Chasing Home (NFL)

The Other Side

“Come with me, I'll take you there
To a place where you'll see
Everything you need to be the one you need to be
And all of those things that you feared
Will disappear from you in time

Everything will become clear to you
When you see things through another's eyes
Everything will become clear to you
Whatever's meant for you, you will find”

– “Transformation” by Phil Collins

Chapter 16: The Other Side

            My work would be conducted in one of the luxury suites the Patriots offered to fans, at least during practice when it was empty. It had a small coffee table with comfy chairs around it, a large TV, a bar, and a great view of the field. It would work well for my purposes.

            “Why did you want to talk to me?” Brady asked, falling down onto one of the chairs. “I’m mentally ready for the game.”

            I frowned slightly as I took the seat across from him. “Are you sure about that? The Saints are very physical and violent.”

            “You’re still not over the NFC Championship Game.”

            “Or the Super Bowl,” I said, “even if they didn’t injure Peyton. I wanted someone to beat them.”

            “I’ll beat them for you,” Brady said. “We also want revenge from last season.”

            “Do you have to play that much? I don’t want to see anything happen to you.”

            Brady looked totally unconcerned. “It’s the preseason. What are they going to do?”

            “They may try to make sure you’re not a threat in the future.” I bit my lip. He was still not taking me seriously. “I just want you to be careful. They target quarterbacks, Tom. They may have only really hurt one, but they went after Eli, you, Brett, and Peyton. I don’t need someone else I love to get hurt.”

            Tom’s expression changed to a look of surprise, and he stood up. “I’ll be careful, but…” I could not understand the look he was giving me now.

            “What?” I said cautiously as I stood up as well.

            A grin spread across his face. “You said you love me.”

            My mouth opened to reply, but nothing came out. Dang. I remembered Eli had caught me as well. How had I made that mistake twice? “That’s not what I meant. I was only-”

            Suddenly, Tom’s arms were around me, and did not know how to react. “I love you too,” he said into my ear. He pulled away before I had a chance to process the situation. He grinned at me, winked, turned, and walked out the door.

            I stared after him with me mouth still open, feeling stunned. I snapped out of it when Randy Moss entered the room, appearing confused. “I do not know what just happened,” I said.

            Randy looked over his shoulder where Brady had disappeared. “He seemed pretty happy.”

            “After this season is over, I’m the one who’s gonna need therapy,” I groaned, falling back on my chair. I felt guilty as I looked up at a Randy. I was supposed to be helping him, not the other way around. “I’m sorry. Did you want to talk to me about something?”

            “Yes,” Randy said as he walked over and sat on the chair opposite of me.

            This was my first real assignment. I listened carefully as the wide receiver explained his troubles with his contract. I gave him some basic advice and told him to come back to me later. Then I was done for the day. All in all, it could have gone a lot worse. Now I just needed to visit the Patriots shop and buy the correct attire.