Two of his teammates skated over to help him off the ice, their faces a mixture of disappointment and sympathy. Ward’s emotions remained between confusion and defeat while he struggled to comprehend what had just happened.
As he limped off, he felt the mood of the crowd shift from hopeful anticipation to stunned silence. Could almost feel the disappointment emanating from the stands, and he knew that the Panthers’ chances of winning were done for. He glanced at the scoreboard and his heart sank even further. He had let his team down, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Ward gingerly made his way toward the locker room aided by the medical trainers, barely aware of their words of comfort and sympathy as he replayed the events in his mind. He had been so close; he had seen the goal, had felt it within his grasp …
When they finally reached the locker room, he undressed and removed his equipment, wincing as he tried to put weight on his injured knee. He slowly made his way to the trainer’s table and sat down, grimacing afresh as the medic examined him.
‘It’s not good, man,’ he said. ‘It looks like you’ve torn your ACL. We’ll have to get you to the hospital right away for surgery.’
Ward nodded numbly, his heart sinking as the realization of what had just happened truly began to sink in. He had been so close to making that winning shot.
But it was too late. He had let his team down, and he had let himself down. He’d been presented with one chance to prove himself, one chance to show the world that he still had what it took to compete at the highest level, and he had failed.
Story of his life.
*
‘So how’s rehab coming along?’
Ward’s jaw muscles tightened. His agent wasnotgoing to be happy about what he had to say.
‘There’s been a bit of a … setback,’ he admitted.
Bernie Pitwell stared at Ward’s leg, his eyes even more enlarged by the thick-lens glasses he wore. ‘You’re kidding me?! What happened?’
‘Think I came off the crutches too early. Knee went weak and I took a tumble. Nothing too serious; just an unexpected setback, that’s all.’
‘I see,’ the agent murmured, looking distinctly uncomfortable. ‘But that’s not good, man, not good at all.’
‘You’re telling me.’
Twelve weeks since the injury and he was still reliving that godawful game almost every waking moment. Hell, not even every waking moment. He’d dreamed about it again last night, and it was so real, it was as if it was happening all over again. But no matter how much Ward hoped the dream would change, it always ended the same way.
Failure.
Bernie sat forward. ‘OK, I came here today to run something by you, but now with this … additional development, I don’t think there’s a choice involved. ‘Management’s … not thrilled.’
‘I’m not thrilled either, Bernie. But I didn’t ask for a busted knee to keep me off the team for three months.’
And possibly more now, thanks to that goddamned fall.
‘It’s not just your absence – it’s what’s been going on during that absence too. The board is … concerned.’
Ward sat forward, his eyes wary.
‘Bernie, if there’s one thing you and I both agree on it’s that you never have to toss me a rainbow when you want to give me a hand grenade. There is nobody out there truly concerned about Ward McKenzie – other than you and Coach Lewis.’
‘About your reputation, I mean.’
‘My reputation? I’ve been sitting on the sidelines, bored out of my mind. OK, so I admit I might’ve been going a little overboard on some fun stuff, but it’s no big deal.’
Bernie looked pained when he said, ‘Like that time you had Johnny push you in a wheelchair through Times Square at three in the morning, the two of you half-naked and pumped up on booze and painkillers?’
Ward burst out laughing at the memory of that wild night. ‘He was Forrest and I was Lieutenant Dan.’
‘Doesn’t matter. You can’t do that stuff, make fun of disabled people, I mean.’
‘What the hell, Bernie?’ he said, incredulous. ‘They’re characters … from amovie. What, so even made-up people are getting offended now? And hey, I was using that chair for a while too, andI’mnot getting all up on my high horse about it.’
