Overtime(3)

He’d wanted to forget a certain someone and thought partying down in Louisiana was the way to go. Actually, it was the worst idea ever, and he still hadn’t forgotten her. If anything, his feelings for her had only gotten stronger, which meant that his weekend that had now resulted in him getting suspended was for absolutely nothing.

Scary shit, feelings were. Trouble too.

“Which is completely understandable, Jordie. But the one bad decision snowballed into a mess. Now we have trainers wondering if you’re even worth working with because you’re drinking all the time and coming up hot on a drug test. And then the blogs are going nuts with this. Questioning Elli’s and my next move. I mean, what we should do is let you go now. But you’re lucky that Elli fights for the people she believes in and did the research needed. Because, if it was me, you’d be gone,” Bryan said, and Jordie’s eyes met Elli’s. She looked sad and stressed out, and he hated that his actions caused her eyes to be filled with all that. “The only thing you should be doing is sleeping and working on rehabbing that leg.”

“You’re right,” Jordie decided, looking from Elli to him. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry isn’t enough, buddy,” was his answer and Jordie looked away.

Jordie didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to be suspended; he’d worked hard to stay in the good graces of his owners, and this wouldn’t help him when it was time to renew his contract. He’d always kept his party life separate from his hockey game. Before, yeah, he drank, but he only drank when he wasn’t playing. And even then, it wasn’t much. But when he busted his leg, he drank to dull the pain that was eating him alive. Between not being able to play and being away from his team, he was also dealing with all the feelings he had for her. He was a mess and, now, it was about to get worse.

Swallowing loudly, he looked back up at his owners and nodded. “Then tell me what is enough. I don’t want to be suspended.”

Slowly unclasping her hands, Elli crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back in her chair. “We don’t want to suspend you, Jordie, but it’s the only way we can show you we mean business.”

“I understand that.”

“Good, so now we need to see that you mean business too. We have enrolled you in a rehab facility back in Colorado for ninety days. Your PT will come to you and work with you.”

There was silence as what she had just said slowly sank in, and when it did, Jordie came unglued.

“What the f*ck! Rehab? There is nothing wrong with me! I don’t want people thinking I’m a f*cking druggie. Or an alcoholic! I like to drink. There is nothing wrong with that!” he yelled, unable to fathom why they thought he needed rehab.

Elli’s eyes went wide as Bryan shook his head at Jordie’s outburst. Soon Charles was talking fast. “It isn’t a real rehab place, Thomas. It’s private and residential—no one will ever know you are there. You can even keep your phone. But when people come to see you, they will be searched, and you can’t leave until your time is up.”

“That is f*cking stupid!”

“Those are our terms,” Elli said. “When you are done, you will go to group therapy two times a week and one-on-one therapy once a week. All your therapists and PT have to clear you before you can come home.”

Looking between each of their faces, Jordie’s mind was reeling. Surely, they were joking… But their faces were like ice, and he didn’t understand why this was happening. “I don’t need rehab,” he reiterated, and he truly believed that. “This is extreme. You haven’t even given me the chance to clean up my act.”

“Because I don’t think you can,” she answered and his face scrunched up.

“What?”

“You’ve changed, Jordie. The injury has really messed you up.”

It isn’t only the injury, he thought, but he didn’t say that. “Yeah, it hurts, but I’m fine!” he said, his voice rising. “I’m still me.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I can hear it in your voice when I speak to you weekly. You are hurting and becoming so withdrawn. People are saying you aren’t returning calls and texts. You’ve gone to PT drunk more times than sober. You’ve changed. You aren’t my Jordie, and we all really feel this will help.”

He wasn’t?

He wasn’t.

He knew he wasn’t.

Looking into Elli’s green eyes, he could see the truth staring back at him. His face was reflected in her eyes, and he almost didn’t recognize the man looking back. Usually a confident, carefree person, he was now scared. Carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Scared his career was hanging in the balance. Scared that his feelings for her meant more than he thought. He was confused and he was hurting and, yeah, he was using alcohol to help that. It numbed everything. But he honestly saw no problem with that. If he wanted to stop, he could.

“I can clean up, I promise.”

Looking up at them, he could see the doubt in their eyes as Elli said, “Fine, humor me then.”

“I don’t want to humor you. I don’t want to go.”

“It will be good for you. They are really good there, and this will nip it in the bud before it blossoms into something that can’t be fixed.”