“Don’t jinx me. I still have another year.”
“You’ll survive. You were one of the smartest student assistants Bradley ever had.”
I laugh softly. “That feels like a stretch.”
“It isn’t.”
Warmth spreads through my chest at the praise. Seth was one of the first medical professionals who ever treated me like Igenuinely belonged in this field instead of just being a ranch girl with good grades.
“How was the drive?” he asks.
“Easy. Pretty. I missed Wyoming.”
“That’ll happen.” He motions deeper into the clinic. “C’mon. Let me show you around before the circus starts in two days.”
I follow him down the hallway, already impressed.
The clinic is far nicer than I expected for a rodeo academy.
Everything smells new. Fresh paint. Clean floors. Untouched equipment.
“This is our admin area,” Seth explains. “We’ll have to handle some charting and intake paperwork for insurance and academy records.”
The desk area is sleek and functional with two computer stations and plenty of storage. Beyond that is a surprisingly spacious central treatment area.
My eyes widen slightly. “Wow.”
“Yeah,” Seth says proudly. “Bryce didn’t half-ass this project.”
Apparently not.
We move through the facility as he points out everything. His desk sits to the right with a folding wall separating it from an exam room to the left, where he’ll perform evaluations and minor procedures. Across from it, behind lead-lined partition walls, is a compact X-ray room.
Then he takes me toward the back. “This’ll mostly be your domain.”
I step into the PT section and start mentally cataloging equipment.
One traction table.
Two TENS units.
Ultrasound machine.
Storage shelves packed with resistance bands, foam rollers, kinesiology tape, wraps, balance discs, and stability balls.
Not huge.
But functional.
Honestly? Better equipped than some outpatient clinics I’ve shadowed.
“There ain’t a ton of room,” Seth says, leaning against the doorway, “but we figured we’ll expand later if the program grows.”
“It’s perfect.”
And it is.
The space feels intentional. Practical. Built by people who actually asked what sports medicine professionals needed.
