Chapter 23

A couple days later, game four was the same as game three with the Pens winning by the same score. Karen wondered if that was something with Detroit winning the first two by the same score and then the Pens winning by the same score to even the series. She hoped at least two more games went the way Sidney and the guys wanted it to.

Sidney got ready to head to the arena for their morning skate. Karen wasn't going to make the day trip to Detroit for game 5 knowing they were coming back for a game 6 at Mellon. She had either limited or no pain over the last couple days and knew it came on when it wanted to. She thought it was strange one morning after she had slept for 8 hours that the pain returned after she went to the bathroom. Karen felt the tightness but it subsided as quickly as it came. She wasn't going to write it down in her journal but figured it could pinpoint something better if she did. Karen kept the journal in a hidden place that she knew Sidney wouldn't find it. Not to be sneaky of course, just he didn't need to worry about all the little times it happened, but she would tell him about the bigger times.

Karen settled in to watch game 5 and couldn't believe the tragedy that unfolded before her eyes. Detroit went on a killing spree of goals and blank the Pens 5-0. She couldn't believe how lopsided this game was and wondered where it came from. She was thankful they had a game 6 to redeem themselves but hoped being down 3-2 in the series was enough to hold on.

As the night ticked away, Karen tried to stay awake for when Sidney came home. She couldn't and went up to bed. A while later, Karen heard the front door close and looked at the clock, reading 2:15am. She sat up but didn't hear Sidney come upstairs, so she got out of bed and went looking for him. As she walked downstairs, she saw him sitting on the couch and just staring at nothing.

"Hey" she said softly to not startle him.

"Baby, you should be in bed resting" he said holding out his hand for her.

"Sid, I'm not that far along right now so you can worry about me resting when I'm 7 or 8 months pregnant. I heard you come in and wanted to see if you were alright."

"I can't believe that game tonight, it was like we weren't even there to play them."

"What happened?"

"I don't know if we just couldn't get any good passes or bounces or if the puck just didn't want to go in."

"There are still two more games Sid and one is in front of your home crowd. You know we'll all be behind you guys cheering loudly Tuesday night."

"I know. You been feeling ok?"

"Sid, you just saw me yesterday before you left."

"I know but today is a different day and I didn't see you yesterday."

"Are you going to be like this for the remainder of the pregnancy?"

Sidney sat there for a minute pretending to be contemplating a thought "yes."

"Then I will begin to ignore you starting now."

"That will never happen baby, you can't stop talking to me. I'm too irresistable for that to happen."

"You're too irresistable for me to keep my hands off of you, not talk to you."

"We'll see about that" Sidney said before pulling her in for a kiss. "Come on, let's head to bed so I can forget this game once and for all."

"Want me to help?"

"Just being beside me and holding you all night will help."

"Saving everything else for a celebration Friday night?"

"Pretty much" he said as they both smiled and headed upstairs for the night.

As game 6 neared, Karen had a good feeling all day and knew tonight's game would be high energy for both the players and crowd. Sidney and Karen arrived at the arena and went inside. He led her to the lounge and told her to sit while he took care of a couple of things. He came back a few minutes later and found her talking to Vero.

"Well if you two are talking, Flower and I need to run for the hills."

"It's no different than what you guys say when talking about us."

"Then I am definitely scared" Sidney said sitting down.

"All we're doing is comparing the both of you" Vero said getting a scared look from Sidney.

"Yeah, she's giving some advice of things Marc does that I might have you try."

"I am definitely scared" Sidney said getting a laugh out of the girls. Vero soon left them alone and Karen looked at Sidney "what were you two really talking about?"

"Just some baby talk about what to do with the nursery and if we thought of any names yet."

"Did you have any plans for what to do for the nursery yet?"

"Well I was thinking we just really need a crib, a changing table, maybe a rocking chair, and just the necessities of clothes, diapers, toys, things like that."

"The room directly across from ours would be the best room to change into the nursery."

"Where would you put all the gym equipment and your hockey stuff?"

"Stuff? My hockey stuff? My dear wife, all that is not stuff its hockey memorabila from past games and tournaments."

"Sorry my adoring husband, to you its memorabilia...to me its your hockey stuff."

"Good to know now, I'll leave all my hockey stuff to my son or daughter since their mother is being cruel."

"I'm not being cruel, but one day when you're on a long trip I may have all that appraised then I may change my mind."

"You hear how cruel your mommy is to your daddy" Sidney said leaning down to talk to Karen's stomach "you better get everything from my side of the family."

"Tell her anything you want Sid, she'll see who has to put up with what being married to a star hockey player."

"HER?"

"Well I'm not going to call my unborn child 'it', thank you very much."

"So then you don't know if its a girl?"

"No. It's to early to tell right now."

"Maybe its a boy?"

"And god help us if it is....another Sidney."

"Just be glad I love you so much."

"Good, cause you're stuck with me and our child."

Sidney leaned down and kissed her lips "only way I want it baby." He kissed her again before getting told to go get ready. Karen wished him luck and headed up to the suite with Britnie and a few other wives.

Game 6 was just how Karen pictured it, the Pens coming back to fight and forget game 5 evcer happened. They came out hard and played the entire 60 minutes winning by a score of 2-1, making the series even 3-3. As Karen neared the locker room, she heard all the guys cheering and carrying on for sending this series to a seventh and deciding game. She went into the lounge and waited, knowing Sidney would be drug away for interviews and would be back a little later.

Karen must have gotten a little to comfortable and closed her eyes, falling asleep. When she felt lips on her cheek, she stirred and opened her eyes.

"Jordan? What are you doing?" she said getting up and stepping away from him.

"Look, no one is around and you looked so peaceful sitting there, I couldn't resist."

"It doesn't matter, you shouldn't have done that" she said walking past him, only to get stopped by his arm. "Let me go Jordan."

"I think I figured it out."

"You figured what out?"

"That child you're carrying is really mine and after the baby's born, we will be together again."

"Why are you saying this? What about Britnie?"

"Brit is good while I'm waiting for the one thing I will never give up on...you." Jordan leaned in to kiss her but Karen turned her head and he got her cheek again "it inevitable Karen, just wait and see." Karen was able to get out of his grasp and walk out of the lounge and to the hallway. She walked until she saw no one really around and leaned against the wall. She soon realized she was near the media area and peeked her head in seeing Sidney sitting, still answering questions. She watched him and knew she didn't want to be with anyone else but him. Karen walked around to the back where Sidney would go out at to meet up with him.

"What are you doing here?" he said seeing her wait for him.

"I got bored waiting for you and wanted to come find you."

"Well I'm here now. Why don't we head back so I can change and we can go home?"

Karen didn't want to go back if she would be alone with Jordan again "ok." She was thankful that there were more people around and didn't see Jordan at all. Sidney left her to go shower and Karen sat talking to Natalie who was still around waiting on Max. Twenty minutes later, both Sidney and Max came out ready and got their wives, heading out. Karen knew Sidney would stop to sign autographs with Max so she headed to the car to wait for him. After he was done, they got in the car and headed home.

Chapter 22

The next day, Sidney went to practice as Karen went to see her doctor. She wanted to make sure everything would be ok if the pain reappeared. The office was full when she got there and all appointments were pushed back for at least 15 minutes.

It was finally Karen's turn and she was called back into the office. She got up on the table and waited for her doctor to join her.

"Hi Karen. How's everything going today?"

"It's good."

"So my file has you feeling some discomfort. Want to explain to me what happened when you felt it?"

"Well, it happened three times in a two day span. The first time was when I picked up a laundry basket and carried it upstairs. After I got to the couch and started folding the clothes, I got the pain. The second time, I lifted a suitcase not really too heavy, from the car and when I put it down to move it again, the pain hit me. The last time was kind of weird...it was after Sidney and and I made love and it was right after I had an orgasm."

"Where did you feel the pain hit?"

"Right here" Karen said putting her hand over the area "I think it's down enough to be around the ovaries. I looked at the diagram and it seems to be right in there."

"Why don't you lay down and let me have a feel?" Karen laid down and felt the doctor's hands lightly press around the area Karen had pointed out. It was a little tender, but Karen could stand the pain. "Well you're right, that is the general area but I don't feel any lumps or swelling. You winced the first time I touched it, does it still hurt?"

"A little. After I get the pain and it subsides, it's still a little tender."

"How bad is the cramping?"

"Like doubled over being really closed up tight in a ball until it passes."

"The only thing I can guarantee is that it isn't anywhere near the baby or the pain shouldn't disrupt the baby in the womb. At most I can tell is you strained your groin lifting the laundry basket and then the other bag just added to it before you were able fully get rid of it."

"Well that is very reassuring."

"Since you're here, how about we do a check up for safety."

"I wasn't going to leave until you gave me one."

"Karen, I know you want this baby to happen. The other times could have been flukes. I still can't tell you why you miscarried all those times."

"Its ok, as long as this one works out."

"Is something else wrong? You just seem like your world will fall apart if something happens."

"I had an affair and I feel like this baby is what might keep Sid and I together. The affair is over and done with, but I get the feeling he doesn't still trust me."

"And you feel if you lose this baby, it might be over."

"It's probably stupid I know but I regret what happened and I just want him to really forgive me. If I lose this baby, he might not and leave me."

"Well I am going to do everything possible to make that not happen." Karen smiled and let her do the check up.

An hour later, Karen was on her way home and was happy that her check up went great. Her doctor told her that whenever she felt the pain again to write down what she was doing and how long it lasted but if it happened more often, she would restrict Karen from doing certain things until she goes into labor. Karen knew if she told Sidney that part, he would put her on bedrest himself and hire someone to do everything else. She got home ten minutes later and found Sidney not home yet. Karen went in and got something to drink before going to lie down on the couch until he got home.

A while later, Sidney got home and found Karen asleep on the couch. He quietly walked over to her and sat on the coffee table in front of her. Sidney just sat and watched her for a few minutes. He wondered why his love didn't seem enough that made her go to Jordan. He pushed a stray hair behind her ear and whispered "maybe I should have tried to be more like him."

"I don't want you like him" Karen said opening her eyes to look at Sidney "I just wanted the variety."

"I thought you were asleep baby."

"I heard you come in. Please don't keep questioning this Sid. I have always been satisfied by you and in a way, how loving and special you made me feel, it should have been enough but when you're faced with something new it sticks for a while. I should have stopped it, it was my fault."

"Baby, shh. I didn't mean to start anything. We're past this and I don't know why I said it." Karen sat up in front of Sidney "what I do want to know is how your doctor's appointment went."

"She said that might have pulled or just strained my groin muscle when I picked up the laundry basket and just irritated it with the suitcase. She couldn't really explain why it popped up after the sex but she wants me to write down everytime I have one and what I did before it errupted."

"And if it happens too many times?"

"She'll restrict me from certain things until the baby is born."

"That is if I don't restrict you first."

"That's exactly what I told her" she said laughing.

"Baby, it's not funny. I will personally put you on bed rest and hire you a nurse if you get it again."

Karen saw the concern but also the sincerity in his eyes " I know Sid. How about I make a promise?"

"I'm listening."

"I will not lift anything heavier then I'm used to and take breaks between doing things. That day, I just kept going and not really slowed down to rest inbetween. Maybe that had something to do with it too."

"Maybe. I just want you to be safe and at the end of this have a healthy baby to add to our family."

"I really like the sound to that."

"Good. How about I make us dinner tonight before heading to the arena?"

"Ooo, let the pampering start."

"Nah" he said leaning in to kiss her "just saving your energy for tonight."

"You sure you want to go there this soon?"

"I feel bad for turning you down and maybe the sex did have nothing to do with it. If we had tried the other night, we could have seen then."

"I love you" she said smiling at him.

"I love you too. Mind if I lay down with you for a little bit?"

"I don't mind at all." Karen got up and let Sidney lay down on the couch. She laid back down on her side and let Sidney wrap his arm around her stomach. Karen brought her hand up and put it over his as it softly covered her stomach.

A couple hours later, Sidney and Karen headed into the arena and he took her down to the lounge area for a little bit before he had to get ready. Karen saw Jordan come in and look at her before sitting down and relaxing with a couple other players. She hated that he couldn't forget his feelings for her and be friends again. She decided to just let it go and let Jordan come to terms with it on his own. Twenty minutes later, Karen and Britnie headed to the suite to watch the game. As they got to halfway of the stairs to the suite, Karen had slowed down and started to sit down on the step.

"Karen? What's wrong?"

"I'm fine Brit" she said with her breathing escalating "it's just a little discomfort, it'll go away in a minute."

"Sis, you are really pale. Let me go get you some water."

"No, I'm ok" she said taking a couple deep breaths "I can make it the rest of the way and get some water after I sit down." Karen was thankful there wasn't anyone else coming up or down to see her struggle and knew she could get Britnie to not say anything about it. They made it to the suite and Karen went to sit down as Britnie got her some water.

"What's going on? Are you really ok?"

"I pulled a muscle or something the other day and I guess the long walk up the stairs tightened it up a little."

"You got really pale though Karen."

"I know, when the pain hits I kind of hold my breath and just get lightheaded from that. This one wasn't as bad or powerful as before, so I'm fine and there's no need to tell Sid, ok?"

"Wait? What do you mean before?"

"I had three other pains before in the same area and they were pretty bad, like doubled over in pain bad. My doctor checked me out said it wasn't near the baby and to just take it easy. Please Brit, I don't want to worry Sidney anymore then what he needs to concentrate on with this series. I need you to not say anything to anyone."

Britnie saw the scared look in her eyes "of course I won't say anything, but if it does happen again around me, I can't make the same promise."

"Thanks Brit." They heard the crowd cheer and knew the guys were coming onto the ice as they got something to eat and went to sit down.

Game three was indeed different than the first two as the Pens played equally hard and came out on top 4-3. Karen saw the intensity come out in Sidney's play and knew the rest of the series would be a good one. They waited for a few minutes before heading down to the locker room to see the guys.

Chapter 21

The next morning, Sidney got out of bed early for practice. Since game 2 was tonight, they were going to have a short practice. While he was at practice, Karen had gotten up and ordered some room service for breakfast. Before she knew it, Sidney was coming back and they spent the rest of the morning together. They were watching tv and kissing, but when Karen tried to press the issue and take it a step further, Sidney stopped any attempt by being subtle about it but Karen knew why he was doing it. She played it off because she didn't want him to have other things on his mind except for the game.

Awhile later, Sidney went to lay down and Karen asked if he minded that she took a walk. He didn't and she kissed him before letting him sleep. Karen grabbed the key card and headed out. She went downstairs and found Nathalie coming from the pool with girls. She stopped and talked with Karen for a few minutes before they made their way upstairs. Karen walked outside and took in all the Stanley Cup fever that surrounded the city. She hoped and prayed that this year turned out different for the Pens. After seeing Sidney deal with the loss, or try to deal with the loss, she knew losing this year would kill him more. She took a brief walk before looking at her watch and knowing Sidney would be getting up and a few minutes. Karen headed back inside and went up to the room. When she got there, Sidney was just getting up and saw her come in.

"Hey beautiful. Have a nice walk?"

"Yeah. Went outside and saw how this city takes to their team being in the finals."

"How was it?" he said getting up and wrapping his arms around her.

"Pittsburgh's better."

"Now that's what I like to hear" he leaned in and kissed her "I am going to grab a shower and then we'll head down for dinner."

"Ok." They kissed again as Sidney went into the bathroom and Karen soon heard the shower start up. She sat down to watch tv until he got out. Ten minutes later, Sidney was done and dressed and they were headed downstairs. Before long, it was nearing game time and they were partng ways for Sidney to head to the arena with the team on the bus. Karen met up with Nathalie and went to the arena with her. Game 2 was pretty much the replica of game 1, by the style of play and of the score...with the Pens losing 3-1. Karen knew Sidney and the guys would bounce back since they were going home for the next two games.

After the game was done and all the interviews, Sidney had asked if Karen could fly home with him on the team plane. She hated when he pulled strings like that and knew she would be fine meeting him at the airport. Karen already knew a few guys didn't care, but heard talk from the other wives how she got special treatment being married to the captain. Sidney just got her to play it off when she talked to him about it and said that he wanted her with him no matter what. On the plane ride home, Karen laid her head on Sidney's shoulder and fell asleep and before they knew it, they were home.

On Monday, Sidney and the team had a morning practice to get ready for game 3. Karen had planned a special evening for them and hoped it went off as she wanted it. After he got home from practice, they did things around the house until it was close to dinner time. She got Sidney to leave to the house for an hour until dinner was done. He kind of argued, but was intrigued by what she had planned. Karen went to get dinner started and got everything else ready while things were cooking.

The hour was almost up and Karen had the dinner done. She had the dining room surrounded in candles and the table set for the two of them. As she was plating the food, she heard the door and Sidney's voice.

"Baby?" Karen walked out of the kitchen and smiled "I didn't know where to go, so I took my time picking these out." Sidney held out the huge bouquet of flowers and Karen couldn't believe it.

"Do I even want an idea to how much that cost?"

"I could tell you, but knowing how much I spend on you, you would want that much spent every time."

"They are beautiful Sid, thank you" she said kissing him and then taking the flowers from him. "I may break it up into different groups and have them all over the house."

"Why not keep it like it is?"

"Because I don't have a vase big enough."

"Gotcha beautiful" he said then smelled the aroma of dinner "is your surprise done?"

"Yes and if you follow me into the dining room, you'll see it." They walked in and Sidney saw the candles and dinner all set for him.

"Ok, it's not my birthday or yours. It's not our anniversary so...."

"I just wanted to give you a quiet, special dinner."

"Well I love it" he said kissing her "and I love you." They sat down and ate talking about the rest of the series and their summer plans in Nova Scotia. After dinner, Karen told Sidney to go sit in the living room and she would go get dessert. She walked in with a big bowl of Peach Cobbler and whipped cream. "You expect me to eat that with hopefully 5 more games of hockey to play?"

"You'll work it off tomorrow at practice anyway." Karen took the spoon and got a scoopful giving him the first bite "well?"

"Wow, that's good. Did you get that at the store?"

"No, try homemade. I had some peaches left in the freezer from last year."

"You need to stop spoiling me baby."

"I don't want to, besides it's an easy way to get what I want" she said eating a spoonful.

"So this is to just butter me up for later."

"You catch on quick Crosby. Just enjoy the dessert Sid" she said giving him another bite. They shared the cobbler until it was finished and Karen put the bowl on the coffee table.

"Thank you baby. Dinner was fabulous as always."

"Your welcome" she said cuddling up to him.

"At least you took my mind off of the first two games."

"Sid, you've said it yourself that you can't dwell on the losses when you've got more to go. Do you really think you and the guys don't have enough in you to beat them this year?"

"I know we have enough in us baby, I just can't handle losing again this year."

"Well you haven't lost anything yet. There are 5 more games in this series and you guys will play in all of them to determine the winner."

"How did you get so smart?"

"I married you."

"So you were stupid before you met me?"

Karen sat there laughing "nice, really nice" she said getting up "I have dishes to wash." Sidney sat there laughing and then turned on the tv, finding a movie to watch. A half hour later, Karen came back in and sat down beside him, watching the rest of the movie with him. During the middle of the movie, Karen started lightly moving her fingers over Sidney's leg. He knew what she was doing and smiled at her. Soon their lips met and the movie was long forgotten. Karen made a move and got up bringing Sidney with her.

"Why don't you head up and I'll meet you up there after I lock up?" he told her.

"Ok. Just don't be too long." Karen kissed him very passionately before she left him in the living room. Sidney watched her until she left his sight. He knew it was going to be hard turning her down and hoped she understood why. Sidney got everything locked up and headed upstairs. Karen was coming out of the bathroom in a tank top and boy shorts. She stood up against the door frame before walking over to Sidney and running her hands over his chest and kissing him. Sidney let the kiss linger before pulling away.

"Baby, stop. I don't think we should do this."

Karen took a step back and looked at him with disappointment in her eyes "I knew I shouldn't have told you" she whispered and walked to her side on the bed, getting in and turning away from Sidney.

He got undressed and got into bed turning to her "Karen, I don't want to hurt you again."

"How do you know it's going to happen again? It might not and I'm fine."

"But it might happen again and I don't want to take that chance."

"Fine, whatever you want Sid" she said quietly. Sidney just sighed and rolled out of bed going to the bathroom. Karen felt the bed shift and wiped the tears that escaped. He came back a few minutes and crawled back into bed, spooning up behind her and falling asleep.

The next morning, Sidney got up for practice and Karen went on doing things for Ray and some light housework until he got back. A couple hours later, Sidney came home with some lunch and saw Karen in the living room on her laptop. He brought the bag of food in to her and set it on the table. Karen looked up at the bag and smiled at what he brought. Sidney went to get something for both of them to drink and came back to sit beside her. He brought out the container with the honey bbq wings and set them on the coffee table.

"A peace offering" he said taking the lid off and the smell was heavenly to Karen who was starving.

"So you're saying that I'm not fat enough you need to feed me my favorite foods."

"Not saying that at all baby and you know it."

"I know. I can't believe you went out of your way to Robinson from the arena to get me wings from Quaker Steak."

"For you, I will go anywhere and do everything for you baby. I am sorry for last night Karen. I didn't want to take the chance of you getting another pain like last time. I know you said it wasn't anywhere near the baby, but it still scared me."

"I know, it scared me too. Look, I called my doctor and told her what happened and I have an appointment tomorrow morning."

"I can't go with you, we have practice for the game tomorrow night."

"Well this series is more important Sid, I'll tell you everything when you get home ok?"

"Ok. She'll think we're nuts asking her about all this."

"Well, she knows my history and she can tell I will be uptight about this pregnancy until the day I give birth."

"The day I am looking forward to."

"So, if I go into labor and its a game night, do you play or stay with me at the hospital?"

"Why do you ask me questions like that?"

Karen smiled at him "because I want to know if you choose the right answer."

"Since it will be a regular season game before Thanksgiving, I'm sure I can miss one game."

"Well let's hope I either give birth in the early morning or after the game."

"I just hope it's when I'm home. I would hate for me to be on the road."

"Me too." Karen kissed him and they finished eating.

Chapter 20

A couple days later and the team was heading to Washington. Karen wasn't leaving until the next day with Mario for the game. She decided to just stay with Sidney as the others would go home then come back for game 2 and she would head back with them after the game.

Karen was bringing up a load of laundry and sat down on the couch to fold it. As she reached for a shirt, she felt a small pain and it seemed to intensify as the minutes wore on. Karen's started to breathe deep and put her hand over the area of the pain. It got a little unbearable and the tears began to fill her eyes. She hoped and prayed it would stop and that it wasn't about the baby. After a few minutes the pain subsided and Karen sat there hoping it didn't come back. She picked up the shirt and folded it, picking up others and folded them without another wave. Karen figured she stretched wrong getting the shirt and continued with the rest of the laundry. As the night wore on, Karen didn't have another pain and was relieved that she was ok but if she gets anymore, she would fear the worse.

The next morning, Karen packed her suitcase and then went downstairs to fix something to eat. She was meeting Mario and Nathalie at their house and heading to the airport with them. Two hours later, Karen got her suitcase and locked up the house, leaving for Mario's. As she got there 20 minutes later, Karen pulled into the driveway. She saw them packing the car and she got out, grabbing her suitcase. After getting it out of the car, Karen felt her pain again and dropped the bag, doubling over. Mario saw her and ran over to her.

"Karen? What's wrong?"

"I don't know, I got this sharp pain after grabbing my suitcase."

Mario picked her up and sat her in the car on the seat where she stayed hunched over "do you need me to call your doctor?"

"No it'll pass in a few minutes. I got one last night and it subsided after 5 minutes."

Karen sat there with Mario kneeling infront of her until the pain left and he could see the color come back in her face "you ok?"

"Yeah" she said straightening up "I think I pulled a muscle lifting my suitcase."

"What were you doing last night to get one?"

"I brought the laundry basket up from the basement and sat down to fold the clothes."

"Maybe you shouldn't be lifting anything until after the baby's born."

"Maybe, but the pain wasn't near that area or anything."

"You sure you should be going with us? Maybe you should stay and go see your doctor."

"If it keeps happening and I don't lift anything then I'll go when I get back. I need to go watch Sidney play."

"Sid will understand Karen."

"Sid will not know about this until he has to. I am not ruining his concentration with this."

"I'll make you a deal. I won't say anything to Sid if when we get to the arena, you let Dr. Burke check you out. You can even wait until he's on the ice."

"Fine, I'll tell Dr. Burke and see what he says."

"Good. Come on, let's get going." Mario helped her up and she went inside to use the bathroom before they headed to the airport. The short plane ride to Washington and Karen felt fine the whole trip. She decided if she didn't have to lift anything, maybe she wouldn't get anymore pains and she'd be alright. Karen went to grab for her bag, but Mario beat her to it and got the handle up so all she had to do was wheel it along.

They got to the hotel and Mario got the extra key to Sidney's room for Karen, less hassle then her trying to get it. Karen found his room and put her bag next to his, then decided to lay down. She knew Sidney would be coming back after practice and waited for him.

An hour later, the team was coming back from the arena and heading to their rooms. Sidney put the key card into the slot and opened the door when it clicked. As he walked in, he saw Karen lying on the bed and smiled going over to her. He sat on the edge of the bed and lightly caressed her cheek, waking her up.

"Hey beautiful."

"Hey there handsome. How was practice?"

"It was good. You feeling ok?"

"Yeah why?"

"I don't know, you look a little pale."

"I'm just tired."

Sidney put his hand on her protruding stomach and rubbed lightly "peanut making you sick?"

"Actually, I haven't had morning sickness yet."

"Well, why don't you scoot over and I'll join you in that nap."

"Isn't it a little early for you to be napping?"

"I'll take an extra long one with you."

Karen moved over so Sidney could lie down beside her. He laid on his back and Karen curled up to his body "comfortable?"

"Always with you." They stayed awake talking for a little bit before falling asleep.

Karen woke up to the alarm going off and wondered how it got set. She reached for it, but Sidney woke up and turned it off first. He looked at Karen and kissed her before getting up. They got ready to head down to the restaurant for dinner with the team before the game. Karen saw Jordan and saw him look away when she entered the room. She hated that he wasn't talking to her and wished they could just be friends again. Sidney told Karen to go sit down and he would get her some food. Since it was buffet, she argued that she could get her own but lost the argument and went to sit down. He brought over her plate and went to get his own, sitting down beside her.

"I'm not helpless you know, I can manage to stand in line for food."

"I know you're not but since you're here, I will be getting you anything and everything you want."

"So when I want something and you're in the middle of a shift, you going to leave the ice and come all the way up to the suite to get me what I want?"

"No, I'll make sure someone is up there to wait on you if you need something."

"Yeah, like that will happen" she said taking a bite of her food.

"I have about 20 people in that box that will make sure it happens."

"And what are you going to do if I don't obey and get things for myself? Are you going to spank me after the game?" she said in a hushed tone.

"I just might baby."

"Then we need to get this game underway to see what happens afterwards." Sidney leaned over and kissed her cheek before they finished eating.

The whole time during dinner, Jordan kept watching Sidney and Karen together and wished it was him with her. He knew he had to give her up but something wasn't letting that happen. Kris got him out of his thoughts and took one last look before talking with him and finishing his dinner.

After dinner, Sidney and Karen went back to the room to get ready for the game. Sidney went to jump into the shower and tried to get Karen to join him. She just smiled and told him after the game and went to get ready herself. When he was done and getting dressed, Karen sat on the dresser top infront of Sidney and helped fix his tie.

"You haven't done this in a while."

"Because you're usually already dressed when I see you."

Sidney took his hands and ran them up her thighs "I forgot how much of a turn on it was." Just as Karen got his tie done, Sidney leaned in and kissed her "you know, I still have a few minutes."

"Put that energy into the game and then save some for later. If you do that, I will definitely take care of you then."

"You are so mean baby."

"Sorry" she said pouting.

"It's ok. I can wait until after the game...then again after practice tomorrow...and maybe before game 2."

"I guess my next three days are planned out."

Sidney took a step back and helped her off the dresser. He held her close and kissed her until he had to go. Karen told him goodbye and sat down on the bed after he left. She knew she should have told him about the pains, but didn't want to worry him when he needed to have his head more in the game right now. She finished getting ready and headed to meet everyone down in the lobby to head to the arena.

As they got to the arena and headed up to the suite, Karen sat down and got some water. Mario came up to her before heading down to the locker room.

"I'm going to tell Dr. Burke to come up once the game gets underway."

"Mario, I'm fine. I haven't gotten another pain and had moved my suitcase a couple times in the room. Maybe it was a fluke pain."

"From what Sid has told me, I'm not taking any chances and I know you don't want to either. Just tell him what happened and it will stay between the three of us until you tell Sid."

Karen sighed and nodded "ok, I'll just see what he says." Mario left her sitting there and hoped it wasn't going to turn into anything serious.

An hour later, the game got underway and soon Karen saw Dr. Burke come into the suite and motion for her to join him. They found the suite next to them was empty so they could have some privacy to talk.

"So what's going on Karen? Mario said you felt a couple bad pains before."

"Yeah and with being pregnant, I guess we're all overreacting about it."

"Where did you feel the pain?"

Karen put her hand over the area "it seems that it's over where my ovaries would be." Dr. Burke moved her hand and felt the area. Karen saw the look on his face "what?"

"It seems like its tender when I push on it. Did it hurt when I applied pressure to the area?"

"Not really. I mean I felt a little discomfort but not like before."

"What were you doing when felt it?"

"I lifted the laundry basket and carried it up from the basement yesterday, then I lifted my suitcase from the car to the ground earlier today. The pain came fast and it got unbearable to where I was doubled over."

"When you lifted the basket you might have just strained the muscle and now when you lift anything on this side, it reaggravated it. I don't think it will have any bearing on the baby since it's far enough away but when you get home, you need to have your doctor know about it ok?"

"Ok I will."

"I know being pregnant you want to be cautious but you and the baby should both be fine. If anything else happens while we're here, give me a call."

"I will, thanks Dr.Burke." Karen sat there for another minute after he left the suite. She was thankful to have a doctor's opinion reassure her though. She got up and headed back to the suite and told Mario what he said. Mario felt better too and they finished watching the game.

The Pens ended up losing game 1 but the teams kept up with each other which showed this series wasn't going to be easy. Everyone left the arena and headed back to the hotel to wait for the guys to change. Karen knew they would be longer for Sidney would have to give an aftergame press conference. She went back to the room and found NHL Network to watch the interviews. As she came back from the bathroom and changed into her pajamas, Sidney was about to come on. Karen sat and watched his every move, seeing the passion of the playoffs in his eyes. When he was done, she figured he would be back within the hour and decided to lay down until he got back.

Sidney came back to the hotel and went to his room. He was a little tired but when he knew he was about to see Karen, a little energy came back. Sidney walked into the room and let the door shut. He saw Karen lying on the bed, staring and smiling at him. He took off his jacket and laid on the bed beside her.

"Hey there."

"Why are you always waiting for me in bed?"

"It just figures to be the best place to wait for you. Are you tired?"

"I think I got my second wind."

Their lips met and soon their clothes were removed. Sidney was about to put her into a different position when he remembered what she told him. He rolled on top of her then sat up on his knees. He lifted one of her legs, bringing her closer to him and let it rest on his shoulder while he plunged into her. Sidney held onto her ankle and placed featherlight kissed to it as he moved inside her. Karen loved the sensations but needed to feel him on her. She grabbed for him and Sidney obliged by letting her leg go and laid on top of her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and Sidney kept his pace going. Their lips met again in a heated kiss as their orgasms began to build within them. Karen raised her hips to match Sidney's thrusts as their bodies exploded together. They held onto each other tightly and as Karen started to release her legs from around Sidney, she felt her pain come back, hard. Sidney was about to get off her, but Karen stopped him.

"Don't move yet?"

Sidney brought his head up and saw she looked pale again "baby, what's wrong?" Karen just whispered 'in a minute' and Sidney just held her. After a few minutes, he felt Karen release her legs and moved off of her. "What's going on Karen?"

"I had a pain yesterday and I thought lifting the laundry basket caused me to pull a muscle. It came back when I lifted my suitcase this morning. But for it to hit when my muscles tightened after I came, I don't know what to think."

"Were you going to tell me this?"

"Yes I was but I wanted to be sure it was nothing first."

"Baby, I want to know what's going on. If something happens to you, it's going to happen to me."

"I know but right now, you need all your concentration on this series."

Sidney sighed "I know you want to keep my focus on the game, but it's going to shift to you when it's inportant and this is important. Let me call Dr. Burke."

"Sid, I talked to him before the game and he said what I told you about pulling a muscle. It wasn't near the baby ok" she said showing him where it was "this one was a fluke, maybe I had my leg twisted and didn't realize until I moved it. We'll be fine, ok?" Karen looked into his eyes and hoped she convinced him enough.

"Ok. But if we make love again and you get another one, I am taking you directly to the hospital."

"Deal." Karen brought him down to kiss his lips "I'm fine Sid." He kissed her again and then laid down beside her, bringing her body to his.

Chapter 19

A few weeks had passed and Karen was in her 10th week. The Pens had played Philly in the first round and ousted them in six games. Sidney seemed to have a stride in his game and Karen had to wonder if their impending first child gave him that spark. The teams next opponent was going to be the Capitals and the hockey world anticipated the match up between Sidney and Alexander Ovechkin. The series would start in Washington and Karen had asked Mario if she could go with them to watch.

Karen was at home finishing up some work for Ray and getting ready to email it to him. She was also in the process of making lunch and waiting for Sidney to come home from practice. They would be leaving for Washington the next day after having a morning skate and Karen wouldn't see him until she got there with Mario and every other family member that he invited to go. As if on cue, Sidney came through the door as she send her email off.

"Hey, how was practice?"

"It was good. What smells so good?"

"Lunch. I was in the mood for Fajaitas and made some."

"Ah" he leaned down and kissed her "good choice, I am starving." He helped her up and they went into the kitchen to have lunch.

"What are you going to do while I'm in Washington?" he said taking a bite of food.

"I'm going to be sightseeing around Washington DC."

"What are you talking about?"

"I asked Mario if there was room for me to go with him and some of the other family members and he said I could go with him. Do you mind that I coming?"

Sidney smiled "of course not. I would love having you there to cheer for me." Karen smiled back at him and they finished eating.

After they were done eating, Sidney got a call from his dad on his cell phone and went to answer it. Karen cleaned up the table, putting the dishes in the dishwasher. She was at the sink washing the pans by hand when she felt Sidney come up behind her, placing his hands on her hips. He pressed his growing erection into her and when his hands moved from her hips to her breasts, Karen let out the breath she was holding. Sidney unzipped his shorts and pulled them off his hips, along with his boxer briefs. Karen felt the back of her dress being lifted up and her panties being brought off her hips and down her legs. She had been wearing more sun dresses to keep the waistbands from tightening around her stomach. Besides, Sidney loved the easy access to her whenever he wanted her and it had been a lot over the last 3 weeks.

Sidney slipped his hand between her legs and made her spread them as he rubbed her mound then inserted a finger to make sure she was ready for him. He removed his finger and replaced it with his hard cock. Karen put her hands on the sink to keep her stomach from going into it as Sidney began to pound into her. He wrapped one arm around her waist as the other on went back to her breast. Karen couldn't hold in the moans each time Sidney hit her g-spot with force. A few more and her orgasm came hard making her cry out. She heard a groan come from Sidney before he collapsed on her back. They stayed locked together for a couple more minutes until Karen felt Sidney pull out of her. He turned her around to face him and kissed her passionately.

"I think I get a better workout with you" he said breaking the kiss "besides, it is more fun."

"I'm sure I am more fun to workout with than the team."

Sidney let her go and got situated "I need to run over to meet my dad for a little bit, I'll see you in a couple hours ok?"

"Ok." Sidney kissed her again and left the kitchen. She heard him go upstairs and then come back down a minute later, leaving out the front door. Karen closed her eyes and sighed before picking up her panties and going upstairs. When she came back down, she called Natalie and asked if she had time to get together. She told her she was home and Karen asked if she could come over to talk. After telling her she could, Karen finished up the dishes and left.

"So what's going on? You sounded almost frantic on the phone" Natalie asked her friend as they sat on the couch.

"Sorry, didn't mean to make it sound like that. I am just so confused with how Sidney is acting."

"Karen, he's being how you wanted him."

"I know but this is different then how I wanted him to be. I wanted him to move attentive in bed, you know change from the usual 'him on top' position. Now its anytime he wants it, wherever we may might be. In the past 3 weeks, we've had sex in every room of the house and I'm not talking in the beds of the guest rooms. I mean before I came over here, I was doing the dishes and he came up behind me at the sink."

"What do you think is going on?"

"He's acting like how Jordan was when we were having our affair. He was like that when we saw each other, that 'need you now' look in his eyes and 'take me anywhere' feeling."

"You think maybe since then he wants to keep you away from ever going back to him, he's doing what Jordan would do if you were together?"

"Maybe. But it doesn't make sense now that I'm pregnant. When it was over between Jordan and I, I thought I made that clear to him and with being pregnant, I had hoped Sidney would realize that it was definitely over and my life was with him."

"I don't know girl. It just sounds like he's showing you that he could be that way too and he just needed something drastic to change to keep you with him."

"Yeah, but not once has he reverted back to his other way. I don't mind the romps during the day and all over the house, but I would love for him to make love to me the old way at least once."

"Thats something you need to talk to him about Karen. All I can tell you is he's being how you wanted him to be and you should enjoy it."

"Trust me I am enjoying it, I just want to know the reasoning behind it."

"You spend all your energy trying to figure out the man in your life and you won't have any left to raise that baby. If I dissected every move that Max made on me, I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my job. They do what they want, when they want. We as women want the romance and most of the time we can convince them to it as well. But it's their nature to just want a fast fuck when the urge hits them. Trust me girl, go with the flow and enjoy it because once that baby is born, you'll be lucky to get anything from him."

"You know, you're right and I can't believe I am overreacting about all this."

"It's understandable. Besides once you hit your 4th month, you'll be attacking him." Karen sat there and smiled remembering what she read about the heightened sexual arousal during the 4th month of pregnancy. Nat knew about it from a couple of friends from work that couldn't stop bragging about it when they were pregnant. She fgured she could let Sidney have his fun now and then Karen would dictate later. She stayed and chatted with Natalie for another hour before heading home.

When Karen got home, she saw Sidney's car and was glad he was home. She was going to ask him about what was going on. Not that what Natalie told her didn't make sense, she just needed to hear it from him. She walked inside and saw Sidney pacing around.

"God baby, I have been worried sick. Where have you been?" he said going over and hugging her.

"I went to see Natalie. Sorry, I should have text you to let you know where I was going."

"I came home and when you weren't here I thought something happened with the baby. I was literally going nuts and was about to call the hospital until I heard you come in."

"Sid, I'm ok and the baby is ok. I just needed to go talk to a friend."

"Something wrong?" he asked letting her go and taking a step back.

"Sid, we need to talk about what's going on with you because I am getting confused with what signals you are sending me."

"What do you mean signals? What am I doing?"

"I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but what is going on with all the sex everywhere and at anytime? I'm not complaining that it's happening, I just want to know why all of the sudden it is."

"I thought this was what you wanted" he said softly.

"Sid it is what I wanted from you but I want our normal way too. It's like your competing with something that is nonexistent."

"Look, after we got back together I had a talk with Jordan and asked him why you kept going back to him. I wanted to know what he was doing and if I started acting that way you wouldn't need anyone else."

"Sid, its over with him and I am not going to seek out him or anyone else. The first couple times when I thought it was because of being cautious with the baby it was fine but now it's like that's the only way you want to have sex with me."

"That's not the only way I want to be with you Karen, but I did figure that this was safer and we weren't hurting the baby. I guess I didn't realize neglecting our normal way too was hurting us."

"Your not hurting us Sid. I'm sorry for overreacting about this and I do love when you surprise me but I don't want you to be like Jordan. I want you to be you and make love to me in your own way."

"I promise we will go back but maybe we could still keep it spiced up some times."

"Oh we can definitely keep it spiced up" she said smiling at him. Sidney brought her closer to him and kissed her. The kiss definitely could have led somewhere but Sidney curbed it for later when they went to bed.

Chapter 18

Two weeks had passed and Karen was feeling better about everything. She decided that whatever happens, would happen for a reason and if this baby wasn't meant to be they would work on another one. She couldn't keep feelings or stress bottled up and let the days flow by. The regular season had wound down and the Pens managed to bump themselves into fourth place and well into the playoff picture. Karen knew Sidney would be in the mood to celebrate and since they held off having sex, she figured it would be as good a time as any to see if she was truly ok within her pregnancy.

Sidney came home from the store to make dinner for their parents. Trina and Troy were coming down for the first round of the playoffs and he decided to make them dinner so they could tell them the good news. Karen went into the kitchen to help make dinner but Sidney ushered her out mumbling that dinner was a surprise for her as well. She smiled and kissed his cheek before going to watch tv. After twenty minutes, the door bell rang and Karen went to answer it revealing both sets of parents.

"Hi baby girl" Karen's mom said greeting her with a hug "I am so glad we all get to have a nice dinner before the hectic playoffs start."

"Me too. Hi daddy" she said hugging him next. Karen was happy that her dad recovered fully from his heart surgery but she still saw signs of him not being able to do a lot of what he was before.

"How's my girl?"

"I'm ok." Karen stepped back and smiled at Trina and Troy before hugging both of them "how was the trip down?"

"It was nice. Glad we finally get a chance to spend some time together Karen" Trina said.

"I know, but we'll have to change that soon." A minute later Sidney came out of the kitchen to greet his parents and in-laws. They all went into the living room to sit and catch up before dinner was ready. Karen kept waiting for Sidney to say something but wondered if he was going to wait until they started eating.

While they were in the middle of dinner, Sidney got everyone's attention. "There was a reason I got everyone here for dinner tonight. I have some news and we wanted to wait until we knew there was something to tell."

"What's going on son?" Troy asked hoping it was good news.

"Well everyone, it looks like Karen and I have decided to bless our family and give you guys that grandchild you all have been wanting."

"Are you serious?" Trina said excitedly.

"My baby is going to have a baby?" her mom said on the verge of tears.

"Yes. Sid and I wanted to wait until we knew I was far enough along to tell everyone."

"How far along Karen?" her mom asked with anticipation.

"7 weeks."

"Oh my god" she said getting up to hug her daughter "I knew this would happen for you two."

"Really now?"

"Oh stop, you wanted this too sweetie."

"Hoped was more like it." She got out of the hug with her mom into the arms of Trina then Troy. They all offered their congratulations before sitting back down. Sidney held onto her hand as they finished eating. The conversation geared from the playoffs to the baby.

"Did your doctor give you a due date?"

"She will give me a more definite one next week but she hinted around Thanksgiving."

"You have another appointment next week?" Sidney asked concerned.

"I want to make sure everything is fine Sid and if going every week will help that I will."

"Ok, maybe I'll go with you."

"You'll be in Philly for the two games there."

"Why did you schedule it then?"

"It was the only opening they had. It'll be fine and I will tell you what happened when you get home."

"How about you call me as soon as you get home?"

Karen smiled and turned to Trina "was Troy like this with this one?"

"Exactly like this and with both of them. I couldn't get him to leave my side for two months."

Sidney saw Karen look at him "I promise I will not do that baby."

"I already told him about the hovering he did after I found out."

"Well, we will all be here to help you sweetie." Karen smiled at her family and Sidney kissed her head before getting up and getting dessert from the kitchen. They ate and finished talking about the playoffs for a change. After dinner, everyone stayed for another hour then headed out. Sidney walked the parents to the door then came back to sit with Karen on the couch. He reached for her legs and turned her to place them on his lap.

"Are you mad that I made the appointment while you're away?"

"No baby. I just want to be there for every minute of this pregnancy."

"I love that Sid but with at least 3 or 4 games being on the road each round, you'll miss some things during the next two months."

"Well, we might get ousted in the first round so I won't miss anything."

"I don't think so. I think you'll play for the Cup again this year."

"I hope so too baby but I am trying to be realistic here. Yes we fought to get into the playoffs but something could fall apart."

"And everything can fall into place."

"I'll make you a deal."

"Ok" she said getting scared "what is it?"

"If we go all the way and win the Cup, you have to stop thinking this baby isn't going to happen to full term. If you want your doubts now, go ahead and think them. But if I am still playing in June, you can't think any more bad thoughts."

"I think I can handle that."

"Do you think you could handle something else?" Sidney said sliding his hand up her bare leg towards her shorts.

"I can handle anything you got." Sidney kissed her before putting her legs down. He got up first then helped her up, leading her upstairs. It was still kind of early and Karen didn't think of it that they didn't lock up before going upstairs. They got into the room and couldn't stop the clothes from flying off each other's bodies. Sidney told Karen to lay down and he joined her. They laid on their sides facing each other, letting their hands do their talking. Of course their lips were a little preoccupied with each other. Sidney moved his hand down Karen's body and found her mound. He could feel the heat coming off her opening before he inserted a couple fingers inside. Karen moaned out against his lips loving the feeling of him touching her. It had been a while for them but Sidney was also going against the norm for how they usually were. By now, they both would be nearing the finale but Sidney took his time feeling her out. This was beyond being romantic with her. Karen managed to move her hand towards his cock, massaging him. She never would get the chance to play around with him and loved this new change. After a few minutes, Sidney removed his fingers to the dismay of Karen's groan and took her hand off him. He turned her over to her other side and opened her legs with one of his. Sidney took his cock and rubbed the head over her opening before sliding inside from behind. Karen grabbed onto the sheets infront of her as the sensations were overwhelming. Sidney's grip got harder on her hip as he pounded into her forcing the whimpers and moans to escape Karen's lips. Before they knew it, their orgasms came crashing down upon them as screams and moans filled the room. "Well that was certainly different" she said once her breathing returned to normal.

"I figured we needed a change." Karen laid there and wondered if he was doing this because of everything that happened with Jordan. He was almost acting like him since this wasn't his normal lovemaking style. Even if Sidney tried to be a little kinky and unreserved, it would still always end the same...him on top. If she wanted to start anything or be on top, he would switch them around before anything really got started. "Besides, you are being so cautious about this baby, I didn't want my weight on your stomach to help cause anything."

"I don't think that would have caused anything bad" she said turning her head to look at him.

"But we really don't know now, do we?"

"I guess not." Sidney kissed her while pulling out of her and then got off the bed. He headed into the bathroom leaving Karen lying there with more thoughts. Now she was confused more then ever about this and wondered if he would only be like this while she was pregnant. She wanted him both ways but would let it play out until the end and figure it out then.

Chapter 17

When they got to the arena, Sidney all but bounced out of the car. Karen couldn't hide her smile watching him.

"Can I maybe ask you to not tell too many people yet?"

"Baby why? We're having a baby, I want to scream it from the top of the Igloo."

"I know you do, but if you tell the whole team then that's just more people to tell if something goes wrong."

"Karen, we're going to be fine and in 8 months we will have a new member of our family to complete it."

"I'll make you a deal."

"At this point, anything."

"I'll let you tell the team since I need to tell Ray anyway, but no publicity to the press until I am safely in my second trimester."

"Not to sound too much like a man that doesn't know what you mean...but how long is that?"

"When I hit 4 months. Every three months is a trimester and when I get through the first one and safely into my second, you can proudly tell the press you're going to be a daddy."

"So, in about two months" he said seeing her nod "I think the press can wait until then, I just don't think my parents can."

"When they come down for the playoffs, we'll tell them and not a moment before ok?"

"Ok. I understand why you want to wait, but this is happening for us."

"I know I just don't want to disappoint a lot of people, especially you."

Sidney put his hand over Karen's stomach "Peanut won't disappoint either of us."

"Um, Peanut?"

"Well for now anyway, I thought it had a cute ring to it since that's what he looks like."

"Now we're talking about the baby being a boy? I wanted a girl first and Peanut could be a she."

"The next one will be a girl" he said kissing her and leading her inside "I want my own little protege first." Karen just laughed at him as he took her to the locker room first. The guys were still on the ice and Sidney brought Karen with him. Coach Dan skated over and watched as Sidney brought out a carpet by the door. He asked if the guys could come over to them and Coach Dan blew the whistle and waved them over.

"Apparently your captain wants to explain why he skipped out on practice today" Dan told the guys.

"Yeah Sid, what's going on?" Max yelled from behind everyone.

Sidney looked at Karen and then back to the guys "I needed to skip practice to go find out that....we're going to have a baby."

Karen heard all the guys hoot and holler, coming over to congratulate both of them. She saw Jordan shy away at first then come over to hug her. She sensed it was hard on him to come over but hid his feelings well enough. After they got done offering their congratulations, Sidney helped Karen off the ice and she told him goodbye as she headed to Ray's office while he got changed for practice.

A few minutes later, Karen walked into the office and found Ray at his desk. She knocked on the door frame and was gestured in.

"It's good to see you Karen. Are you feeling better?"

"I am and I needed to talk to you about something."

"Sure, what's going on?"

"Well, I found out this morning that I'm pregnant."

Ray smiled and got up to hug her "congratulations. How far along?"

"Just 5 weeks, so fairly new. I need to talk to you about this though."

"Something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. Um, I was pregnant twice before and lost both of them."

"I'm so sorry Karen."

"Thanks."

"What can I do for you?"

"I want to know if I could take a break from work for a few months. These next couple months are crucial since I lost my other two early in the pregnancy and I thought maybe staying home and not running around to and from work could help. I know with the playoffs starting and then the draft and signing guys in the off season it's a bad time to ask for this but..."

"Karen stop. I want you and your child safe and if you need time, you know you have it. Your job will always be here and I don't think I could get all of it done without your help. Maybe you could do some work from home for me and we can email back and forth."

"That could keep me from going insane with sitting around and doing nothing."

"Then it's settled. How's Sidney handling it?" Ray said with a smile.

"If he doesn't climb to the top of the arena and shout that he's going to be a father, then he's handling it well."

"Being a father for the first time is exciting."

"I can imagine but with the way history has been with this, I don't want to disappoint him if I lose this baby."

"Karen let me tell you something I learned...history has a way of changing itself to make the future a lot brighter."

"Hadn't thought about it that way. I just want Sid to have everything he wants."

"Well from what I've heard, after he found you he did get everything he wanted."

"Thanks Ray, I appreciate that." Karen hugged him again and before she left to go find Sidney, Ray gave her some paperwork to work on for him while she was home. Karen went and found Sidney, telling him she was ready when he was. He told her he would be a little longer, so she sat in one of the seats and watched him practice. Karen hadn't watched Sidney practice in a while and loved watching his intensity, especially for the playoffs. Sidney got her attention and gestured that he was done and going to shower. She just smiled and stayed in the seats for a little while longer.

"Hey Karen."

She looked up to the voice and saw Jordan standing behind her "hey Jordan. I thought everyone else left."

He took a seat behind her "I was working out with the weights for a little bit and heard you were watching Sid. You've been avoiding me."

"I haven't been avoiding you Jordan but that could be said about you too."

"I figured if I kept my distance it would be better for everyone."

"Keeping your distance is also keeping you from your friend. We all got things worked out that night at the hospital. Sidney and Brit don't hate me or you so why can't we go back to being friends?"

"Probably because I haven't lost feelings towards you yet?"

"Jordan?"

"Don't worry, I'm not about to act on them but until I can think of you as just a friend, I need to keep my distance. I just wanted you to know that." Jordan got up and left as Karen sat there for a few more minutes before getting up to meet Sidney.

They left and got home 20 minutes later. Sidney help Karen inside and made sure she got comfortable. Karen tried to get up to get something to eat, but Sidney told her to stay and he would get it for her. She knew what he was doing and wondered how long she would be able to handle it. The rest of the day, no matter where Sidney was, he managed to always know when Karen was about to get up and came swarming into the living room.

"Ok, are you going to be like this for the next two months? Because I will tell you rght now I can not wait for you to leave for a couple of games."

"Baby, if you need anything I will get it for you. You are the one who wants to be cautious, I'm just helping with that."

"Sid, there's helping and then there's driving me insane. There are some things I can do on my own like get something to eat or go to the bathroom, like where I need to go now. I love that you are taking care of me but this is what I didn't want."

"What am I doing that's so wrong?"

"You're making me feel like I'm not capable to do anything. I asked Ray for this time off so I wasn't always running around until I knew things were safe. Staying home and doing things at my own pace will help that. I love you for being cautious with me but you still need to let me do things. If I can't do something I will ask for help, I promise."

"I'm just worried about all this. I want the end result to be a happy one too you know. But you do know your limits and as long as you do ask for help I won't hover as much."

"Well you don't have to completely stop the hovering" she said smiling "I kind of miss when we get the chance to just be together."

Sidney gently put his arms around her "Yeah me too." He looked into her eyes and let their lips meet in a kiss. They both felt what arose within them and Karen pulled away "sorry, I know that's going to need to wait for awhile too."

"We'll see. I don't have to completely stop doing everything but maybe after a week of taking it easy we can get back into our normal routine and just see what happens."

"That and alternative ways" he said kissing her again before letting her go. Karen walked to the bathroom and thought about his 'alternative ways' and wondered if that meant what she thought it did. Sidney was never the one to really spice things up in bed, their lovemaking was always so straightforward and romantic but with her being pregnant, it might open it up to a whole other level.

Chapter 16

A few weeks had gone by and Karen was at her desk in Ray's office. She was typing a couple letters and she stopped when her eyes wouldn't focus. All of the sudden her head began to spin and the dizziness took over. Karen put her head in her hands hoping to stop it when Ray came out of his office.

"Karen, could you...are you ok?" he said looking at her.

She slowly lifted her head up to look at him "yeah, I got dizzy all of the sudden and couldn't focus my eyes on the computer."

"You really look pale. When did you eat last?" he said handing her the bottle of water on the desk.

"It's been a few hours, but I'm not hungry yet."

"I think we need to let the team doctor look at you, just to be safe."

"Ray I'm fine, besides I don't want to worry Sidney with the playoffs starting in a few days."

"How about I ask him to come up here while the guys are still practicing? That way Sidney won't know until you tell him."

"Ok." Karen started to work again while Ray went into his office to call downstairs. He came out and told Karen he would be up in a few minutes. She smiled and kept working until he came up. Karen hoped it was just a fluke but then again, she had been dizzy a few other times. Five minutes later, Dr. Burke came into the office and went over to talk to Karen. Ray told them to move it into his office for some privacy.

"What's gong on Karen? Ray said you felt dizzy."

"Yeah, I was looking at my compuer screen and my eyes wouldn't focus then my head began to spin and I just couldn't see straight for a few minutes."

"Is this the first time that it's happened?" he said taking her blood pressure.

"Here at work or at home too?"

"Both."

"First time here at work, but I have felt dizzy like this a few times before at home. It's usually right before I lay down to go to sleep or when I get up from sitting or lying down."

"When was the last time you ate?"

"Before I came to work, so 8:30a."

"Karen? It's almost noon. You should have had a snack or something by now."

"I usually do, but I wasn't hungry for anything today."

"So then you do eat a snack between breakfast and lunch?"

"Yeah, I have something at the desk. In fact I have things in my drawer stocked for when I feel hungry." Karen looked at his expression "what?"

"Can I get personal?"

"I think I already know what you might want to know and I am almost a week late."

"Are you pretty regular?"

"Like clockwork."

"Maybe you should go see your doctor to confirm it and if that's not what is making you dizzy, he'll be able to go from there."

"Could you not mention any of this to Sid?"

"I won't."

"Thanks Dr. Burke."

"Anytime Karen" he said leaving Karen sitting there for a minute. Her thoughts were running a mile a minute in her head about this. She knew a couple days ago when she hadn't started yet that she could be pregnant again, but didn't want to realize it. Karen got up and left Ray's office telling him she needed to go get something for lunch. He told her to take it easy and if she didn't feel like coming back, she didn't have to. Karen thanked him but said she just needed to eat and would be back in an hour.

Sidney was done with practice and was getting dressed from his shower when he knew Karen would be leaving for lunch. He met up with her in the hallway and they left to get something to eat. Everything had gotten back to normal between them before the whole cheating episode and it felt nice that it all got swept away from their minds. Karen tried to avoid being alone with Jordan and eventhough she didn't have that sexual urge towards him anymore, she didn't want to take the chance of anything sparking up between them.

"How was practice?"

"Good and I may go back to lift a little while you finish up."

"Don't stay around on my account" she said smiling.

"It's all about you babe, need to work on some stuff to make me more buff for my woman" he said flexing a little at the table.

"Well your woman thinks you look great no matter what."

"See, one reason I married you...you're easy to please."

"I'm sure the neighbors would agree to that on most nights."

"You feeling ok, you look a little pale baby."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just needed some fresh air and some lunch." Sidney took her hand and kissed the inside sending a chill up Karen's spine. They got their food and ate with minimal conversation. After lunch, they headed back to the arena and Karen went back upstairs to finish her work. Sidney worked out a little bit then called and told her he would see her at home later.

At 3p, Karen left the arena and went to WalMart before going home. She bought a pregnancy test and some things to make for dinner. Karen made a lasagne and had it in the oven when she went upstairs to see what was going on. She did what she needed to do and sat there waiting for the results to peak through. Five minutes later, Karen sat on the edge of the bathtub and looked at the stick.

Sidney heard the oven timer go off and he turned it off, then shut the oven off. He didn't know where Karen was and went to look for her. He headed upstairs and walked into their bedroom. Sidney saw her in the bathroom sitting on the edge of the bathtub and just staring at the floor.

"Hey, the oven timer went off so I shut the oven off and left dinner in there. Are you ok?" Sidney saw her shake her head no "baby, what's wrong?" he asked kneeling in front of her and seeing what she was holding. "Is that..."

"Yeah it is."

"And?"

"It's positive."

Sidney took the stick out of her hands and looked at the result, smiling. He saw her tears and wondered what she was thinking about all this "baby, this is a good thing. Why are you crying?"

"What if..."

"There is no what ifs."

"But..."

"No buts either. We will do every precaution and make sure this one lasts, ok?"

Karen shook her head yes "I'll call Dr. Kelley tomorrow and have her run another test to be sure."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"You don't have to. I know you'll have practice."

"I think they'll understand and I can always go afterwards and stay later. Come on, let's go eat and we'll finish talking about this." Karen smiled as he leaned in and kissed her then helped her up to go eat dinner.

All night Karen couldn't help but dream the worst about everything. She didn't get any sleep and would hope after going to the doctors, she would have her mind set at ease.

At the doctor's office, Karen couldn't stop bouncing her leg with her nerves. She was glad that her doctor was able to squeeze her in for an appointment early but she was still scared of the possible outcome.

"Karen? Dr. Kelley will see you now" one of the office assistants said. Karen smiled and got up with Sidney telling her he would be out in the waiting room until she needed him. She kissed him before going in and getting situated.

"Hi Karen. Danielle said you need a pregnancy test done."

"Yeah. I've been dizzy off and on and a week late. I took a home test and it came out positive and I just wanted to be sure because...."

"Of what happened the last two times. I understand, so let's take some blood and then do an ultrasound to see if its true."

"Sidney is out in the waiting room. Can he come in for the ultrasound?"

"Absolutely. Let's get the blood work done and see the results and then we can go get him." She got the blood she needed and had it sent down to the lab. With Karen's doctor's office in the hospital, it took less time to get blood work back. "While we're waiting, how about we talk for a few minutes. You seem scared to be pregnant again."

"I am. I don't think I could handle losing another baby. Sidney does know about the previous times, my mom told him but for him to get excited about this one and then have the same thing happen, I'm scared to find out what may come of it."

"Karen, even I wasn't sure to the reasoning behind the miscarriages, but you are a healthy woman. I don't see any reason why you can't carry to term. You have no diseases or infections that would have caused it, so we'll have to take it easy and make sure this one lasts."

"Ok." They sat and talked for a few more minutes before the phone rang and she was given the results of Karen's test. She asked if Sidney could come in for the results and Dr. Kelley sent for him. Sidney came in a minute later and sat down beside Karen, grabbing for her hand.

"It appears my test agrees with the at home one. You are pregnant Karen."

She was able to let out a small smile to where Sidney couldn't contain his "do you know how far along?"

"Not by this test, but why don't we get you up on the table and do the ultrasound to find out." Karen nodded and got on the table, lying back and lifting up her shirt to her breasts. The doctor poured the gel over her stomach and proceeded. Sidney held onto her hand, waiting patiently. "Ok, Karen let's see here...." she said pointing to the screen "do you guys see this peanut shaped image?" they both nodded "that's your baby."

"Really?" Sidney said with a hint of disappointment.

"Did you think it would actually look like a baby this early on?" Karen said smiling at him.

"Well no, but I didn't think it would be peanut."

"It is a normal picture of a fetus at this stage and from this I can tell you that you are about 5 weeks pregnant." Karen thought back but knew exactly when it was but Sidney was having a little more trouble . Karen got scared wondering if he would think it wasn't his and possibly Jordan's. "Any questions?"

"Not from me" Sidney spoke up.

"Karen? You alright?"

"Yeah, I mean I'm already further along then the last time but..."

"Baby, no buts remember."

"I know."

"Karen, I know you're scared and everything but we will take this one day at a time and at any sign of a cramp, or dizziness, anything....call me, ok?"

"Ok." Dr. Kelley cleaned up her stomach and made them a picture of their baby to take with them before they left.

They headed to the car and Karen knew Sidney was going over in his mind about the time frame.

"Sid, the night my dad went into the hospital and we went back to clean up my parent's house and stayed the night...it was about 5 weeks ago. I can see the wheels turning in there and the baby's yours not Jordan's."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I was never off my birth control with him. After everything that came to head, I got stressed and forgetful not taking it while we were apart. So if you think about it..."

"It is mine, but it's not that I doubted it, I wanted to be sure."

"I know. If it was Jordan's, I would be months pregnant and not just a few weeks."

Sidney stopped her before she could get into the car "we're going to have a baby" he said smiling as big as he could.

Karen matched her husband's smile "I know" she said leaning in to kiss him. They broke apart and then headed to the arena so Sidney could get some practice in and Karen could talk to Ray about her situation.

Chapter 15

After lunch, Sidney drove Karen back to the hospital and they both stayed for a little bit. Karen had brought back some food for her mom and actually was able to get her out of her dad's room to eat it in the waiting room. Karen sat with her dad as Sidney said he would stay with her mom.

"Is everything better between you and my daughter?"

"You knew we were having problems?"

"That is the one thing I treasure about my girls, they open up to me about everything. She said she was the one that cheated and took full responsibilitiy for it."

"Yeah she did. I didn't want to believe it at first but I knew something was happening when we kept having the same fight over and over again."

"I know deep down she wants kids and before you two got married she did mention that she couldn't wait to have a baby with you. I don't think her wanting to wait is what sparked the cheating it was because she couldn't get pregnant right away that prompted it."

"What do you mean?"

"She told me this in confidence and I am only telling you because she won't."

"Ok."

"Shortly after you guys were married, you were on a two week road trip I think. Anyway, she wasn't feeling well and went to the doctor. He ran some tests and she found out she was pregnant."

"She was pregnant?"

"Yes but after 6 days, she had cramps really bad and miscarried. She didn't tell you because it was so short lived she didn't want to get your hopes up and then kill them. About three months later, she got pregnant again but that one lasted longer...3 weeks I believe. She thought that maybe the first time was a fluke and the second one would be the one to last. Karen called me and said she was going to tell you but the phone call the next morning after you went to practice was not the one I wanted to hear. She miscarried again. It devastated her and I guess that's when she decided to just put it off for awhile."

Sidney sat there and tried to comprehend it all "she still could've told me. I would have helped her through it and understood better why she wanted to wait."

"She thought that if it happened twice, it would happen again and you would leave her for someone who could give you kids."

"Why can't she understand I don't want anyone else no matter what happens with us?"

"Because that's how she's always been. Growing up, if she couldn't please herself with school work or playing sports, it disappointed her and she figured it would disappoint every one else. She is passionate about so many things in her life and finding you upped that to a whole other level."

"I've noticed that about her. I mean, I've never doubted her love for me and knowing this won't change that either but I feel like I need to tell her I know."

"How about waiting until her dad leaves here and goes home. She'll have less on her mind if he's at home getting better."

"Ok, I will. Thanks for telling me."

"Anything for my favorite son-in-law" she said hugging her.

"I'm your only son-in-law."

"That's why you're my favorite." She offered a smile to Sidney before she got up and left the waiting room. He soon followed and went into the hospital room to be with Karen. They only stayed for another 20 minutes or so before leaving her parents alone. Sidney told her he would meet her at home as they left. Karen wondered where he needed to go but shrugged it off.

Karen had been home for about a half hour when she heard Sidney walk through the front door. She looked up from the tv and saw him enter the room.

"Where'd you go?"

"I needed to get these" he held up a dozen roses "for my beautiful wife."

"I don't think I've done anything to deserve flowers" she said as he handed them to her.

Sidney sat down beside her "please stop being so hard on yourself and realize we are going to be fine."

"I'm not being hard on myself Sid. I just can't forgive myself as easily as you did."

"Do you love me?"

"Yes, of course I do."

"Do you want to be with me?"

"Forever."

"Then you need to forgive yourself because it seems we love each other too much to keep this between us. Can you do that for us?"

"I think I can."

"Good" he said leaning in to kiss her. The kiss lingered and got more passionate the longer they stayed lip locked. Sidney broke the kiss and got up, holding out his hand for Karen to take. When she did, he pulled her up then went upstairs. As they got to the bedroom, Sidney wrapped his arms around her and continued what they started downstairs. Before long, both were undressed and in bed caressing every inch of skin visible. Sidney rolled them over so Karen was underneath him, spreading her legs to make the situation more comfortable. After a few minutes, Sidney plunged into her and Karen smiled inside realizing all was forgiven from him. He kept a slow pace that was more then sensual that had Karen moaning at the pleasures brewing inside of her. When Sidney felt they were both on the verge, he sped up to bring Karen over the edge first then joined her a few minutes later. He collapsed on top of her until their breathing slowed to normal. Sidney soon rolled off of Karen but pulled her to him as they fell asleep.

A few days later and Karen's dad was at home. She had gone by to be with him while her mom was at work. He didn't need fussed over, but she still needed to see he was going to be alright. When she got home later that day, she saw Sidney had dinner made for them and the table out on the back porch was set up with candles and flowers.

"I'm sure the guys would love to see you do this for me."

"I think they already know since they see how we are together in public. But of course what we show them in public is never what we do in private."

"And that's a good thing" Karen said with a smile "considering we could get arrested if that happened." Sidney just laughed as they sat down to eat. "So, is there hidden meaning in tonight's dinner?" she asked as they began eating.

"Why would you say that?"

"Because I know you. What's going on?"

"Your mom told me."

Karen had a feeling she knew what he was talking about but wanted him to actually say it "told you what?"

"About how you got pregnant twice and lost both of them. Why couldn't you just tell me instead of finding comfort in Jordan?"

"Going to Jordan wasn't until later when you started pressing the kids issue."

"Ok fine, but why couldn't you still tell me?"

"It was hard enough to go through, disappointing you twice wasn't what I wanted to face."

"I would have been disapoointed but at least we would have gone through it together."

"I know and I should've told you at least after the second one."

"Why not after the first time?"

"Because it only lasted a week and with it being that quick, I didn't think it needed to be mentioned. You were on a long road trip and I didn't think you needed to be burdened with it to distract you, even when you came home. The second one, yes I should've told you and I was going to but then I figured if I couldn't stay pregnant..."

"I'd want someone who could."

"At the time, yeah but I knew deep down it wouldn't be true. My mind wasn't where it needed to be after miscarrying twice and I am sorry."

"I know baby" Sidney took her hand in his "maybe next time will be the one that lasts...third time's a charm isn't it?"

Karen smiled at him "let's hope it is." They finished eating so they could enjoy the rest of their night together.

Chapter 14

The next morning, Sidney woke up before the alarm went off. He reached over Karen to turn it off and when he moved back, Karen stirred but cuddled back into his chest. Sidney wrapped his arms around her and just laid there until she woke up.

Ten minutes later, Karen woke up confused "did the alarm go off?"

"No, I woke up before and went ahead to shut it off."

"Oh, what time is it?"

"8:15a."

"Won't you be late to practice?" she asked looking up at him.

"I think they'll understand under the circumstances."

"Well in case they don't, I guess for you to get up I need to first" she said making the move to get up only to be brought back down.

"We can get up after this" Sidney leaned in and kissed her with more passion then before.

"I'd be amazed that you can go play hockey after that."

"If I would have woken up a little earlier we could have accomplished something else."

"Apparently you need to learn that a little sooner" Karen smiled then kissed him and got out of his grip, getting out of bed.

Sidney got up and got dressed as Karen emerged from the bathroom dressed. "Are you going to the hospital?"

"I'm going to the house first to shower and change then I'll head over."

Sidney walked over to her "tell me you're going to pack your bags and come home after."

"I might need pursuaded a little" she said smiling.

"I think I can handle that." Sidney placed his lips onto hers lightly kissing her and letting it get more heated between them before pulling away. "Well?"

"I definitely think that did it."

"Good. I better get going and I'll see you at home later."

"Not sure how long I'll be at the hospital but I will be home later."

Sidney couldn't contain his smile "I love you."

"I love you too." Sidney gave her one last kiss and headed out as Karen got something to eat before going to the hospital.

A couple hours later, Sidney was at the arena towards the tail end of practice. Max had been watching him all day and noticed a change in him. They were standing over by the boards when he decided to inquire about it.

"What's going on Sid? You seem overly happy for some reason" Max asked him.

"Let's just say everything is back to where it should be."

"Meaning you and Karen?" Sidney gave his teammate a look "relax, I know because Nat told me. She was worried for her friend and I promised not to say anything and I haven't. You guys been having problems and now it seems you're working them out."

"Did Natalie tell you what the problem was?"

"No and I didn't push it. I figured if it was a big enough problem and you wanted someone to talk to you would probably come to me if you needed to."

"If we weren't able to, I probably would have but I think it might have been something we needed to go through."

"What do you mean by that?"

"There had been some tension between us because I wanted to start a family and she kept avoiding the situation. I never got a true reason until everything blew up."

"What was her reason?"

"She wanted it to be us for a couple years before having a baby which in a way I understand but she only wanted that because if I found someone else it would be easier to leave her if it was just her."

"I hope you told her how ridiculous that was?"

"I did but with her being older than me, of course she's going to have that feeling. I love her and have no intention of leaving her for anyone else."

"Well just keep pounding that into her head and you guys will be fine" Max said then took off skating towards the net as Sidney stood there for a couple more minutes. He knew there was one other person he needed to talk to before really knowing things would be fine.

After practice was over, Sidney walked past Jordan and asked him if he would stick around so they could talk. He agreed and each of them finished getting ready to head out. They decided to meet at a coffee shop to get away from everyone else at the arena since really no one else knew about what happened between them.

"What did you want to talk about Sid? I haven't snuck away to pursue Karen or anything."

"As much as I appreciate that I want to know, why did she go to you? What did you offer her that I couldn't?"

"Maybe you need to ask her that."

"I'd rather hear it from you."

"Look Sid when it started between us, it was one night after drinking a lot but that next day we saw each other something sparked. Before I could make my move to want something more with her, you came along and swept her away. You were like this White Knight all romantic and loving towards her and I was the forbidden lover that only wanted to have the wild sex with. When we got together the one night after you guys started dating, I remember her saying I wasn't anything like you and I brought out the rawness that you didn't during sex. She couldn't let go of what we brought out in each other when it wasn't there between you two." Jordan saw how he just sat there staring at his coffee cup "she loves you man, maybe you just need to spice it up a little to keep her guessing. I don't think it was so much me she went running to than to something you wouldn't give her."

"I guess I never thought about it. When we were together, I wanted it to be like that but I never realized she was that type of woman since she didn't complain."

"She's not going to complain when she loves you."

"I guess."

"You know Sid, I love you as a brother but I never imagined in a million years we would actually have this conversation about our significant others."

"I know, me either but when my wife needs to seek out someone to give her what I'm not, I need to find out what to change."

"I don't think you really need to change a lot, just add to it" Jordan said finishing his coffee and looking at his watch "I need to go so I can meet Britnie for lunch in a little bit."

"Yeah, I told Karen I would stop at the hospital after practice. Thanks Jordan, I appreciate you being so honest."

"I just want us all to be ok again" he said before leaving. Sidney sat there for another few minutes before heading out himself.

Meanwhile at the hospital, Karen had been sitting with her dad all morning until he had another visitor. Karen looked up when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey mom."

"Hi baby" she said hugging her as Karen got up "how's he doing?"

"Better actually but the meds are causing him to fall in and out of consciousness. He's been asleep for a couple hours now so he should be waking up in a little bit."

"I'm awake now pudd."

"Hey, you have another visitor." Karen's dad looked at her mom and a smile crept on his face "I'm going to leave you two alone for a while and go get some fresh air."

"Thanks baby girl."

Karen walked to the door but turned and saw her mom sitting beside his bed and took his hand in hers. She smiled at how strong their love was and left the room. As she was walking down the hall, she looked up and saw Sidney standing there like he was waiting for her.

"How's dad?"

"Better now that mom's in there. How was practice?"

"I wasn't late if that's what you're asking" he said as Karen smiled "but it was good. Should be a good game tomorrow night and I saw Ray and told him what was going on."

"I totally forgot about calling and telling him I wouldn't be in today.."

"He understood since it was your dad and sends his best" he said. "So what are you doing now?"

"I'm giving mom some time with dad so I guess I'll take a walk or sit in the waiting room and watch tv."

"Why don't you let me take you away for an hour or so and get something to eat? Clear your head for awhile."

"Since mom is here, I would love that." Sidney smiled as he held out his hand and Karen took it as he lead her out of ICU and out to lunch.

About 10 minutes later, they were sitting at the Olive Garden in the back room for privacy that Sidney requested waiting on their lunch order.

"How long has your mom been here?"

"She got to the hospital maybe a few minutes before you and if I know her she'll be staying with him tonight."

"Do I dare ask where you going to stay?" he said taking her hand.

"If I told you that I dropped off my things at home before coming to the hospital give you any clues."

"It gives me a hopeful one."

"I am truly sorry Sid, for everything. I never intended for you to get hurt. I thought I could end it after we got together but it didn't work out that way."

"Why don't we just say what's done is done and leave it at that. I've forgiven you and we both know it won't happen again, let's just start fresh."

Karen looked down before looking back up and into Sidney's eyes "I want to believe that but don't know if I can."

"What if I told you, something will let us know that everything will be fine. Will you believe me then?"

"You mean like a sign or something?"

"Maybe. Right now you're going to feel like I'm going to go out and cheat to make us even and I still feel that maybe this thing with Jordan is stronger than you and something may happen again there. Something will tell us it's going to be alright we just need to wait and see what it is."

"I hope you're right."

"I'm always right, you should know that by now" he said getting a laugh out of both of them. Karen knew he was right but wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of telling him. Soon, their food came and continued to talk during lunch.