Chapter 19

“Would you like to watch it again?” Erik Heasley, one of the media and communications staff asked, using that ‘you’re about to get sent to your room young man’ voice that made Sidney shift uncomfortably in the high backed leather chair across the boardroom table from where Shero and Mario sat, staring at him with frank disbelief.

“I don’t need to see it. I was there,” Sidney replied quietly but firmly, turning to face Mario across the table, meeting the older man’s icy and disappointed gaze.

“I’d expect something like this from Jordan or Max but you...,” Mario shook his head and turned his attention back to the monitor where the distorted video was paused at the point where Mya had climbed from the stage onto his lap. Sidney’s pulse sped, just a little, as his gaze roamed over her curvaceous backside and up the long straight line of her spine. He hadn’t been happy to be there but there was no denying how amazing she looked.

“I’m a guy. Aa young guy. It’s a strip club. No one’s doing anything illegal. I’m not even drinking,” Sidney pointed out softly, tearing his attention away from the video and back to the two older men sitting opposite him in their power suits. Sure he’d had a couple but there was no evidence of that in the video and it seemed to ease at least Mr. Shero who nodded and smiled back at him.

“And maybe if it had been Max or Jordy, this wouldn’t have made TMZ or any of the other internet sites legal has had to contact today,” Mario added impatiently, his blue eyes clearly showing the disappointment he was feeling towards his young protégé. Suddenly the edge of the table became very interesting to Sidney as he began to pick at a worn spot in the wood. “You know better. You know that you’re held to a higher standard,” Mario continued, running the video back and starting it again. This time, when Sidney managed to look up at it, he tried not to just focus on Mya, on those boots that he’d made her bring home, but on the way other people would see it but still....

“I’m just sitting there. I think it’s pretty obvious that it wasn’t my idea,” Sidney pointed out, still trying to steer the topic well away from who was in the video. He’d known as soon as Mario had called him out of practice and up to his office that he’d have to tell him, eventually. He just really didn’t want to get into it in front of half the communications staff.

“That isn’t the point Sid and I think you know that,” Mario sighed, shutting the video off at long last, for which Sidney was grateful. Seeing Mya like that made it really difficult to concentrate.

“It’s the image that we and your parents and the league have been very careful to cultivate and protect,” Erik said, taking a seat at the head of the table, tapping his pen against a copy of the letter that was sitting in front of Sidney, awaiting his signature. The one he was refusing to sign. “Your image is squeaky clean, and for the sake of your sponsors and the franchise, we’d like to keep it that way. This is one little bump, and believe me, it’s not entirely unexpected. As you say, you’re a young man and while I think we all recognize that generally speaking you definitely make our lives easy around here, we also all knew that this type of thing would come up eventually.”

“And it’s not just your sponsors. It’s those kids that look up to you, that idolize you. Don’t you think you owe their mothers an explanation? After all, they’re the ones that are going to decide if their little Johnny is going to wear your jersey or not,” Mario added bluntly, staring daggers at Sidney who was now back to squirming in his chair.

They were both making valid points, fair points, points that he couldn’t argue with. That didn’t mean that he didn’t want to argue with them, or that he agreed, and it certainly didn’t mean he was going to sign the letter they’d drafted for him to sign.

“There must be some other way you can say this that doesn’t make it sound quite so...condescending,” Sidney replied, pushing the letter away once more and looking over at Erik optimistically.

“Are you planning on going back there sometime soon or something?” Mario snapped, pushing his chair back so that he could go back to pacing, which is what he’d been doing when Sidney had finished his shower and arrived in his office. Generally speaking it wasn’t always a bad thing when he was called to Mario’s office. Often it was only to meet with some sponsor or a charity. It wasn’t that Mario had never brought him into his office to have a heart to heart but there had never been anything like this, at least not since he’d used Brett McLean’s face for a speed bag or that unfortunate incident with Valabik. Maybe the fact that he rarely had to face an unhappy Mario was what made this even more difficult.

“I’m just not happy saying that,” Sidney reiterated as he turned the letter towards Erik and pushed the paper further away from him. “That’s a job to those women. I’m not going to criticize them that way.” The letter said that he didn’t condone either the men who went to those types of establishments or the women that work in them. As soon as he’d read it, he could hear the argument he’d end up having with Mya, if she didn’t just refuse to ever speak with him again instead. Not that he’d blame her, which is why he wasn’t going to sign the letter the way it was written. “And who else is signing this, because I wasn’t the only one there.”

“You’re the only one we’re worried about here,” Shero said, finally speaking up. Sidney turned his attention to the GM and was relieved to see that he, at least, didn’t look like he was enjoying castigating that Sidney was taking. “I think Max can live without his car commercial...if they even care. I know you might not think this is fair, but I think you have to agree that it’s necessary.”

Sid didn’t, in fact, agree that it was necessary. He was actually willing to bet that just about every other professional male athlete had probably been to the rippers more than once without having to give a formal apology. In fact, the entire Steelers team had celebrated their Super Bowl win at Blush and he’d been invited. Plenty of his teammates had been there. He’d heard all about it and no one had said anything then. Of course he hadn’t seen any video of that particular celebration, although he’d heard it had gotten pretty out of hand.

Damn camera phones.

“I’m just not comfortable with that wording,” Sidney repeated, turning his attention back to Erik. “There has to be some other way to say this. I mean, can’t we just leave the part out about the dancers? Can’t I just say that I didn’t use very good judgement in my choice of establishments and that I’m sorry if I offended anyone?”
“If we thought we could get away with that, we would have just put that,” Mario grumbled, leaning over the table to turn the letter around and push it towards Sidney. “Just sign it.”

Sidney stared down at the document, the stark black and white letters swimming before his eyes. His chest felt tight. He felt hot. He could feel sweat trickling down the back of his neck. He hated to disappoint anyone, least of all Mario. The only way this could be worse was if Troy, his father, were here. Of course it was only a matter of time before Troy did get involved, Sidney knew, especially if he continued to refuse to sign the letter. It was probably only because Mario hadn’t expected such resistance that his father wasn’t standing across the table from him now with a face like thunder.

He felt his heart beating rapidly in his chest, like the fluttering wings of a frightened bird. He felt cornered and he hated it. It wasn’t fair. He hadn’t done anything wrong and he hadn’t even wanted to be there and most of all, he didn’t want to upset Mya.

“Sign it Sidney,” Mario growled, holding a pen out towards him like a knife, his blue eyes flashing like bolts of lightning.

Maybe he could call Mya and explain before the media got a hold of it.

“The reporters are getting restless,” a voice piped up behind him and Sidney turned, wide eyed to see the apologetic but still perky face of Jennifer, the media relations officer.

“Reporters?” he squeaked, his throat closing, his mouth going dry.

“You didn’t think it would just take a little letter did you?” Mario sighed, slumping into a chair and dropping his head into his hands, rubbing at his temples as he stared across the table. “Now sign it and go out there and read it and hope that they don’t ask too many questions.”

___________________________________________________________________

“Go where?” Mya turned to go back into her apartment, followed by the still very, very pregnant wife of Sidney’s teammate.

“Shopping. These two are going to shoot out of me any minute now and I still have things I need,” Tish said, making her way to the couch and lowering herself gently onto it. “I know, I know. You’d think, with Jordan’s cash this wouldn’t be hard. Get on the internet, order some shit, but there are still things you have to go get. I mean, for instance, bottles you can get but bottle liners? No, you can’t just order those, or at least nowhere I’ve found. And then I can’t decide between cloth and pampers. I mean, pampers if I’m changing them obviously,” Tish moaned, holding up her perfect French tips by way of explanation, “but I just know that Linda’s going to get here and she’s going to look down her nose at me for using them.”

Mya couldn’t help but smile at the thought of the down to earth defenseman’s parents being anything but completely sweet and helpful. If anyone was going to create a scene, it would likely be the obviously opinionated Tish, but she kept that thought to herself.

“Are you going to be okay to shop?” she called as she went into her small bedroom and tugged off her sweat pants.

“I’m comfortable sitting right now,” Tish called back, “but I won’t be for long. I can’t seem to get comfortable anymore, so I might as well spend money.” Mya grinned and shook her head. Tish obviously wasn’t one to mince words.

“You could just give me a list. I could go for you,” she offered, pulling on a pair of well worn jeans before diving into her closet to look for something half assed fashionable to wear on top. Tish might be eight and a half months pregnant but she looked like she could be walking on a catwalk in Paris, right down to her cute little kitten heels, which Mya was sure she probably wasn’t happy about. Of the few times she’d met Tish, she couldn’t remember ever seeing her in any heel below three inches.

“What fun would that be?” Tish called back. “Besides, once these skwaking pooping machines arrive, I probably won’t be allowed out of the house for a while. This might be my last chance to do anything fun.” That was a thought Mya couldn’t agree with. The pitter patter of little feet was something she looked forward to, even if it wasn’t something she was planning on now. She didn’t know too much about Jordan, but what she’d seen of him, she thought he’d be a great dad. Sidney would be, she thought to herself with a secretive sort of smile. Not that she should be thinking anything like that, she told herself. Although it was hard not too, and, she supposed, that was all part of the raw newness of the relationship, if that’s even what it was.

Deciding that she just couldn’t keep up with the fashionista in her living room, Mya settled on a black t-shirt she’d gotten at a Rasmus concert and headed out to the living room, dragging her leather jacket behind her. She tried to ignore Tish’s raised eyebrow and thankfully the mother-to-be kept her thoughts on Mya’s fashion sense to herself.

“Ready to go, mom?” Mya asked, taking Tish’s keys from her as she held her other hand out to pull the heavily pregnant woman to her feet.

“I’m always ready to spend my hubby’s money.”

_________________________________________________________________________

“I’m sorry buddy,” Max apologized, sliding his arm around Sidney’s shoulders as they slunk out of the arena. Sidney shrugged his friend’s arm off his shoulder but didn’t tell him to stick his apology where the sun doesn’t shine, although he did think about doing just that.

“We’re all sorry,” Jordan added, appearing from nowhere, along with Dupuis, Flower, and a few of the other guys who had been there the night before.

“Yeah, I wish I knew who’d taken that video. I’d have fucking fed him his phone, anally,” Talbot added, with a grin. Sidney wished he could make light of what had happened, but he was still reeling from Mario’s disappointment and having to make a public apology. It was embarrassing, humiliating and completely unfair. All of the men that were now standing around him had been there, had been whooping it up and having a good old time. He hadn’t even wanted to be there. He’d begged them not to go and somehow he was the only one that had ended up paying for their boy’s night out.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s over now,” Sid said quietly, shrugging as he looked up at Jordan, wondering if any of them could even come close to understanding what he’d just been through. Yes, he understood that people expected more from him, but it seemed unreasonable that he should be singled out when he was really the least guilty of them all. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow morning,” he added, digging his keys out of his pocket and moving towards the car park, wanting very much to just be alone.

“We all are really sorry,” Fleur whispered, falling into step beside Sidney as the guys started to disperse. Sidney just shrugged again. What more could he say. Maybe they were sorry, but he hadn’t seen any of them stepping up to the microphones to back him up in front of the cameras. “If it makes you feel better, Vero was vraiment pissé au loin. She hates when I go there.”

“So why do you?” Sidney asked, turning to his friend who took a step back and held his hands up defensively. “Why do you go there? You have a beautiful girlfriend, why do you go there to look at other women? I don’t get it. Explain it to me. Because, if you recall, I didn’t even want to be there and I sure as hell didn’t want to see Mya do that. I don’t want her doing that...in front of anyone, never mind you guys. So tell me, ‘cuz I’m fucking curious. Why?” Flower stood there staring at him, open mouthed and obviously shocked to have Sid go off on him like this. Of course Flower was almost never the aim of Sidney’s vehemence, but that didn’t mean the pale, outwardly frail youth was going to turn tail and run either.

“Vraiment, je ne sais pas. It’s just some beers with the guys, you know?” Fleur replied, raising his eyebrows hopefully towards his friend. “It’s not really about les filles. C’est une vue gentile, mais oui, but...it’s not about them...for me anyway.”

Sidney nodded. It was all he could do. Fleur was probably telling the truth. Even as beautiful as Vero was, it wasn’t about that for Fleur. She made him feel comfortable, like he had a part of home with him as long as he had her around. Not that he doubted that the goaltender loved his girlfriend, but he just didn’t see her as an object. Not even after the boob job and the nose job....

Marc-Andre patted his shoulder and turned to head towards his own car. Sidney stood in the middle of the parking lot and pulled out his cell. There was still no reply to either the text or the voice mail he’d left for Mya. The last thing he needed was for her to see the press conference with out his being able to explain what was going on and how he hadn’t wanted to say those things and he could only hope that the last minute change he’d made in front of the cameras would at least go some way to making his words sting a little less. The only thing he could do now was head to her apartment and hope she was still too busy trying to put together her article from the interview she was supposed to have after the Steeler’s game this evening.
They were supposed to go together anyway. He didn’t think she’d mind if he showed up early. Maybe they could swing by his place on the way so he could change. He didn’t even care if he went like he was now, as long as he talked to her first.

Stuffing his cell back in the pocket of his coat he climbed into the Land Rover and prayed that she didn’t listen to Sports Radio as part of her prep work.

____________________________________________________________

“Do they have baby stuff in the electronics department?” Mya asked as she pushed the overfull buggy behind Tish as she headed through the furniture section, past the washers, dryers and fridges and into sea of plasma and LCD screens.

“If I am going to be stuck at home for the foreseeable future, we need a new TV,” Tish stated, matter-of-factly as she paused by a particularly large projection model that had a price card on it that made Mya’s eyes go round. As far as she was concerned the price on that TV was a very sizeable down payment on a really nice house.

“I can’t believe Jordan wouldn’t have a huge TV,” Mya suggested, but Tish only waved her hand at her as if to say ‘what do you know’.

“In the games room for playing games on, yeah. In the living room? It’s only a forty-two,” Tish replied as if that were too small for anyone. Mya thought about her nineteen inch back home and rolled her eyes. It really was too small to watch football or hockey on. It made all the players look like ants, but she was hardly home to watch most of the games. Half of the time she was at Blush, and they had huge plasma screens.... “Hey, there’s Sidney,” she grinned, abandoning the cart in the aisle and moving closer to the screen to gaze on her boyfriend’s face.

He was clean shaven, but with one of those horrible grey knit caps of his pulled down to his eyebrows, covering the thick dark hair she loved to dig her fingers into when they kissed. He was wearing jeans and a dark sweatshirt, and he wasn’t looking very happy at all.

“I wonder if he got injured in practice or something,” Tish speculated out loud as she joined Mya in front of the big screen, glancing around for something that would turn the audio up. Mya dug into her jacket pocket for her phone and glanced down at it. He had phoned her earlier but they’d been at a cash register and she’d had her hands full and hadn’t been able to answer it. Her phone was flashing, telling her she had voice mail and several text messages.

Glacing back up at the screen, Mya saw a fuzzy image of Sidney looking up at something, looking very unhappy while Jordan and Max held him down. Her breath caught in her throat and unconsciously she reached out and felt Tish’s hand grip hers’. The camera panned and Mya found herself watching her own image flash up on the screen, suggestively sucking on the fake pistol, her other arm only just covering some of her breasts.

“Oh shit,” Mya hissed, glancing around to see all of the screens full of the same image, and other shoppers stopping to stare, as if it was O.J. in the white bronco. “Oh shit,” she repeated, squeezing Tish’s hand.

“I don’t condone the sort of behaviour I took part in,” Sidney was saying as his image reappeared on the screen and the sales clerk appeared near them with a remote in his hand, realizing that he had an audience and probably hoping for a sale from it. “I don’t condone my actions, and I am not a regular patron of this type of establishment. I do not condone those that do support this type of establishment and I definitely cannot condone the objectification of the women who work in them. It isn’t a profession I can respect.”

“He said fucking what?” Mya hissed, staring at the screen with her mouth hanging open, her eyes wide and her heart beating wildly in her chest. “He said...he so did not just say....” She turned to Tish and searched her gaze. “Is this why you brought me out? He didn’t want me to see this so you brought me out?” Tish was still staring at the screens around them, upon which that nebulously blurred video clip was playing again. Mya pulled on Tish’s arm, forcing her to face Mya as she stared at her. “Did you? Well did you?” Tish slowly shook her head, her own eyes wide as she stared back at Mya.

“I think my water just broke.”