I would if he would leave me alone!And why did Angie get the feeling Celia sawheras the troublemaker in this scenario?
“Guess I’d better be moving along so you can take care of that report.”Trevor didn’t even have the decency to look guilty.He and his smirk turned and walked out of the PT department, with Celia’s gaze trailing him the entire way.
When he was gone, she turned that gaze back to Angie.“You do understand we have a ‘no fraternizing’ rule here, yes?”Celia was the office manager slash receptionist.Nowhere near the top of the organizational chart, but she was well ensconced.Angie had no doubt that Celia made sureallthe rules were followed, and if she thought Angie might be breaking one, she wouldn’t hesitate to take it upstairs.
Angie crossed her arms over her chest.“Yes, ma’am.I am completely aware.I can assure you I was not fraternizing.”
One of Celia’s eyes narrowed to a slit.“Mr.Durbin is the only player I know of that you’re treating at the moment.Did Trevor indicate he is working on Mr.Durbin’s case?”
Angie’s heart threw itself against her rib cage.“He didn’t say one way or the other.”
“But you are in the process of finishing up your report on Mr.Durbin?”
Angie dared a glimpse at her blank screen and swallowed hard.“Yes, ma’am.I’ll finish up before I leave.”
Celia hmphed.“I’ll lock up on my way out.Be sure you do the same when you’re done.”
“Yes, ma’am.”Angie wasn’t sure whether to submit her resignation right now or slump with relief.
After Celia left, Angie sat staring at her screen, recreating the narrative she’d lost when she’d hit the escape key.Fingers hovering over the keyboard, she tussled with the same dilemma that had halted her the last time.How much of her suspicions about Sam’s injury should she put into the record?None.Just write your observations.Except her observations weren’t positive.Then again, it was still too early to tell.Not to mention if she was deemed to be violating privacy policies, none of what she wrote would matter because they’d can her ass and turn Sam’s treatment over to someone else who would record their own observations.
Angie sat back, her mind processing all the mistakes she’d made today.
One of those had been to give Sam hope she didn’t have the right to give.She shouldn’t have done that, but he had looked so forlorn.If anyone outside Sam’s world understood how important playing in the NHL was to him, that person was Angie.At one time, she had lived it with him, breathed it with him, and survived the devastating toll his commitment had inflicted on her.She might not like him, but her caring heart still beat beneath her resentment, and she hated to trample his dream of getting back before his season was done and dusted.He had worked his entire life for this moment, and it was about to be snatched away through no fault of his own.
In the end, she finished up with details about the length of time he’d spent hooked up to the Game Ready machine and the exercises she’d put him through.When it came to the swelling, she answered honestly.
“No change.”
Chapter 6
Elephants in the Room
Samhadbeenatit for nearly a week, and his patience was at a breaking point.Same stupid routine with the same stupid exercises every day, and little Miss Ice Princess telling him he wasn’t ready for anything more taxing yet.She refused to get it through her head that he was much stronger than she gave him credit for.The swelling had gone down, and his ankle didn’t hurt.Well, not as much anyway.
Today they were going to have some words.
He had arrived at the arena early to catch his teammates streaming off the ice after practice.They had been on their way to the showers, getting ready to hop on the charter flight that would wing them away on a four-game West Coast road trip.Without him.
Being with the boys, trading terrible jokes, and hearing them razz one another about missed shots was the best kind of medicine.He needed some of that energy.Needed to feel like he was still part of the team, even if he wasn’t contributing on the ice.He needed to know they hadn’t forgotten about him.And after spending time in the locker room taking their barbs about slacking off, he knew they hadn’t.Yeah, he still belonged.He was still part of the family.This injury was a blip on the radar.
Never mind that a phenom from their minor league affiliate was joining them on the trip.He’d been tearing it up, and Coach wanted a closer look.The kid would be replacing Toby on the fourth line, and Toby would take Sam’s place on the second.Was Sam selfish for hoping neither guy shone so brightly that the personnel shift would become permanent?
Team first, he reminded himself.But damn it!He’d worked long and hard to get here, and now he was stuck in this damn boot.Not for much longer, though.He’d show Angie he knew more about the way his body worked than she did.
He had three minutes to make it to his PT appointment on time, but his crutching skills had improved in the last six days, and he was riding a cloud after spending time with his teammates, so he wasn’t too worried.As he was making his way down the hall toward the elevators, Coach Marty LeBrun came out of his office and intercepted him.
“Hey, good to see your face, Durby.”
“Good to be seen, Coach.”
Coach pointed at his ankle.“How’s it coming?”
“Great!Real good.I’ve been keeping up with my exercises, doing everything they tell me, and the therapist and I agree I’m out of the boot after today.”
Coach’s eyebrows rose to his hairline.
Shit!Coach didn’t have to say anything to convey his disbelief.He was good at silent communication like that.Samhadembellished, but did Coach know that?Sure he would because the Ice Princess was meticulous about putting every damn note in his damn report every damn day.If the trainers were reading that shit, they were reporting it to Coach.Didn’t keep Sam from running his mouth, though, because there was a chance they weren’t reading all that closely.
