Part 3

Thanks to the girls that are following this! You know who you are! :)


The next day before getting on the plane.....

-HPOV-
I hated the sound of the alarm clock at 5:30 in the morning! I yawned and realized that someone was holding me. I smiled as he reached to turn th alarm off.
"Morning..." He said smiling sleepily.
"Morning!" I replied more chipper than usual.
"You know, people are gonna be talking today." He said getting out of the bed.
"I know. Starting with Kelsey...." I laughed. I had to risk going to what should have been my room.
"Haha! Good luck! You'll smell like sex for months now!.....Oh wait! TK dropped your clothes off here yesterday. You are good!" He pointed to the corner.
"That would be mine! Thank you TK!" I said with fake enthusiasium.
"You know you love him!" He replied pulling his jeans and shirt on.
I finally drug myself out of the bed and went to my bag. I figured we were going to be on a plane home today so I could just relax. I pulled on a pair of tattered jeans and my favorite Aeropostale shirt I got in Pittsburgh. I had a smile on my face that I couldn't wipe off today. I hoped he didn't notce it........

-KPOV-
She was smiling likea little kid getting the toy they had begged for all year long. I smiled to myself as I held the hotel door for her.
"You sure you don't want me to carry my own bag?" She asked.
"Now, Heather! I carry around a 100 pound hockey bag every day and you are asking me about this stupid 20 pound bag?!" I acted hurt.
"I'm sorry..." She said.
"I was joking! Remember, you are with me now, not him. You can joke you know!" I replied giving her a hug. "And don't say you are sorry all the time. You have nothing to be sorry for."
As we loaded the bus she got pulled away by all her girlfriends. She looked back to me pleading. I smiled before I got bombarded by the guys.
""Hey Tanger Banger!" Talbot said coming up behind me. "What happened last night? You finally get laid!?"
"Nothing happened." I replied taking my carry-on with me.
"Come on! You know you hit that!" Dups said egging me on.
"We slept in seperate beds. I'm a gentleman." I replied. I hated when they did this.
Everyone on the team gave e hell for not sleeping around and being what Sid called a manwhore.
"I will find out you know that right?!" Dups said.
"Come on guys!" The new coach yelled.

-HPOV-
"Come on guys! Bus is leaving!" I heard the new coach yell. "You girls can finish your chitchat on the bus!" He pointed to Kris and the other guys around him. Us girls died laughing. Kris stopped me outsde the bus.
"What did you tell them?" He questioned.
"I told them we were friends and nothing happened. Mischa doesn't believe me. Rachel said Staalsy told her he heard us on the way to their room. Sarah said she doesn't care." I replied looking into his gorgeous hazel eyes. " And you?"
"Same thing pretty much. Dups and Superstar don't believe me though." He said, looking around us.
"Hey Heather! Hey Kris!" Sykora said walking by. Kris gave him a look to see if he had heard anything.
"Hey Pittbull!" I replied, elbowing Tanger when Syykie turned around.
"What?!" He asked.
"You look guilty! Play cool damnit!" I said. I was getting pissed.
"Look, there's Sid. I gotta go talk to him about something. Talk to you at the airport?" He said looking away.
"Sure. I'm just gonna work on some music." I replied pulling out my lyric filled leather bound book Sarah had gotten me for my birthday the year before.

-On the plane....still HPOV-

"Hey Heather! What's up?" Matt Cooke asked sitting next to me.
"Hey Cookie Monster!" I said looking up from my writing. " Just working on some music for when I get back. I still got a lot to do at the studio."
"That's awsome! I can not wait to hear your songs. The wife said she wants to come on tour with you haha! I told her no way in hell! She's my MILF!" He replied laughing.
He and his wife were some of my closest friends in Pitt. "Have you decided where you are going to live now? I know your daughter is coming home soon."
"No, I haven't. I was going to look online when we got back at some places. I guess I don't have a home to go to now." I was getting really down then.
"What about TK? You two are really close." He said pulling me into a hug.
"Idk Cookie. That place is already pretty full. I mean, I have my daughter. Idk if I want her to be around partying and all when I do get to spend time with her. Him and Staalsy party way too hard."
'Well, don't get down. You can stay with us if you need to until you find a place." He smiled.
He always knew just what to say to light up the dark.
"Thanks! Btw! I wanted to ask you a personal favor but you can't tell anyone."
"Sure hon, what is it?"
"I want you to be the love interest in my music video for Slow Good-bye. You don't have to if you don't want to, but I wanted to do it as a thank you. You supported my music when not a lot of people did."
"I'd be honored! Tell me when to be there and I will do my best!" He said smiling and getting up. "Now if you excuse me.....Crosby has challenged me to a SoCom war on PSP!"
"Alright! Kick his ass! Show him up! Get some bragging rights!" I replied.
The rest of the plane ride to Pitt was uneventful for the most part. Flower and Godard started a small food fight though that pretty much trashed the plane. By the time we got off of it, I think the crew was more happier to be on solid ground than we were.

Over the next few weeks, I stayed with Cooke and his wife. In return I babysat when I wasn't at the studio. Tanger and I snuck around seeing each other at this time as well. We were taking it slow, figuring out if it was something we really wanted or not before we told everyone else. Nobody but TK knew what was going on. I went to as many games as I could to cheer them all on. I was finally coming to terms with these emotions overtaking me. It was almost Valentine's Day when I got word from my record label that I could start my music video. I gave Cooke the dates and where to be. I couldn't believe how lucky I was right now.
-On the set of the music video-
"Okay Heather! I am here to love you!" Cooke said laughing. His two kids were playing with my daughter in my tralier.
"Okay, here is the teatement for the music video. Basically we are lovers who keep fighting. Diferent aspects of it. A lot of flashbacks and such. Then at one point, I throw my cellphone at the mirror and shatter it." I said, holding a piece of my signature teal and pink paper.
"K. Sounds good!"
"Okay Heather, you ready?" The director asked, while setting up a camera.
"Yep! Here we go Cookie!" I skipped to my spot and waited for my cue.
I poured my heart into the song. It was about myself and Geno. About the times we said good-bye and came back. It basically played out our entire relationship for the world to see. When it came to the bridge, I froze.
"What's wrong?" Cooke asked when the camera stopped.
"I can't get the emotion I want." I said, shocked. I wanted to be pissed at Geno for everything. Every lie, every game he played on me.
"Okay, think back to the worst time of you and him. Now look at me and sing it like I was him. Get mad at me." Cooke said trying to help me.
"Okay roll!" I yelled.
I went back in my mind to the night at the bar. The more I thought about it, the more pissed I got. I sang with every emotion in me. When it came to throwing the cell, I did not realizing I threw it a little too hard. Glass went into my wrists.
"FUCK!" I yelled as the burning pain traveled up my arm.
"Grab a towl!" Was the last thing I remembered until I woke up at the ER.

-KPOV-
My cellphone was going off like crazy. I figured it was my mom again, checking up on me. Then Staal came running up to me.
"TANGER! Heather was hurt! We gotta get to the hospital!" He was running, throwing shoes on and grabbing truck keys.
I stood there in shock.
'Are you coming!?" He yelled. I snapped out of it, throwing my wireless controller to the floor. I don't remember the ride to the hospital. When we finally got there, TK met us outside. He had a Newport in his one hand and a lighter in the other.
"What happened?!" Staalsy asked nervously.
"All I know, " TK replied lighting the cigerette and inhaling once, "is that she got cut somehow on the video set. Cooke is covered in blood and freaking out. She's in some kind of surgery." He exhaled.
"Where's her daughter?!" I asked, knowing AJ was there today.
"Natalie Malkin has her. She's fine. She doesn't even know anything happened really." TK replied.
"What's up with you two? You are really protective of her lately." Staalsy asked starting to calm down after taking a few hits from TK's Newport.
"This isn't the time. I'm going inside." I replied pissed and scared. This was the hospital I had to say good-bye to Jenny in. I hated everything about it.
"COOKE!" I yelled as I walked in.
"Tanger, she's asking for you. She just woke up."He replied walking up to me. I saw the blood all over his shirt.
"What happened?" I had to know before I walked in on it
"She was supposed to throw this cell at a mirror that wasn't supposed to actual glass but it was and it shattered all over her arms. Her one wrist was really bad and they had to go in and make some repairs. She's going to be okay though." Cooke said, looking me in the eyes to see if I was okay. "I know you hate this hospital bro. I'm sorry you had to come back for something like this. I know you two are really clsoe friends. I'll leave you alone now to go be with her."
"Thanks Cooke." I said shaking his hand.
I walked in to her room and saw her laying there.
-Flashback-
"Tanger. Jenny was in an accident. I don't know how bad it is, but it doesn't look good. You need to get to UPMC as soon as possible." Mario said pulling me into the locker room after a winning game.
"What?! I don't know how to get there. I...I..." I freaked out.
"Come on man, I'll take you. I know exactly where it is." Matt Cooke said overhearing our conversation.
"Thanks!"
-End flashback-
She looked so pale laying there. She opened her eyes and smiled at me.
"Hey...." She sounded so weak.
"Shh....don't talk! Save your energy. Just rest. I'm here." I said leaning down and kissing her forehead.
"Tanger, I'm gonna be fine. I just can't move my wrists for two weeks." She said looking so serious.
"Just rest. You are coming back to my place. I'll take care of AJ so don't worry about her."
I brushed some of her stray hairs out of her face.
"Tanger, I need to tell you something. I've held it in long enough."
"What?" I was afraid.
"I....Kris...I..." She was inturupted by the nurse.
"How are you feeling hon?" The nurse asked her, checking all the normal stuff.
"Fine. My arms are numb but I know why. When can I get out of here?" She hated these places as much as I did.
"The surgeon wants to talk to you in about an hour and see how you feel then. If you are comfortable enough, he might let you go home. Until then sir," She looked at me, "you need to step out and let her rest."
"Okay, sure thing."I replied. "I'll be back to get you in a little bit." I said kissing her head.
"But Kris, I wanna tell you..."
"Tell me later." By then the pain medicine the nurse gave her had started to kick in and her eyes got heavy.
I think she was asleep by the time I walked out of the room.