AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Isn’t that my line?”
“You don’t have the monopoly on listening.”
My siblings stared back at me in waiting silence. An intervention? This was intense even for this lot. If it had got to the point that they felt the need for something so dramatic, then I owed them honesty. I talked to people about mental health for a living, but even I could admit I preferred not to burden my family with my problems. I sighed and cleared my throat. “I should have been here. I keep thinking about how long Mum was lying on that floor on her own.”
Instead, I’d been wasting my time fighting to patch things up with Megan, and I’d let my whole family down.
Frankie watched me with shrewd eyes. “This is basic self-care, Reece. You’re being unfair to yourself. You know all this. You can’t pour from an empty cup. Isn’t that what you tell your patients?”
Miri took a sip of water. “When did you last take time off? Can’t you take a sabbatical? Add some more letters to that alphabet soup after your name?”
I turned my face to the window. If I took a break, I’d return to more work. And it wouldn’t be fair to my patients. They relied on me. Still, Frankie was right. I’d been emptying my cup for so long, there wasn’t anything left to pour. I needed a break, whether I wanted to admit it or not.
I arranged my silverware in a neat line. “I need to do something. I’ll be bored out of my brain.”
Gabe chirped up from across the table. “What about a change? That’s as good as a rest.”
“A new hospital will be all the same problems in a different place.”
“Then why not do something different with your skills? We could use you at the football club,” Gabe said.
For a moment I was too startled by the suggestion to reply.
“You want me to play football?”
“You? Play football?” Gabe chuckled darkly. “Not as a player, as a psychologist. The girls have been stressed lately. The next couple of games will decide whether we earn promotion. You could do some coaching. Get them into the right mindset. All the top teams have sports psychologists. I’ve been thinking about bringing someone in for a while.”
Miri shot Gabe an impressed glance. “That’s actually a great idea.”
Gabe raised a smug eyebrow and squeezed her hand. “I’m not just a pretty face, my love.”
Miri smiled and returned her attention to me. “You should think about it. Mindset is everything in football at this level. You have skills we can put to use. It won’t be the same pressure as the hospital. You might enjoy it.”
Frankie nudged me in the ribs. “Sounds like a cushy gig to me.”
My hands felt clammy around my fork. It was a big change. I’d always worked in hospitals. Besides, I’d been packed shoulder to shoulder in that rowdy stadium before, and it wasn’t my cup of tea. Too many people. Too chaotic. The team always struck me as a rabble. Would they be receptive to this kind of thing?
Elliot scoffed. “You want Reece to do sports psychology? He doesn’t even understand the offside rule.”
Technically, that was unfair. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand it. I just didn’t care enough to understand it. As nice as it was that my family wanted to help me, this idea was a hard pass. Now, I had to get them to move on.
“I help people in distress. Sports psychology is not my area of expertise.” I smoothed a hand over the tablecloth and kept my tone light. “I find my attention span is limited with sports. I prefer more intellectual pursuits.”
Elliot balled up his napkin and threw it at me. “My attention span is limited when I have to listen to your voice.”
“I’m sure you’ll have something to offer,” Miri said.
Nope. How long would we have to go down this road before they gave up? They’d obviously been scheming. This was going to be a long evening, but I wouldn’t back down. Boundaries were important, and unfortunately, my family always delighted in trampling over mine.
Miri rested her hands on her huge belly. “A few of the girls have been getting nervous lately about taking penalties. Even Skylar seems off. If the pressure is getting to the captain, then it’s getting to everyone.” Miri’s lips puckered thoughtfully. “I swear, something weird is going on with Skylar. It would be good if she had someone to talk to… if all the girls had someone to talk to.”
Skylar Marshall.
A curious warmth filled my chest. We hadn’t spoken since school, but I’d crushed on her hard throughout my teenage years. Not that she’d known I was alive. Sean Wallace and Skylar Marshall had ruled the school, and I was the kid eating lunch with the librarian.
I tried to keep my voice from appearing unduly interested. “What do you mean something’s wrong with Skylar?”
“I don’t know. She doesn’t have her head in the game.” Miri studied the chili on her fork before wrinkling her nose and pushing her plate away. “Weren’t the two of you in the same year at school?”
