I used real info whenever I could find it for this one, but a lot of the family stuff I made up--we'll just call it historical fiction ;)
They were all together again ten years after Lake Placid. Well, almost all together. Bill Baker was in the process of becoming an oral surgeon and couldn't get away from school, and Mark Pavelich was right in the middle of something he couldn't leave up in Northern Minnesota. But the rest of the team was there with their families, wandering around in the bright June sun near Boston Harbor.
Krista and Rizzo sat on the bench at their special place near the edge of the Harbor, resting Krista's swollen feet and watching their three children--Caitlin, 7, Tony, 5, and little Tommy, now 2-- play on some nearby swings.
"You're pregnant again?" a female voice called from behind them.
Krista turned. "Gail! How long has it been?"
Gail Schneider made her way over to Krista almost skipping with delight, followed by her grinning husband. "It's been too long," Gail told her friend. "And I think you were this big, then, too," she joked.
Krista laughed. "This is what happens when you marry an Italian," she said, trying her best to rise from the bench and hug Gail.
Rizzo looked at Buzz and the two men grinned. "At least you've been keeping busy," Buzzy told Rizzo, sliding an arm around Krista's shoulders and giving her a gentle squeeze.
"So when are you due?" Gail asked.
Rizzo answered that one. "About two weeks," he said proudly, taking his wife's hand in his.
"Where are the boys?" Krista asked. "Caitlin's been wondering when she'd get a chance to see Neal again. They had so much fun together last summer when we came out to Minnesota."
"Oh, here they are…" Buzz said, as the boys came running up to their parents. "Boys, you remember…"
"Aunt Krista!" Billy shouted.
"And Uncle Rizzo!" Neal chimed in. "Are Caity and Tony here?"
Krista and Rizzo hugged them both. "Yep, they're right over here with Tommy," Krista told them, motioning to the swings.
"Is he still sick?" Neal asked.
"He's a lot better than the last time you saw him, but he still needs to be careful."
"We'll watch him," Billy smiled, and he and Neal hurried over to their Eruzione friends.
"Wow, I can't believe how big they've gotten," Krista grinned. "Neal's seven, right?"
"Yep, he's the same age as Caitlin," Gail told her. "And Billy's nine now. He's playing little league baseball this summer."
Rizzo laughed at that. "So is Caitlin…there isn't a team for girls her age, so she's playing with the boys."
"Are you up for some walking?" Gail asked Krista. "There's a bunch of hockey players over at the park that are dying to see you again."
Krista grinned. "I think I can manage."
The two couples signaled to the kids to follow them and headed over toward Christopher Columbus Park where they ran into more familiar faces.
"OC!" Krista hollered, seeing him first.
He grinned and came over to see her. "Krista! How have you been?"
"I'm good," she told him, allowing him to plant a kiss on her cheek. "How are you?"
"Pretty good, too. But Liz is a mess..."
"Why? What happened?" Krista asked, concerned. Elizabeth O'Callahan had been a friend of hers at the U when she was Elizabeth Kaminski. She had run into OC in Chicago when he was a Blackhawk and had hit it off immediately. The rest, as they say, was history.
OC grinned. "Morning sickness."
"She's pregnant? Congratulations!"
Rizzo laughed and slapped his old teammate on the back. "Oh, great...another O'Callahan."
OC's grin grew. "That's right, the first of many I hope. And speaking of kids, is this herd yours?"
"Three of them are," Krista laughed. "The girl and the two little boys…"
"I might have known," he laughed. "The boys look just like Rizzo."
"The other two are ours," Buzzy said, shaking OC's hand.
"You're kidding! Are you old enough to have kids that big?"
Gail laughed. "Well, he is…" she gestured toward her husband.
The next thing Krista knew, there was a strong set of arms around her shoulders, and she turned to see who they belonged to.
"Mac!" she cried throwing her arms around him. "It's so good to see you!"
"Hey there," he grinned. "I see you've been keeping busy," he said rubbing her abdomen.
She laughed. "Yeah, well, it's cold in Massachusetts, and the winters are pretty long. We had to find something to do…"
Mac laughed with her. "Good thing you didn't stay in Minnesota, then, or you'd have twelve kids by now."
Rizzo grinned as he embraced his former teammates. "Well, one more after this and we'll have a hockey team."
"Except for the goalie," Jimmy Craig called, strolling over with his wife Sharlene.
"Maybe we can work on that," Rizzo laughed.
More greetings were exchanged and wives and children were introduced to each other before the group made it's way over to the picnic area that had been set up in the park. They laughed and talked, catching up with friends they hadn't seen in several years in some cases. The kids played together, and someone brought out baseball bats and balls, trying to get together a game. Caitlin saw these and immediately came running over to her parents, followed by Billy and Neal.
"Can I play, daddy?" she asked looking up at him with her big blue eyes.
Rizzo immediately crumbled, as he always did when his daughter asked for something, but was woried about her getting hurt. "I don't know honey, there aren't too many kids playing..."
"Neal's going to play," she tried again. "And I'm just as old as he is."
Rizzo looked at Krista. "What do you think?"
"We always tell her she can do anything boys can do," Krista grinned.
Billy came over to lend his support. "She can play in the outfield with me, Uncle Rizzo," he said. "I'll keep an eye on her."
That did the trick. Krista nodded her consent and Rizzo smiled. "Okay Caity-bear, you can play."
She smiled happily and trotted back out to the makeshift field with Billy and Neal, joining Bah and his 8-year-old son Chris out in left field.
After a while the picnic began to wind down and the group moved over to Boston Garden for a little ice skating. Rizzo helped Tony and Tommy with their little skates, while Caitlin insisted on tying her own. Mac persuded Krista to give it a try, too, and helped her get her skates on.
"I don't know how this is going to go," she smiled. "I haven't skated pregnant in two years."
Liz hadn't made the trip out from Chicago with her husband, and Rizzo was skating with the kids, so OC offered her his arm and helped her onto the ice.
"You can hang on to me," he smiled. "I need to practice with pregnant women."
Krista laughed, but needed his support to make it around the rink a couple of times before she adjusted to the extra weight of the baby. Before long, though, she was keeping up with the rest of the boys, skating arm in arm with her husband and playing with their children. Then Bah skated by and gave her a hockey stick.
"What's this for?" she asked.
"Usually it's for scoring goals," he grinned. "Unless I'm holding it."
She laughed. "Are we playing?"
"Absolutely," Bah replied. "What kind of hockey players would we be if we didn't play hockey once in a while?"
"Are you sure you should play?" Rizzo asked his wife.
She smiled. "Honey, I played with you out on the rink in the back yard when I was pregnant with the other kids," she reminded him.
"But I didn't check you into the glass so hard I dislocated your shoulder," he told her.
"Look, that only happend once, and it was ten years ago..." Mac started.
Krista laughed at the memory. The boys had gotten together a pick-up game after practice sometime in the fall of '79 and had invited her to play. Mac had gotten a little over-zealous when chasing the puck and slammed her into the glass, sending her to the emergency room escorted by a group of slightly shaken future Olympians. She was fine, suffering just a dislocated shoulder that she kept in a sling for a couple of weeks, but the boys never let Mac live it down.
"Do you really think for one second that any of these boys are going to forget that I'm nine months pregnant?" she asked her husband.
Seeing how much she wanted to play, and knowing she probably would anyway, he relented. "Okay, but let's make it no-check," he told Bah.
"Deal," Bah replied. The kids cleared the ice and climed up into the stands with the wives and girlfriends who weren't playing, and the boys split up into two teams with Krista playing opposite Rizzo. They lined up against each other for the faceoff and he noticed her wincing a little.
"You okay?" he whispered.
She leaned against him. "Yep, just the little one kicking."
He smiled. "He does that whenever you touch a hockey stick."
"I think he wants to play, too," she grinned.
The puck dropped and the game began. Mac was playing on Kirsta's line and won the draw, so Krista started out heading up the wing, manuevering as well as she could. They spent a few minutes in their offensive zone before Rizzo picked up the puck Krista was responsible for covering him, so she skated backwards watching him move with the puck. He grinned at her and tried to make a move past her, but after ten years she knew all his moves and tied him up with her stick.
"Gotchya," she laughed.
They struggled with each other a bit before the puck came loose and Rizzo chipped it over to Bah, who was playing on his line. Krista let her husband go, but followed closely after him. When the puck came back their way again a moment later, Krista scooped it up and skated toward the other net. She made it to the blue line, then stumbled reaching for her abdomen.
Rizzo rushed over to her. "Snowflake, are you all right?"
She allowed him to slid an arm around her, but insisted that she was okay. "It's just a contraction, honey, that's all." she smiled. "I guess I don't get to play after all."
OC had been nearest to her and, with Rizzo, helped her carefully up. "Are you sure?" he asked.
"I'm fine," she told him. "I just need to sit down."
Rizzo was relieved, but after Tommy's traumatic birth, he was still afraid. "We should go to the hospital."
The rest of the boys had crowded around by now and were also feeling a mixture of relief and worry.
"Maybe that's a good idea," Jimmy chimed in.
"Not yet," Krista told them all. "It was just one..." she stopped in mid-sentence, grimacing.
"That's two," OC told her.
"Only a couple of minutes apart," Buzz said.
Krista laughed a little as the second contraction subsided. "If I have this baby today, it's going to be a team effort, isn't it?"
The boys chuckled nervously, and Krista allowed Rizzo and OC to skate her slowly over to the door and off the ice. They sat her down on a nearby chair and Mac hurried over to get her skates off.
"Where are the kids?" Kirsta asked.
Gail, who had been sitting in the stands with her boys and the Eruzione children, brought the little pack over.
"Are you okay, Mommy?" little Tommy asked plaintively, holding Caitlin's hand.
Krista reached over and ruffled his hair. "I'm okay sweetie," she told him with a smile. "I think your little brother is coming today."
Tommy smiled and patted her stomach. "Tell him to hurry."
She laughed. "Okay..." Another contraction gripped her and she clenched her teeth, trying to stay relaxed.
"That's three contractions inside of just a few minutes," Rizzo said firmly. "You're going to the hospital."
"We'll take care of the kids," Gail volunteered. "You go."
Krista nodded, and Rizzo helped her to her feet and out to the car. They made it to the hospital quickly, and the nurses once again whisked Krista into the Emergency Room and attached a fetal monitor to her abdomen.
Rizzo knelt by her bedside, memories flooding back from the last time they were here. Krista saw the look on his face even through her contractions and took his hand.
"It's going to be okay," she told him softly.
He pressed her hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. "I hope so."
Dr. Ellison, who had delivered Tommy, was still on staff, and came in to examine Krista. Quick greetings where exchanged, and the doctor checked her over.
"Everything looks fine," he smiled.
Rizzo had been holding his breath without realizing it. "Oh, thank God."
"We even have time to get you up to Maternity this time," the doctor continued. "Although this baby is pretty anxious to meet you."
Then nurses hurried Kirsta up to a delivery room just as seventeen of Rizzo's former teammates entered the hospital with families in tow.
"Everything okay?" OC called.
Rizzo looked at Krista. "Go talk to them," she smiled. "We'll wait for you."
He leaned down and kissed her, then watched the nurses take her to the elevator, heading over to the large group that had congregated in the ER.
"Everything's fine," he smiled. "The little one's in a hurry to be born is all."
They all stood around for a moment looking relieved.
"Well, we're all here if you need us," Jimmy said. "And we left a message for Herb to meet us here..."
"Thanks guys," Rizzo said appreciatively.
Then Mac piped up. "What are you still doing here, Rizzo?" he scolded, laughing a little. "Get up there before your kid is born!"
Rizzo smiled broadly. "She's on the second floor..." he called as he ran back down the hallway.
The group made its way up to the Maternity Ward's waiting room and managed to amuse themselves for a few hours. Finally Rizzo emerged with a huge grin plastered on his face.
"Well?" Bah asked.
"Eight pounds, ten ounces...he's a healthy baby boy," Rizzo reported barely containing his excitement. The boys all shook his hand and slapped his back, offering their congratulations. He found Caitlin, Tony, and Tommy and hugged them tightly. "How would you like to meet your little brother?"
The kids jumped up and down excitedly.
"I'll take that as a yes," he laughed, leading them into the delivery room.
Later that day, after some much needed rest, the wives, girlfriends and children took turns visiting with Krista while the boys gathered around the window overlooking the nursery.
Rizzo went in and brought out his son.
"He's so small," OC said softly.
Rizzo smiled. "He's actually pretty good sized for a newborn."
"Look at those little hands..." That was Jimmy.
"And his tiny feet..." Mac continued.
The fathers among the group looked at each other and smiled.
"Wait 'til you have your own," Buzz grinned.
Just then, Herb came striding down the hall. "The ladies told me I'd find you all here," he smiled.
A chorus of "Coach!" rang out through the corridor.
"Just in time," Rizzo told him, still grinning.
"In time for what?" Herb asked, coming over.
"To hold little Robert Paul."
Herb looked at Rizzo, a little surprised. "Paul is my middle name."
Rizzo nodded. "I know," he said lightly. He laid the baby carefully in Herbie's arms, watching his old coach melt.
"Hey there little guy," Herbie cood. "What position are you going to play?"
The boys laughed and began to disperse, givng Rizzo some time alone with Herbie and the newest Eruzione.
Herb looked at Rizzo. "You're sure after all I put you through that you want to give your son my name?"
Rizzo grinned. "You know, when Krista and I were trying to pick out names, we got to talking about our time in Minnesota. The thing that stuck out most in my mind was how hard you worked us..."
Herbie laughed.
"But what Krista remembered most was playing pick-up games with us after practice when she wasn't working, and visiting us in the locker room after games she came to, and how we didn't have a curfew...We always thought we were getting away with things you wouldn't let us do, but you knew all along." Rizzo paused for a minute, choosing his words. "You let us have her, Coach. We needed someone to play cheerleader for us and to keep our spirits up, and you let us have her."
Herb smiled softly. "There was a method to my madness."
Rizzo laughed. "There was, we just never knew it." Then he turned serious. "For that, for being a great coach, for teaching me how to be a good man...for a lot of things, we want little Bobby to have your name."
Herbie looked down at the baby in his arms. Okay," he said smiling. "But let his mother teach him how to skate."