by Kris Bryant
“Come here, baby girl.” I hold my hands out to her. She isn’t interested in me and starts crying immediately. “I know exactly how you feel.” I take her anyway and hold her close until she gets comfortable. Thankfully, there are tons of bright colors in this room that are designed to get attention and she stops crying. Our thirty minutes are over in no time and I give her parents a list of things to try with her at home.
Parents generally react one of two ways. They are either eternally grateful to you, or they like to place blame. Most of Elite’s patients are thankful for the therapy and understand that it takes time. We’ve only had a few parents and patients who struggle with not being healed after one or two visits. This is why I got out of sports therapy. Athletes are worse than babies, although Stone has been very agreeable. I should check on her. I say goodbye to Ava and her parents and make my way to the big workout room. I don’t go in, but I watch from the observatory window above the gym. I smile when I see Stone. Gloria has her on leg weights and I know Stone is giving it her all. She’s adding extra reps to her sets when Gloria isn’t paying attention. I don’t blame her. She’s been good for so long. As soon as she is strong enough, I think Gloria should put her out on the ice.
I purposely leave early so I won’t have to face Stone. It’s completely childish, but I need to make a clean break from her. She did leave a voice mail on my work phone about how much she enjoyed the apple pie. I never gave her my personal cell number. I always give my number to new patients, but now I’m thankful I didn’t give it to her. Stone is a very determined woman. I have a feeling that she’s not happy at being passed off and is going to want to tell me about it. It’s just a matter of time before she finds me. I’d rather it not be today.
I head to the condo to finish packing up. I have entirely too many boxes that will take me several trips. I want to make the transition as painless as possible, which means being discreet in getting boxes out of the condo. A few boxes here and there shouldn’t draw too much attention. I make one trip down to the car without running into a single person. I only run into one neighbor on my second trip down who asks if I’m taking things to the thrift store. I smile at her. She’s a huge gossip hound in the building. The sooner I’m out of here, the better.
I’m able to get all of my work, summer, and winter clothes in the car and head to the rental. The utilities are already on. I pull up to it and smile. It’s really a cute house, close to absolutely nothing other than a school, a library, and a ton of families. I’m probably the only single person on my block. I put the boxes in the extra bedroom and plan to unpack them later. I did pick up a set of dishes and a coffee maker. Really, as long as I have clothes and coffee, I’m set. Tomorrow, I will do a change of address with the post office. No biggie. Starting over is hard. It is terrifying and, sadly, exciting.
Chapter Fourteen
“So far, so good,” Gloria says to me. It’s officially the start of the fund-raiser and everything is in full swing. The entire back parking lot is roped off to make room for the booths and games. At first, I was hurt that Gloria didn’t give me more responsibilities, but now I’m grateful. I couldn’t imagine being responsible for anything other than pouring juice and handing out waters right now. We have great weather tonight. I’m wearing a long skirt, boots, and a thin sweater. Once the sun disappears, the evening will turn cool, but now, the warmth feels great.
“Stone Orchard donated several jugs of cider that we can warm up when it gets cooler,” Gloria says.
I turn to her. “Really? That’s great. Their cider is fantastic.” Gloria looks at me. “I picked up apples and some cider the other week. The apple pie I made you? Yeah, Stone’s apples. Well, you know what I mean.” I blush and she smiles at me. “It is truly platonic. I just don’t want to make it uncomfortable.”
“She’s doing remarkably well. I don’t regret putting the two of you together. You’ve been great for her and she has a lot of respect for you. I think this injury really scared her and put things into perspective. Hockey isn’t going to last forever. Hopefully, this injury heals one hundred percent and she’s able to play for a few more years.”
“Thanks, Gloria. Okay, go mingle and gather up donations. I’ve got this table.” I hand her a cup of pineapple juice, which she sips and promptly hands back to me.
“This is missing something. Oh, I know. Rum.” She walks off, shaking her head at me.
“I promise to add it after hours,” I say. She gives me two thumbs up.
“Hey, Hayley. This is my boyfriend, Cole.” Tina clings to a nice looking, albeit bored hipster guy holding a soft pretzel.
“Hi, Cole. Nice to meet you.” I wrack my brain to see if Tina has ever mentioned him before. I draw a blank. “Can I get you anything non-alcoholic to drink?” I feel like I have to preface that for him or else there will be a drawn out back and forth about what adult beverage he can have here.
“Am I going to meet Alison tonight?” Tina looks so hopeful and excited.
“Well, actually we broke up last weekend.”
Tina looks stunned. “Oh, no, Hayley. I’m so sorry. What happened?”
I wave her off like the last three years of my life didn’t exist. “It just wasn’t the right thing for either of us.”
She hugs me because that’s the kind of person she is. “If you think it was the best thing for you, then I believe you. If you need anything, please let me know, okay?”
I nod. I feel like I could cry, but I manage to keep it together. I hand both of them some punch to keep busy.
“Miss Hayley. Hi.” Alaina comes over and gives me a big hug. Saved by a child.
Desiree is right behind Alaina and we make small talk about the fund-raiser. Tina and Cole say goodbye and leave. I breathe a sigh of relief. I thought for sure the whole office knew by now.
Desiree shoos me away to get food at their booth while she and Alaina handle passing out the drinks. I gladly accept a plate of chicken fingers, fries, and slaw. Not healthy by any means, but scrumptious. Right now, I’m all about tasty. I head back to my table, but stop when I see Stone and two of her friends getting punch. She is laughing with Desiree about something and turns her head when she catches a glimpse of me. I freeze. I hear her stutter for a second, then she turns her attention back to her friends. I have no choice but to head her way.
“Doc. Good to see you again.” To the untrained eye, she’s cordial and friendly, but her smile doesn’t reach her eyes. I know she’s mad at me. Her body language is brimming with anger.
“Stone. Looks like you’re getting around quite well.” I resume my spot behind the table.
“Yeah, Gloria has been great to work with.” She stresses Gloria’s name. Ouch. That hurt, but completely understandable. She’s upset. I get it.
“She really is.” Our conversation is strained. “You look good. I see you’re in your final brace.” Stone is wearing jeans with just enough of a flare to cover the brace. Her shirt is untucked and fitted. The first two buttons are open, revealing a smooth neck. I smile.
“I am. Listening to your physical therapist pays off.” Stone looks down at the smaller brace. “Meet Kensie and Emily. They are Gray Wolves, too. This is Hayley. She was my first therapist.” The girls are friendly. I’m sure they don’t feel the tension between us.
“So you’re going to get Stone ready for the season, huh?” Emily asks.
“Well, Elite is. I started her and the owner of Elite is going to finish. Stone’s going to be back on the ice in no time,” I say.
“We need her. Practice has already started and the whole team is off. We need our captain,” Kensie says. Emily nods. These girls idolize Stone.
“Stop. I’ll be back at practice sooner than you think,” Stone says. “Then you’ll wish that I was back at PT instead of chasing the both of you out on the rink.”
As enjoyable as it is to see Stone with her teammates, I have to get back to serving. There is now a line forming. “It’s nice to see you again. Don’t
She does the head nod thing to me and walks away. Cold. I push her out of my mind and get back to playing drink hostess. Her presence here is in the forefront of my mind though. I know where she is, who she talks to, and even what she eats.
“Hey, I’m here to relieve you. Go have fun. Hang out with your patients,” Matt says.
I’ve been at the table for two hours and I’m bored. Most people are done eating and they’ve hit the cotton candy and candied apple stage of the evening. Only a few new people are trickling in. We usually shut down by ten and spend about an additional hour cleaning up. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to sleep in. My furniture is arriving sometime between eight and ten tomorrow. Then, I have one final trip to the condo and then I’m done. That part of my life will be officially over. I hope Alison stays away until Sunday because I really don’t want to run into her.
“Hayley, can I talk to you for a minute?” Stone is suddenly by my side. I shiver. My guard is down and I nod. “Is there anywhere we can go?” This is a mistake.
“We can go inside if you want,” I say. The clinic is open for the bathrooms only. Everything else is locked down. Luckily, I have keys. I know I shouldn’t do this. “Are you cold?”
“No. The air feels good.” Stone’s body is always warm. I can feel her body heat behind me as I unlock my office door. I automatically move to sit behind my desk, then change my mind and sit on the couch, next to Stone.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“Look, I’m sorry for being a jerk back there. I thought you dumped me as a patient because of something I did or said,” she says.
Well, that’s unexpected. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I should have explained that I was going to have to turn you over to another therapist.”
“I heard about what happened with Alison. I’m really sorry. I had no idea you were going through so much.” A very sincere Stone is also a dangerous one. Those blue eyes bore right through me. I look away.
“It’s something I had to do for myself. I know I waited too long, but I just couldn’t go through with it. Alison found the invitations in the back of my car. I never mailed them out, so it’s not as if it was going to happen anyway.” Stone looks stunned, but quickly masks it.
“I don’t know you that well, but you never seemed really excited about the wedding. I think you did the right thing. With so much going on in your personal life, I understand why you had to release some of your patients. I just wish it wasn’t me,” she says.
I don’t correct her. It’s better that she doesn’t know the real reason. “Thanks. I appreciate it. How’s Gloria doing?” Stone shrugs her shoulders.
“I just have to tell myself that she’s going to do as good a job as you would,” she says.
“Hey, she taught me everything I know. Or almost everything. She’s really good. I trust her with you.” I just don’t trust myself with you, I silently add. Stone leans back against the couch. “Put your leg up on the table. You’ve probably been on it too long.” She puts it up. “Do you want some ice?”
“Sure. If you have some around here,” she says. I head to the examination room next door and find an ice pack in the freezer. I convince myself that this is all purely professional and I’m just helping out my former patient, but I can’t help but think things are different between us. The angst is gone, her walls have been knocked down, and we’re just two women hanging out on a Friday night, talking. I hand her the ice pack and sit back on the couch, this time a little bit closer to her. “Although, I have to say Gloria’s deep tissue I’m-going-to-break-your-leg-again massages just don’t pack the same punch that yours do.”
I laugh. “Remember when you hated them? When you squeezed out a few tears?”
She reaches out and playfully smacks my hand. “Stop. I’ve only cried once around you. That was when I first met you and I didn’t think I was going to play hockey again. Now I’m ready to get back on the ice. Or at least I think I am.” I shake my head at her. “Or close to being ready.” I nod.
“Crying isn’t a sign of weakness, especially in therapy. It’s a sign of strength. I’m not just saying that. I’ve seen a ton of tears in my life. From athletes twice your size, and from children half your size. I’m just happy to be part of it all.”
“Do you work with the kids from The Dream Maker organization? Because that has to be the hardest thing ever. I can’t even imagine,” she says.
“I did when I was getting certified. And yes, it was heartbreaking. Nobody likes to see children hurt, especially if you know there is a very little chance they will survive. Elite is geared more toward children who don’t have critical injuries or illnesses.” I lean back on the couch, too, and put my feet up on the table next to Stone’s. “So even though they are hurt when they arrive, there’s a one hundred percent chance that they will leave in better condition.”
“And all I do is play hockey,” Stone says.
“Stop. Don’t even compare. We both have different lives. Think of how many kids love you. You’re a hero to so many young and old athletes. We both do good things for kids. Plus, according to you and every other lesbian on Earth, hockey is the coolest thing ever.” We both laugh at that.
“So will you come to one of my games when I’m all healed up?” she asks. I already know that I will, whether she knows it or not. I nod. “Actually, I’d like to bring the kids, the ones I’ve been sharing PT time with, to the rink. For a practice and maybe a game. I mean, if they are into it.”
I smile. “That’s great. The kids would really like it. You have a great heart, Stone, even though you pretend to be so tough.”
Her smile couldn’t be any bigger. “Now, don’t go giving my secret away. I have a reputation to protect.” I roll my eyes at her. She reaches out and holds my hand. “Seriously, thank you for all that you’ve done.” I feel my stomach quiver. Her touch is so warm and soft.
“Stone. Please.” She continues to hold my hand and softly run her thumb across the back of my knuckles. We sit there for a few minutes in silence, holding hands. I know this is wrong. I know this isn’t supposed to happen. I should pull away from her, but I don’t want to. Stone grounds me. She’s gives me strength when I have none. I know it’s because my world feels like it’s crashing around me. Regretfully, I pull my hand away. Neither of us move or speak for several seconds. “We should go back out there.” I break the silence and stand. “How’s your ankle?” I lean over her to lift the ice pack when I feel her fingers on my sweater.
I look down, then at her. She is two inches from my face. I gasp at her nearness and moan when her lips touch mine. She isn’t gentle when she kisses me. I feel her warm hand on the back of my head, holding me close to her while her lips claim mine possessively. Her tongue is warm and feels soft like velvet. I count to three and force myself to end the kiss. “No, Stone. We can’t.”
“Why not?” It’s a question that even I have. She is still a patient of Elite. I can’t make this personal. I need to stop this before it gets out of hand.
“We just…can’t.” I move away from her, away from her grasp, and head for the door. “Please don’t make this any more difficult.” She straightens her clothes and, when she is next to me, she lifts my chin up so that our eyes lock.
“We aren’t done here.” She looks down at my lips, then back up to my eyes. “We aren’t even close to being done.”
Chapter Fifteen
“She did what?” When Gloria called me into her office this afternoon, I thought it was because she was giving me a final count on donations. The turnout on Friday was great. Almost double what we had last year, and last year was the biggest yet.
“She discharged herself from Elite. Said she was good to go and appreciated all that we did for her the past several weeks.” Gloria hands me the letter Stone wrote. I glance at it and tune Gloria out because I’m fuming. Stone isn’t ready. She still needs at least a week of intense PT, especially this close to the end. “She promised she would do all of the exercises and stretches that she learned. She even said she was going to continue the water therapy because it made her feel in control again.”
I shouldn’t care so much, but I do. I can’t let Gloria know that, so I play like it doesn’t bother me. “Well, I think it’s a mistake, but Stone is an adult and she can make up her own mind. She’s very disciplined and I trust she will do the right thing.” I’m angry at her. I want Stone to be better than she was before, but by quitting now, she risks learning bad habits and not giving her leg the right amount of rest. Gloria is gauging my reaction. I try to look nonplussed instead of angry.
“I think she might be back at her place now. She doesn’t need her crutches anymore. I have to admit, her progress is remarkable. I made a mistake by telling her we were going to get her on the ice this week. She probably took that as the go-ahead to start playing hockey.” She shakes her head.
“This is one of the reasons why I stopped treating athletes. They are stubborn and won’t listen to reason,” I say. It’s not Gloria’s fault. This is one hundred percent Stone’s doing. “Don’t take her actions to heart though. You did everything right.”
“Her parents are going to kill me. I’ve known that girl for years,” she says.
“Her parents know what she’s like. Don’t beat yourself up about it, okay? Hey, let’s talk about something else. How did we do Friday? Did we raise a ton of money? I’m positive that we had a lot more traffic.”
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