Hero {Brendan Gallagher}

17 - Christmas Gifts

Brendan grew more and more antsy as he went through the rehabilitation process for his fingers. He longed to get back out on the ice, and the determination I saw in his eyes was apparent. Despite being injured, Brendan and I went to the games. He mingled with his fans, scribbled some notes about the team's play, and talked with the other injured or scratched players.

The Winter Classic loomed, just one week away.

"Stel!!" I heard Brendan shout as soon as the door to the apartment slammed shut. I grinned to myself as he thundered up the steps to the bedroom. The door flew open and Brendan appeared, an excited gleam in his baby blue eyes.

"Yes, babe?" I questioned, tilting my head to the side. Brendan mimicked me before putting his head back upright and smiling from ear to ear.

"I'm cleared, Stels. Doc cleared me to play!" he yelled, bounding over the bed and flopping down. He popped his head up, reminding me of a puppy ready to play.

"Oh my god, you weren't supposed to get cleared for another two weeks!" I exclaimed as my eyes widened.

"I know! All the hard work paid off," he signed, smiling at me. "Thanks for being my rock, babe."

"Shh, it was all you," I brushed him off, reaching out to grab his hand. He interlaced his fingers with mine and violently shook his head. I giggled at him before he could manage a reply.

"But it wasn't all me. I really couldn't have bounced back so quickly if I didn't have you to push me," he told me, bringing the back of my hand to his lips. "Thank you."

My heart melted into a puddle, but then quickly reformed and leaped into my throat.

"Holy shit. You know what this means, Bren?" I questioned, my eyes going wide once again. He gave a knowing smirk as scooted closer to him.

"Winter Classic?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Winter Classic!!" I squealed, pushing myself off of the bed and dancing around the room. I was more happy for him than for myself. Playing in the Winter Classic is something that I know Brendan had been looking forward to since the day I met him back in that bar.

"Back your bags, baby girl. We're going to Boston."

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Two days after we received our gift of Brendan being able to play in the Winter Classic, it was Christmas. Just like two small children, Bren and I were up and out of bed by eight in the morning. We raced each other to the tree and quickly separated out our gifts between the two of us.

"You go first," he said with a grin. I glanced up at him before eagerly tearing into the biggest box.

"Jesus, Bren, did you triple wrap this thing?" I questioned as I struggled with the wrapping paper. He let out an airy laugh.

"Maybe."

I wrestled with the box for another moment or two before finally revealing a box that held hockey skates. I felt my smile stretch onto my face.

"How'd you know?"

"You've only talked about getting your own pair for a month or two now," Brendan responded sarcastically.

"Shut up. Thank you. Now it's your turn!"

He reached out and grabbed the biggest box. He didn't experience the same wrapping paper struggle as I did, and the gift was open within seconds. He had mentioned needing a new pair of dress shoes, and that's exactly what he got from me.