They hadn’t had much interaction last season, but now that they were, Ramsey was beginning to see that for himself.
“Listen, at the end of the day, we want you to play hockey. We want you to play forus, and we want you to do it for a long time,” Rossbury said, with the air of a man who felt totally comfortable laying all his chips on the table.
Ramsey, who’d been trying to keep Nate and his inevitable geographical presence in Toronto a non-consideration during any of this, listened and didn’t think the GM was lying.
He wanted Ramsey to play hockey for Buffalo. For alongtime.
And barring whatever he and Nate were doing—it was still so new it was hard to even put a name on it, to put feelings to it, though that seemed to be happening no matter how Ramsey grappled for the brakes—that was what Ramsey wanted too.
There was no reason tonotsay it. “That’s what I want too.”
It was all he’d wanted for so fucking long, it seemed ludicrous to prevaricate because of Nate. But no matter how ridiculous it was, there was a split second where Ramsey wanted to.
If Wes was here, he’d be making concerned faces at Ramsey from across the room. Overlaying his own past nightmare onto Ramsey and Nate. But then, that wasanotherreason he’d made sure to take this call when Wes could not possibly overhear it.
“Good.” Rossbury nodded, expression full of pleased certainty. “I’m glad we’re on the same page. I know you’re not interested in going to Syracuse—”
“I’m not,” Ramsey said.
But Rossbury just chuckled. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised when I inherit a genius and then he tries to outsmart me. Or out-stubborn me.”
Ramsey supposed he could argue with that, but he wasn’t going to. Why would he? The guysawhim. There was nothing to do but embrace it.
Wes had always told him that someday change would come and he’d be forced to make considerations and space for that change.
“You shouldn’t be,” Barty said, laughing too, now.
“Let’s ramp up your drills. Your on-ice conditioning. I’m going to have our staff send over more instructions to your PT. I wouldn’t normally put more on someone without the experience, but you say Marsha has the hockey knowledge. She’ll do. And then in a month, we’ll bring you to Buffalo. Put you in a non-contact jersey. Try you out in a few practices. See how it goes.”
Ramsey saw the challenge for what it was.Prove it to me,Brock Rossbury was saying,and you can have everything you want.
Ramsey had never been given that chance andnotgotten everything he’d wanted, and he wasn’t about to start now.
“That sounds good to me.”
Rossbury nodded, looking pleased.
Ramsey should be pleased too. And hewas. This was everything he’d wanted. But there was still that stray thought. The one he kept banishing that kept coming back around, anyway.
He knew this plan would give him more time around the Leafs’ staff. Giving them an opportunity to scout him without ever letting Rossbury in on the vague possibility that kept haunting his brain. The vague possibility that kept telling him,you should stay here, in Toronto. For Nate.
It was insane, which was why Ramsey kept dismissing it. He’d never shaped his life around a man, certainly not a relationship, and he wasn’t going to start now. But if this plan of Rossbury’s gave him options, then who was Ramsey to turn his nose up at them?
That was not something Ramsey hadeverdone.
“I’ll have them send a new package over, in the next day or so,” Rossbury said. “You having any trouble getting ice time? Do I need to talk to the Leafs’ GM?”
Ramsey shook his head. “Nope, they’ve been great.”
“Good. Good. I wasn’t sure about you doing this rehab in Toronto but it’s worked out great. Obviously the GyroStim was there, but I think being around a good friend helped too.”
Normally, Ramsey might’ve dismissed this as ridiculous sentimentality, but being around Weshadhelped. Being around Nate, also, but then Rossbury didn’t even know ofhisexistence.
At least not yet.
Ramsey shoved that thought away,again.
“I agree,” Ramsey said.
