“I told him to wait for evidence.” My voice sounds steadier than I feel. “If he interpreted that as ‘fuck off,’ that’s his problem.”
“Marnie—” Barrett starts.
“Save it.” I grab my keys, suddenly desperate to get out of this room, away from the concern in everyone’s eyes. “I need to get him to imaging. We’ll deal with whatever fallout later.”
Roman catches my arm as I pass. “Let me come with you.”
“You have a game to finish.”
“I don’t care?—”
“I do.” I pull away gently. “I need to do this. Just—win the game, okay?”
The imaging takes two hours.
Two hours of Rodriguez asking scared questions while I try to project confidence I don’t have. Two hours of my phone staying mercifully silent—no calls from the hospice facility, which means Mom’s stable, which is the best I can hope for these days.
The MRI shows Grade 2 MCL sprain. No ACL involvement.
“That’s good, right?” Rodriguez asks when I explain. “No surgery?”
“Very good. You got lucky.” I help him back to the car. “But you’re still out minimum six weeks. Possibly longer depending on healing.”
“Winters is going to lose his shit.”
“Winters can lose whatever he wants. Your career matters more than his convenience.”
I drop Rodriguez at his apartment with ice and elevation instructions, then sit in my car in his parking lot and let myself fall apart.
What did I just do?
I called out a man with years of seniority in front of the captain, coach, and an injured player. Told him he’s been doing his job wrong. Made myself his enemy when I’m already stretched too thin, when Mom is dying, when I can barely hold myself together on a good day.
I pull out my phone to call Roman and see he’s already texted me.
Roman
How are you?
How am I? I’m exhausted. I’m terrified. I just torpedoed my career and I don’t even regret it because Rodriguez deserves better than being taped up and shoved on a plane two days after a knee injury.
Exhausted. But okay.
Roman
You were incredible tonight.
I was stupid. Winters is going to make me pay for that.
Roman
Let him try.
I wish I could have the same certainty Roman has, thinking he can protect me from this. Thinking he can fix it with his captaincy and his connections and his stubborn refusal to let anyone he loves get hurt.
Roman
You did the right thing. Rodriguez’s career vs Winters’ ego? Not even a choice.
