Page 3 of Whatever It Takes
I frowned. I hadn’t heard anything about Moo hurting himself, but then again, I hadn’t been on social media much lately. Moo reached out to me after Seven’s funeral, but I hadn’t spoken to him since. My heart went out to him. We’d joked that no one would get hurt this season, and he ended up being the one who got hurt.
“Wow, that sucks. I’m glad he chose me to be his PT. When do I start?”
“Kalia will be taking over your current patients, and you will start working with him today. His initial evaluation is at 11:45, so after we wrap this up, you can head over to him. Dejah should have his file logged into the system with all his information. He’s offered $500,000 for your services. I told him that was way over the usual cost, but he insisted.”
I choked on the coffee I was sipping and looked at her, confused. “Excuse me? That’s too much. I can’t take that much from him.”
“Well, that’s a conversation you can have with him when you get there. Congratulations, Blessing. I can’t think of anyone else who deserves this besides you. Now go.” She said, grinning at me.
Still shocked, I stood from my seat and left the office. Before I could leave, Mrs. Johnson stopped me. “Remember the number one rule, Blessing. No fraternizing with the patients.”
“You know I don’t even move like that.”
“I know. I was reminding you. There’s a lot of money involved, and I know how quickly lines can be blurred.”
I nodded and continued out of the office. I wasn’t really pressed for money, but damn, that money would definitely help me out. After Seven passed away, I received a big chunk of money from his life insurance policy. I took that money and opened a high-yield savings account for our daughter. His other baby mama, Jasmine, also received money. Seven caused me so much trauma; the money didn’t mean shit to me. This nigga was out there living an entire other life in Brindleton Bay, a city two hours away. The only other person who knew was his trifling ass mother and sisters. Once the funeral was over, I washed my hands with his family. All of his clothes, cars, and jewelry went to them.
I walked into my office, plopped into my chair, and turned my desktop on. Still taking sips of my iced caramel coffee. Stopping at Sweet Brews every morning before work was a ritual for me. They’re a small, black-owned coffee shop a few blocks from here. They even source their own coffee beans. After locating Saint’s file, I read over the notes. It was just a little after 8, so I had plenty of time before I had to leave the office and head over to his house. I spent the next two hours speaking with Kalia, updating her on the patients she would be taking over.
“Good morning, this is Blessing from Oasis Cove Physical Therapy. I’m calling to let you know I am on my way over to start Saint’s evaluation and go over a few things. My ETA is 11:30, so could you have him up and ready by the time I get there?” I asked. I’d called his mother; she was listed as the main number to call regarding his treatment.
“Sure, sweetie. I’ll let the guards know you’re on your way, and they’ll let you right through. Moo is really grumpy today. So, I apologize in advance if he’s rude. He’s taking this injury really hard.” She responded with a sigh.
“I understand, I won’t take it personally. I’ve worked with a lot of injured athletes, and they’re always angry in the beginning, but I promise he’s in good hands. I’m very confident in my skills. I’ll see you when I make it there.” I said before hanging up.
The drive there wasn’t too bad. I spent most of the time listening to music, having my own Beyoncé concert. I pulled into the neighborhood Saint lived in, staring in amazement at the size of the homes. I lived in a nice-sized house, but these houses were so big that they could probably fit my entire house in them. I let the guards at the gate of Saint’s home know who I was, and they let me in. I parked in the circular driveway next to a blackAshton Martin.
I grabbed my equipment from the trunk and headed to the front door. Before I could knock, the front door swung open, and a very beautiful older woman greeted me. I knew she had to be his mother because she had the same smooth, brown skin and pretty brown eyes as him.
“Come on in, Blessing, you can call me Jackie. Saint is already in the gym. I’ll show you where to go.” She said, leading me inside. I glanced around the house, admiring its sleek modern features. Warm dark wood stretched across the floors. The floor-to-ceiling glass windows covered the home’s perimeter. To my left was a sunken living room. On the way to the gym, we passed several rooms, including the kitchen. This house epitomized black wealth. I could tell the house had been recently cleaned by the fresh smell of lavender and bleach.
We stepped into a gym painted in deep matte black, with tall mirrors lining the walls. The fluorescent lights illuminated the entire space. I couldn’t help but admire the equipment, knowing it was expensive. I was very impressed. After placing my work bag on a bench and approached Saint. He was sitting on one of the benches, dressed in a tight black compression shirt with matching shorts, his brace on. His crutches rested against the wall nearby.
“Hey, Saint.” I greeted, looking down at him. His eyes were dull, with dark circles around them. It was obvious he hadn’t slept in a few days. He didn’t respond, just gave me a simple head nod.
“I’m about to head out. His girlfriend, Mariah, should be here soon. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to let her know.” Jackie said before kissing Saint’s head, then turning to leave.
“First, thank you for trusting me to be your physical therapist. I know this is going to be a tough journey, but I promise you’re in good hands. Today’s just your evaluation, and we’ll go from there. Any questions?”
His eyes roamed over my body, causing me to shift slightly and suddenly feel insecure. “Thank you for coming, Bless. You were the first person who came to mind when I hit the ground during that game.” He sighed, running a hand down his face. “Behonest, how long do you think it’ll be before I get back on the field again?”
I placed a hand on his shoulder and gazed down into his eyes. “I can’t give you a firm answer right now, but it might take anywhere from six weeks to three months. I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure you have a full recovery. Let’s get started.” I gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze, then began the evaluation.
“I’m going to press down on your knee gently. Let me know the level of pain on a scale of one to ten.” I kneeled beside him, adjusting the brace, and pressed against the inside of his knee.
He hissed and slightly flinched. “Eight.” He said,
“Look, I’m going to be honest with you. This is not going to be easy, and I’m not going to pretend like it is. This shit will be painful, but if you want to get back on the field, then you have to push through it. Your mother told me about your attitude lately. The first step to recovery is changing that. Having a negative mindset will get you nowhere. From here on out, there should be nothing but positivity in your mind and body.”
“I hear you. Is the pay rate okay? I want to make sure you’re thoroughly compensated for your services.”
“About that.. Saint half a mill is a lot. I can’t accept that. How about we cut it in half?”
“Nah, Blessing. I’m paying you what you’re worth.”
Saint (Moo)
My evaluation went by pretty quickly. I could barely focus on what Blessing was saying because I was too distracted by how good she smelled. I hadn’t seen her since that night at the club, but I often found myself scrolling through her social media profiles. I can’t even act like I wasn’t attracted to her. But as bad as I wanted her, I could never act on it. She’d worked with most of the other players on my team who suffered injuries, so I didn’t hesitate to reach out to the facility where she works to request her. Her success rate was impressive.
