beautiful mistake - joe burrow

9

"Simmons, good to see you up and around, feeling better?" Paul greeted her as she entered the conference room the next morning, over punctual, even first after Paul. Elle nodded. "I definitely feel more refreshed. Thanks again for driving me home yesterday."

"No problem. I saw you were even more diligent then. The analyses are perfect as always. You should really send them to everyone as sample solutions" Paul praised her, which Elle only commented with a grateful smile.

Less than ten minutes later Michael, as always the last one, was also present and sat down next to Elle before Paul started the meeting. "Alright, today there will be a small change in the plan, but it won't affect most of you" he turned to Elle. "Simmons, since we didn't know if you would be able to be here today, I already assigned Michael yesterday to train with Burrow today"

Stunned, Elle looked at Paul. "And....what do I do then?" "we have countless analyses that still need to be written and reviewed and then turned into training plans. You are the specialist for this, no one can create plans for the players so quickly and efficiently from data"

"but...I mean, I'm here, so why shouldn't I do the training? I know how to do it. After all, I've been doing it all week. You can't give me a task like that and then pull me off of it the next chance you get" Elle stammered. She didn't want to disagree with Paul, but she just didn't see the point of why she couldn't just continue Joe's training.

"I'm sorry, Simmons, but my mind is made up. You stay in front of the laptop today, ok? I went over the training schedule for Burrow with Michael yesterday specifically so he could do it today" sighing, Elle slumped back in her chair. No matter what she would say or do, she knew Paul wouldn't let up.

Michael's apologetic look didn't make the whole thing any better.Annoyed, she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Looked like she was only going to get to see data today....

Like every day, Joe was already sitting in the training room waiting for Elle. Since Zac hadn't told him anything about a change, he assumed she was feeling better and would come today. Seeing her back on her feet would take a big load off his mind, as worrying about her still pulled at his nerves.

As the door opened, he felt the tension fall from him, but when he saw Michael, one of the other athetics trainers whom he knew only slightly from last year, enter the room, he eyed him skeptically.

"What are you doing here? Where's Elle?" he asked immediately, noticing everything inside him tense up again. Was Elle not feeling better after all? Had she not come to work today? Was she perhaps even seriously ill?

"I'm doing your training today because Simmons is, well, let's say indisposed" Michael explained. "But she's okay? She's here today?" Joe asked. Michael nodded. "She's here, she's fine again. She looks alright, but is needed in analysis today, that's why she's not here" Joe exhaled in relief. That sounded like a good thing.

As Elle sat back in the small room with the desk after lunch, where she actually mostly wrote the analyses together with Michael, she thought she would go crazy after at least another hour if she had to see any more numbers.

Unfortunately, she wasn't even halfway done and it looked like she would have enough to do tomorrow, as she always worked from home on Saturdays, with new data arriving every ten minutes.

Suddenly there was a knock. "Just go in" she called without looking up from the screen. It was probably just another one of the others bringing her new data on paper. yes, the others' notes were sometimes not even digital.

"Hey" her head jerked up in surprise when she heard his voice. Standing in the doorway, two coffee cups in hand, was Joe, smiling at her. "Oh, hey, what are you doing here?" she asked, still surprised, but unable to deny that she was glad to see him.

"well, after you didn't do my workout this morning, I wanted to make sure you were really okay. Michael just said you were needed in analysis today, so I thought I'd stop by when I had time and bring you a coffee. I specifically asked Michael this morning how you drink it" Joe handed her one of the coffee cup.

"That's very sweet of you. If you want, you can sit down" Elle smiled at him and pointed to the office chair that was next to her because she had put her feet up in between.

"I don't want to bother you though" Joe scratched the back of his head and smiled uncertainly.

"Aw shucks, I could use a break and I think that coffee is for you or are you bringing coffee to other staff?" she pointed to the coffee cup in his hand. "No, that's for me" Joe laughed and sat down in the chair.

"I'm glad you're feeling better. You looked really bad yesterday, I was totally worried" he looked at her seriously. "I'm sorry, I had a bad night. But thanks, also for calling Nick" she replied with a smile and Joe was relieved to see that it came across in her eyes as well.

"How was the workout this morning with Michael?" Elle asked after taking a sip of her coffee. Joe sighed. "Honestly, he's a nice guy, but well, let's just say he's so harmless compared to you."

Elle laughed. "he's harmless? What does that make me? Dangerous?" Joe joined in her laughter. "No, I wouldn't say dangerous. But commanding, you're telling me to do this now, demanding me. With Michael it was more of a, if you're okay with it, you could do this now, but you don't have to" he explained.

"And you don't like that?" Elle asked with a grin. "no, somehow it's not fun. I hope you'll take over my training again starting Monday" Joe smiled at her. "I have no control over that. Paul is dividing us up"

"So I have to go to Paul and tell him I want you back?" Elle shrugged. "Bring him a coffee and he might say yes" she smirked. Joe laughed before looking her straight in the eye, a slight smirk on his lips. "Coffee is only for my favorite atheltic trainer" he winked.

Elle noticed the blush creep up her face as she started laughing out loud. "You know how I feel about sucking up" she raised her finger in warning. "come on, just take the compliment" Joe grinned at her. "Alright, thanks" she smiled back.

"So, you and me, Monday in the training room?" Joe asked, winking again. "looks like we have a date" Elle laughed. "Well, on a date, I wouldn't invite you to a workout room" Joe said, realizing as he said it how it sounded. Elle and he looked uncertainly into each other's eyes for a moment.

"Anyway, they're wasting your skills putting you in this broom closet here" Joe quickly changed the subject. "I mean, being stuck in front of a computer all day must be exhausting, right?" Elle sighed. "Tell me about it"

"Can you explain exactly what you have to do?" Joe asked, partly because he was interested, partly because he didn't want to leave yet. "Sure" Elle smiled. She liked the interest he was showing in her work.

She opened the program where she created the charts and opened a document. "So, this is where I enter the data we collect from the players over the week. These are things like heartbeats per minute on different training tasks, speed, quickness, endurance, and all sorts of things we measure and note. The program then creates charts and tables from which we can see the progress and then create specific plans for the player, based on the position they play, of course, on how they can improve some skills," she began to explain as Joe looked intently at the screen, trying to find a system and logic from the myriad of data and numbers that were there.

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