16. Drew

CHAPTER 16

DREW

Mid-Monday morning, Drew exited Dr. Cain's classroom for the last time. "Thank fuck that's over," he muttered. The exam had been brutal, but he felt like he'd done well. He thanked the university gods for having computerized exams that automatically graded them and entered them into the professor's system. Cain could add in extra credit points, but he couldn't tamper with the system and destroy the A- Drew had been riding. He was confident he did well enough on the final to maintain and possibly even increase that to a solid A grade.

"Drew!" Dr. Agath's call cut through the excited chatter of the other students filing out of the class. She threaded her way to him, wearing a broad smile. "A+, but you probably knew that already. How was Cain's exam?"

Shrugging, he answered, "Tough, but I think I did well. And yeah, I got the notification this morning. Gave me a confidence boost before heading in there." He jerked a thumb back at the exam room.

"Like you needed it." Agath's blasé tone and eye roll had Drew grinning. Again, he was so glad he'd emailed Dr. Paccia and got the ball rolling to change advisors. "When do you start with the Troopers?"

"Today… sort of. Supposedly, there's a ton of paperwork to go over and I have a meeting with Dr. Rosie to discuss my capstone topics. We'll narrow it down, and I'll email them over to you for approval. Tuesday, I start at eight AM, and as long as the team's in town, I'll be working."

Agath tipped her head. "Brutal schedule, but it's what you want, right?"

"It is. I mean, I wanted to work with a baseball team, but I'm not unhappy with how it all worked out. I know what baseball players do, so landing that kind of internship would have been a cakewalk. Since I'm unfamiliar with the types of injuries football players are more prone to, I'll have a lot to learn."

"Have you been doing your homework?" Her brows lifted.

"Oh yeah. Google, NFL.com, and I are besties. I've been reading injury reports and writing up potential PT protocols for Dr. Rosie to review. I'm curious to see if my protocols match what she already has for the team."

"Excellent. What day will you be on campus for class?"

"Tuesdays at nine."

Agath pulled out her phone and opened her calendar. "Hm, okay, so I have class until eleven-ish, then I'm free until two. Let's meet for lunch at noon on Tuesdays. Let Dr. Rosie know."

Drew added the weekly appointment to his calendar as well. "Got it. I better go. See you next week."

He waved and headed for his car, eager to not only get to the Troopers' training facility but also because he hoped to catch a glimpse of Lee on the field.

"Drew, welcome back, and welcome to the team—again," Tom greeted him, holding up a lanyard with his new credentials as he walked through the door to the training facility.

"Thanks." Drew slipped the cord over his head, then glanced at his picture and grimaced.

"Nobody ever likes their picture, but I think it came out okay." Tom chuckled. "I got a note to send you up to see Mr. Fitz, the GM. Second floor. I'll call up and his PA will meet you at the elevator."

"Alright. Thanks." Drew adjusted his messenger bag and, with a speeding heart, headed for the elevator.

When the doors slid open, a smartly dressed young woman, not much older than him, waved. "Mr. Williamson, hello, and welcome to the team. This way, please." Drew admired the way she easily navigated in three-inch heels. He had mad respect for women and men who could walk in them, much preferring his sneakers and boots for daily footwear.

"Mr. Fitz is on the phone at the moment, so please have a seat. Can I get you anything? Water, Gatorade, coffee?"

"I would kill for a coffee, thanks." Drew rubbed the side of his face, exhaustion creeping up on him. He knew he shouldn't have pulled a late-night study session, but he'd done it, anyway. "Had my last final today."

"USA, right? Physical Therapy?" she asked, using St. Augustine's initials, marking her as a local. She selected a coffee pod and set it in the machine with a cup.

"Yeah, just finished my coursework, so now I have a year of internships."

"Will you be with us the whole year, then?"

"I… hopefully… I don't really know."

"Milk? Sugar?"

"Just milk." He gratefully accepted the full cup and sighed after taking a sip. "Perfect, thanks." His eyes wanted to shut as he carefully leaned back on the sofa, but he forced them to stay open by peering around the open-concept waiting area. Three closed doors with three busy personal assistants at desks. The artwork was all modern color slashes of football players: the quintessential quarterback throwing a ball, the receiver running with a ball, the kicker connecting with a ball. Covering the round coffee table was glass etched with the team logo, Austin Troopers, and their origin year.

Drew remembered the talk around town when the decision had come in. He'd followed the construction of the stadium and training facility via social media. Everyone had been impressed with how quickly it all came together. The city had been flooded with hot-bodied construction workers that Drew and Mac—and Katy—had ogled whenever they hit the diner for a quick breakfast or late dinner.

The door marked ‘General Manager: Jared Fitz' opened, and Drew stood to greet him. He was a little shocked at how young the GM looked, but also blond hair, blue eyes, "boy next door" got him every time.

"Welcome to the team," Fitz said, shaking Drew's hand. "Dr. Rosie instructed me to ‘be quick,' so come on in, and let's get your paperwork settled. Emily?"

"I've got it," his secretary said, a manila folder in hand.

Drew filled out the basic W-4, I-9, wage information, Code of Conduct, and wasn't a bit surprised by the HIPPA and non-disclosure agreements. Fitz explained each piece of paper as he handed them to Drew to fill in or sign.

"I'm sure Dr. Rosie will go over your schedule, but at this time, we aren't making accommodations to take you on the road. If that changes, we'll talk again because we have another set of forms for travel. You're limited to forty hours per week per the school so I expect you to keep track to keep us out of trouble. I've talked to a couple of other teams who take on medical students as interns, so I've got a good idea of how this should go, but if there is anything the school needs, please let Emily or me know."

"Will do. The only conflict I have right now is Tuesdays, because I have to be at the school for class and meet with my advisor."

Fitz nodded. "Let Dr. Rosie know. Alright. That's it. Good luck and again, welcome to the team. Hoo-rah."

Drew grinned, excitement overtaking his earlier drowsiness. "Hoo-rah."