12. Drew

CHAPTER 12

DREW

Drew's alarm went off at eight, followed by a succession of dings as his Do Not Disturb clicked off. He poked the snooze button and then grabbed the annoying piece of tech, placing it on his chest as his eyes closed again. When the alarm sounded the second time, he grumbled, pushing himself up in bed to lean against the headboard. He blinked at the blank screen of his phone.

When it binged again, his brain finally kicked in, and he sighed. What nonsense had his professor sent now? Drew slid his fingertip over the screen to unlock it. Three emails from his most ridiculous professor—the one who hated that Drew wanted to pursue physical therapy for athletes. Dr. Cain thought pro athletes were all elitist snobs with their special doctors, clinics, and the way hospitals catered to the teams if a player was injured and transported to their facility. Drew always wondered what deep-seated emotional turmoil had happened to make Dr. Cain think that way. Professional teams paid and donated big money to the local hospitals for quick service, security, and privacy, and gave huge contributions to local charities. Teams were good PR for the city and the public service sectors they utilized.

Drew read over the emails, rolling his eyes. Each consisted of one sentence, each more demanding than the one before, all wanting to know if he'd secured an internship yet. He needed to get a new advisor, pronto, because this was some serious BS. He toggled to his school email account and quickly sent a request for a meeting with the head of the department.

Another ding, another email, and Drew's eyes widened upon seeing the sender. Hot damn, he didn't think he'd hear from Dr. Jiminez so soon. Could he swing by for an interview today? Yes, ma'am. He had a two-hour class at nine and then nothing until Mr. Grant expected him at Just A Dollar More at three for work. Since school, the stadium, and work were all south of the river, traffic wouldn't be as bad as if he had to head closer to Mac's diner or the downtown area.

Bing! Damn, he was popular today, and peeps were on the ball. The department chair replied for him to stop by after class. Drew did the mental math and emailed Dr. Jiminez that he could be there around one o'clock. To be on the safe side, he texted his boss, too, and let him know he might be a little late. Mr. Grant was one of the good guys, encouraging Drew's dream of working for a professional sports team. He knew one day Drew would leave for greener pastures.

With a spring in his step, he hit the shower, threw on a button-down over a nice pair of chinos, grabbed a protein shake, his messenger bag, a copy of his resume, and was out the door in under thirty minutes. Every good feeling he had vanished when he bounced into the classroom to see his professor, Dr. Agath, speaking with Dr. Cain and the department chair, Dr. Noah Paccia. Seriously, he didn't want to deal with Cain at that moment. Drew had ignored his emails, figuring he'd reply after he scored the position with the Troopers.

He slid into a chair halfway up the tiered seating and set up his laptop, keeping one eye on the professors huddled in the front of the room. As more students filed in, Dr. Paccia looked around, caught sight of Drew, and nodded. He gave him a little wave of acknowledgment, and, of course, Cain saw and scowled at him. Drew ducked his head to hide how hard he rolled his eyes. What a jerk.

Dr. Agath glanced at her watch and shooed the men from her classroom. Cain and Paccia left, but not before Cain glared at Drew once more. Drew huffed as he turned away, only to find himself under the inquisitive gaze of his professor. She climbed the stairs, aiming directly for him. Drew steeled his spine even as his heart triple-timed it. She stood over him, looking down as he looked up at her, and he only relaxed when her lips curled into a small smile.

"I'll let Dr. Paccia tell you more, but I look forward to working with you for your final year. I hadn't been aware our interests align."

Surprise and relief coursed through Drew. How had Dr. Paccia known he wanted to switch advisors? They hadn't even met yet? And similar interests? With Dr. Agath? Drew couldn't wait to meet with her to hear her thoughts on physical therapists in professional sports.

"Email me after your interview."

"How—?" Drew spluttered. How did she even know about that?"

Dr. Agath chuckled as she tapped her nose and then turned around. "Okay, class, let's review first steps for a sprained ankle. Who can tell me?—"

Slumped in his chair, Drew laughed quietly. Holy shit. In less than twenty-four hours he'd gone from having no internship and a crappy advisor to… well, he wasn't sure, but it sounded like he had both a new advisor and the position with the Troopers already in hand; the interview was just a formality.

He couldn't wait to text Mac… and Lee.

Drew hummed along with the radio, his mood the lightest it'd been in months. His meeting with Dr. Paccia had gone exactly the way he'd thought based on Dr. Agath's hint. He'd gone into the meeting relaxed, calmly explained his issues with Dr. Cain, and Dr. Paccia signed off on the change of advisors. A huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and if he scored the internship, he imagined he might just float away.

His cell phone pinged, and Message from Lee popped up on his infotainment system.

Good luck with Dr. Rosie!

Drew's smile grew three sizes. And maybe his heart, too. He wondered who'd told Lee he had an interview, not that it mattered. What did matter was if he got the position and if he might catch a peek at Lee on the practice field. Did they wear those tight pants for practice or just shorts and a tee… compression tee? Did the players wear specific clothes for training? He knew what the baseball teams did, but here he'd have a whole new system to learn, and frankly, Drew looked forward to it.

He pulled into the staff lot and checked in with security at the door. "Nice to meet you, Drew. My name's Tom. If Dr. Jiminez hires you, you'll need to come back here to get your security pass." Tom flicked the name badge he wore, a friendly grin sneaking through the salt and pepper beard. "Head on over to those elevators and get off on the second floor. There are signs directing you from there. I'll have your paperwork ready. You'll see a lot of me, no doubt. I'm here every day the team is."

Drew thanked him and headed for the elevator, looking around for the entrance to the stairs for the next time.

"Good luck," Tom called as he stepped into the elevator. "Not that you'll need it."

Drew shook his head as the doors slid closed. Did everyone just assume he was a shoo-in? What if he was a spy for another team? What if he was a serial killer? His eyes widened and he gasped. "You're such a dork, Drew," he muttered to his reflection in the shiny metal doors.

"Hello! Welcome to the Troopers," a bubbly Hispanic man said, striding toward Drew with a broad grin when he stepped out of the elevator. "I'm Cutter. You must be Drew." They shook hands, and Cutter led the way down the hall he'd come from. "This is all admin up here, the official offices, but everyone has space on the field level, too. After you meet with Dr. Rosie, I'll give you a tour." Cutter side-eyed him. "Cain, huh? He came with some of the St. Auggie professors one time for a tour. Looked down his nose at us."

And just like that, Drew found another kindred spirit. "Good riddance. I'm with Dr. Agath now. I've always liked her as a professor, and she hinted that our interests align, so I think we'll be a good fit. I feel like I should have known, though, because she teaches a lot of acute and rehab techniques."

Cutter nodded. "Dr. Agath pops over a couple of times a season to meet with Dr. Rosie and some of our rehabbing players. Those two get on like a house on fire. Sometimes I think there's more going on between them, but Dr. Rosie's married to a very pretty lady. Eh… Not my business." He shrugged.

Drew peered at Cutter. Did he really just…? Not his business either, but it was nice to know the place was queer-friendly. Then he remembered Katy showing him and Mac an article on one of the Troopers' kickers dating the guy who owned Bathtubs and Blossoms Gin Distillery and Restaurant. Drew had been wanting to go there, but cha-ching! The place was upscale and pricey. He sure wouldn't mind having a Sugar Daddy, except he also liked his independence.

"Here we are." Cutter knocked on a partially open door marked "Team Physician" before entering. "Drew Williamson is here."

Dr. Rosie stood to shake Drew's hand, then pointed to the seat across from her as she dropped into her office chair. "Thank you for coming in on short notice." She eyed him silently, gaze calculating, and the steepled fingers added to Dr. Evil allure. "I've looked over your resume and have spoken with both Dr. Agath and Dr. Paccia. You're an excellent student."

Drew's cheeks heated. "Thank you. I have lofty goals."

"I noticed you hoped to work for the MLB. No luck there?"

Shaking his head, Drew answered, "None. They had all the people they needed by the time I started applying. I'd have to get in with them in February when the season starts. None of the local colleges or universities needed anyone, either."

"And then you met Lee…"

He ducked his head, sure his face was bright red. "Yeah. Yesterday, actually."

Dr. Rosie's eyes narrowed, but Drew caught the hint of a smile. "Yesterday… Morning…? Before he came to practice?"

"Yeah… I mean, yes. We met at The Other Diner. Do you know it? It's on S. Lamar, a few miles south of the bridge."

"I don't."

"It's great. My best friend's family owns it. I go there a lot."

"I'll have to take my wife," she said hesitantly, and Drew took it for the opening it was.

"You absolutely should. Tell them I sent you, and they'll give you the family discount."

Dr. Rosie's smile grew. "I will. Thank you. But back to you. Tell me your thoughts on having a full-time physical therapist on board for professional football."

Satisfied he'd won her over personally, Drew settled back in his chair and started talking.