Page 44 of No Going Back

“Are you going to bench him?”

“I’m going to talk to him and take it from there.”

Mackie sighed. “Whatever he’s going through, I wish he’d talk to me. Man, we’ve been through enough shit together that he knows he can trust me. All of us. I want to help.”

“You are helping him by watching out for him. Just keep doing that. Tyler will work this out.”

The two men walked back to the war room. Dex caught the baseball Ryan threw at him. He glanced around but didn’t see Tyler.

“Whoever sees Tyler first, tell him to come see me.” He headed back to his office.

***

TYLER KNOCKED ON THE door, his stomach tied in knots. Christ, it was like being called to the principal’s office all over again. He’d had that experience more times than he cared to remember. It never ended well. He opened the door with a sinking feeling.

“Hey, Ty, take a seat. I just want a quick chat.” Dex motioned to the chair as he leaned against the desk. He seemed relaxed but that made Tyler even more nervous.

“What’s this about?” Tyler asked a little more aggressively than he intended.

“I think you know what this is about. Everything alright?”

“Yeah, I’m focused. You got nothing to worry about.”

Dex studied him and he almost cringed.

“Tyler, your shooting was off this morning, and you’ve barely said a word all day. This isn’t you. Your teammates are worried, as am I.”

“I still hit the target, didn’t I?” he snapped. Natural reaction for him these days.

“You know what I’m saying.” Dex gave him a come on, be real look.

Tyler sighed. “You know I’m dealing with some personal shit. But I’m good to go.”

“Ty, if you need some time to deal with this stuff, it’s OK to ask for it.”

“Does anyone on the team have concerns about me?”

If they did, that would be a problem. If his teammates thought he didn’t have their backs or wasn't up for this, they were wrong.

“They’re all concerned about you,” Dex said frankly. “Not professionally, but personally. You haven’t been yourself and they’ve noticed.”

“Did Mackie say something to you?” he challenged.

“Tyler, stop pointing fucking fingers. I just told you the team have all noticed. You’re irritable, isolating yourself from the team, snapping at your teammates. And now you’re on Sam’s radar.”

Tyler swallowed. “Shit. What did he say?”

“The same as I am. You’re not yourself.”

“Am I benched?”

“Give me a reason why I shouldn’t bench you?”

Tyler stood, staring his team leader in the eye.

“I am good professionally. If I thought I wasn’t, I’d take myself out.” And he would, without hesitation. But right now, he wanted nothing more than to go on this op, take his mind off everything, and do what he did best.

“We’re not always good at knowing when to make that call for ourselves.”

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