Sticks and Stones

Seven: What's That Saying About Making a Deal with the Devil?

It's finally time for the first game! Hope you enjoy :) friendly reminder to comment and vote!!

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To her surprise, Brady showed up at the next session.

Was it the most productive day she had?

God no.

But did she manage to make him do some exercises and stretches?

Finally... finally she did.

Did they end up fighting?

Don't be ridiculous, of course they did.

But overall, Tatum considered it a success. It wasn't hard to tell they both had to bite their tongues a few times, but at least there was improvement. Doctor Evans had even pointed out that she was pleased to see some progress. Tatum felt a surge of relief at the positive reinforcement. It felt worth it.

Tatum couldn't help but be concerned with the state of Brady's knee. It was really in no shape to for a game tonight. They hadn't had enough time to properly work on it. But she wanted to make progress with his trust for her. If she pulled him from the game, Brady would probably never speak to her again. But if she let him play, he could do more damage to his knee. And not to mention, it was the first game of the season. She knew that nothing was stopping Brady from getting on that ice. Tatum really wished they had more time, but the game was tonight whether she liked it or not.

Brady was doing some reps with a resistance band below her on a mat. She managed to convince him to stop by her office prior to the game to warm up a bit. His face was stiff with concentration, his refusal to show pain continuing to win over his need for him. She watched him carefully, noticing the slight twitch as he attempted to move with ease.

"Are you okay to play today?" Tatum checked quietly, crossing her arms as she hovered over him. "We've only had one session where you sort of let me help you."

"I'm fine, all right?" Brady snipped shortly, glancing at her briefly. She held her hands up, a bit taken aback.

"All right, my bad for asking. Not like it's my job." Tatum started back in the direction of where she was setting up the leg press for him to switch to, but he sat up.

He looked disgruntled as he drawled out, "Wait."

Pausing in her step, she turned around. She flicked her eyebrows up, waiting for him to speak. He sighed out, head dropping as he shoved his hand through his hair. "I'm just... I haven't played in a game since last Spring."

"Don't tell me you're nervous, Parker," Tatum quipped in amusement.

Brady scoffed. "You could try and be nice."

"I'm all set," Tatum responded sweetly. In all honesty, she was hoping the jabs would cheer him up. But it didn't seem to help. She huffed out a breath before following with, "Look, you... you're not the worst player ever, Parker. You'll be fine out there."

This time, she got a smile from him. "Is that a compliment I hear, Hartley?"

Her eyes narrowed to slits, throwing a glare his way that didn't hold much weight to it. "As long as you take it easy tonight, you'll be just fine."

"Right, cause hockey players are known for going easy on each other," Brady grumbled out, tugging the resistance band off his leg and tossing it to the side.

Tatum gave him a pointed look. "Do I need to reconsider giving the go-ahead?"

"You wanna be the reason we lose?" Brady challenged as if that question would change everything.