Sticks and Stones

Two: It's a Bad Idea, Right?

The next day, Tatum had calmed down a bit.

She hoped she worried Brady enough to show up at their next session. She wouldn't see him until tomorrow at this point. Luckily, her schedule today should consist of people who actually wanted her help. 

She checked her schedule for the day and saw a certain name on the board. Tatum instantly beamed at the sight. Isaac Owens was one of her favorite hockey players. She had been doing his plan since freshman year. He was the first person ever assigned to her. He was incredibly kind as she fumbled around unsurely with all the exercises. Tatum preferred to keep her friend group small, but he had certainly weaseled his way in. Tatum was setting up her room and reading through his plan when she heard the door open again and heavy footsteps enter.

"Hey, doc," Isaac greeted her with a toothy grin, waltzing in with arms wide open.

"Not a doctor yet," Tatum reminded him as her eyes scanned the clipboard for his PT plan today.

"My bad, hearty," he apologized, causing her to roll her eyes at the nickname. The athletes she worked with thought it was hilarious that she wanted to be a cardiac surgeon considering the word "heart" was phonetically in her last name. Maybe she was a bit out of touch, but she didn't get what was so enticing about it.

"Just take a seat, would you?" Tatum quipped, nodding to the chair in the corner. "I need a minute to set-up."

"Yes, ma'am," Isaac allowed as he flopped into the chair.

Tatum skimmed over the plan. She knew it pretty well by now, but it didn't hurt to check for any chances. Isaac always had some issues with one of his shoulders. It wasn't anything critical, but just some general discomfort and straining. She usually just did some stretches and strength exercises. She headed over to the exercise area that had her equipment, pulling out a mat along with a couple of weights. A couple of people were helping athletes with plans of their own and she greeted them in passing.

The plan allowed for some leeway day-to-day, and she pondered what she thought would be beneficial for the day. She knew his shoulder had been bothering him more than usual with practices ramping up. They would be starting the season in the next week or so. It was news to her that the hockey season started so early. She always considered it to be a winter sport, but it started fairly into the school year.

She finally glanced up from the mat, looking at Isaac expectantly who was still sitting in the chair. "Ready?"

"Yep." He locked his phone, pushing himself to his feet.

She turned to straighten out the mat, mindlessly arranging it as she waited for Isaac to make his way over it. The door opened again but Tatum paid no mind to it, figuring it was someone coming in for an appointment. She only turned when a familiar, booming voice filled the, otherwise relatively quiet, room.

"There's my wonderful roommate," Kinsley, her best friend and roommate since freshman year, greeted her. Her long braids were pulled back into a ponytail and her brown skin was covered with a thin sheen of sweat. She wore a white sweatshirt zipped up over her pink workout set and Tatum knew she just came from the gym.

The gym happened to be right next to the clinic and she often popped in to say hello, despite it being very against protocol. The athletes were meant to have relatively private sessions. There would likely be others in the room with them, but the layout was big enough for them to feel secluded. That plan didn't work out so well when others just barged in. Doctor Evans gave the two a hard time about it at first, but had essentially given up after a while. Tatum, however, refused to give in.

Tatum gave her an incredulous look. "You can't just come in here!"

"You say that every time I come in," her friend reminded her.