Page 6 of Pucking Strong

Don’t even play. I changed your diapers.

I sigh. Well, it was worth a shot. As the baby and only boy of the family, it’s been difficult to shift the impression they all have of me as helpless and hopeless, constantly in need of saving. It’s so frustrating. They have to let me grow up sometime.

She’s right though. Idoneed to update my mail.

“Well, look what the cat dragged in!”

I spin away from the coffee cart to see Brad Brady crossing the atrium towards me. With his pale skin, square-framed glasses, and Clark Kent haircut, Brady looks like he belongs in a vintage comic bookstore. Instead, he earns a living making grown men cry on a PT table.

“Hey there, Doctor O’Connor.” He wraps me in a hug. “It’s so great to see you!”

I hold my coffee out to the side, returning his hug with one arm. “You too. It’s been, what, four years? How’s Dylan?”

“Retired, thank god. He sells motorcycles now.”

His husband Dylan is a former MMA fighter. The last time I was in town was to attend their wedding. They’re the cutest, odd couple. Brady is this sweet, unassuming comic book nerd. While Dylan is a 6’4” hairy bear, covered in tattoos. He’s got a lip ring and gives off total leather daddy vibes. That he’s now selling motorcycles feels almosttooon brand.

Brady gives me a once-over. “Got your java? Ready to go sign some paperwork?”

“Yeah, let’s do it.”

He leads the way towards the admin wing of the practice center. “It was a stroke of luck you finished your DPT in time. They weren’t going to let me hire you back without it.”

“Totally,” I reply.

I only just finished my doctorate of physical therapy degree in the spring. I always hoped to stay in the pro sports world, but the job market is tight. I snagged an hourly position assisting at a rehab hospital, where I worked with injured kids, and felt lucky to get even that. When Brady called me a week ago, asking if I could send him a reference letter, I literally cried into my lunch.

It turns out Rachel Price is going on maternity leave earlier than expected, and the team needs a few PTs to help fill in the gaps. They offered me a ten-month contract as an assistant rehabilitation therapist. I couldn’t say “yes” fast enough. Now I’m here, walking through the hallowed halls of the Rays practice center.

Brady presses his thumb to the elevator button. “I’ll take you up tosee Vicki, but then I’ve gotta head back over to the gym. Come find me when you’re done, yeah? I’m sure the guys will be excited to see you.”

“Oh, I’m sure there are no guys who even remember me left.”

God, I’m such a liar. As if I didn’t pull up the team roster the second I got off the phone with him last week. I know exactly who’s on the team. I know who I’m dying to see.

Brady leans against the silvery wall of the elevator. “You’d be surprised how many of the guys remember you. Novy’s been bugging us to hire you since you left. I told him you needed to finish your degree first, but he didn’t seem to care.”

I laugh. “God, how is Novy still playing on those busted knees?”

Brady snorts, leading the way out of the elevator. “Are you kidding? They’ll have to drag him off the ice and rip that stick from his hands. He’s assistant captain now, did you know?”

“I bet the refs love hearing that mouth chirping at them from the bench.”

“Eh, he keeps it in check for the most part. He reserves his chirping for the other team … and our rookies. Damn near made a kid cry last week.”

We turn the corner to find Rachel Price standing in the hallway. Her back is turned away from us, her dark hair tied up in a messy bun. She’s chatting with Vicki, the operations manager. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Vicki without that single strand of pearls at her neck … or that unamused look on her face. She points down the hall at us, and Rachel turns, waving in welcome. “Teddy, hi!”

“Oh my god—” I bite back my words, but they’ve already left my mouth. I quickly school my expression, offering her a wide smile.

“Look at me, calling you Teddy,” she calls down the hall. “You’re Doctor O’Connor now.”

“Hey, Doctor Price.” My voice is falsely high as I lean in for a hug, trying to avoid squashing her giant belly. “It’s great to see you again. You look amazing.”

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