Chapter Fourteen - Brooks
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Brooks
The flight to Calgary wasn’t very long but it was enough time to think about everything that went wrong yesterday. From the argument I had with Lennon, to that incident with Summer.
The last thing I expected to see walking into that apartment was her in that barely-covering-anything towel. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t anything I hadn’t secretly hoped to see, but I’d already decided that I wasn’t going there with her. She already said that she wasn’t looking for someone like me and adding my shit to the mix isn’t what she needs.
But my God, is she hard to resist. I’ve spent almost the entire week with the girl and I still feel like I haven’t had my fill.
And yesterday was the icing on the cake. The amount of restraint it took to not give into her… boy do I need a goddamn medal.
Her teasing voice, the gentle touches, the faint smell of coconut from her shampoo, the way her hair felt in my fingers, the flush of her skin, everything about that scenario played over and over in my head the whole flight .
Including the way she looked when I told her I was going away for the week. I could see she was trying to not let the interruption get to her, but the look on her face gave it away and I hated to be the one to put it there.
I knew there was something between us, whether it was just attraction or more, but I was stupid to let it go as far as it did. All the looks, all the touches, I’m an asshole going to see her everyday, giving her false hope when I won’t do shit about it.
Being a player in the NHL is a selfish job, and yeah, it would be nice to have some fun with her, fuck, it would be great, but she doesn’t deserve another douche bag fucking her around.
But I’m a sucker for those blue doe eyes and her stupid sense of humor that only someone else from the UK would find funny.
I sigh, leaning back against the chair. Leaving for the week couldn’t have come at a better time.
I need to get my head on straight and now I’m sat in the doctors office, waiting for the results from my recent tests that could determine the rest of my career. I shouldn’t be thinking about Summer at a time like this, this infatuation has to end.
There’s a knock at the door and the doctor walks in with papers in hand. “Is it good or bad news, Doc?” I ask. Doctor Jones is the team doctor and I’ve been coming to him since I started my career and he knows all about how reckless I can be on the ice.
“Well, Mr Freeman, from your scans and your physio reports, I am pleased to tell you that you’re cleared to go back to playing next season,” the doctor says, a smile on his face.
I tilt my head back, closing my eyes, and sigh in relief, a weight feeling like it’s been lifted off of me.
I’m ecstatic, it’s the news I’ve been waiting for.
The past two months have been terrible; I’ve tried to keep my fitness up, keep the muscles moving but not knowing if it will even help in the long run was stressing me out.
Summer was a good distraction and helping her with her coffee shop made the time go by quicker, but I can’t say I’m not glad I’m back, thank god.
A large grin forms on my face. “Thanks Doc. Can you send the reports over to Harvey?” I ask.
Harvey, my coach, is going to have an aneurysm. A happy aneurysm. I was a loss to the team, there’s no doubt about it, and I know he was struggling to think about what would happen if I didn’t come back this season and it was a nice thought for my ego while I was sitting at home feeling sorry for myself.
“Brooks,” the doctor is sitting opposite me on his little stool, hands folded over my papers on his lap, “I’ve cleared you to go back, but you have to be careful… light work, you feel any strain, you come off the ice.”
“Whatever you say, Doc! Thank you!”
I hold my hand out for a handshake but he doesn’t budge, just looking at me with a disapproving stare. “I mean it. You’re extremely lucky your shoulder and knee have healed so well this time. It may not happen again.”
I know what he’s not saying. That the next time this does happen, I might not be coming back.
Well, that’s what they thought this time but I beat the odds, and I dealt with it fine… if you don’t count mouthing off to Summer and Fred those couple times.
“Light work, you got it boss!” I say, my hand still extended.
Now that I’ve experienced what life could be like without my job, there’s no way I’m wasting time playing lightly, playing it safe.
The doctor stands, shaking my hand and his head, handing me the papers, “You can take these with you to see Harvey. I know that’ll be your next stop anyway.”
I thank him again as I’m pulling the door open, “Hope I don’t see you again, Doc!”
“Light work, Brooks!” he calls from behind me, defeated, knowing his words are falling on deaf ears.
Doctor Jones was right, Harvey is my next stop. Since I flew over from Vancouver, I don’t have the truck so I have to call a cab to the rink. I was sent the training schedule just in case I could make it, so I know the guys and Harvey will be there, and the thought brings I sharp pang to my chest and I rub it as if that would get rid of the burning.
Training with the guys is something I hate missing out on, some of my best memories being on the team are during our training sessions.
The drive up to the rink is one of my favorites. It’s not scenic by any means with the concrete buildings all around, although one could say that the posters of all the players on the team that line the road are pretty spectacular.
Not having my poster up here, not having it be the last one before you get to the rink after all I’d done to get there, would definitely be one of the worsts thing to happen to me in my adult life.
As we pull up, I grab some cash from my wallet to pay.
“Hey man, this ones on me,” the driver says. I look up and he’s pointing to my poster, sitting pretty above us. “Just make sure you win this year. ”
Our eyes meet in the rear view mirror, “Thanks man, I’ll try my best.”
Being in Calgary and playing for their biggest sports team doesn’t award me with a lot of privacy, hence why when I go back home to Pierpoint, I like to keep it private, but I’ve missed the chaos, the people calling my name, asking for photos, the paparazzi waiting for their lucky shot, normal guys on the street, or even my cab driver, supporting me.
I love going back to Pierpoint, but there’s something about this life that I couldn’t give up and maybe it’s because I almost lost it completely, but I have a deeper respect for it now than I did before.
I enter the rink through the team entrance saying hello to the guards at the doors who haven’t changed since I first walked through those doors 3 years ago. I almost sprint to the locker room when I hear my team shouting and laughing; the buzz it gives me is a high I could never replace with anything else.
Harvey is walking to the locker room in the opposite direction to me and he catches me just as he’s about to turn in.
“As I live and breath.”
“Harvey.” Harvey has been like a father figure to me since my parents moved out east. He’s the one I went to with any problems I had after being drafted, the one I could always go to if I ever needed anything.
“Don’t tell me, the doctor hasn’t cleared you and you’re here to let me down in person.” I know he’s joking but it still stings knowing how different things could have been.
I hand him the papers, “I got the all clear,” I say, smirking. “Haven’t replaced me already, have you Harv?”
“No one could, kid.” We share a meaningful look, and then he pulls me into a hug, clapping me on the back. “It’s good to have you back, Brooks.”
To make it easier on myself, I’d been downplaying how bad my injuries were in ,y head, ignoring the majority of the pain. Truth be told, players have retired from less and we all knew that it was going to take a miracle to get me back here, but here I am, ready to make the most of the chance I’ve been given. I’ve also been completely ignoring the fact that this is the last year of my contract with the team and if I don’t perform well this year, then it could really fuck me for the rest of my career.
“Now, let’s tell the rest of the guys,” Harvey says, pushing me into the locker room to the cheers and whoops of the team.
The team and I just got done with a practice game and it feels good to be back on the ice. I’m not as strong as I was before, that much is evident, and I’m not as fast, but it just means I have to work that extra bit harder in training to be up to par for the start of the season.
“You looked good out there, B,” Tobias, my best friend and the team captain, says, coming up to the boards beside me.
Tobias is the first friend I made in the league, both becoming rookies the same year and we’ve been good buddies ever since, even going as far to share an apartment that first year.
“It feels good, Toby. I’ve missed it,” I admit.
We’ve been messaging now and again while I’ve been out and he’s been keeping me in the loop, making sure I don’t miss a thing while I’ve been gone, but we’ve not really had a chance to catch up properly .
“Hey, drinks tonight?” I ask. I also haven’t had a chance to just drink without any care since being back at Pierpoint and I just need to let loose, maybe find a girl to take home.\
A sour taste fills my mouth at the thought and a movie reel of Summer plays in my brain but I shake it off.
That’s exactly why I need to go out. I can’t pursue anything with Summer so I’ll make my agent proud and use my status as Calgary’s most eligible bachelor to bring a girl home.
“Just a few, B. I have to meet Jazmin’s parents tomorrow for brunch,” Tobias says, not looking entirely pleased about the prospect.
“Meeting the parents, eh? Thought you were ending that, last I heard.” Before the season ended, the two of them had a big blowout argument, I’m not sure what about but I was for sure it meant they were over.
At least I hoped it would be.
Toby has been in love with his childhood best friend, Leila, for forever it feels like. I don’t know if he’s ever realized it himself, but he worships the ground she walks on and gets all pathetic when he talks about her and I’m secretly rooting for the two of them. And Jazmin, well, let’s just say she likes that he makes a lot of money.
“We made up,” is all he says but the look on his face shows me that’s not the whole story.
Just then Jax skates up to us, barreling in to the boards barely a foot from my just healed shoulder.
“Jax, you fucker.” He’s like a little brother to Tobias and me, he was a rookie last season and had a big impact on the team. He’s young, passionate and he’s got spirit, takes risks that can be reckless.
“I barely touched you,” he mocks.
“Yeah, what if you didn’t, asshole.” I smack him on the helmet and he comes at me, ready to actually hit me this time, but I body check him with my good shoulder before he can, spinning us around to pin him to the board behind us.
It’s like having a kid brother at the rink, annoying, but I wouldn’t change it.
We tousle for a second, but it’s clear I’m bigger and stronger despite taking time off, and he shoves me off.
Coach whistles behind us and calls out, “Hit the showers, boys.” Indicating the end of training.
“Race you,” Jax says, pushing me back and out the way so that I slide back on the ice a little.
He takes off, leaving us behind, not realizing that the only race he’s in is with himself.
“I hate that kid,” Tobias says, watching him go with a small smile.
“Yeah, me too,” I say, not meaning a word. I watch as Jax pushes past all the other guys to get to the locker room first, shouts and curses being thrown his way.
Tobias loaned me some of his hockey gear considering all my pads and jerseys are all back at my apartment here and I pull what little of it I’m wearing off chucking it at him as we head to the locker rooms.
The excitement I feel about bringing all my shit to the rink with me tomorrow and wearing my own practice jersey is unmatched, its the feeling I live for, its why I do this job.
This changing room is like my third home. The shiny wood floors and walls with our logo printed anywhere there’s not a players locker, the familiar smell of sweat, the offices for Harvey and our physiotherapist, even the shit shower stalls feel like home to me now and I’ve missed it.
After showering, we head out to Jax who’s been sat ready and waiting since before we even got in the shower; he’s got the energy of a puppy but the mouth of a fucking sailor.
“Are you fuckers ready?” he asks.
He’d invited himself out with us when he overheard Tobias and I talking about how he should definitely show up hungover to the brunch tomorrow to make it easier on himself.
It’s our usual routine anyway; Jax, Tobias and I heading out for food after training and then heading out for drink if our schedule allows it.
“Before you leave Brooks, I need to speak to you,” Coach Harvey calls, his head poking out the door of his office. His voice is loud in the near empty locker room, the rest of the team having cleared out already.
Jax groans, clearly not appreciating the interruption, but I head over and close the glass door behind me. It doesn’t offer much privacy but at least they can’t hear you talk.
“How did it feel out there?” Harvey asks.
I shrug. “As good as it can right now.” I know he has his own thoughts about what he saw out there and whatever I say will not change them.
“I was watching you play today, kid. You’ve got a lot to improve on in the next couple weeks before pre-season,” he says, much to my annoyance.
It’s not like I wasn’t expecting it, but it just highlights how much I’ve declined. It wasn’t very often that coach would pull me in here to say I have a lot to improve on, it was usually a whole lot more positive.
“What do you suggest?” I ask, already knowing he’s going to put me on a harsh training regime for the next couple weeks .
“First of all, you’re going to go back home, grab your shit and be back here by Friday. Gives you 2 days to pack up and get back.” He leans back in his chair, lacing his fingers together. “Second of all, you’re going to be training twice a day, once with the team, once by yourself, get your stamina and strength up, that sound good?”
I don’t exactly have the option to say no even if I wanted to, so I nod. “Done and done.”
“Good. See you back here on Friday.” Harvey dismisses me with a nod in the direction of the door.
“It’s good to be back coach.” I say, as I’m walking out the door.
“It’s good to have you back, Brooks.”