Page 160 of Saving Forever with the Hockey Captain

She holds out her hand. I hesitate for exactly three seconds before placing the phone in it.

She slips it into the locker beside my gym bag.

"There."

"What if someone needs me?"

She closes the locker door. "Does every message need to belong to you?"

I don't answer, because I honestly don't know.

She softens. "Jamie...You don't have to stop being captain while you recover."

My head comes up. She smiles. "I'd never ask you to. But I am asking you to remember that returning to your life doesn't mean returning to every responsibility all at once."

She gestures toward my shoulder. "Your body is ready for more."

Then she taps lightly over my heart. "Just make sure you don't ask this to recover faster than this."

I laugh softly. "I think that might be the more difficult rehabilitation."

"I know. That's why we're practicing."

"Shoulders?"

"Balance."

She nods toward the resistance band. "And not just the physical kind."

***

She steps back and studies me for a moment.

"One more question."

"Uh-oh."

"I know."

I grin.

"Whenever you say that, I end up proving your point."

"I'll try not to make a habit of it."

"I'm not convinced."

She smiles. "When you looked at your phone just now..."

I nod.

"What did you think had happened?"

I shrug. "I don't know."

"Try."

I think about it. "Coach."