"Probably just reminding you to get milk on the way home, right Fulton?" Orion asked. A few people chuckled but when Fulton didn't reply, they all began to start paying attention to him.
"Dude?" Portman asked, thumbing his friend on the shoulder . It was obvious that he was worried for his friend, but Orion always wondered why the two of them thumped each other around to show their emotion.
"My mom died" he muttered more to himself then to any one else. And in that instant, Orion felt awful.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"You didn't really know her, right?" Portman asked He was watching as his friend threw a few of his things into his hockey bag. His father had arranged that Fulton have a week off to go to the funeral if he wanted it. It had been a split second decision, but he knew that he would regret not going.
"I never met her. She left me and my dad when I was only two months old. Since then she has always just been a card on my birthday, you know, but I know that if I don't do this, I am going to regret this forever…"
"I understand, don't need to explain yourself to me man" Portman told him. "must have been rough, living with out your mom."
"Not really" Fulton shrugged. He had never told any one on the team about any of this, except for Bombay. Bombay had asked. And now, Portman was asking. Just because he had never volunteered the information didn't mean that he would not answer if he was questioned. "She was to young to have a kid. So was Pa really…"
"How old were they?" Portman asked him.
"Umm Mom was 14" Fulton said, preoccupied with stuffing his clothing in his bag. "Pa was 16, I think, or maybe he was 15. I don't know."
"That is young" Portman agreed. "Especially for the time that you were born…"
"Yeah" he sighed. "Mom's parents kicked her out, so she moved in with pop and his mom. My Gran. Dad promised her that he would look after her, but then, after I was born, she freaked and she ran. Dad promised that he would always look after me, So he did."
"What happened then?"
"What?" he asked, emptying his sock draw. "Oh, yeah, well, dad got two jobs so he would have the money to look after me, so Gran brought me up. She taught me everything. I love Gran. Really miss her to. She died the year before I joined the Ducks. After that I pretty much looked after myself. Mom was no big thing in my life."
"Then why are you going half way across the country to her funeral?" Portman asked. Then paused. "Sorry Man, that sounded really heartless."
"No, I understand Dude." Fulton sighed, sitting on his bed. He had moved into the dorms when he had been offered the scholarship because he knew that it would take some of the strain off of his father, not having to worry about buying things for him. "I guess I always knew that she was there. The year after the games, my birthday card had this little message in it, that surprised me and angered me all at once. She had written 'I am so proud of you Fult. I watched you on the games. You did so well. I told my friends about you.' That really got to me. She had not even told her friends about me. She was ignoring the fact that I existed. Then, the year later, she told me that I could come and visit her if I wanted to. I didn't want to, but it was nice to know that she would make room in her life for me if I wanted her to. That was the most motherly thing that she had ever done for me."
Portman nodded.
"I was going to go out that way after high school was finished, you know. Maybe get a job for a while here, save up some cash and then road trip out to north Carolina to met her. But, I guess I wont get that chance."
Portman didn't know what to do. He hated it when people had bad news, because he never knew what to say, and now, it seemed, that all this thinking about the past had hurt his friend.
"You will be gone a week right?" Portman asked, finding a 'safe' subject. Fulton nodded. "How do you get there?"
"Plane, taxi, train and then another taxi" he replied, zipping up his bag. "I think I have everything"
"Right, well, good luck with everything man. If you need anything, you know the number" Portman told him. Fulton laughed at his friends attitude. "I will take notes for you in classes"
"So will I, just in case you actually want to pass." Julie told him. She had been standing outside the door, waiting for Fulton to exit. Fulton smiled at her.
"Thanks guys." he smiled.
"Fult, your taxi to the airport is here" Charlie said from the end of the hall. "Good luck"
"Thanks" he smiled at the captain and then turned back to the others. "Hey, don't cry, I am only going for a week" he smiled. Connie slapped him on the arm.
"I am not crying" she told him, standing on his toes to wrap her arms around his shoulders, hugging him quickly. "If you need anything Fult"
"I know" he smiled, letting her go. "What, no hug from Gaffney?"
"Just waiting in line" she smiled, moving to hug him. Fulton wondered when it was that he and the girls had been in such a hug accepting friendship. He had known Connie since they were little kids, and he was close to Julie because she was close to Portman. But they had never really been hugging friends.
He released Julie and then turned to Portman. "Men don't hug, right"
"No, but brothers do" Portman replied. Pulling his friend into one of those manly hugs where most of it is slapping each other around.
"If anything happens between you and Jules while I am gone…" Fulton began softly.
"I know man, you are the first to know" Portman smiled, patting him on the back again. Fult moved away and picked up his things.
"See you guys next week. Good luck in the game against the bears, sorry I cant be there for it."
And before any one could say anything, he was gone.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ok, that was the first chapter, I hope that you like it. You know what to do now though, click the little button and give me a review. Thanks.
Author - BanksPortmanMendozaWu (Or Tara, if you want my real name)
Summary - Fulton meets into the family that he never knew he had.
Feedback - Go for it. But be gentle. This is my first fic in MD-verse.
Notes - This is my first (well, tied first) fic that I am posting in this fandom. I am kind of worried about this one because I am also kind of worried about getting back into writing (that is why I have to fics going at the same time, so that there is a bit of diversity in my work out there. But then again, I am a little insane.) This is a little angst and such, and I hope it doesn't completely suck. If it does, I may just have to cry like a little baby.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Coach Orion, Sir?"
"What!" The irritable coach of the Eden hall Mighty Ducks exclaimed as he turned to the young girl standing behind him. The girl jumped and held out a piece of paper to him.
"I was asked to deliver this" she explained softly. "It is for one of your players. Very urgent apparently."
Orion took the piece of folded paper from the girl and nodded his thanks. The girl smiled a little and turned, leaving the rink. Orion glanced once again at the note in his hand. Written clearly on the front was the name of the player that the note was to be given to, but at that very moment, he didn't want to disturb the team practice. They had won their game the day before, but just barely, and now, he wanted them to train hard for the next one. He slid the note into the front of his clipboard and watched the scrimmage.
But soon, curiosity got the better of him. He was never one to be able to hold onto something like that, he always wanted to know everything as soon as it happened. And he knew that it would not be fair to hold back this note from its owner, especially if it was important. What was the word that the messenger had used, 'urgent'
Orion blew his whistle. "Fulton, get over here!"
Fulton Reed skated over to where Orion was standing, and in the normal fashion, Dean Portman, his best friend, followed him. Soon, the rest of the team had gathered nearby.
"What did I do coach?" Fulton asked, worried. It was obvious that he and Portman, his usual partner in crime, were searching their minds for something that could get them in trouble. Portman's face then changed, so either he had not found anything, or he had given up.
"Note from the main office. Urgent." he handed Fulton the note. Fulton looked down at it then unfolded it.
"Its from my dad" he announced. Orion rolled his eyes.
"Probably just reminding you to get milk on the way home, right Fulton?" Orion asked. A few people chuckled but when Fulton didn't reply, they all began to start paying attention to him.
"Dude?" Portman asked, thumbing his friend on the shoulder . It was obvious that he was worried for his friend, but Orion always wondered why the two of them thumped each other around to show their emotion.
"My mom died" he muttered more to himself then to any one else. And in that instant, Orion felt awful.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"You didn't really know her, right?" Portman asked He was watching as his friend threw a few of his things into his hockey bag. His father had arranged that Fulton have a week off to go to the funeral if he wanted it. It had been a split second decision, but he knew that he would regret not going.
"I never met her. She left me and my dad when I was only two months old. Since then she has always just been a card on my birthday, you know, but I know that if I don't do this, I am going to regret this forever…"
"I understand, don't need to explain yourself to me man" Portman told him. "must have been rough, living with out your mom."
"Not really" Fulton shrugged. He had never told any one on the team about any of this, except for Bombay. Bombay had asked. And now, Portman was asking. Just because he had never volunteered the information didn't mean that he would not answer if he was questioned. "She was to young to have a kid. So was Pa really…"
"How old were they?" Portman asked him.
"Umm Mom was 14" Fulton said, preoccupied with stuffing his clothing in his bag. "Pa was 16, I think, or maybe he was 15. I don't know."
"That is young" Portman agreed. "Especially for the time that you were born…"
"Yeah" he sighed. "Mom's parents kicked her out, so she moved in with pop and his mom. My Gran. Dad promised her that he would look after her, but then, after I was born, she freaked and she ran. Dad promised that he would always look after me, So he did."
"What happened then?"
"What?" he asked, emptying his sock draw. "Oh, yeah, well, dad got two jobs so he would have the money to look after me, so Gran brought me up. She taught me everything. I love Gran. Really miss her to. She died the year before I joined the Ducks. After that I pretty much looked after myself. Mom was no big thing in my life."
"Then why are you going half way across the country to her funeral?" Portman asked. Then paused. "Sorry Man, that sounded really heartless."
"No, I understand Dude." Fulton sighed, sitting on his bed. He had moved into the dorms when he had been offered the scholarship because he knew that it would take some of the strain off of his father, not having to worry about buying things for him. "I guess I always knew that she was there. The year after the games, my birthday card had this little message in it, that surprised me and angered me all at once. She had written 'I am so proud of you Fult. I watched you on the games. You did so well. I told my friends about you.' That really got to me. She had not even told her friends about me. She was ignoring the fact that I existed. Then, the year later, she told me that I could come and visit her if I wanted to. I didn't want to, but it was nice to know that she would make room in her life for me if I wanted her to. That was the most motherly thing that she had ever done for me."
Portman nodded.
"I was going to go out that way after high school was finished, you know. Maybe get a job for a while here, save up some cash and then road trip out to north Carolina to met her. But, I guess I wont get that chance."
Portman didn't know what to do. He hated it when people had bad news, because he never knew what to say, and now, it seemed, that all this thinking about the past had hurt his friend.
"You will be gone a week right?" Portman asked, finding a 'safe' subject. Fulton nodded. "How do you get there?"
"Plane, taxi, train and then another taxi" he replied, zipping up his bag. "I think I have everything"
"Right, well, good luck with everything man. If you need anything, you know the number" Portman told him. Fulton laughed at his friends attitude. "I will take notes for you in classes"
"So will I, just in case you actually want to pass." Julie told him. She had been standing outside the door, waiting for Fulton to exit. Fulton smiled at her.
"Thanks guys." he smiled.
"Fult, your taxi to the airport is here" Charlie said from the end of the hall. "Good luck"
"Thanks" he smiled at the captain and then turned back to the others. "Hey, don't cry, I am only going for a week" he smiled. Connie slapped him on the arm.
"I am not crying" she told him, standing on his toes to wrap her arms around his shoulders, hugging him quickly. "If you need anything Fult"
"I know" he smiled, letting her go. "What, no hug from Gaffney?"
"Just waiting in line" she smiled, moving to hug him. Fulton wondered when it was that he and the girls had been in such a hug accepting friendship. He had known Connie since they were little kids, and he was close to Julie because she was close to Portman. But they had never really been hugging friends.
He released Julie and then turned to Portman. "Men don't hug, right"
"No, but brothers do" Portman replied. Pulling his friend into one of those manly hugs where most of it is slapping each other around.
"If anything happens between you and Jules while I am gone…" Fulton began softly.
"I know man, you are the first to know" Portman smiled, patting him on the back again. Fult moved away and picked up his things.
"See you guys next week. Good luck in the game against the bears, sorry I cant be there for it."
And before any one could say anything, he was gone.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ok, that was the first chapter, I hope that you like it. You know what to do now though, click the little button and give me a review. Thanks.