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“I do,” the doctor says, smiling as he nods at me. “We’ll do some more scans and continue your rehab at Park City, but all in all, I think you’re ready to get back out on skis.”
“Mandy doesn’t seem to think so,” I say, turning to the doctor.
The coach scoffs. “Mandy is hardly elite level now, is she?”
Now it’s me scoffing as I turn back to my coach. “She was good enough to do my rehab,” I point out, knowing that it was the coach and team doctor who organized all of that when I made the decision to come back to Badger Creek after my injury. They’d been okay with it back then because I was pretty useless to them at Park City, and they were all heading out for a meet anyway. I’m sure they just figured they’d send me back here while they were away and then I’d come back as soon as they snapped their fingers.
“Well, you were the one who wanted to come back here,” the doctor says, shooting a quick look at the coach.
“Wow,” I mutter, blowing out a breath.
The coach leans forward, flattening his palms on the table in front of him. “Look, Nick,” he starts, his gaze meeting mine. “The reality is, you signed to the team. That came with responsibilities. Responsibilities that don’t just disappear because you want to go ahead and start a family just as your career is taking off.”
“Pretty sure my injury is a responsibility too,” I point out, reminding him of the clause that states if an injury is caused during training or an event, it can’t be held against the client, me, or their contractual obligations.
The coach smiles now, but it’s smarmy. “Yes, but the doctor here has cleared your knee, so that point is no longer valid.” I sit back in the seat as I try and figure out what the hell is going on here. I’m sure the coach knows I’m not happy with what he’s saying, because he leans forward, a warm smile now on his face. “Nick, think about it. Would we really risk doing further damage to your knee? You’re one of our best jumpers, a shoo-in for a medal even, why would we take that risk?”
I let his words sink in, trying to believe they are genuine. But even if they are, it still doesn’t change the fact that Lis is pregnant, and I don’t want to leave her. “Okay, but what if I just don’t want to do this anymore?”
The coach laughs, falling back as he says, “Seriously, Nick? You can’t honestly tell me that’s true?”
I shrug, a part of me not wanting to admit that yeah, it actually kind of is. Everything feels different now and not just because of Lis, although that is a huge part of it. But it’s also the uncertainty of my knee and the risk of doing more damage. It’s being back here in Badger Creek with all of my friends, with Lis and her mom. I’ve missed this and I love being back here, something I never thought I would say or feel.
“What if it is?” I ask again.
The coach glances at the doctor again, his smile long gone now as he spreads his hands on the table and says, “Well then I’d say we have a bit of a problem.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, confused.
“Your signing bonus,” he says, with a hint of a smirk. “Sponsorship obligations. It’s a lot to pay back, Nick.”
“Pay back?” I spit out.
He nods. “The doc has cleared you to ski,” he says again, as if to reinforce his point. “If you don’t come back to Park City, well, you’d be breaking your contract, which means…” He trails off, lifting his hands off the table as he gives me a small shrug. “Under the terms of your contract, that money needs to be paid back.”
“How much?” I ask, knowing that I have money in the bank because I’ve barely touched the signing bonus I received.
“You’re looking at five hundred thousand, but that’s just for the signing,” he says, smiling like this is some fucking joke. “With the sponsorship and other stuff, well, who knows…”
My phone pingswith a text message alert, bringing me back to the present. I have no idea how long I’ve been sitting here, but not only is it now dark, but my ass is soaked and completely numb from sitting on this fucking wooden bench.
Glancing down at the screen, I see a message from Lis.
Lis:Leaving work in 10. Let’s talk about the meeting with your coach when I get home.
I head backto the lodge and grab an Uber home, walking in to find Lis in the living room. “Hey, babe,” I say, leaning over the back of the couch and kissing her.
“Hey,” she says, letting out a breath.
I drop another kiss on her forehead before walking around and joining her, pulling her into my lap. I know I need to tell her what my coach said, but fuck my life, I do not want to have this conversation at all, because whatever decision I make, it isn’t a good outcome.
“So,” I start, taking in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. “I met with my coach.”
“Uh huh.”
“And well, things didn’t go exactly as I thought they would.”
“What happened?” she asks, fidgeting in my lap.
