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When I reached the metal doors that blocked off our treatment area from the rest of the world, I half expected it to be empty inside. Instead, Anthony was in the main room, but the chairs were still set up, and he had an armload of physio bands.
"Tanner!" he greeted me.
"Hey, man," I said. "Doc around?"
"Yep, just kicked out a patient." Then he raised his voice. "Hey, Doc!"
"In here!" Doc Stephens called back.
So I slapped Anthony on the arm and headed that way. When I ducked around the corner, I found the head of sports medicine packing away all of his tools into crates. Not boxes, but actual plastic-type crates for hauling it all across the country.
"Pretty sure we missed your call," I said by way of greeting.
He looked up, then smiled. "Yes and no," he admitted. "I got two of you, then had some Monday-morning patients show up. You boys always manage to bang yourselves up on the weekend. Almost like this sport might be hazardous or something."
"Or something," I agreed. "So, is this a close the door and break the bad news moment?"
"You're clean," he promised.
"And Cody?" I asked.
He gave me a weary look. "You know I can't tell you that."
"I'm just hoping her last boyfriend - I mean before Ty - didn't give her something."
"What?" Doc asked.
"The guy fucked her over bad," I started to explain, but Doc waved me off.
"No, I know about that. What do you mean about Ty?"
"Oh." So I dropped into the closest chair. "Yeah..."
Which was when Anthony poked his head in. "Doc, you ready for me to - " Then he paused. "Sorry, Tanner."
"No, you're good," I assured him.
"I was going to start packing the icing chairs," Anthony explained.
"Yeah, I think we're good," Doc assured him.
So I kept going, because I didn't honestly care if Anthony heard about our drama. I trusted the guy. He'd kept my secret this long, so I had no doubts about him doing the same for Cody and J.D.
"Cody dumped Ty," I said.
Which made Anthony not just pause, but bend his back as he reversed to make sure he'd heard that right. "What? Cody and..."
"Ty, and J.D.," I told him. "I mean, Ty was doing a good job of picking up Cody when Austin tried to tell everyone I was gay. She got it in her head to be my beard. I convinced her we work. J.D. convinced me he might even be serious. And to top it all off, those two are circling each other like soulmates destined to collide."
Anthony just bobbed his head a few times. "Well, damn. Good for Cody."
"And Tanner," Doc added.
"Well, yeah," Anthony said. "But we all know Tanner's a stud. He just forgets that himself. I mean, girls go crazy for adrenaline junkies, right?"
I gave him a tired look. "No, I'm not asking you out, Anthony. I have a boyfriend and a girlfriend."
Which made my friend roar out a laugh. "Yeah, that's kinda what I needed, man."
