Chapter Fourteen

- January 2007 -

"You know I hate getting called in here…" Avery smiled as she sat down behind Mario's desk. "At least this time I know I haven't done anything wrong 'cause you're smiling."

"You're right," Mario laughed. "For once, you haven't done anything wrong!"

"Hey… that's not nice. I picked rocks out of Lexi's nose this morning! Give me some credit!" Avery teased.

"That is so gross… none of the other kids ever caused us so much grief!"

"Oh they caused Nathalie grief, you just weren't here everyday to see it!" Avery defended Alexa, even though she was pretty sure that the rocks up the nose thing was new - even in this household.

"That's fair, that's fair…" Mario nodded. "Anyway, the reason I called you in here is because I have good news…"

"Oh? Pennsylvania is finally making French mandatory for all citizens?" Avery teased.

"Haha… That French is about to come in handy to you young lady! I just got off the phone with an old teammate who works for the IIHF and they are looking for someone to help at their head office. I pulled a few strings and the position is yours," Mario smiled.

"For real? You did that for me?" Avery was shocked and relieved. She had been worried about getting a job since Christmas.

"It's not much but it's something…" Mario nodded. "They want you to start next week and they will help arrange a work visa. You need to call Mathieu, at this number, and then we can arrange you a flight."

"That's amazing!" Avery jumped to her feet and reached for the piece of paper Mario was handing her. "I'll do it right away… thank you, thank you, thank you!" Avery flung her arms around Mario's neck before practically running out the room.

"What was that about?" Nathalie poked her head into Mario's office, after almost being run over.

"I made some arrangements," Mario shrugged.

"Oh? What kind of arrangements?"

"Avery is going to go work for the IIHF. Should be good for her…"

"In Switzerland?" Nathalie gasped. "Sid's not going to take that well…"

-.-

"What are you doing?" Sid asked, walking into Avery's room. She was standing on her bed, moving around the boxes that were precariously placed on the shelf high above her bed. Sid had worried about the strength of those selves, several times while looking up at them in the middle of the night.

"I can't find my passport… and I need my passport number for my visa…" Avery jumped off the bed and headed to the chest of drawers beside her bed, pulling open the top drawer and riffling through it at a frantic pace.

"What do you need a visa for?"

"You didn't hear? Mario got me a job!" Avery flung her arms around Sid. She still hadn't come down from the excitement.

"That's great! I told you he would help you!" Sid wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He loved holding her. "So? What's the job? Doing what?"

"I'm not a 100% sure on what the duties are but it's with the IIHF… arranging travel for teams and competitions and stuff… assistant to the director of travel or something…"

"The IIHF? Isn't that in Europe?" Sid asked, slightly stunned.

"Yeah! Switzerland! I guess all those years bitching about having to speak French with Mario paid off after all!" Avery turned back to the chest of drawers. "Now if only I could find my damn passport… Oh my God Sid, it's going to be soooo great! I am going to eat cheese and chocolate… I am going to have to learn to ski a lot better…"

Sid just stood in shock as Avery went on and on about all the great things that her new job would offer her. All he could think about was that he was never going to see her again…

"Switzerland…" he muttered out loud to himself.

"Be happy for me!" Avery insisted, poking him in the ribs.

"I am happy for you… I just… that's far," Sid offered trying to contain how disappointed he was.

"This is really good for me! Mario pulled in a huge favour!"

"I just… can't believe your leaving again…"

"Sid, the chances of me staying here were slim, you knew that…"

"WHY? Why can't you stay here? Can't you get a job with the team or something?" Sid asked, the volume of his voice raising.

"Sid… come on," Avery shook her head.

"No! This fucking sucks!" Sid yelled and hit the wall. "I can't believe this is happening again! You can't leave now, I want you here! I need you here! I am playing great and the team has a chance at a long run and… and… NO! This isn't happening!"

"Stomping your foot and acting like a spoiled brat isn't going to change anything," Avery warned him. "And besides, you don't need me… I am probably a bad influence on you anyway."

"No! That's not true! I love you and I don't want you to leave…"

"Sid, stop it with that love thing…" Every time he said it, Avery got uncomfortable and this was no exception. She hadn't mustered the ability to say it back and the tension was growing every time he let it escape.

"Whatever, I get it! You don't love me but you can't tell me how I feel about you! I know how I feel and I know that when you leave it's going to hurt like a bitch!" Sid was shaking and had never felt so close to the verge of tears in his life. "You don't need to leave… You can stay here and we can buy a house and I can take care of you… we can do the 2.4 kids and the picket fence shit… that's what you want right? That's what you said you wanted!"

"Sid, you are nineteen… and I don't want to be your trophy wife… I am going to Switzerland," Avery restated soft yet firm.

"FINE! LEAVE! SEE IF I FUCKING CARE!" Sid yelled, throwing his arms in the air in defeat and frustration.

"Really? That's how you want to leave this? With you screaming at me?" Avery asked.

"You don't leave me much choice…" Sid snapped back turning and heading for the doorway.

"You will be fine without me! You have survived without me before… and if you make it to the playoffs, I'll try and come back…" Avery reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. She could feel the tension beneath his shirt.

"Really? Promise?" The first glimmer of hope crept into Sid's eyes, as he turned back to face her.

"I can promise I'll try…" Avery assured him, wrapped her arms around his waist and kissing him softly. He obliged and kissed her back. He couldn't imagine not having this everyday. He had become spoiled in the short time that Avery had been back and coming home to her was often the best part of his day.

"Let's go get some dinner…" Sid untangled himself from her arms and pulled her towards the door.

"I can't Sid," She shook her head. "I have to find my passport and then started getting stuff together."

"You have lots of time for that… you need to eat," Sid argued.

"No, I don't have lots of time… I leave in two days! Only if I can find my passport, I guess," Avery giggled excitedly and went back to digging through her drawers.

-.-

- April 2007 -

Sid sat on the trainers table and stared down at his foot. It was shades of blue and yellow with a slight variation of green that he had never seen before. He had certainly had bruises before, but this one – this one was a work of art. He re positioned the ice bag and cringed as the cold plastic met his swollen skin. Yup, something was definitely wrong. He didn't need a doctor to tell him that.

"Fuck," he swore to himself as he laid back on the table. The team had worked so hard to get to the playoffs and now he was stuck lying in the medical room while the guys played for their lives out there.

"So Sid," the doctor started as he walked into the room, holding an x-ray negative. "Looks like a fracture of your 3rd and 4th metatarsals… nasty one that's for sure. Nothing is displaced and should heel pretty nicely though. Good thing about these bones is that they don't move around a lot."

Sid bit his lip as the doctor poked the bruises. He was pretty sure if anyone had the nerve to ask him if it hurt, he would wind up and punch them in the face.

"When the swelling comes down we can get you into a cast but until then, try not to take a puck off it again, mmm K?"

"Can I walk on it?" Sid asked.

"If it doesn't hurt you to put weight on it, then yeah. The bones won't move," The doctor nodded.

"So I can play?" Sid asked again.

"Well, its not something I would recommend but I guess that is your decision…"

"Tape it up and get me my skate," Sid stated looking back down at his foot. He wondered if he was going to be able to get the skate on over the swelling but damn it, he was going to try.

-.-

Sid half skated, half limped off the ice towards the dressing room. Ottawa had just blanked them in game five, taking the series 4-1. The Pens were officially on summer holidays – in April. If one more person said to him, 'Don't worry, you're young… there will be a next time…" He was going to lose it. How was that going to make him feel better? Sure their team was young but that was no excuse. They just weren't playing the way they had to. It seemed like the guys were so proud of themselves for making the playoffs, now that they were here, they stopped working and that just wasn't good enough for Sid.

"Sid," Mario met him in the tunnel back to the dressing room. "That was a good try… you'll get them next year."

Sid bit his tongue. He certainly wasn't going to lose it on his boss/landlord/mentor. Instead he just nodded and headed into the dressing room, stripping out of his gear and piling it into the travel bag. The room was silent, as everyone accepted their fate and contemplated what to do next. Sid stripped off his sock and unwound the medical tape that was holding his foot in place. It hurt like a bitch but he had ignored it until then. He knew he would have an appointment with the team doctor for more x-rays, tests and probably a cast in the morning. Then he would have to answer the media's questions about it because it would be impossible to hide the injury anymore.

Sid showered and changed into his suit before heading to the bus to go back to the airport. He could hear the Senators still celebrating and vowed to wipe that smug look of their faces for next year.

The flight back to Pittsburgh was silent, except for some moaning and groaning as guys adjusted their banged up bodies in their seats. Mario sat at the front of the plane, reading his newspaper like nothing had surprised him. How someone could remain so calm boggled his mind. Sid felt like screaming at the top of his lungs. When the plane touched down on home soil, everyone headed their own directions. Sid drove the same route home in silence, recalling Albert Einstein's definition of insane: 'Doing things over and over again and expecting different results.' Maybe he was insane. He had done the exact same things, in the same order everyday and kept expecting to win and it clearly wasn't working out too good for him. Something had to change in Sid's game so his team could stop losing and he was going to spend the summer figuring out what it was.

Sid pulled up the driveway at the Lemieux house, parked and climbed out. Somehow Mario had beat him home, as Sid noticed Mario's car in front of his. He had hoped that he could sneak in and up to his room without anyone noticing but there was a slim chance of that now. Sid walked in through the front door and slipped off his shoes. Nathalie emerged around the corner and gave him a warm bear hug.

"Next year, I can feel it…" She offered encouragingly. Sid just nodded.

"Are your parents coming here or are they heading back to Cole Harbour?" She asked, changing the topic.

"I dunno… I didn't even see them after the game. I'll call them in the morning I guess…" Sid shrugged. Now he felt bad for not talking to his parents… and letting his dad down.

"It's no big deal. You'll have plenty to do tomorrow… like get that foot taken care of," Nathalie looked down and cringed, as Sid's foot was swollen the size of a melon.

"It's not as bad as it looks… flying makes it swell," Sid tried to assure her. He may have been lying just slightly.

"Well humour me and put some ice on it, okay?" Nathalie put her hands on her hips.

"Yes mom…" Sid teased. It had become a common joke among the family that Sid was just the member of the Lemieux family with the worst French.

She smiled warmly but rolled her eyes. "I'll get you an ice pack…"

Sid called down the hall as Nathalie headed towards the kitchen. "Nathalie?"

"Yes Sidney?" She turned around.

"Did Avery call?" He tried to not sound as pathetic as he felt but knew it didn't work.

Nathalie paused and the look of concern came back to her face. She slowly shook her head. "No Sid, she didn't."

"She was never going to come was she?"

"I don't think so, no…" Nathalie watched as Sid's shoulders slumped. "She is busy with her new job… the world championships are starting and…"

"It's okay… I just thought… it doesn't matter," Sid shook his head. He shouldn't have asked. Now he felt even more like shit. "I am going to head to bed…"

"I'll bring some ice up for you," Nathalie nodded.

Sid turned and headed up the staircase, one step at a time, careful not to put too much weight on his foot. At the top of the stairs, there was a table with a picture of the Lemieux family taken not too long ago. It was a relaxed, posed yet candid picture. Kind of like a picture between posed pictures. Alexa was propped in Avery's lap and Avery's arms were wrapped around her. Avery was laughing and looked genuinely happy. Sid's heart physically hurt looking at this picture. There was nothing he wanted more then to wrap his arms around her right now and be genuinely happy himself. Only she could make him feel better. After he had punished himself long enough staring at the photo, he put it back down on the table and walked to his room. Nathalie came up with some ice and a cup of hot tea. He thanked her and then climbed into bed alone. Again.