Sunday Snippet: Physical Therapy

Geez. I can't believe we're in the last week of October. This month flew by and I'm kind of sad I didn't have the time or energy to enjoy it more.

Doggo update. She's still not quite over the sinus infection. We had a hard time getting her to eat much, and her antibiotic needs to be taken with food. We're surmising she's not interested because she can't smell right now. She's still drinking plenty of water and also gets excited when anyone comes home, so we think she's doing okay. She still doesn't like having her nose wiped to remove the yuck leaking from it though.

Not a bad work week. I had a couple of focus-intense projects to work through, which became a challenge because I'm not sleeping as well as I should be. But … I'm nearing the end of one long project and starting a new longish project and I'm thrilled they're going so well. I finished up a proofread and started a new copy edit also.

Had an okay viewing week. I didn't make it through my full list of shows, but got most of them in. I just didn't have the attention span to watch stuff this week.

I did get an episode of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries in and I'm getting closer to the end of season two.

Caught another episode of Foyle's War and it's one I didn't remember. It features an actor that used to be one of my faves, but he kind of went off the deep end and I can't really enjoy his work anymore. That's a me problem, I know.

Enjoyed the season three premiere of Beyond Paradise. So nice to see Archie again, even if he tried to muck up Humph and Martha's romance. I really enjoy this show.

Watched another episode of Poirot and enjoyed the mystery. There ended up being a lot going on in this one and it felt like a couple of shortcuts were taken, but overall a fun episode. Well … except for the murder of course.

Elementary ended up being a lot of fun with the twist on the Baskerville lore. I'm so happy with Sherlock's growth as a character and his quietly impassioned plea for the ME to get some help kind of made the episode for me.

I didn't get to watch Batman Beyond or Lower Decks this week because I ran out of steam. Hopefully, I'll get to catch up soon.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Physical Therapy, a novella that features a rivalry that goes awry and the fallout from the damages.

Here's the miniblurb:

Flint Hollywell, a talented physical therapist, loves nothing more than watching arena ball player Tappen Bligh work her magic on the playing field. But when a possible career-ending injury sidelines Tappen, Flint is determined to get her back on the grass where she thrives on the action.

And a preview snippet…

Flint's mouth hung open, and he grabbed a hold of Mason's jersey. "Did that just fucking happen?" The opposing side's rabid-dog fans just went flying.

Mason blinked. "Uh, yeah. Man. And, um, Tappen's down and not getting up."

Tappen Bligh … down for the count? Shit.

Flint charged down to the field. He had to get to her. A beefy security guy tried to stop Flint, but he flashed his medical creds and the guy quickly cleared Flint.

The agent snagged Flint's collar. "Make sure she's okay. Shit's gonna get real ugly over there." He leaned in closer and fastened a medical badge to Flint's shirt. "Pretty sure Tappen unleashed a spell. That could mean trouble for her."

Flint jerked his head up and down then made a mad dash across the field. He didn't encounter any resistance but had to pick his way through stunned and dazed fans just now trying to get to their feet. A circle of black-shirted security people formed a circle around Tappen. The Demon Dog's coach had the team members sitting on the bench.

Gilda stood off to one side, flanked by two league officials.

Good. Flint had no doubt she'd done Tappen dirty on the field. There better be repercussions for that underhanded bullshit.

He finally reached the protective detail and thanked whatever ruled the universe that they made a hole then quickly closed ranks again. Sirens wailed in the distance, which meant the ambulance should arrive soon. At least he could check Tappen over and offer some assistance.

He knelt by her side just as her eyelids fluttered open. Her pupils were reactive, but her gaze appeared cloudy for a few seconds.

She blinked and shook her head a little. "Well, hello. You've got a friendly face." Her hand went to a temple and rubbed. "You're not going to bash me over the head, are you?" She withdrew her hand and discovered a spot of blood on her fingers.

Flint worked quickly, he brought the hem of his shirt up, bit on the fabric, then tore a strip from the bottom. "I'm definitely not going to do any more damage, but I am going to clean this up a little." He folded the material and pressed it against the wound along her hairline. "The medical team is on the way. You'll have to go to the trauma center and get checked over." From the looks of her, she'd have some recuperating to do.

Another person entered the circle and dropped down beside them.

Tappen winced. "Hey, coach. Think I'm gonna have to sit the rest of this one out." She tried to move but groaned when her knee twisted.

Coach Geri Danvers put a hand on Tappen's shoulder. "We're done. The officials called the game in our favor because of Gilda Radfly's blatant cheating." Her gaze shifted to Flint. "You're a physical therapist, aren't you?"

Flint nodded. "I am. Flint Hollywell." He lifted the makeshift bandage to check the wound. "I work at the trauma center." He motioned for Geri to take over putting pressure on the scrape.

She moved around to get a better angle. "Glad you're here. And it looks like the med team is headed this way."

Flint stood up and met them when they arrived. "Better splint that knee and maybe the ankle also." He moved back, letting them do their jobs.

When they had Tappen loaded onto the cot, he started to head back toward the field.

A callused hand reached out and grasped his. "Hey, Flint. Thanks for coming over." Tappen gave him a wan smile.

Flint squeezed her fingers. "Glad I could be here. I'll check in with you at the trauma center."

Her lips quirked upward again. "I'd like that. See you soon."

Flint shook his head. If anyone told him he'd meet his favorite arena ball player this way, he'd have laughed them out of the room.

So happy with how this story is coming together. I'm not completely sure where it's going next but I'm excited to find out.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye