“So I’m told.”
She narrowed her dark eyes.“High ankle sprain.Yes or no, Mr.Durbin?”
He swallowed.“Yes, ma’am.”
“And you got this from a fall?”
Christ, she made it sound like he’d tripped over a curb or fallen off a step stool.“I collided with another player in last night’s game, and my skate blade got wedged in the boards.He landed on top of me and put more stress on the joint.”Didn’t they already have the trainer’s report that spelled out the incident?
Without another word, she handed him a clipboard with a stack of forms.“Look these over and sign, please.Meanwhile, I’ll let your therapist know you’re here.”
He stared at the woman for a beat, trying to decide whether to ask if his therapist was “the blond one” but thought better of it.No need to put extra fuel on the woman’s hostility fire.When his gaze scoured her chest for a name tag, he was met by a death glare.
Not checking you out, lady.
“Uh, will it be the same therapist through my entire rehab?”he asked, sounding stupid even to his own ears.
The pleats between the woman’s brows deepened.“That’s generally how it works.Don’t tell me you’ve never been to a physical therapist, Mr.Durbin.”
“No, this is my first time.”
“Well, aren’t you the lucky one.”
He let out a mirthless chuckle.“Not really.There’s a chance I won’t be able to play in the postseason.”Though he was going to do his damnedest to get himself back out there.Now if only the team stayed in the hunt …
“We all have our crosses to bear.”
Seriously?After knocking around in the AHL, up and down, back and forth, Sam had finally landed his once-in-a-lifetime chance at the beginning of the season with the big club—the Colorado Blizzard.This injury setback wasn’t simply a “cross to bear.”It could mean the difference between being a regular NHL player or languishing in the minors for the rest of his career.Did this lady’s callousness reflect everyone’s attitude here, or did Attila the Bun have a corner on the market?
She lifted her pointy chin at the paperwork.“Any day now.You’ve already put us a few minutes behind.”
Christ, this fun and games just got better and better every fucking minute.
He riffled through the documents without really reading them, found the lines with theXbeside them, and scrawled his name the same way he signed autographs—not that he gotthatmuch practice at signing fans’ memorabilia.Not like the A-listers on their team—the guys whose numbers and names were on thousands of fans’ jerseys.
With a sigh, he tossed the pen down and shoved the clipboard at the woman.
“Follow me,” she ordered.
He crutched after her as she rounded the wall behind the counter.It opened onto an expansive space that held a row of tables, a tall rack of colorful therapy balls, and various stations with machines that resembled the ones in the team weight room.
A few of the tables were occupied, and guys dressed like Attila stood beside them, talking to their patients or guiding their limbs through some kind of motion.The tables all had privacy curtains that were anchored back except one, and as Sam made his way past, he glimpsed a guy on his back, one knee bent, his eyes squeezed shut like he was in pain.
A woman with blue hair was barely visible over the guy’s shoulder.“Come on.You got this,” she encouraged.
Sam vaguely wondered if she was the girl Toby had his eye on right before it sank in that her hair was a vivid blue—like the cobalt color you’d find on a sports car.
Shit.He still had a chance of drawing the short straw labeled “the blond one.”
Oh yay!So much to look forward to.
Attila paused beside one of the beds and motioned for him to sit.Using his crutches for leverage, he hoisted his ass onto the cool vinyl cushion and tried not to huff.He should have been in better shape—hell, he was infantasticshape—but hefting his weight on crutches across the physical therapy room had left him mildly winded, and for whatever reason, he didn’t want to give Attila the satisfaction of seeing him short of breath.
“Your therapist will be with you shortly.”She turned on her heel and sped across the room.
“Hey,” he called.“Does this person have a name?”
“All will be revealed shortly,” she threw over her shoulder.He could have sworn he detected amusement in her tone.
