The Wait Is Over

Coming Out of the Darkness

Lindsey brings Kelley and Morgan to the Wingate so they can check in, put their bags in their room, and then meet with Adam to begin the process of working through what's happened over the past three weeks.

Adam: I see that the guests of honor have arrived.

Kelley and Moe blush a little, slightly embarrassed.

Lindsey: I take it there is no need for an introduction, then.

Adam stands up and introduces himself to the couple. "I am Adam Rothschild. The NWSL brought me in this week to work with their athletes on how to achieve greater performance on the field by dealing with the off-the-field problems that get in the way."

Kelley shakes Adam's hand, followed by Morgan.

Kelley: Lindsey said that you could help us get Morgan back to normal sooner so she can return to the Storm.

Adam: Yes, that is part of it, but I also want to get into your relationship, the pregnancy, and your own obstacles that might factor into how soon Morgan can return and then get back to her previous level of play. Let's head up to my room.

The four of them head to the elevator and take it to the third floor. Kelley and Moe go to their room with their luggage, Lindsey goes down to wake Emily, while Adam enters his room to wait for his current clients to arrive. Kelley and Moe walk into Adam's room and close the door behind them.

Adam: Sit down, Mohara.

Kelley: Mohara?

Adam: Sorry. That's my daughter's ship name for you. Combines Moe and O'Hara.

Morgan: I see....

Adam: Anyways, onto why we're here. We will get to the activities of the past few weeks in a bit, but first I'd like to find out how the two of you got together, since how you met is pretty obvious from your bios.

Morgan: I'll give you the short version. Kelley had been re-allocated to the Atlanta Storm from Sky Blue FC following the 2017 season as a building block for the team's entry into the NWSL. About two weeks later came the expansion draft, where they and Vancouver would select an additional ten players for their rosters. The Storm had already been in discussions with me about coming back to Atlanta and playing for them. I was getting married to Fabrice in a couple of weeks and the idea of moving back to Georgia appealed to me, especially after what had happened over the past season between me and one of my teammates. The Storm forfeited their first three selections in the draft to acquire me. I had known Kelley for years from the National Team and looking up to her for years before that as a fellow Georgia player who made it big. I knew I was attracted to both men and women from my days at Virginia, and NO you cannot ask me if I had flings with any of my teammates there. Of the obvious choices, one of them is practically married to her current girlfriend and the other one I know doesn't swing that way.

Adam: Fair enough.

Morgan: Fast forward to the wedding day. I had met with our GM and coach earlier in the week, at which time they called a press conference to introduce Kelley and I as the team's "foundational players". After the Virginia situation and my own fling with Andressa that past season in Houston, I knew that I needed to go through with this wedding in order to quiet down the gossip about me being a lesbian. At the reception, Kelley pulled me to the side at one point and said, "I'm happy for you and Fabrice, but part of me knows YOU'RE not totally happy with doing this. I just want you to know that if you need someone, like you needed Sonnett back at UVA, I'll be there for you."

Adam: So you and Emily were a thing?

Morgan: Not a "thing". More like friends with benefits. We both knew we weren't completely straight, but neither of us had really ventured down the other road. So it became a way to figure it out together. Back to the story. I was floored when Kelley said that to me, because I had nursed a small fangirl crush on her before leaving for college. When we met up at National Team camps, I would hope that we'd roomed together, but it never happened.