Disclaimer: I don't own the Ducks or anything related to the movies. I just borrowed them for some fun. Enjoy!
Banking on Your Heart
After Steven left I went into the house. Mom is right there when I get in the door. "What happened at the game? I mean Gordon called me and said that something happened."
I fill her in on what happens and she smiles. "Well sounds like you have a lot of support surrounding you. Also sounds like Adam's family cares deeply about you."
"Yes I think so too." I say before heading up the ramp to get ready. I quickly remove my jewelry. I wash off the makeup I have on before heading in to shower. I wrap my robe around me and wheel back to my room to get dressed.
I put on the dress mom and I had picked out for the hospital dinner and dance. It is a knee length halter top red dress that is in a satin material and it has a cute little rhinestone band around the waist area. I have nylons in a skin tone and little black heels with straps over the toes.
Once I dress I put on my makeup and have mom fix my hair. She puts the hot curlers in my hair while we run though her speech. Then she pulls the front part of my hair back and puts it into the barrette from Dean. The barrette is silver and is shaped like a heart with smaller hearts dangling from the sides down to the point of the heart. It really is beautiful. I then slip on my bracelet and necklace. Then I grab a pair of earrings that are silver hearts that dangle. There is smaller hearts inside the bigger hearts. Once I am ready and so is mom we head out to the reception hall that will be the place for the event.
When we arrive I meet up with my committee members and I am to take tickets at the door for the first hour then I am free for the rest of the night. Once each of us have our jobs we settle into our position.
"Becca?" I hear a very familiar voice say as they approach the table.
Shannon the woman I am working with speaks before I can. "Hey Adam doesn't she look fabulous! I am surprised she doesn't have a boyfriend yet."
I blush. "I do have a boyfriend now. It just happened last night and I didn't think to tell you yet Shannon."
"Oh well then he is a lucky man." She says with a laugh.
"Yes I am a very lucky man!" Adam says and then steps around beside me to let the ones behind him give us their tickets. Once the line clears out I finally get to look at him. He looks very handsome not that he doesn't normally but he looks amazing in a black suit with a red shirt. He has on a black tie with tiny red hearts on it at first glance I had thought they were red polka dots. "Have you seen my family yet?" He asks just as my dad approaches the table.
"Wow you two look good together and I like the matching bit. Was that planned?" Dad asks.
"No I didn't even know Adam was coming tonight." I say as I see Adam's family approaching.
"I thought you knew or else I would have told you this afternoon." Steven says and Adam lightly punches him. "What was that for?"
"I wanted to surprise my girlfriend tonight and you tell me you would have ruined it had you known she didn't know." We all laugh.
"Wait so Adam and you are a couple now? I always thought about trying to set you up with him. I mean as often as you two come around to play with the kids at the hospital. Also you both are Catholic and love hockey. I often thought you two would make a perfect pair guess I wasn't far off. What I find funny is how you two always were in different rooms when here. How did you two meet?" Shannon says.
"Adam plays hockey on my dad's team." I say.
"Oh this is the Duck you were talking about! Had I known that I would have definitely tried to get you two together a long time ago." Shannon says as we take the tickets from my dad and Adam's family.
"I will see you all inside in about a half hour." I tell them as they all start to head in but before Adam goes to follow them he leans down hugs me and then kisses me gently on the lips.
"I will see you in there Becca." He whispers in my ear. I smile up at him as he stands up.
"See you soon sweetheart." I say and he smiles before going into the room we are having the dinner in.
"Wow you and Adam!" Shannon says and I laugh.
"Yeah took us a long time to get up the courage to tell one another but no regrets on that since it was the best birthday present ever."
"Aw that would be a nice birthday gift what else did you get?" She asks as we wait for more to arrive. I fill her in on what I got and show off the items I am wearing. When I show her the necklace from Adam and tell her all about it she has to speak up. "I wish there was more men like him."
I laugh. "His brother Steven is around your age. I can see if he is single." I tease her.
"Yeah and then we can double date." She says with a laugh. Soon our time is over at the ticket table so we go inside. She wheels me over to my table and the guys all stand until I am in my spot. I laugh at them.
"You know I was already seated so you could have stayed seated." I tell them and they all laugh. Shannon has placed me next to Adam and his brother Steven. "So to what do I owe the honor of sitting between two of the fine men at this table?"
"Well we thought you should sit by your boyfriend and Steven said he wanted to talk to you a bit more tonight so we thought put him on the other side." My mom answers.
Shannon laughs before leaning down to say goodbye to me. "I would like everyone to meet my friend Shannon. Shannon this is Phillip Banks and his wife Kathy and their sons Steven, Kyle, and of course you know Adam. And you have meet my parents Ted and Heidi Orion." I introduce everyone and then I look around. "Where is Matt and Jeff?" I ask.
"They are over with a group of friends and will be joining us in about ten minutes." My dad answers as Shannon shakes hands with everyone.
"Well I better get over to my family as well but it was a pleasure to meet everyone. I will talk to you all later." Shannon says before walking away.
I lean into Steven and whisper in his ear. "So do you have a girlfriend?"
"No I don't. Why do you ask? Already looking for a new Banks to be your boyfriend?" He whispers back in my ear.
I laugh. "No just promised Shannon I would find out if Adam's brother is single since she thought what Adam did was sweet. Didn't promise her you were the same way but did promise to find out if you were single at least." I whisper back and he laughs too.
"So already flirting with my brother Becca?" Adam teases and I lean over and kiss his cheek.
"Nope trying to play matchmaker for a friend." I tease back.
"So who won the game?" I ask the table.
"We won the game 6 to 3." Adam says and I feel him take my hand. "We could have done better but a few of the Ducks got distracted by the little scene at the game especially when they realized you left. Guess they forgot you said you would be leaving early." He says as he holds my hand. I am shocked he is holding my hand in front of our families like this but I like it.
"Believe it or not Adam was the only player fully focused on the game after that." Dad says and we all laugh.
I turn to Adam. "And to think they all thought I would ruin your game!"
We all laugh again. Soon the food is being served by a group of kids my age and just a bit younger. Each kid is one that has benefited from the hospital much the way I did. The little girl who is the server for our table comes over to me after serving everyone else. "Hi Becky! I was wondering if you and I can get together one Saturday to go shopping. I need a friend who can help me get a few things that Dad can't help me with." She says just loud enough for those at our table to hear.
"I think I can arrange that Stephanie. How are you and your dad doing?" I ask her and she smiles.
"Much better thanks for the help in getting him to meet the counselors."
"I am glad I could help. I will give you a call to figure out when we can get together and how we will get to the mall."
"If you want I can drive you ladies and drop you off." Adam says and Stephanie smiles and moves over by Adam. She throws her arms around his neck.
"Thank you that would be great." She says before heading back to the area the servers are hanging out.
"How old is she?" Kathy asks.
"She is going to turn 12 in about three weeks. She lost her mom. They were hit head on by a drunk driver. Unfortunately they hit on her mom's side of the car." I say almost choking up. I look to my parents as if to ask if I should go on.
"Becky are you ok with going on?" My mom asks.
"Her mom was pregnant and the baby was killed as well. Stephanie was rushed to the hospital and almost died in surgery. However when she came to she was all alone because her dad wasn't ready to see her. It took him three months before he could even look at his daughter. I got involved though the hospital volunteer program. Stephanie was assigned me as her mentor. She has come a long way from the time we first meant." I finish and everyone knows that is all I will say about Stephanie.
"Wow I didn't know how many activities you are involved in." Adam says.
"I guess I do have a lot of activities but staying busy makes me appreciate the fact that my troubles will always pass when the time comes." I tell him. We continue to eat our meal and soon dinner is over. I then excuse myself and so does my mother.
Soon mom is giving her speech. "Thank you all for coming out to support the hospital. Many people have asked me why I spend so much time helping out with the hospital but I can sum it up in one word Rebecca. Rebecca is my daughter who without this hospital wouldn't be here on this earth now. I know how lucky I am to have had such a great hospital staff working day and night to save my daughter. To this day when we walk in that hospital every single nurse or doctor who was there at the time my daughter was brought come over and hug us. They spend time finding out what is new with Becky. How is her health? How are her grades? Does she have a boyfriend? I know without them my daughter wouldn't be around to answer those questions." My mom begins her speech. She continues on telling the stories of other parents that they meant in a parents of handicap children meeting they were introduced to though the hospital staff.
Soon she is finishing her speech and I am being called onto the stage. I wheel out and take a deep breath. I take a look around the room. "I am so happy to see so many people here helping out the hospital. As my mother just said this place became a second home to my family during the time of my recovery. When I first learned I was paralyzed from the waist down I was in shock but with the help of the hospital staff I grew to accept this new challenge as a gift not a burden. I know because of the hospital staff that I am not handicapped but rather handicapable. I am capable of teaching others how to live their lives for the moment and not for the future because tomorrow may never come." I begin the speech.
I spot my one doctor and the nurse that took care of me the most while I was in the hospital both have tears in their eyes. "I am blessed to be alive and I know that I can thank Dr. Nigel and Nadine, Dena for short. Dena was the nurse who never took my bad mood but rather guided me toward writing and drawing to deal with the bad feelings. As for those questions I am always asked when I walk into or should I say roll into the hospital." I pause as a roar of laughter goes though the room. "I am pulling all As and Bs. My health is great currently but like all teens I get sick. I do have a boyfriend who happens to be here tonight with his family too. I am a normal teen except one little thing. I cruise the halls at school in a wheelchair. So what I am trying to ask each of you is to take this out into the community and remind them that this hospital is important in keeping people alive without these wonderful people and the advances that these events help get into the hospital we would be a very sad sorry community." I finish my speech and wheel myself off as everyone applauds me.
Author note: As always Thank you awtr101fan. Yes I know Angela and others I may introduce in this story will seem hard to like but they all play a part in why Becky is so special. I have had to take time debating putting some of them in but Becky isn't Becky without telling about the people that have been in her life. Becky told me that today lol. Have a great day and take care.