Chapter 41

Sidney came home after practice and Karen was at home sitting on the couch watching TV. He dropped his keys on the table by the door and went to go sit with her.

"You know that hook thing hanging on the wall that ironically says 'keys'? It's a place to put your keys when you come in."

"I keep forgetting its there. I've always just put them on the table."

"And you've always found them on the floor because they end up getting knocked off."

"I know. I'll move them later" he said slinking into the cushions.

"Aww poor baby, did we have a tough practice today?"

"I swear, you'd think Coach Dan would take it a little easy on me since I did find him a place to live."

Karen just started laughing "are you serious? He might be grateful and thankful but that doesn't mean you'll get to slack off."

"It wasn't that."

"Then what?"

"He told Flower to take it easy on everyone else and when it was my turn in the shoot out he got me and I ended up losing."

"And the penalty for losing was..."

"Juice boy" he said whining. Karen couldn't hold her laughter in and let it out. "You think this is funny? Had to serve Gatorade to everyone and they didn't hold back on the ribbing." He saw her still laughing "will you stop, it's not funny."

"I'm sorry, really" she said kissing his cheek "is there other 'boy' positions?"

"Yeah but I think the coaches make them up as we go along. The one everyone hopes to not lose is mustache boy at the first practice of the month."

"Um, what?"

"If you're the last one to lose the shootout at the beginning of the month, you have to grow a mustache and keep it for the whole month."

"By the time yours would come in, the month would be over."

Sidney shot her a look then laughed "true."

"Maybe you just need to practice your shootout shots more often and trick Flower so you don't lose."

"Gee, why didn't I think about that."

"Shut it smartass."

"Hey, I have a question" he said picking up her hand and holding it "did Natalie say anything at work today about Max being in a mood?"

"Not really but she was acting strangely. She would talk to me and act like she wanted to tell me something but then backed off saying never mind or we'll talk later. What was Max like?"

"Like he was angry at me."

"Why was he angry?"

"Don't know, he wouldn't talk to me."

"Sorry stud, but I can't help you out since I don't know." Just then the doorbell rang and they looked at each other "your turn."

"I got it last time."

"If I remember correctly, we both got it together last time, so it's your turn."

"We need to come up with a better system" he said groaning as he got up to answer the door. When he did, Max and Natalie were arguing on the other side only stopping when they saw Sidney standing there "hey guys."

"Hey Sid, is Karen home?" Natalie asked.

"Yeah, come on in." They both came in and headed to the living room.

"Hey Nat, Max. What brings you guys here?"

"We, well I need to talk to you guys about something important" Natalie started.

"I still don't think you should do this Nattie" Max said interrupting her.

"Max, she's my friend and I want to help her."

Karen and Sidney just looked at each other "what's going on?" she asked.

"I want to help."

"Help with what?" Karen asked but saw Max throw his hands in the air and leave the room. She looked at Sidney and he just nodded and ran after him. "Nat, is something wrong?"

She sat down and was almost crying "he doesn't want me to do this."

"Do what? Nat, I'm sorry but I'm not fully understanding you."

Meanwhile, outside...

"Max, you know you can talk to me about anything. What's going on?"

"I know we're all friends but I don't know if I really agree to this."

"You're not making sense Max."

Max took a deep breath "Nat decided to be the surrogate to carry yours and Karen's baby."

"She what?"

"Ever since we had dinner a month ago, it was all she talked about helping her friend."

"And you don't like the fact your wife wants to carry another man's baby?"

"I'm sorry Sid. You know I would do anything and everything for you, but I don't know about this."

Sidney just saw the fear and concern in his friend's eyes "Max, I love Karen to death but I'm leaving this decision to her. They're friends, she might say yes to this."

"I want you guys to have a family Sid, I do but I don't know about you using Nat."

"Why don't we head inside and all talk about this ok?" Max just nodded his head and they went back in the house to talk to the girls.

Sidney saw Karen sitting on the couch confused and went over to sit with her. He just smiled and kissed her temple.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on" Karen said to everyone.

"Karen, we're friends and we've been friends for a long time now. We would do anything for each other."

"I know Nat, we're practically sisters."

"And I want to help my sister" she said looking to Max before looking back to Karen "I want to carry yours and Sid's baby. Let me be the surrogate."

Karen sat there in shock before the tears filled her eyes. She looked between the three of them and Sidney just smiled rubbing her back "I'm sorry Nat, I can't let you do that." She got up and left the room heading to the kitchen. Sidney got up and followed her with Natalie and Max behind him.

"Baby, this is a good thing. What do you mean you can't let her?"

"Karen, it solves all your problems of finding someone who you trust and won't ruin Sid's career."

"Why are you against this Max?" Karen asked in front of everyone.

"I love you Karen and value your friendship so much but I can't watch her go through this when it’s not my child."

"Max, it's not your choice?" Natalie sniped back at him.

"See this is just one reason I can't let you do this. I don't want to be the reason why you guys are fighting."

"Baby" Sid said walking over to her "what's really going on?"

"Nat, this is such a huge decision. Your body and mindset are going to change drastically. You have to really, really be sure you want to do this."

"Karen I am really, really sure" she said walking over to her "let me help you have that baby you always wanted."

"Can Sid and I talk about this and I'll call you later?"

"Absolutely" Natalie said hugging her friend "I want to do this, let me" she whispered. They let go of each other and Sidney walked them to the door. Karen stayed in the kitchen staring off into space.

Sidney came back and saw her standing there "at least its perfect timing."

"Yeah it is. I totally didn't see this coming Sid. She asked me how much longer I would be taking the pills and I told her I had about a week left not really meaning anything about it. I love that she wants to do this but I don't know."

"Look at it this way she's your best friend. We trust her and she's married to Max, she knows about keeping this entire private between the four of us. Who else would be perfect to carry our baby?"

"Out of all my friends no one. Sheril smokes and Diane is a lot older than us. Nat seems like the perfect match."

"Karen, what's wrong?"

"Everything will change for her Sid. Her body will change and her hormones will be off the charts. Her life will get turned completely upside down. Plus, a lot of people know she's married to Max. There's going to be talk that the baby will be theirs. What happens after she gives birth and oops, there's no baby for them to take care of."

"Maybe if all four of us can agree on this, we can go to the media and tell our story so everyone is clued in."

"Yeah good, tell all of Pittsburgh and the world that Sidney Crosby's wife can't give him his own child" she said before storming off.

"Not what I meant Karen and you know it" he said following her.

"I know" she said stopping by the stairs "I'm sorry Sid."

"Baby" he wrapped his arms around her "I love you and if you don't want Nat to do this, I'll call her right now to tell her. If we don't find someone else, then we have another option. I've said it all along, this is your decision."

"But I need it to be your decision too."

Sidney looked deep into her eyes "then I think we should let her help us."

Karen let a few tears fall "I think we should too."

A couple weeks later, Sidney and Karen met up with Max and Natalie at the hospital. Karen had an appointment a day ago and her doctor told her she was good to go with her eggs. She just needed to run a few tests on Natalie and they should be able to implant the embryos before leaving that day.

After the doctor examined Natalie, she went to put a rush on the tests as the four of them sat around the room to talk. Max was still a little weary on the idea but after talking to Sidney some more, he knew he would be fine helping out his friend.

"If you guys would excuse me, I am going to run to the bathroom before Dr. Johnson gets back with the results."

"Why not use the one in here?"

"I can imagine what goes on in a bathroom here and I think I'll use the public one down the hall." Karen left and headed to the bathroom. A couple minutes later, she was coming out of the bathroom when she saw Dr. Johnson at the nurse’s desk. "Did you get the results back for Nat?" she asked coming up beside her.

"Yeah I did."

"And, good news I hope" Karen said with a smile that soon faded when she saw the look the doctor gave her. She told her what the results said and Karen couldn't stop her breathing that had become erratic.

"Are you ok? Maybe you need to sit for a minute."

"No" she said calming down "I'm ok but are you sure?"

"I'm sorry Karen. Do you want to tell them?"

Karen shook her head no "I don't think I can" she whispered.

"Ok. Are you coming in?" Karen just shook her head no again and watched Dr. Johnson head into the room to tell her friends and husband the news. She thought about their reactions and saw a door leading outside. She took a walk to get some air and hoped for the best.

"Dr. Johnson" Natalie said as she walked in "well? Am I ok to do this for Karen?"

"I'm sorry Natalie but we won't be doing the procedure today."

"Is there some problem?" Sidney asked "Where's Karen?"

"She didn't want to come in."

"Oh no, what's wrong?" Max asked holding Natalie's hand.

"Nothing's wrong Max, but Natalie....you're already pregnant with your own child."

"I'm WHAT?" she asked astonished.

"You're 3 weeks pregnant so you won't be able to be the surrogate for Sidney and Karen."

"Does Karen know?"

"Yeah, I just told her outside."

"I need to find her" Sidney said leaving the room.

"Sid wait" Max said going after him "I'm sorry man, we didn't plan for this to happen."

"I know Max and Karen will understand too. Let me go find her and see what's going on." Max let Sidney find Karen before walking back into the room. He saw Natalie sitting there with tears streaming down her face.

"Nat, it's going to be alright."

"She is going to hate me Max."

"No she's not beautiful. Karen will know we didn't plan this to happen and will be fine after it sinks in. They can still find someone else baby." Natalie just leaned into Max's chest and hoped he was right.

Meanwhile, Sidney had found Karen outside the floor on the overlook. He walked over to her and stood behind her putting his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them lightly.

"Karen...."

"Don't Sid, please. I can't hear any words of encouragement right now of how this will still happen for us, or we can still adopt now and have our own later. I can't hear any of that right now."

"Then what can I do?" he whispered. Karen turned around and Sidney saw the sadness. He let her wrap her arms around his waist burying her face into his shoulder, letting her cry out what she felt inside. He wrapped his arms around her and held tightly not letting her go. "They didn't do this intentionally baby."

"I know" she said between sniffs "not like I told Nat to put Max on a 'no sex clause' until after the procedure."

Sidney smiled remembering their 'no sex clause' during the playoffs "I don't think Max has the same strength as I do to adhere to that." Karen lifted her head and smiled at him "this is another reason why you didn't want to use your best friend for this."

"How can I face her when I'm not going to want to hear her apologize every time she sees me? I know this wasn't intentional but it still hurts having a dream almost become a reality then have it pulled out from under you."

"Baby, she'll understand if you just talk to her."

"I don't think I can right now."

"Ok, how about I go tell her and Max that I'm taking you home and you'll call her later." Karen just nodded and hoped Natalie understood to give her a little space for a day at least. Sidney kissed her head and left her on the overlook. She turned around and looked back at the scenery of the skyline and prayed that everything would work out. Sidney found Max and Natalie coming out of the room and he told them what Karen wanted.

"No, not going to happen" Natalie said going towards the door until Max stopped her.

"Baby, let her have a while alone. She'll call you when she ready to talk."

"I believe she's ready to talk to me now." Sidney and Max just looked at each other when Natalie walked outside. They decided to leave them alone for a few minutes and went for a walk. "What the hell do you mean you don't want to talk to me?"

"Nat, please."

"I know you're hurting and I know you feel like I did this on purpose."

"I know you didn't do it intentionally."

"Then talk to me. Tell me this won't change our friendship."

Karen turned around and saw the look on her face "it won't Nat but how am I supposed to be happy for you right at this moment when we both were supposed to be happy."

"I know this is why you didn't want to use me to help you but I struggled with the consequences and still wanted to help you. Maybe after my baby is born, then we can try again for you."

"I don't know Nat, maybe the reality of this dream was for me to never have a child of my own" she said turning back around to face the skyline.

"This will still happen for you when you want it. Don't be mad at me Kiki, I'm going to need you as I go through this."

"I'm still going to be here Nattie, but please, at least give me a little time to process this."

"How much time?"

Karen shrugged her shoulders "maybe a week or two."

"I can live with that, but after three weeks and you don't talk to me, I will tie you down and make you talk to me then."

"Fair enough" she said hugging her "congratulations Nat."

"Thanks Karen." She watched Natalie leave her alone and saw Sidney standing at the door. Karen wiped her eyes and walked over to him. He opened his arms and she fell into them for a minute before they walked inside.

“I’m going to need to talk to Dr. Johnson for a minute before we leave.”

“Yeah, I think we need to figure out what the options are now” Sidney said agreeing with her. They left to go to her office and find out what they needed to do.

note from author

hey guys. sorry it's been a really long time between chapters. Just had a lot going on the last few years. I've decided to change this story up a bit. I'm going to concentrate more on the personal lives of Karen and Sidney and leave the hockey bits to a minimum. We all know what happened in the games, I want to focus more on outside the game for the rest of this story. Hope you guys understand and I hope I can keep it interesting for you to keep reading.

Chapter 40

A few days have passed and Karen was getting anxious. She hadn't heard from Dr. Johnson and was beginning to think it was going to be bad news. She still wanted a baby with Sidney and if they had to adopt they still would. The new season was nearing quickly and the home opener was now two weeks away. It was also two days passed from when she should have heard from Dr. Johnson. Karen was about to sit Sidney down and tell him what was going on when her cell phone rang.

"Hello."

"Hi Karen, this is Dr. Johnson. How are you?"

"Going a little crazy waiting to hear from you."

"I know and I'm sorry. I had a couple emergencies that popped up. I do have your test results."

Karen sat down and took a deep breath "and?"

"It's just what I expected, your ovaries are healthy and have produced a few eggs. We can help you produce a few more and I don't see a problem of taking your eggs and fertilizing them for surrogacy."

"Really?" she asked excited as the tears in her eye trickled down her cheek.

"How about we make an appointment for next week?"

Karen got up and looked at the team's schedule for practice "when did you have in mind?"

"I have two openings, one on Monday at 2p or Thursday at 11a."

Karen saw where Sidney had practice Monday but was off with nothing on Thursday. Even though she could wait until then, she wanted to get it talked about as early as possible so they could start finding someone to carry their baby. "I'll take the Monday one."

"Good. I will see you and your husband on Monday afternoon and then we can go over all the options for you both."

"Alright, thank you" they hung up and Karen finished letting the tears fall "now the only thing is to tell Sid" she told herself sitting back and wondering how to bring it up to him.

An hour later, Sidney came home from practice and saw Karen sitting on the couch lost in thought.

"Hey baby, what's going on?"

"We need to talk Sid."

Getting a little scared "what's wrong?" he said sitting beside her "did I do something wrong?"

Karen's face softened "sorry, it's nothing like that. Um, I had something done a few days ago and waited to hear the test results before I talked to you."

"You had something done and are telling me now?" Sidney said somewhat angry.

"Please don't get mad. It wasn't major surgery or anything like that."

"That makes it a little better but you should have still told me after it happened. What did you have done?"

"Before I get into that, let me start from the beginning. When I went in for my annual physical, Dr. Newman and I talked about a few things. I had mentioned that we were thinking about adoption and she told me there could be a way we might be able to have our own baby."

"How is that possible? Doesn't a hysterectomy take away your uterus?"

"It does, but I still have my ovaries. To make a long explanation shorter, my ovaries are still producing eggs because the hysterectomy didn't put me into early menopause. She sent me to a fertility specialist that same day and she ran some tests on my ovaries and eggs. They are still healthy and she might be able to take my eggs, fertilize them with your sperm and implant them into someone else's uterus to carry our baby to term."

"So wait, we would just need a, what do you call it, a surrogate mother?"

Karen nodded her head "yes. Someone who is healthy and we absolutely trust to carry our baby." Karen saw the thoughts processing in his head "well?"

Sidney sat there before a smile formed on his face "I think that would be the ideal way to have a baby, our baby."

"Dr. Johnson, the fertility specialist, would like to talk to us on Monday at 2p. You'll be home from practice before then right?"

"If not, I will talk to Coach Dan and I'm sure he'll understand to let me go early. We can have our own baby, I can't believe this is a possibility."

"I know, me either. Could we maybe keep this to ourselves until we know for sure?"

"I wouldn't want it any other way baby" he said bringing her in for a kiss.

"The only real question would be, who could we get if this all works out?"

"I don't know Sid, I really don't know."

Before long, it was Monday and Karen felt anxious all morning. She and Sidney decided to meet at the arena and head to the hospital for their appointment from there. Karen had taken the day off and tried to clean the house and do some other things before going in to meet with Sidney. At noon, she got something light to eat and then piddled around until about 1:30, leaving to go to the arena.

When she got to the arena, there were only a few cars left and Karen parked her car besides Sidney's going inside to find him. As she walked in, she saw him standing there talking to Max, who smiled when he saw Karen.

"Hot woman alert" he said pointing behind Sidney.

Sidney whipped around and smiled but then turned and hit Max on the arm "hey baby" he said giving Karen a kiss.

"Ok, what was that about?"

"I guess your hubby is still affected by being alerted to hot women that are pointed out to him."

"Is that right?"

"I knew he was talking about you before I turned around baby" Sidney said putting his arm around her as Max just walked away laughing.

"So Maxwell points out a hot woman and you just happen to whip around to see her huh?"

"Don't do this Karen. I love you alright" he said in almost a whining tone to not make her mad at him.

Karen started laughing "calm down stud. That just makes it better knowing if you do it, I can still do it." She leaned up and kissed him "and I love you too. Are you ready to go?"

"Definitely baby." They headed out and both got into Sidney's car. There were a few people out and Sidney stopped the car to sign a couple autographs before pulling out of the lot.

"I can't believe the first season at CONSOL is finally underway."

"I know, me either."

"You sound too calm there studly."

"I have other things preoccupying my mind right now."

"Are you ok with all this?" she ask cautiously.

"Karen, we have a chance to make our own baby. One that is part you and part me, not from someone we don't have any clue who their parents’ were."

"What if we spend time and a lot of money on this and it doesn't happen?"

"What do you mean?"

"If they get some healthy eggs and can fertilize it, there's no guarantee that whoever we get to carry it, it will conform to their uterus and become a baby. We have to know there is a 50/50 shot here."

"Ok, it's your turn to calm down. We can't think ahead of ourselves and wonder all the negative possibilities about this."

"I know, sorry." Sidney pulled into the parking lot of the hospital, turning the car off and grabbing Karen's hand "let's just go talk about it, hear what the doctor has to say and then go from there." Karen just nodded and kissed him before they got out of the car and headed inside.

They walked into the office and Karen signed in as Sidney went to sit down. The nurse came out a minute later to get them and showed them to the office to have a seat waiting for the doctor.

"Hi Karen" Dr. Johnson said coming into her office.

"Hi. Dr. Johnson I would like you to meet my husband Sidney."

"Sidney Crosby, wow, it’s nice to get to meet you" she said shaking his hand.

"A Pen's fan I assume?" he asked smiling.

"A huge one at that. My husband won't believe I met you. So, are we ready to discuss this?"

"I think we are" Sidney spoke up.

"I know Karen explained some things, but I'm still confused how this can happen."

"If a woman is not in menopause or anywhere close to it, age wise, her ovaries are still able to produce eggs. Since Karen had a hysterectomy, they only took out her uterus. From her check up with her own doctor, there was never any damage to the ovaries when she miscarried all those years ago. You with me so far?"

"Yes, go on."

"I ran a few tests on Karen last week and saw where she is still producing a few eggs but I want to put her on a fertility drug to help her produce a little more. After a time period, I will test her again and if there are plenty of eggs, I will extract them from her ovaries and we'll freeze them until we are ready to fertilize them with your sperm. This will also give you time to find someone to be your surrogate."

"Ok, I have a question. If you get a good amount of eggs, how many will you use for one time?"

"It depends on how many we get, but we do have both ovaries to pull from. We implant about 5 to give a chance that one will attach to the home uterus."

"So even then, it might not work" Karen ask worried and held onto her tears.

"Karen, I know this seems bleak and maybe hopeless to hear but there have been many cases out there of successful tries."

"We will do it as many times as we need to, to make it successful" Sidney said getting a look from Karen.

"Karen?" Dr. Johnson looked to her for her answer.

She looked to Sidney who nodded and squeezed her hand "yeah, I'm up to try this."

"Great" Dr. Johnson said with a smile "but I first need to test Sidney's sperm just to make sure there's no problems." She saw the look on his face "it's painless Sid and strictly routine. I know you're young and healthy and very fit so there shouldn't be a problem. Then after that, we can get you going on the fertility drug Karen so you can start producing more eggs, ok?"

"Ok."

"I'll let you two have a moment while I see if we have a room open for Sidney." Dr. Johnson excused herself leaving them alone.

"I didn't think I would be involved today."

"It's so they can tell you're fine."

"I know, but I figured it wouldn't have to be done until they were ready to implant it."

"You'll go in and either watch a video or look through a magazine and be done with it."

"Maybe she'll let you help me?" Sidney said kissing her.

"Why don't you try the other way first...just think of me."

Dr. Johnson came back in "alright Sidney" handing him a cup "if you could go into room 4 and fill to the line, we can go from there."

Sidney took the cup and gave Karen a look before going out of the office and finding room 4, walking in and locking the door behind him. The doctor talked to Karen about the pill she wanted her to take and the side effects that could come with it. She told her that they needed to abstain from sex and if possible, Sidney to refrain from masturbating until the procedure. Karen just laughed and said them abstaining is one thing, but keeping an eye on Sidney would be another. As they talked, a nurse came in and told the doctor that Sidney was asking to see Karen.

"I think he's having a little trouble. Would I be able to...”

"Yes, he's not the only one to go through this so you can help him."

Karen got to the room and lightly knocked waiting for Sidney to answer. He opened the door and pulled Karen into the room. "What's the matter?"

"I can't do this. Not that I don't want to, but it's not happening."

"Maybe I can help."

"She's going to let you?"

"I think they take it as a way to help the process along" Karen said stepping up to him and kissing him. She let her hand go down and rub over the crotch of his jeans. She moved up to unbutton and unzip his jeans, moving her hand inside "is this better?" she whispered.

"Oh god yes" Sidney said moving his hands over her body.

"Easy there stud, I can't help you that way."

Sidney removed her hand and pulled his jeans and underwear down before jumping up onto the table. Karen got in between his legs and kissed him as her hand found his cock again. She began to massage over him for a little bit until they broke the kiss and he lightly pushed on her shoulder to make her go down. Karen knew what he wanted and obliged. She leaned down and took him into her mouth, moving her head up and down on his cock. Sidney wrapped his fingers into her hair and grabbed ahold, helping her movements. After a few more minutes, Karen felt Sidney get thicker in her mouth and knew he was almost there. She removed her mouth and replaced it with her hand, moving it quickly over him. She saw a little bit of liquid start to emerge and found the cup. Sidney pushed her hand away and took over as he came hard, filling up the cup. Karen saw his breathing slow down and she took the cup from him, putting it aside as he pulled her in for a kiss.

"Thank you baby."

"Anything for you stud. I'm going to go take this to Dr. Johnson so you can calm down and get dressed."

"Ok" he said kissing her again before letting her leave him.

Karen took the cup and handed it off, as Dr. Johnson went and took it to run her tests. She told Karen to wait in the office and she would be back in a few minutes. Sidney came in to join her a few minutes later.

"I hope that satisfied you for a while."

"Why?" Sidney said in a 'not sure he wanted to know' tone.

"We have to abstain from sex until I finish the fertility pills she's giving me."

"Well, not like we can't do what we just did a few minutes ago."

"Um, yeah, we can't do that either."

"Damn baby, I thought this was going to be a visit full of good news."

Just then Dr. Johnson came back in "well Sidney, everything looks great on your side, so we just need to increase Karen's egg production and then go from there. Do either of you have any other questions?"

"I have one more."

"Go ahead."

"Instead of taking only a few eggs to fertilize for this first time, is it possible to take them all, freeze them so if this time is a success then we already have the eggs for future pregnancies?"

"If that is the way you want to go, yes we can freeze all of them, take only what we want and house the rest until you guys want to try for another baby."

"So, we can have our own child not only this time but in a year or two or later?" Sidney asked surprised.

"Yes, that's correct. Freezing eggs is a lot more common nowadays for couples who want kids later and not now. This increases the chances of pregnancy if couples have trouble on their own."

"Oh wow" Karen said shocked that they could have their family when they wanted it.

"If there's nothing else" she asked and both Karen and Sidney shook their heads "then here is the prescription for what I want you to take and when you are three pills away, call me Karen and I will make an appointment for you to have you retested and see from there."

"Thank you so much Dr. Johnson."

"Yes, really thank you" Sidney reiterated the sentiment.

"It was my pleasure and we will see each other again real soon. Sidney, it was great to meet you and hope the team has an amazing season this year."

"Thanks, we appreciate the support." They all shook hands and headed out. When they got to the elevator, Karen just stood there in disbelief.

"You ok baby?"

"Yeah, it's just seems so surreal that this could happen for us."

"Well, before we get too far ahead of ourselves we need to think about who to find to carry our baby."

"Yeah, I know. Who can we ask that we can trust?"

"We'll talk about it later baby." They got out of the elevator and went to the pharmacy that was in the hospital to get the pills Karen needed. After they were done, they headed to the parking lot and walked to the car. The ride back to the arena was quiet and Sidney didn't want to press anything until she thought everything through. He pulled up beside Karen's car and she leaned over and kissed him before getting out and into her car. Sidney let her go first and followed her home. When they got home, things were quiet as Karen went to start dinner.

"Baby, did you forget we made plans to have dinner with Max and Natalie? We made them a couple weeks ago."

"Yeah I guess I did."

"We could cancel."

"No, it’s alright we can go. Maybe getting a friend's advice on all this might be good."

"I thought you didn't want to tell anyone."

"I think Nat and Max could keep our secret. I know you will be there for me with everything that happens whether good or bad, but I need an impartial friend's ear as well."

"I understand baby, I might need Max to talk to as well. Might be good to have two to lean on."

"Yeah. I'm going to go get ready so we can head over."

"I need to grab a shower anyway...I feel so used and dirty" he said making her laugh. They both headed upstairs and got ready so they could head over to Max's apartment for dinner.

After getting to Max's, Karen and Natalie were in the kitchen finishing dinner as Max and Sidney were talking about the home opener and hockey in general.

"Well, we lost them Nat" Karen said as she watched the hand movements of both guys and knew what they were talking about.

"I don't think we've ever not lost them to the game. Max and I could be have the most romantic time and he finds some way to incorporate something hockey related into it."

"So, I have to ask this...did you and Max, um, incorporate the Cup into a sexual act when he had his day with it."

"Doesn't everyone?" Natalie just looked at Karen who was staring at her with a sly smirk on her face "oh alright. Max first took some, let's just say, explicit pictures of both of us with the Cup and after that, the moment just felt right." She looked at her friend when she heard her laughing "what?"

"It’s just funny how it never changes with them."

"Because that's what you and Rick did with it."

"Yeah but the only difference was he took the pictures, this time around I surprised Sid with them." They both smiled and finished dinner so the four of them could eat.

"So Sid, I have to ask. First a wedding, then winning the Cup, moving into a new house, a Gold Medal...what's next buddy?"

Sidney looked at Karen before answering "a baby."

Max and Natalie both stop eating mid chew and looked at their friends "are you serious Sid?"

"I am. We've both thought about it and we both want kids."

"Then why not later Karen? You just got married, isn't this rushing it a little?" Natalie asked her friend.

"Maybe, but I've always wanted kids Nat, you've known this."

"Karen, but with what happened in LA..."

"I won't be able to carry the baby, but through IVF they can take my eggs and fertilize them with Sid's sperm and implant them into a surrogate."

"And where do you plan to find one?" Max asked concerned "You'd have to find someone that hasn't heard of you" he said pointing at Sidney.

"Well that rules out Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas" Natalie said.

"And any city that has an NHL team" Max added.

"And that pretty much rules out all of Canada" Karen said getting a look from Sid.

"Are you three done?" he said getting a laugh out of all of them.

"Really Sid, I don't think we'll be able to find someone to trust that either doesn't know you or could keep it a secret" Karen said.

Sidney saw the concern in her eyes "I know baby, but there's got to be someone out there. We'll be picky enough and have a damn good contract."

"I think you should guys should slow it down and really make a good choice" Natalie offered.

"Natalie's right Sid, take some time and really think about who you want. The wrong choice could be damaging to not only your private life, but your hockey career."

"Look Max, I know you and Nat mean well but Karen and I know what we're getting into" he said grabbing her hand and squeezing it.

"Alright Sid, but just know I have your back and the first negative thing I hear, I will be kicking some ass."

"Thanks Max, I know I can always count on you" Sidney said as they all laughed then finished dinner. After dinner, they sat around talking and decided on a movie. When the movie was over a couple hours later, Sidney and Karen told their friends goodnight and headed home.

Getting home, Karen went into the kitchen and Sidney followed her. He saw her pick up her prescription and stopped her.

"What's wrong?"

"Could we maybe wait and you start those tomorrow?"

"What's going on?"

"I don't know. I guess just from today and everything, maybe it won't hurt having one last night together."

Karen just stood there "well it's not like we're really wasting anything. I mean you are young and healthy."

"That's my girl" he said pulling her to him and kissing her.

Chapter 39

Over the next few days, the Pens realized that the HBO show 24/7 was going to document the Winter Classic. They were going over some details after practice one day and Sidney knew he needed to talk to Ray. When everyone was heading out, Sidney went up to talk to Ray.

"Mind if I come in?" Sidney asked as he knocked on the door frame to Ray's office.

"Not at all Sid. What's on your mind?"

"Um this whole thing with HBO, I would really like it if I could only be shot when we're at the arena or hotels, just team stuff."

"I think I understand what your asking. They are only going to shoot the guys that don't mind them going home with them for outside the game features. If you don't feel comfortable then we will tell them that on your behalf."

"Thanks. Its not that I wouldn't mind giving the fans a peak of my home life, I just don't want Karen on there."

"I understand it. You're a private guy Sid. People need to respect that especially how high prolific you are to the game. Anything else?"

"No, that'll do it. Thanks again."

"Anytime Sid." Sidney left his office and headed home to talk to Karen about everything as well.

Karen was sitting in the living room watching TV when Sidney came in and sat on the coffee table directly in front of her.

"Unless I missed the operation that turned you into glass, you're in the way studly."

Sidney grabbed the remote and turned off the TV "we need to talk about something" he said seriously.

"Ok, must be important from the tone."

"Baby, you heard that we're going to part of the 24/7 HBO series right?"

"Who hasn't? I think it's going to be great."

"Then hopefully you won't hate me for saying this...I don't want you to be on camera, at all."

"Sid, people know were married."

"I know but I told them I didn't want cameras at the house and they understood how private I am."

"And that makes you private of me."

"Karen, please don't read into this what it's not. I love you and love having you around, but I want to leave our house and our lives out of the show. Let it just focus on my hockey life."

"So then I'm not allowed to go to the arena with you for games, or anything that could arise that would be a 'family atmosphere' with the whole team like a Christmas party."

"You can still go and be with me..."

"Just step to the side if I see a camera crew" she said getting up and walking away with Sidney right behind her "you know, your privacy away from hockey I love but still wanting to hide me away when everyone knows we're married now is getting a little insulting."

"I'm not trying to insult you" he said trying to get close enough to hold on to her "I just want to keep my life away from the arena, my life with you, away from the cameras. Did you seriously want to be seen on HBO for the world to see you?"

"Why not, it could be my big break into acting" she said trying not to smile.

"They're going to be filming the whole team and I'd rather have it that way then them focusing just on me, the face of the NHL."

"But we could be the stars of our own reality show though...the hockey star and the sex fiend."

"Which would be which?" he said smiling.

"Well its obvious stud...I am so the hockey star" she said as they both laughed.

"See that would be the other problem, someone discovering you to take you away from me."

"No one could take me away from you...I'd lose all those millions sitting in the bank downtown."

"It's not all downtown baby."

"Ah, hiding your money from your own wife" she said shaking her head "not good."

"You know exactly where it all is. Some here at the bank, some at a bank back home, stocks, bonds, a savings account for my heir."

"Your heir? Did you get knighted to King or something?"

"You know what I mean baby. I started it after we first decided to adopt."

"And what if we decided to not have a baby?"

"Then its just another account for you to do with after I'm dead."

"Wow, who taught you to save?"

"Me. I just knew if I ever made money doing what I love I wouldn't spend it as fast as I earned it."

"Yeah cause 8.7 million a year is so easy to blow through."

"Hey I could buy a new car every month or a have a house in every country."

"You'd never go to any of them unless they each had a separate building that housed an ice rink."

"Hmm, now there's an idea."

"Oh dear lord what have I done" she said laughing.

"Speaking of which, with Christmas coming up any ideas of what you want?"

"I don't need anything."

"Baby don't start this."

"Well I don't but how about we make plans to remodel out back by the pool? Make it to where we have a place to cook out, lounge around."

"That might work. We'll have to look at some pictures to get some ideas."

"Maybe even remodel the pool house to make it more apartment-like in case we have guests that stay longer than a couple days."

"You've really thought about this."

"It's better then buying useless stuff that we don't need. This way we'll use it all year."

"Can I still get you something?"

"Like I can tell you no Crosby. You'll get me something anyway."

"But of course" he said kissing her "how about we go out for dinner tonight?"

"Sounds good but I don't want to splurge with my doctor's appointment tomorrow morning."

"Please baby, like anything you eat will show that quick. Besides, we could always work it off later."

"No, definitely not. We will not be having sex tonight."

"Oh come on."

"Sidney, there's no way we're having sex before I have a gynecological exam."

"But why do I have to suffer" he said to get Karen to laugh.

"Trust me stud, I will not let you suffer" she said kissing him then going to get ready to go to dinner.

After dinner, they came home and chilled watching a little bit of TV before going to bed. Karen decided to get a shower first, thinking Sidney would wait for her in bed, but he had another idea.

Karen was soaping up her body when she heard the shower door open. "Don't even think about it studly" she said.

"Come on baby. I can help you and get your back." Sidney grabbed the soap and began to wash her back. He was massaging as he went and Karen let a soft moan escape her lips. "See, just go with it" he said as he continued. His hands soon went from her shoulders towards her lower back until he reached her ass, rubbing over it.

"Ok, stop" she said turning around to face him. "I told you I have a doctor's appointment in the morning."

Sidney just smiled and let his hand travel down to her mound and taking no time sliding his fingers inside of her. "We can play doctor too you know."

Karen felt the sensations begin to arise within her and she closed her eyes letting them take over. Sidney took the advantage and turned them towards the wall, lifting her up. When she wrapped her legs around his waist, he couldn't contain his smile. He made a move and entered inside her with ease. Sidney got a rhythm going until the sounds of moans and groans made an echoing sound in the bathroom.

"Damn you" Karen said as she rested her head against the wall, waiting for her breathing to return to normal.

"Baby, you knew it was inevitable. You would have given into me eventually."

"Yeah, like tomorrow" she said as she made a move so Sidney would let her down, but he still didn't let go of her.

"So you get another shower in the morning."

"I'm going to have to and you will already be gone for practice when I do." Karen got out of his grip and finished up in the shower.

"Maybe I'll go in late" he whispered in her ear before getting out of the shower, only to make her laugh before she turned off the water and got out herself.

She wrapped a towel around her after drying off and walked into the bedroom. Sidney was crawling in bed and Karen shook her head because he was doing so naked. Karen walked over to her dresser for a tank top and panties when she heard a protest coming from the bed. She looked over at Sidney who just shook his head no and Karen sighed, closing the drawer. She walked over to her side of the bed, dropping the towel and crawling into bed. Sidney soon spooned up behind her and they fell asleep.

The next morning, the alarm rang and Sidney reached out to turn it off. Both he and Karen stirred and she went to get out of bed but was pulled back in. Before she had a chance to protest, Sidney had rolled on top of Karen and parted her legs, laying in between them. Karen felt Sidney slide inside of her and couldn't believe he was doing this to her again. Sidney started out slow and would get a little faster, only to slow down again to obviously torture her. Karen would put her head back into the pillows as her chest would stick out for Sidney to take advantage of. He brought his mouth down and captured one of her nipples in his mouth, sucking hard over it. He paid equal attention to the other one, hearing the soft moans Karen was making as she enjoyed their morning escapade. Karen decided she had enough and made a move to get Sidney on his back. She got situated over him and slid back down on him. Karen got her own rhythm going and had her own form a torture. Sidney brought his hands up and squeezed over her breasts until he moved them to her hips, digging his fingers into her skin as he held her tightly over his cock as she rode him. The limited sensations were too much for them as Karen felt her orgasm rocket through her body. The tightness soon brought Sidney over the edge as he shot off inside her, releasing all he had. Karen laid down on his chest, as their lips attached to one another.

"I can't believe you did this to me again."

"By the position we're in baby I'd say you really didn't protest that hard."

Karen sat up and smiled at him "true, I didn't" she said as she got off him "but it's not like I could have pushed you off of me as your ass does outweigh me by 100 pounds" she said as she walked into the bathroom for another shower but this time locking the door behind her. Sidney just laughed and got out of bed, going to the bathroom down the hall. By the time he came back, Karen was already done and getting dressed. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

"Mad at me?"

"No" Karen said smiling "I would have given into you no matter what, you know that."

"Good" he said turning her around and planting a very passionate kiss upon her lips. After they broke apart, they each got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast before going their separate ways.

Karen was sitting at her doctor's office for her annual checkup. She waited until she was called back and went to the exam room. Karen got undressed and put on the paper gown waiting for her doctor.

"Karen, so nice to see you."

"Thanks, you too."

"So are there any problems or is this just a regular checkup?"

"Just a regular checkup."

"Ok, let's get started." The doctor had her lay down and she proceeded to poke and prod her. She did all the routine tests and told Karen she could sit up and get dressed. The doctor left and Karen got dressed, going to meet her in her office. "Well, from what I could tell you are still very healthy and everything looks great. I will confirm all that when the tests come back but I have no reason to believe they won't."

"Well that sounds great."

"So, anything new since the last time I saw you?"

"Well Sidney and I are now officially married and have moved into a new house."

"You got rid of your parent's house?"

"No, I rented it to the coach of the Penguins for the season. I guess Sid wanted a bigger house for us that was ours and not necessarily mine."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"Yeah I guess it is. Um, Sid and I have been talking about adoption too."

"You want to have a baby?"

"Yeah. From when I was pregnant before, I guess the feelings of motherhood never left."

"You do know there's a way for you to have your own baby."

"I don't have a uterus, how can I have my own baby?"

"You still have your ovaries Karen. When you had the hysterectomy, they only removed your uterus. Since you are still healthy and the ovaries can still produce eggs, they just don't have anywhere to go."

"So you're saying....what exactly are you saying?"

"Karen, we can test you to see if the eggs are healthy and fertilize them with Sidney's sperm implanting them into a surrogate."

"We can have our own baby?" she said as the tears formed in her eyes.

"Look, here are some pamphlets and a few websites to go to. You and Sid can read up on it and see if you want to go that way. If we test you and your eggs are strong, all you would need to do is find someone we can implant them into."

"Why do I think that's the hardest part of all this?"

"Because it is. You and Sidney would have to find someone you really trust to carry your baby for 9 months and be willing to have their life turned upside down for you." She could see the worried look on her face "It’s a possibility for this to happen Karen. When you talk to Sid about all this, give me a call and I will give you the number of a fertility doctor that I whole-heartedly trust for you guys to talk to and test you."

"Thank you so much, really. I didn't know this could be an option. I figured after I had the hysterectomy I couldn't produce any more eggs since my periods stopped."

"All your period is, is the lining of your uterus shedding to make way for a new lining. After your hysterectomy, it never kicked you into early menopause."

"This seems so complicated."

"In a way, it is. If you want, we can get you scheduled for a test first then after you get the results you and Sidney can talk about it and make your decision."

Karen sat there for a minute "I don't see the harm in that. Besides, I really don't want to get Sidney's hopes up and then not be able to have our own."

"How about I make a quick call and see if they can fit you in now?"

"If that's possible, yeah." Karen sat back and watched as she dialed the number and talk to the other doctor. She looked up and smiled at Karen, nodding her head telling her it was a go. She gave Karen the doctor's name and told her where to go. They said goodbye and Karen left the office, calling Sidney telling him she'd be home after a while.

Karen got to the hospital and found the elevator to go see the fertility doctor. She got to her office and walked in.

"Hi, can I help you?" the receptionist asked her.

"Yes, I'm Karen Crosby. Dr. Newman made an appointment for me.

"Here it is, Dr. Johnson will be with you in a minute. Please have a seat and fill out this form for me."

"Ok." Karen took the clipboard and sat down. She filled out the form and attached her insurance card, walking it back up to the window before going back to sit down.

"Mrs. Crosby?" a nurse came out.

"Yes" Karen said standing up.

"The doctor will see you now. Follow me?" Karen followed her through the corridor and into an office. She sat down and waited on the doctor.

"Hi Karen. I'm Dr. Marlena Johnson, how are you?"

"I'm good. Dr. Newman said you might be able to help me."

"Yes, Beth and I go back to medical school and we often refer patients to each other. She briefly told me you might be interested in seeing if you're a candidate for egg removal for surrogacy."

"I had a hysterectomy about 12/13 years ago but they only removed my uterus. Dr. Newman said that it never kicked me into menopause and that my ovaries might still be producing eggs. Is that true?"

"Depending on a woman's age and lifestyle, it is still possible. Beth faxed over your chart and you are healthy and very fit for your age of 38. How about we go into the exam room and let me do a few tests and we can see what's going on."

The nurse came back in and took Karen to the exam room. "Wow, looks like an actual operating room in here."

"One perk for having an office in a hospital. This way, we can do minor procedures in here and if there are complications, it's a short trip downstairs. If you would step into the changing room and put on the gown, the doctor will come get you when she's ready."

Karen did what she was told and got undressed again. A few minutes later, Dr. Johnson came back and led Karen into the exam room, instructing her to lie down on the table. She told Karen to relax and she would feel a few pricks. Karen closed her eyes with each pinch and took deep breaths until the doctor was done. When she was, she told Karen she could get up and dressed, meeting her back in the office when she was done.

"Do you have any questions for me?"

"When will you have the test results?"

"In about two days. We really don't like to rush this procedure for something might go wrong and hinder all chances. I will give you a call when I get them and then you and your husband can come back in to talk about all the options if it's a go."

"Thank you for having time to see me on such short notice. If we can get this known now, then if it's not possible we can go ahead with the adoption idea."

"Well think positive thoughts and if you have any questions pop up until I call you, please don't hesitate to give me a call."

"I will. Thanks again." Karen smiled and left her office to head home.