Finding Home Pt. 22

Friday

Andy's watch went off at 5:30 AM. He got his bearings, and frowned. Not only did he need his watch to wake up, but Sara had slept elsewhere last night. He'd been so tired that he hadn't really noticed - but he'd gotten used to his lovely fiancé in the bed next to him. He hadn't slept well prior to coming to Colton, and one of the very pleasant unintended consequences of being engaged to Sara was his newfound ability to sleep restfully through the night.

He moved silently through the Commons, used the men's restroom, and was out the door in 10 minutes. At 5:50 AM, he walked into the weight room. He was shocked and pleasantly surprised to see Max Ross there laying out Colton Hockey t-shirts for his 10 new teammates. He nodded a greeting to Andy and threw him his t-shirt.

"It's kinda hard to do the uniform of the day when we've got so many new guys," he lamented. "So, I scored some old t-shirts from the coaches' office. We'll have the team swag section set up today on the Adidas website, and we should have our new gear by the end of next week," he explained.

"That's great Max," said Andy. "Thanks for taking care of that."

Max grinned at his teammate.

"I like the haircut, by the way," added Andy. Max's man-bun was gone, as was the sparse goatee. His hair was short, and the young man was clean-shaven.

"I've been meeting with Dr. Taylor," said Max. "He's been helping me not be such a dick," he grinned. "It's been awesome so far. I'm really digging the discipline and self-mastery piece he's been teaching me. And Andy, thanks for giving me a second chance. I know that wasn't easy."

"Max, what you're doing right now? That's what's hard. Giving a guy who asks for a second chance that opportunity seems like the right thing to do," Andy explained. "I admire your perseverance. You've stuck it out, and I know that's not easy, either."

"I know I owe your fiancé an apology; but I'm not sure how to go about it. I'd like a bit more time of not being a total tool before I try to approach her, I guess. I'm pretty sure I need to apologize to she and Eden both. I'm glad she's with my brother. Ethan is a good guy, and he'll treat her well. Plus, I can tell he really likes her."

Andy nodded. The rest of the team began to arrive, so the conversation was tabled for the time being. Andy grinned at Andre as he arrived, and both men laughed at, and needled their old teammate Brian Jacobs when he came dragging in right at 6 AM.

"Captain. Doctor," said Brian, nodding wearily to his friends.

"You look like shit," said Dre, grinning as he did so.

"The Federspiel's are, shockingly so, impressed with yours truly," he smiled. "They are very happy - which means Gracie is very happy - which means your boy got very, very lucky last night."

"That's good for you," grinned Andy.

"It is, until my alarm went off this morning," lamented Brian. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to get out of bed this damn early when the woman of your dreams is lying naked next to you?"

"Nope. Never heard of such a thing," deadpanned Andy.

"It's called being a professional," said a smirking Andre. "You know, people pay us lots of money to play a kid's game?"

"Where's Mikey when you need him?" moaned Brian. "That guy totally outkicked his coverage. He'd have my back. You two are no help whatsoever. My balls are finally happy, and two of my best friends decide to bust them?" he grinned as he lamented his treatment this morning.

Coach Donovan called them to task, and an hour and 15 minutes later, the three friends were walking to the Dining Commons. As they approached the DeGroat Memorial Lawn, Andy's phone buzzed.

"Shit," he muttered as he read the text from Sara.

"Trouble in paradise?" asked Andre.

"Not really. We basically had a teenage girl slumber party last night. Eden's mom is bringing breakfast to the Commons for the girls we hosted and their parents. My presence has been requested," he paused. "But there's no way I'm up for that this morning. I'm not sure why, but I'm in a downright shitty mood. The last thing I need is to play the dancing monkey again."

"It sucks being a superhero," mocked Brian.

"There are only a handful of people on this planet who could say that to me this morning," smiled Andy. "You're damn lucky your sorry ass is one of them."

Andy texted his disappointment at not being able to make it. In response to his text, Sara called him.

"Hello love," he answered.

"Baby, you don't really want to do this, do you?" she said sweetly.

"Nailed it," he said laughing. "I'm sorry to be an ass, but I'm not up to glad-handing this morning. To be honest, I'm in a shitty mood - and I have no idea why. I am sure that being around potential students and donors would not serve anyone well this morning."

"Well, let me try to improve your mood," said Sara giggling. "They're all leaving at 8:30 AM. We could have some time in the shower - just the two of us. I missed sleeping with my man last night. I'd love a chance to make it up to him."

"Nickel beer and wild horses will not keep me away," said Andy. "I'll be present and accounted for."

"I love you, Andy."

"I love you too," he said with a sense of emotion that surprised him.

His two friends laughed as he ended the call. Andre saw the look on his face and smiled kindly at his friend.

"Drew, it's OK. You're happy - for the first time in your life. You have no more battles to fight, my friend. I can't even imagine how hard that is for you. Please know we've got your back. Whatever you need that the lovely Miss Jones-Easley can't give you, we'd love to help," said Andre.

"Damn skippy," echoed Brian. "Drew, there's about a million ways yesterday could have gone really wrong. It didn't. Grace and I are thankful for you and Sara both. Please know that."

Andy smiled at them. "I have no earthly idea why it's so hard for me to just be happy - but I'll be damned if it isn't. It sounds ridiculous; but it's the truth."

As the trio entered the Dining Commons, they were met by Grace, and Juliette Broquard. Hugs and kisses were shared, and Andy smiled as he saw John Moses approach the group.

"Mike and Priya send their condolences. They're in a breakfast meeting with Christopher, the contractor, and a couple of other donors. Believe me when I tell you that Mikey would rather be eating with the three of you," he said. "Why don't the four of you head down? I need to borrow the Captain for about 5 minutes."

The two couples headed downstairs, and Andy turned to his mentor.

"You OK?" asked a concerned John. "I know that look on your face. It doesn't bode well for something."

"Yes and no," said Andy haltingly. "I'm in a shitty mood, and I have no idea why. I just want to marry Sara, go to school, and play hockey. I'm not sure I want to be a poster boy."

John laughed. "I hear you loud and clear. Eric and I have some thoughts on that, by the way," he paused. "Do you feel up to a conversation with Jack and Julianna Glass? Jacob unloaded on them last night, and the lovely Miss Larson took your side rather passionately as well. It never occurred to them that their home was a refuge for a teenage boy who had lost his family. They'd love a chance to clear the air."

Andy nodded. "I think I owe them that."

John looked at him with dead earnestness. "No, son, you don't. You can choose to do it, but you owe them nothing. Andy, you didn't do a thing wrong. They know that. Parenting is a damn hard job. In one sense, Marty has been easy. Yes, there are challenges that come with his Down's, but it's relatively straightforward. Linda and I never had to navigate the opposite sex, or the typical relational challenges parents of teenager's face. They know they messed up. They want a chance to talk with you about it."

Andy smiled, "Well then, lead the way."

John took him to an unused corner by the employee entrance to the cafeteria. He returned shortly with Jack and Julianna Glass in tow.

"Hello Drew," said Julianna sweetly. She went to him and hugged him tightly. "Thanks for talking with us."

Andy tried to speak, but could only nod.

"Drew, we owe you an apology," began Jack Glass. "We think the world of you. We had no idea how highly Jacob and Adriana thought of you. At the time, they kept asking us when you were coming over, and we just kind of blew it off. We now know that you left a bigger void in our household then we realized."

"Thank you," said Andy, finally finding his voice. "Your house felt normal to me. The two of you always made me feel very welcome. I appreciated that more than I realized, and I missed it when it wasn't an option anymore."

"We thought we were looking out for Olivia," said Julianna. "We didn't give a thought to the younger two - or you - for that matter. We should have; but we didn't."

"Jacob, and Haylee, brought that to our attention last night. We were pretty taken aback. But when Adriana piled on, we realized how badly we'd stepped in it," said Jack sadly.

"It's also helped us understand why our visit with Olivia in Rome was so awkward. Drew, we know that ship has sailed, but we think our daughter still has feelings for you. At the time, we thought it was just a teenage crush. We didn't understand how much all our kids cared for you," explained Julianna. "Would you forgive us?"

"I will," said Andy. "I'm realizing I'm not very good at that, but I'll certainly work at it."

"The ridiculous thing about all this is that Jules and I should have seen what was going on," said Jack. "Drew, people have always wanted to be around you. We get that - believe me, we do. We're kicking ourselves for not seeing that you wanted to be around us for us - not because we were local celebrities," he smiled. "We seem to be good at totally misjudging you."

"I get that," said Andy. "Not the misjudging part, but the being wary of why people want to be around you. I think that's one of the reasons Liv and I got along so well. We were both used to living in a fishbowl. It was kind of a non-issue for us."

"John and Linda were right," said Julianna. "You are the exception to the rule. Please know how highly we think of you - and your family. Our son and his," she paused and grinned, "well, we'll see what she will be - but I have a few ideas on that subject - they both love you very much. You've gone to bat for them, Andy. That's a rare thing; and a valuable gift. We find ourselves in your debt once again, I'm afraid."

"What will you tell Liv?" asked Andy.

"The truth," said Jack Glass. "Adi is staying here to start training with the volleyball team. We'll fly to Rome on Monday and have a heart to heart with our daughter. I'm afraid it's long overdue."

"If I can help in anyway, please let me know," said Andy sincerely. "Liv is a good friend."

Julianna smiled and hugged him again. "Thank you, Drew. You're a good man - and you're a good friend to our family."

To his shock, Jack Glass hugged him as well. "Dammit Drew, I'm so sorry. Can you forgive a hot-headed, over-protective father?"

Andy smiled at him. "Of course - but please know I'm partial to your brand of over-protectiveness. I suspect I'll be picking your brain one day."

Julianna spoke up, "Drew, is there anything we can do for you? I know we're a bit late asking that question, but I feel like we need to ask it."

Andy grinned, "Actually there is."

He went on to describe to Jack the kind of Range Rover he was looking for. Nice, but not too nice. He wanted to surprise Sara, so could Jack please keep it on the downlow? She would be a new driver, so he wanted something that could handle the inevitable dings that new drivers inevitably produce in a vehicle.

"Consider it done," said Jack. "We need to do something different for Jacob now that he and his sister are both here, so expect to hear from me as soon as I'm back from Rome - if not sooner. You know," he smiled, "as I recall, John here is an excellent Driver's Ed teacher."

Andy laughed. "He already taught Sara to skate, so I suspect teaching her to drive will be no big deal."

John Moses smiled. "It would be a pleasure. That young woman excells at whatever she sets her mind to."

________________________________________________________

Andy walked down to the cafeteria, got his breakfast, and found his friends. They'd chosen a place out of the way, so as Andy walked to them, he had a chance to consider the group in front of him. He'd never seen Brian Jacobs this happy - so utterly at peace. He hadn't known Grace as long, but he did know her teammate's thoughts on the matter. She was an entirely new woman. He smiled as he looked at the confident, attractive woman sitting next to his old friend. Andre and Juliette were ridiculously well-suited to one another. Dre had done well for himself. There was a sweetness to Juliette, and yet a fiery side that Andy saw mirrored in his friend every time he stepped between the pipes.

"Captain," nodded Grace to her friend as he sat down. She smiled at him sweetly.

"Hello Batgirl," he said quietly.

"I hear Scott and Angela made their presence felt last night," she sighed. "I'm sorry if they went overboard. They're a bit stunned, I guess."

Andy nodded. "Grace, they were great. They can be as overboard as they want. They raised a remarkable human being, who I'm very grateful to count as my friend. No worries," he smiled to her.

Andy settled into his breakfast. The cafeteria had corned beef hash and eggs that morning, and he loved corned beef hash and eggs. This was much to the chagrin of his sisters, who thought the dish smelled like a blend of flatulence and old gym socks. He ate quickly, and then sat back to enjoy his coffee and the conversation that flowed around the table. They talked about everything, and nothing. He let the happiness of the moment have its way with him, conscious of not fighting it.

"Andrew are you certain we're welcome to stay in your house?" queried Juliette Broquard, engaging him in the conversation once more.

Andy turned his attention to his friend's wife. "Of course. Sara and I would be honored if you'd stay there - all four of you," he added. "Just please leave Jeannie's room unoccupied."

"Why aren't you and Sara just moving in now?" asked Jake the Jet.

"Our roommates have requested we stick around until we get married. We both like the Commons, and our roommates, so we agreed. Plus, it will give us something to look forward to once we're back from our honeymoon," he smiled.

"I know Ellen is really excited about that," interjected Grace. "It does sound amazing to have people you know to make that trip with. I mean," her voice trailed off as her face grew increasingly red.

"I know exactly what you mean, Grace," said Andy. "Plus, Sara speaks impeccable French - or so I'm told by a panel of experts," he nodded to Andre and Juliette. "We're both ready to be out of the limelight for a bit as well, I guess."

"And that, my friends, is why the Captain is The CAPTAIN," said Andre smiling madly.

Grace and Juliette looked at him questioningly. It was Jake who took up his friend's train of thought.

"Drew hated the spotlight, HATED IT. But at the same time, he knew that some of that was a necessary evil. Dre and Mikey and I became a much bigger deal because Drew was always talking us up. Same thing was true for John Filka and Seamus O'Connor. I mean, we were a great team, but to hear the way Drew would humble brag about us, you'd think we were God's gift to hockey."

"Andy never talked about his own game; but he'd brag all day long about Mikey, or Filka, or somebody else on the team. We had fourth line guys getting scholarship offers thanks to Andy. Well, when your captain does that for you, guys work their asses off to make him look like a prophet and not a fool. No one wanted to let the Captain down - or John Moses - but especially the Captain," explained Andre passionately.

"I totally get that," added Grace. "He talks Sara up all the time. She has this whole new level of confidence thanks to that. Don't get me wrong, she's an amazing athlete - but she's next level She-Hulk now," she smiled. "When the Captain believes in you, it helps you believe in yourself."

The mention of Sara brought a moment of reflection to Andy. He missed her - fiercely. He enjoyed being with his friends, but being here without her? Juliette saw the cloud pass over his face, and she grasped his hand.

"Go to your amore Drew," she said sweetly. "She told me about her evening. You were quite gallant to simply head to bed."

"Female slumber parties will take some getting used to," he admitted. "I never paid much attention to them when my sisters had friends over; but if we have girls, I suspect I'll need to become fluent in such things," he smiled.

"Drew, let me walk you out," said Brian suddenly.

Andy looked at his friend and studied him carefully, though briefly.

"Sure, Jake," he smiled.

He hugged and gave kisses on the cheek to Grace and Juliette, and hugged Dre as he and Brian made their way out of the cafeteria.

"You up for an early morning sail?" asked his friend, grinning. "With Buffalo cancelled, I thought we could take the boat out - just the four of us. I'll ask Gracie to marry me at sunrise."

Andy smiled at his friend. "Absolutely - but you may want to take the temperature of the room for having just Sara there," he said honestly. "Kail and Eden may kick your ass, but whatever you want."

"I thought about that. I know Eden wasn't there when you proposed - so thanks for setting that precedent. We'll have everybody over for breakfast," he said thoughtfully. "I've already talked to Helen and Tommy - dude, that guy is awesome, by the way - we'll do a spread and let everyone else know then. Not a long sail, just enough to see the sunrise and handle our business." A huge grin had broken over his face. "I talked to the Judge. I know I could take her out by myself, but I'm afraid that with how nervous I'll be, I'd capsize the damn boat."

"Done. 5:45AM?" asked Andy.

Brian nodded.

________________________________________________________________

Andy walked through the Commons doors at 8:15 AM. Sara met him in the entryway between the two sets of doors.

"Hi baby," she smiled at him.

"Hello love," he grinned back.

She hugged him, and gave him a deep, passionate kiss. They felt the tension leave their bodies, and both relished the feeling of simply being together.

"I've missed you," said Andy sincerely.

"Good," Sara giggled. "I'd hate to be the only one."

"I'm sorry I bailed on you," he said.

"I understand. You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I promise I'll do better when our young ladies have friends over," he grinned.

"You were wonderful. We had lots of folks stopping by last night to tell you that," she giggled.

Andy raised his eyebrows at her.

"Cooper and Syd; Mr. and Mrs. Steele. And then Haylee and Jacob came by," she paused and looked at him with concern in her eyes. "Did Jacob's parents find you this morning?"

He nodded. "We're all good. But Bellissima, I'm sick of this shit. I just want to marry you, go to school, and play hockey. I want a quiet life living across the street from John and Jen Moses and Marty and Padme the dog," he sighed.

She squeezed him tightly.

"Thank you," she paused. "I love you. Sometimes I do wonder if I'm enough."

"Two things: first, I love you too. Second, you are more than enough - so let's not hear that again, please. You make me incredibly happy," he grinned.

Gloria Adams stuck her head out into the breezeway.

"I hate to be the Provost, but if our Colton poster couple could spare a few minutes?" she asked kindly.

Andy released Sara, hugged his godmother, and gladly accepted it when she bussed his cheek. "Sure. Just catching up with my fiancé," he smiled. "I need one more minute with Sara."