Page 118 of Saving Forever with the Hockey Captain

"The smartest."

I glance back toward the snow-covered street outside. "I think that's when the dream really began. Not because I wanted to work in a hospital, but because I wanted to give people back the pieces of themselves they thought were gone."

The words linger between us. For a long moment Jamie says nothing. Then his voice breaks the silence.

"You know... you're doing that."

I look back at him. "Am I?"

"You've spent weeks convincing me I'm still me, even when I wasn't sure." He smiles, almost shyly. "Like I've told you before, you never treated me like Captain Walker. You treated me like... Jamie."

Something tightens in my chest.

"I don't always know if I'm making a difference."

The confession slips out before I can stop it.

"You are."

I lift my eyes to his as he gives a small shake of his head.

"No. I KNOW you are."

The certainty in his voice steals every argument I might have made.

Silence settles around us again—not awkward, simply comfortable. Outside, a little girl in a bright yellow coat throws herself into a snowbank while her mother pretends to be horrified.

A laugh escapes me.

"I used to do that."

"You still could."

I arch an eyebrow. "I probably shouldn't."

"Professional image?"

"I was thinking common sense."

"I've heard rumors about common sense."

"They're greatly exaggerated."

His grin is infectious.

"So..." He leans forward, resting his forearms on the table. "What's the dream now?"

"The dream?"

"You said ten years."

I hesitate, suddenly feeling more vulnerable than I expected.

"I'd like to build a rehabilitation program that follows athletes after they're discharged."

He doesn't interrupt, so I continue.

"They leave the hospital with exercise sheets, appointments, restrictions... but so many of them simply feel alone. They don't need another lecture. They need someone who keeps walking beside them."