“So I want you to take a couple more weeks, then you’re to come to practice and coach with me. I want you to work with Rice and Manners, get them on the wings with Crawley. Help them see what they need to do, because I think they’re almostas talented as the pair of you were when I brought you in as rookies.”
I sat up a bit straighter. I’d already suggested it to Drew and been texting him thoughts constantly while he was away, but now his suspension was over, he’d be back on the ice for the next game, and he’d need to get used to playing without me. Something we were both nervous about.
“Really?”
He nodded.
“Thanks, Coach, I appreciate that.”
“Good. And I want you to do something else for me.” He picked up a pen and started writing on a Post-It, handing it to me when he was done. It had a cell phone number on it.
“What’s this?”
“That is the number for one of the best rehab specialists I know. Call her on your way home; tell her I’ve sent you. I want you to go and see her, as well as the guys here. I want to keep up the fast progression.”
My ever-present scowl deepened slightly. “Sure, okay. Thanks, Coach.”
“Felix.” He peered over his glasses at me again, his expression morphing back to the stern principal you didn’t mess with. “I’m trying to get her on staff here but she’s resistant. Do not fuck it up for me. And by fuck it up, I mean, making it anything less than professional. In fact, make it more professional than you’ve ever made anything in your entire fucking life. Got it?”
Yeah, I had it. Even if I wasn’t bandaged up to my balls, I wasn’t stupid enough to make a move on a potential staff member. In fact, in what had to be a record for me, sex had barely entered my brain since the accident, mainly because I’d been too preoccupied with Molly.
I shook my head, hard, stopping the battering ram of Molly shaped thoughts in their tracks, before Coop heard from somewhere in the building and hunted me down.
“Got it.”
“Good. Let me know how it goes.”
And that was my cue to leave. I lifted my leg off the chair and grabbed a crutch to balance as I pulled myself up to standing. He got up and helped me with the door, slapping me on the back as he did.
“You’re gonna be fine, Cleverly. You’ll be back in top shape for next season and annoying the fuck out of me. Don’t you worry,” he grinned.
I sighed, still not feeling quite as reassured as everyone wanted me to be. “Thanks, Coach.”
I headed out into the corridor to see Brogan and Huck walking toward me. They’d both been to visit me a couple of times, but I hadn’t seen them since they’d returned from the last away stretch. They were part of the starting line-up, and I knew my injury was taking a toll on everyone. There were no individual players on this team. Drew had told me Brogan was struggling with the amount of goals that had been scored against us, but the losses were felt by each of us. We were a unit and we stuck together.
“Hey, bud.” Brogan pulled me into a hug before Huck could. “How are you doing? You’re looking better.”
“You think?”
He nodded. “Absolutely.”
I guessed that was something, but I didn’t want to chat about my progress like it was all there was to chat about.
“Where are you two going anyway?”
Huck pointed toward where I’d just exited and seemed about as excited as a kid summoned to the Principal’s office.
“Coach wanted to see us.”
“I just came from there, he seems good.”
“Phew, I always feel like I’m about to get my ass reamed whenever I’m summoned here.”
Brogan pushed him playfully on the head. “That’s because you usually are. If you stopped fucking about so much then you wouldn’t be so worried.”
Huck smirked. “Where’s the fun in that?”
Brogan rolled his eyes then looked at me. “What are you up to later?”
