Just Listen (7 page)

DEKE (v.)

When a player handles the puck in such a manner to fool the opponent into moving out of position, allowing the player to get past. Originated from the word decoy.

Finn

“So how are you doing, Finn?” Dr. Hart asked when I arrived.

I was really going in for my follow up appointment with the good doctor.

The real fun, however, would begin when Casey and crew joined me.

One of my favorite nurses cleared the camera crew. I told her that after my appointment with Dr. Hart, I was scheduled to do a story about sports medicine and we needed a hospital space to conduct the interview. It was no problem getting her to agree.

But while I was there with Dr. Hart in private, I had something serious to get off my chest.

Once again it was Casey. As much as she was to blame for all that happened, I couldn’t help but think of her as a victim as well. And my heart hurt for her.

What’s more, I wanted to try again. I wasn’t sure she was willing, but I would fight for her. But first I had to make sure she I could give her what she needed.

“I have a confession,” I told Dr. Hart.

“Okay,” she said.

“The first night back, I didn’t take my medication.”

“Why on earth not?”

“That’s the thing, doc. It’s pretty personal, and I’m also scared shitless about it.”

“Finn, trust me. Nothing you can say will shock me.”

“I was with someone that night. And I worried that the meds would impair my abilities
.
”

“So you didn’t take the medication because you thought you wouldn’t be as good in bed. Is that right?”

“That’s right.” Damn, it felt good to say it out loud. “It’s the same with hockey. On the meds, I’m not as intense or focused – especially as I was during my manic periods. I’ve had to learn to play differently. And with sex, it’s also been a big part of my life. I know being hypersexual can be part of a manic episode, but it’s one of the symptoms I rather enjoy.”

“Go on,” Dr. Hart encouraged.

“That piece of me, well, it’s defined my life as long as I can remember. And now, I have someone special and I think she’s grown accustomed to my ways in bed.”

“But you were on medication those first few times, right?”

“Yes, but obviously it wasn’t the right dose, because I was with her the night I landed here.”

“That could just be a coincidence,” she said. “Let me ask you something. Other than the night, have you ever had an episode during a sexual moment with this special someone?”

“No.”

“Are you worried about cheating on her because you can’t control your urges?”

“Hell no. She’s all I can think about. And that’s a whole other issue.”

“Tell me,” Dr. Hart said, taking notes. “What’s the other issue?”

“I’m obsessing over her. I worry she might be a trigger.”

“Finn, it’s true intense emotion can trigger manic or depressive episodes. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have those experiences. That’s life. From what you’ve told me, I think what you have going on is a love affair. While it might not be a trigger issue, love can be very scary and intense. I’d like you to try to embrace it and stop worrying. But please take your medication.”

Love. Shit.

“That’s not all,” I told her, needing to know one other piece of rather embarrassing information.

“Continue, please.”

“What about the drugs? Can I stop when we, you know, have a special night planned?”

“Absolutely not. No stopping the medication. Finn, if you were
skilled
without the medication, you will be
skilled
with it. And if you feel you’re not, we will try a new medical regimen.”

“You think it’s that easy?” I asked.

“I think we can fix this, yes. Are you taking your medication now?”

“Yes,” I said.

“Then my suggestion to you is to have sex with this special someone and see how it goes. Let’s try that first. I have a feeling you will be the same in bed, regardless. Plus, I don’t think missing one dose would change things that drastically for you.”

One could only hope.

***

“Are you ready?” I asked Casey when I was done with Dr. Hart. Of course, I would’ve rather started on Dr. Hart’s plan to get her into bed, but we had more pressing issues.

“Yes,” she said to me. Then she looked to Mack with a twinkle in her eyes. “Ready to play doctor, Mack?”

“Playing doctor with Finn Daley?” Mack rubbed her hands together. “Hells, yes.”

Mack was in disguise – a rather good one. With her costume, and the way Jonathan was shooting, nobody would be able to tell it was her. And for the next fifteen minutes, we conducted a fake interview with our fake doctor, about my fake ankle injury and fake addiction to pain killers.

It was pretty brilliant, and I was sure it’d work.

Too bad we never got the chance to use it.

Casey

Anchor/Kiki Stuart:
And that brings us to the press conference.

Casey:
That it does.

Anchor/Kiki Stuart:
Tell me what happened.

I felt good about the material we shot at the hospital. There was plenty to use for the story.

Finn seemed in better spirits as well, and I decided that after Jonathan and I got this story in the can, I was going to come clean with my feelings. That night, I’d tell Finn that I was in love with him.

I didn’t think it’d make a difference, but today I watched his eyes go all tender anytime he looked in my direction, a little spark of hope flickered.

Jonathan and I dropped Mack off so we wouldn’t draw any attention back at the station. That’s when we got the call.

“Casey,” Phil said, his voice laced with something I hadn’t heard from him before. Excitement, maybe. “I need you to get down to the X as soon as possible.”

“Why?” I asked, feeling a sinking sensation deep in my belly.

“We’re holding a press conference out front this afternoon.”

“What about, Phil?” I asked, not liking the sound of it.

“It’s a surprise,” he said. “Just get your ass down here.”

“Okay, fine.” I told Jonathan to head to the X. “We’re on our way.”

“ETA?” Phil asked.

“Fifteen,” I told him. The reluctance only grew with each mile we drove closer to the X.

SNIPER (n.):

A player with a powerful, accurate shot skilled at finishing plays.

Finn

When my phone rang after the video shoot, I was hoping it was Case.

It was Ava.

I’d been blowing her off since our calzone night. I felt bad about it, but I didn’t want to lead her on. Plus, I had been honest with her. She was the one who said she’d wait for me.

Still, that was another thing to settle before I tried to make things permanent with Casey.

“Finny,” Ava said when I picked up.

“Hi, Ava,” I said casually. “What’s up?”

“I have some bad news,” she said in a rather cheerful voice.

Curious.

“My favorite kind,” I joked.

“That piece of trash, Finny,” she continued. “I warned you about her.”

“Are you talking about Casey?”

“Precisely, the person I’m talking about. Thanks to her antics, I have to hold a press conference today down at the X. I think you need to get down here, you’ll want to hear this.”

“What’s it about?”

“Just get to the X, Finn.”

Then she hung up.

I didn’t waste a second before I called Casey.

She picked up on the first ring.

“We need to get to the X,” I told her.

“I’m on my way there right now,” she said. “Why do
you
need to go?”

“I just got a call from Ava,” I said. “She told me that there was a press conference that I need to be at.”

“Funny,” she said. “My producer told me the same thing.”

“This isn’t good.”

“Wait, why does Ava know about this anyway?”

“Her family owns the TV station, Case.”

“What?” she screamed.

“You didn’t know that?”

“No,” she said. “Do you think I would’ve gone all
Million Dollar Baby
on her if I knew she owned my ass?”

“That doesn’t matter now,” I said. “We just need to worry about what the hell she’s up to.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing bad, Finn,” Casey said.

Famous last words.

Casey

Anchor/Kiki Stuart:
So you’re saying you were set up?

Casey:
That’s correct.

Anchor/Kiki Stuart:
KXAA doesn’t corroborate your side of the story.

Casey:
Yes, I’m aware.

“What do you think this is all about?” Jonathan asked as we parked the car near the X.

“I have no idea and that’s what worries me,” I said.

“Should I bring the camera?” he asked.

“Always.”

We got settled into our chairs. Unsure what to do about Finn, I just gave him a nod. His face was pale. He looked almost panicked.

Jonathan filed in with the other cameramen, setting up to shoot the table at the front. The table where Ava stood with my boss, Phil, the owner of the Wild, Josh Hutchingson, and Wild coach, Tim Miller.

“Thanks for coming today,” Mr. Hutchingson said. “We have some great news in the world of hockey.”

“We are thrilled,” Coach Miller added. “Absolutely thrilled.” He smiled and pointed to Finn.

What the hell was going on?

“First of all,” Mr. Hutchingson went on, “We need to recognize the woman of the hour, Casey Scott.”

All eyes turned on me and I felt like I was going to throw up. Then, Finn looked at me in question. I shrugged.

This wasn’t good.

“Casey here has brought an important story to our attention,” Ava said. “Unfortunately, one of our newspaper team members completely botched this story. I’d like you all to know that she’s been reprimanded for her fabricated stories about a true legend of Minnesota hockey, Finn Daley.”

Why were they throwing Tattle Tale Tina under the bus?

“Casey discovered the reason Finn Daley left the Wild last spring.” Ava painted on a concerned face. “It’s a discovery that may have just saved his professional career.”

I looked over at Finn and he was riveted – obviously hearing the story for the first time. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something very bad was about to happen.

“Yes,” Coach Miller continued. “Finn Daley, Casey Scott has confirmed, has bipolar disorder – formally referred to as manic depression. It’s a disorder that forced him to retire last year after he received his diagnosis. But today, we are happy to report that he’s managing his illness, has never been healthier, and well, I’ll let Mr. Hutchingson take it from here.”

“Thank you, Coach,” the Wild owner said. “And thank you, Casey Scott, for bringing this story to our state’s attention. We know mental illness hasn’t been fully accepted in many sports. In fact, many players with mental illness do not get the support they need. Quite the contrary. But today is a new day. We don’t want to be lumped in with those other organizations caught back in time. Today, we are happy to welcome Finn Daley back to the team. We’ve been working with Finn and his agent for some time. We’ve also created new resources for our players with mental illness, and Finn, we’d like you to be on a special taskforce to help us do right by our players.”

I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t even blink. What was going on?

The small group in attendance went crazy and the photojournalists looked like the paparazzi swarming around Finn. Neither one of us could say a word. And before I knew it, we were swept away.

***

Finn wouldn’t take my calls after the press conference.

He really believed I was responsible for this. Even at the event, he couldn’t bring himself to look me in the eyes.

The days that followed morphed into a huge blur. There were people calling for interviews and job offers and book offers.

I should’ve been ecstatic. The old me would’ve been over the moon. The new me went into hiding.

Zack answered all the calls that came in and went into protective mode. A week into the chaos, he made me take a meeting with a talent agent.

She was helpful and had a plan to get all this to stop, so I signed with her. She soon became a beautiful go between Finn and me.

It wasn’t long after I signed with her that she booked our appearance on
Good Morning U.S.A
.