offsetting minors | s. crosby

What am I doing on the floor?

Sidney Crosby, I realize for the first time as I watch him on the ice, is exactly what everyone portrays him as- a legend, a god, maybe the greatest of all time.

Earlier, he'd given us a tour of the players' facilities, and while this didn't really excite me much, Justin was thrilled at the chance to explore the arena with his favorite player. And with Sidney's hand making innocent contact with my arm or my back every few minutes, I had more than enough to focus on- starting with how exactly I was going to deal with whatever was going on between the two of us. A relationship was the last thing I needed right now, truly. His wandering hand seemed to have a different idea, but I'd have to confront this later. Maybe on the dinner you agreed to, stupid.

Before the game, he dropped us off in the Lemieux box. It was as luxurious as it got, complete with a full bar and a table lined up against the wall with a food display complete with what appeared to be most of Justin's favorite foods. Dammit, Crosby, I thought with an eye roll. He really had left no stone unturned, and it warmed my heart to see Justin happily filling a plate with chicken tenders and mashed potatoes.

Nathalie had welcomed the two of us with open arms, in a sort of maternal embrace that I was definitely not used to. She whisked us into the room, gave Sidney a motherly hug and kiss on the cheek as he went back to the locker room before the game started, and shoved a glass of white wine into my unsuspecting hand. I'd just  stared at it. Was I technically on the job?

She had laughed with a wink at my apparent inner turmoil and clinked her glass to mine, telling me to drink up. I followed suit and she began to rattle off facts about the team- her husband was practically Penguins royalty, having played and dominated in the 90s. This was news to me, but I guess that explains why Mario Lemieux seemed to be so important to Sidney and this organization.

The game had started ten minutes ago, and the Penguins seemed to be on fire- at least, to my untrained eyes. But my sentiments were confirmed with Justin's cheering and the scoreboard which read 2-0, in favor of our team.

Sidney and Justin had both mentioned that the team was on a losing streak, but I never would have been able to tell. Sidney had been a bullet right off the bat, scoring one breakaway goal, as Justin called it, and assisting Geno in the second, which was scored about thirty seconds ago and had the entire arena on their feet. Including Justin, who had disregarded his wheelchair completely.

"Hey, you've gotta stay in the wheelchair, kiddo. You don't want me already losing my job, do you? Because if you get hurt while I'm supposed to be watching you, that's what's going to happen." I reprimand him with narrowed eyes.

He ignores my concern and instead claps his hands excitedly. "Did you see that?"

"It would have been hard to miss, they're still showing it." I point up to the giant screen in the center of the arena, where Geno's goal was playing.

Justin's excitement is causing him to do some kind of happy dance as he stands in front of his wheelchair and presses his hands right up against the railing to the box.

"Justin, please, buddy, can you sit down? See, the excitement's over. Back to boring hockey now."

He turns around and actually sticks his tongue out at me. "There's no such thing as boring hockey, Dr. Elliot. And I don't even need this chair."

"I know you don't think you do but I'm about to have a heart attack over here watching you jump around like that." I internally curse that Nathalie had chosen this moment to go to the restroom. Her gentle but commanding presence might have been enough to persuade him to take his seat and calm down a bit.

"Really, Dr. Elliot. I'm fine! See?" And with that, he's darting across the room in circles to prove his point.

"Justin!" I shoot out of my seat, figuring that maybe my only option now is to bribe him back into his chair. "You're going to get hurt, J. We can get you ice cream on the way back if you come back here and sit down." I'm really pleading at this point, but I can see this erratic behavior of his ending very, very badly.