Drabble. One shot. Because why not? 1993 timeline. Bombay still gets injured, but Casey never remarries. I also wanted to explain away Charlie's pinky ring in D3. If I were to write a wedding ceremony, it would probably be Orion as best man with Charlie walking his mother down the aisle.
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It was days like today when Bombay felt like he needed to pinch himself. Casey Conway, the woman of his dreams, had agreed to marry him. If someone had told him just a year ago how much his life would have changed, he wouldn't have believed it.
Bombay had saved up his entire first pay cheque from the Waves and bought a small solitaire diamond ring. It wasn't the largest ring, but he just had to buy it then and there. They had only gone on two dates, but he knew by then that Casey was the only one for him. If it were not for Hans' words of wisdom, telling him to slow down, he would have proposed on the third date.
Bombay was planning on proposing at the end of the season before the draft. On the last game of the regular season, a goon named Norbert stuck out his hip and crushed Bombay's knee again the boards, causing the ligament to tear. Bombay crumbled to the ice in pain.
"C'mon, ref!" Bombay heard Casey shout from the stands. "Are you blind!"
Bombay was in too much pain to respond before being helped off the ice by his teammates.
It wasn't until the following week that Bombay saw Casey again. Bombay was, once again, without a job. He didn't feel up to anything. Bombay's playing days were over if the doctor's prognosis was to be believed. Being a lawyer again didn't feel right either.
"Hello stranger," Casey greeted him, patting a seat beside her. "Come hobble over here."
Bombay smiled as he made his way over to her on crutches. He was still in a considerable amount of pain from his injury.
Casey gave him a quick kiss when he sat down beside her. It never ceased to amaze him the effect her kisses had on him. The pain never seemed as bad when she was around.
"You could have surgery and be back on the ice in six months," Casey said hopefully. "Charlie told me it happens to the pros all the time."
"To pros that are already in the NHL in their twenties," Bombay sighed. All his plans, dreams of the playoffs, being drafted, and making the NHL, were gone.
"Hockey isn't everything," Casey reminded him."Remember Ted?"
Bombay had told Casey in confidence about a rumour he had heard about a particular North Stars defenceman who had left the NHL abruptly. He was in a car crash, and his daughter was severely injured. When asked about it in the press, he replied, 'Some things are more important than playing hockey.'
He looked at Casey. She was the kind of pretty which they didn't make anymore. Casey and Charlie, not hockey, made life worth living. Bombay knew he had to do something. He could feel his life slipping away from him, and he needed something to hold on to.
Remembering the ring he kept in his left pocket, Bombay carefully got down on one knee. It pained him greatly to do so but waiting one more minute to do what he wanted to do months ago hurt more.
Bombay didn't have any grand speech prepared. Or a romantic dinner. Instead, he pulled out the ring and said, 'Marry me.'
Casey gasped as she didn't know what to say. She wasn't expecting Bombay to propose. Not this quickly. They had only been going out for nine months, and most of that time, it was long distance.
"You are the only one for me, Case," Bombay said. "Just you. I need you and Charlie in my life. Morning, noon and night. You two are the only thing that makes sense in my life."
Casey melted at Bombay's sincerity. While she hoped they would have had more time to get to know each other, she also knew that Bombay was the man she was waiting for. He was funny, smart and kind. A friend, confidant and father figure to her son.
"Yes," she breathed. "I'll marry you."
Bombay lept up, completely forgetting his knee and kissed her senselessly. Almost to the point where neither of them could breathe.
Once the two of them had parted and caught their breath, Casey asked, "Did you tell him?"
Bombay knew what Casey was asking. He had planned on asking Charlie's permission before proposing, but like most things in his life, nothing ended up as planned.
"No," Bombay said, smiling ear to ear."But I want to."
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"How much longer?" Charlie complained as the tailor took his measurements for the third time.
"Almost done," the man assured the young boy. "It would be easier if you stayed still for more than a minute."
Charlie's cheeks turned a deep red. Charlie was usually very good at following directions, but this was a bad week for him. He couldn't explain it. Both Bombay and his mom were acting weird.
At first, Charlie thought that they had broken up, but then his mom mentioned that Bombay had wanted to spend the day with him. Charlie was only too happy the spend the day with Bombay. He just pictured doing something, anything for that matter, other then trying on suits at a menswear store in downtown Minneapolis.
"Why don't you go try this on," the tailor said, handing a suit to Charlie to try on.
Charlie took the suit, shrugged, and went to the dressing room.
"Make it a size too big," Bombay told the tailor.
"Sir?" the man said to the odd request.
"He'll grow into it by the time the wedding is here," Bombay smiled, remembering how much Charlie had grown since they first met. Charlie was only eleven years old but was as tall as Bombay. Bombay had never seen any pictures of Charlie's biological father, but from what Casey had told him, he wouldn't stop growing any time soon.
It was with a sadness in her voice that Casey told him this. Despite loving Charlie more than life itself, Casey had told Bombay privately that as hard as she fought it, she saw her ex-husband every time she looked at Charlie.
—
"He's growing so fast, Gordon," Casey said, intertwining her fingers with his. "I just wish he didn't look like a carbon copy of John."
Gordon squeezed Casey's hand. "You know what I see when I look at Charlie?"
Casey looked up. "What?"
"You," Bombay said. "He may look like his father, but all I see is you."
"Are you sure you are okay with this?" Casey asked Bombay for the hundredth time. "People are going to notice."
Bombay furrowed his brow. "Notice what?"
"That you and Charlie look nothing alike," Casey said. "People are going wonder when Charlie starts calling you Dad."
Casey had spoken briefly to Gordon about adopting Charlie once they were married. But this was the first time she had uttered the word 'Dad.'
"Dad," Bombay said, almost to himself with a smile. "I like the sound of that."
—-
When Charlie returned wearing the slightly too large suit, Bombay quietly asked the tailor to give them a few minutes alone.
"Let me help you with that," Bombay said once the man had left. Bombay reached over and adjusted Charlie's tie.
"Thanks," Charlie said sheepishly. He had no idea how to tie a tie. His mother had attempted to show him once but to no avail. "I'll learn one day," Charlie promised.
Gordon smiled kindly at the young boy's embarrassment at not knowing how to tie a Windsor Knot properly. Bombay knew that Charlie longed for a father figure in his life and even suspected that Charlie had already started to view him as one.
"I'll show you," Bombay said, undoing his own tie to show Charlie.
"You start with the wide end of your tie on the right and then cross the wide end over the narrow end. Then you bring the wide end up through the loop between the collar and your tie. Once you do that, get the wide end back down and pull the wide end underneath the narrow end and to the right," Bombay said, showing Charlie each step.
Charlie followed Bombay's directions as carefully, memorizing each step.
"Pull the wide end through the loop between the tie and your neck," Bombay continued. " Then pull down the wide end to tighten. Take the wide end and wrap it over the narrow one so the front of the wide one is visible again. Then pull the wide end up through the loop again. Finally, bring the wide end down through the knot in front and tighten the knot like this."
Charlie examined himself in the mirror. He was not used to wearing suits. Except for Banks, none of his friends wore anything this formal.
"Who died?" Charlie asked Bombay.
Bombay raised his eyebrow at Charlie's question. "No one died, Charlie."
"Then why?" Charlie asked.
Bombay had been waiting for an opportunity to tell Charlie that he had proposed to his mother. Every time he tried, something, or someone, would stop him. One of the ducks would stop by. School. Work.
He had applied as the in-house lawyer for a small non-profit working dedicated to improving the lives of inner-city kids. It didn't pay even half the salary he made while working for big law firms like Ducksworth, Savor and Gross, but he found the work fulfilling, knowing he was making a difference.
Bombay, remembering a different ring he had been holding onto for much longer than the one he gave Casey, pulled a silver ring out of his jacket's left breast pocket.
"Ever hear of a signet ring?" Bombay asked.
Charlie shook his head."What is it?"
"This," Bombay said as he placed the ring in Charlie's palm. "My father gave it to me before he died. I haven't been able to wear it since." Bombay paused, searching for words. "I want you to have it."
Charlie nervously took the ring out of Bombay's palm. He didn't try it on. "Thank you," Charlie said quietly, unsure what to say. "Why don't you want to keep it?"
"My Dad told me before he died that his dad gave him this ring on his wedding day and that he hoped that one day, I would be able to pass it down to my own son," Gordon said solemnly. "I'd like it if you would wear it to my wedding as my best man. " Bombay paused for a moment before saying what was truly in his heart. "And as my son."
Bombay didn't say anything as he let everything sink in for Charlie. It was a lot to take in for an eleven-year-old kid.
"Your best man?" Charlie said, with uncertainty in his voice. The word 'son' was just too much for him right now.
He still had a hard time believing what he was hearing. Being an inner-city kid, much like the ones Bombay worked with, it wasn't every day that someone came along to tell you that everything you have ever hoped and dreamed of was finally coming true. He just couldn't believe it.
"Yes, my best man. Put it on," Bombay encouraged.
Charlie put on the ring on his pinky finger. It was like putting on the ring made everything real. His mother getting married to Bombay. Being the best man at the wedding. Having someone he could call Dad.
Once everything sank in, Charlie was overcome with emotion. No longer able to contain his emotions, he launched himself into Bombay's chest.
Bombay wrapped his arm around the young boy. "I take it that I have your permission to marry your Mom?" Bombay asked.
Charlie didn't answer. He was too happy to speak. All he could do was nod into the older man's chest.
The tailor had come back to check on them but left as he saw the two of them in a tight embrace. It wasn't until he was certain that the future father and son duo had said what they needed to say before he returned with a set of two cuff links.
"As promised," he said, handing the cuff links to Bombay.
Bombay helped Charlie with putting on his before putting on his own.
"There," Bombay said. "Let's go tell your mom the good news."
Charlie raised an eyebrow. "I thought you proposed already. She agreed to marry you, right?"
"She did," Bombay smiled. " And now I have a fiancée and a son."
"Alright," Charlie smiled shyly.
He was still getting used to the feeling of that ring on his finger. And what it meant to the both of them. Charlie knew that he'd always carry part of Bombay with him. On his finger. And in his heart.
"Let's go Dad."
FYI : A signet ring used to be used as a seal to sign important documents but now a days its mostly just an heirloom meant to pass down from generation to generation. From interviews I've read, the ring in D3 is more of a Joshua Jackson thing rather then a Charlie Conway thing