Page 18 of The Recovery Coach
She didn’t find any of his jokes funny.“Fine,” he mumbled.“I’m feeling better with the drugs.”
“Are you hungry?”Again, no humor.
As she asked, his stomach grumbled.“Yeah.”
“I can have the kitchen send something.”
“Don’t bother.We already ordered lunch; it’s on the way,” Lover said.She gave him a fond smile, and Hazy frowned.That should have been his smile.
She placed a kiss on his forehead.“I’ll be off in a couple of hours, and I’ll stop by before I head home.Text me if you need anything.I’m an elevator ride away and I’ll come running.”
When the door shut behind her, Hazy wanted to ask them why she was so cranky, but before he could get the question out, Lover said, “Sooo, Coach Bree is going to be here soon.”
“What?Why?”
“He needs to talk to you.”
Sure enough, as the words left Lover’s mouth, another person opened his hospital room door.
“Glad to see you’re conscious,” Coach’s voice boomed in the small space.
“Yes, sir,” Hazy said.
“How’s your leg?”Coach asked.
He’d been asked a handful of times, but already he was sick of it.He was fine.Or at least he would be.
“It’s not bad,” he said.
Coach waved a hand at Lover and Beanie, who followed the silent direction and slipped out of the room.He stole Beanie’s chair.
“I’m checking in before we head out tonight.We’ll be on the road for the next few days.”
Hazy’s heart sank.Their next trip was to New York for a couple of games, but they also had a California trip soon.He would have to miss it.
They had tickets to Disney for the off days, and Patrick Mills always invited the Connors and Daisy to dinner at his house.He’d miss out on relaxing with his favorite people.Instead, he would be stuck in bed taking painkillers and napping the days away while his stupid body healed and his friends hung out without him.
“Well, thanks for stopping by.I appreciate the support.”
“Of course,” Coach said, leaning forward in his seat.“The team doctors say you won’t be playing any more hockey this season.”
Hazy worked hard every day to avoid drowning in anxiety, but those words had panic taking hold.“What do you mean?”His voice came out squeaky.
“We can’t rush your recovery.It takes how long the doctors say it takes.”
“It’s October.Six months is plenty of time.I’ll be ready for the end of the season.”
“Son, you’re out for the season.We’re announcing it later today.We need you in top form for years to come, and if stretching your recovery keeps you in tiptop shape, so be it.”
Pressure built in Hazy’s sinuses, and tears tickled his eyes.“What am I supposed to do if I can’t play?A whole season?How can that be good for my career?”
“Aw, fuck.”Coach squeezed Hazy’s shoulder.“I’m saying this all wrong.You’ll still have stuff to work on.Let me call Doc.He’ll say it better.”
Coach Bree dialed the team doctor and put the phone on speaker.The doctor spent the next ten minutes explaining Hazy’s recovery plan.They had already gone over some of the stuff with him before surgery, but he’d either been in too much pain, or too drugged to retain the information.
He would need help with day-to-day tasks at first.The team could provide help, or a family member could help.Then, when he could bear weight, he would start physical therapy.It would be months before he could walk.Longer before he could skate.And he’d lose muscle.The longer the doctor and trainer talked, the more dread built.An entire season without hockey.He hadn’t missed a full season since elementary school.He was going to be sick.
Coach Bree left, and the other Connors slipped back into his room.Hazy choked back tears.He was glad his friends would stay for a few more hours before they needed to leave, but he also wanted to mourn the loss of the next year of his life in peace.
