29

Elle was all excited when she walked into the conference room Friday afternoon after a long day at the desk.

Since the Bengals would be playing against the Buccaneers tomorrow in Tampa, today would be her first time helping to set up the important stuff for the away games.

Nick and Paul were waiting for her when she arrived and immediately they went together to the storage room, which was filled with portable treatment tables, tape rolls, band-aids, medications and other items important to athletic trainers in their day-to-day jobs.

Nick slid Elle a large box with wheels that could be divided into several small boxes with drawers and asked her to check the contents for completeness. She was also to see that none of the medical supplies were tarnished and thus they needed to replace them.

In all, Elle checked four rolling boxes while Nick gathered portable treatment tables as well as other larger items and placed them outside the door for Michael and Roberto to pick up and start packing into one of the buses waiting outside the facility to later drive the team as well as the staff to the airport.

Paul, meanwhile, was preparing several kits with equipment and medicines, as well as other medical supplies they might need to treat the players quickly during the game.

"Did you get your bag on the bus yet?" Nick asked when they were done with everything. Elle shook her head.

Honestly, she was a little overwhelmed with the new experience she was going to have today and didn't quite know if there was a real plan for what she needed to do and when.

"well, wait for me for a minute, I have to get a few things from my office, then it's already time to leave for the bus anyway" Nick smiled at her. Elle nodded gratefully.

Nick had been doing this for years, so he should have a plan and so Elle could just follow it.

She got her bag, which she had already packed last night, out of the conference room. She would only be gone until tomorrow night, so she didn't need to take much anyway, except something to sleep in and her outfit for the game, which consisted of a Bengals Tshirt.

"We're going on bus 4" Nick pointed to the laminated sign in the front window of the bus, where they packed their bags before getting on.

"That's the staff bus. We're riding with all the coaches and other support staff" he explained further. Elle just nodded silently and dropped into the window seat Nick showed her.

It was just after ten when the whole team arrived at the hotel. But there was no break for the athletic trainers. Elle had just very quickly put her bag down in her room before rejoining the others in the lobby.

They had been given one of the hotel's meeting rooms to set up a treatment room in, since a few more players would be coming in for a check.

No sooner had they set everything up than the first players were at the door. Elle treated Sam and Logan, who both got their tapes renewed after Elle checked their ailments but cleared them both for tomorrow.

"Elle, can you come here a minute?" Nick called to her as she cleaned everything up and figured she could finally go to her room. The flight had made her very tired, why, she didn't know herself.

"what's up?" Elle jogged over to him and Paul. "You checked Burrow again the other day, didn't you?" She nodded.

"you haven't written a report yet, so?" Nick looked at her questioningly. "Oh yes, I thought it unnecessary since I couldn't find anything new other than what you had already written in the report" she explained.

"Ok, well then you don't have to. I just asked Paul what he thought about Burrow playing tomorrow" Elle looked at him surprised. "You're not sure he's ready yet?"

Paul shook his head. "We just don't want to risk it being too soon and him overworking his knee or breaking it completely. He performs well in practice, but a real game like this is something else again" Paul clarified.

Elle nodded thoughtfully. "Sure. I mean, it certainly wouldn't be a bad decision to let him sit out this game. After all, it's only tryouts and not the real season yet"

"That's what we were thinking, too. Would you mind telling Zac that and coming to a decision with him about whether or not Burrow plays tomorrow?" Paul looked at her expectantly.

"Right now?" Elle asked, surprised. The two men nodded. "Uh, no, no problem. I'll be on my way right away" she smiled politely at both of them before leaving the room.

She knocked on Zac's hotel room door and waited for an answer. Just a few seconds later the door was opened, Zac looked at her smiling before turning away and Elle spotted the cell phone he was holding to his ear in his other hand.

"Sarah, I'm sorry, I have to go. Elle just got here and probably needs to talk to me about something" he looked questioningly at Elle, who nodded mutely.

"Yeah, I'll tell her....ok, I'll ask her....all right, say goodnight to everyone and give them a kiss for me. I love you and I'll get back to you tomorrow. Good night" he hung up and turned back to Elle.

"Come on in. Sarah sends her regards and she asked me to ask if you would join us for dinner again sometime" Zac stepped aside so Elle could come into the room.

"Thanks, that's sweet. Tell her I said hi back!" Elle flopped down on one of the chairs that were at the small table in the room.

"And about dinner, I'd love to come over again sometime! Well, if I ever find time, which might be again in...February, well, depends on how well the season goes" Elle shrugged with a grin as Zac laughed. "I'm sure we'll get that squeezed into an evening sometime".

"How are Sarah and the kids doing?" Elle asked. Zac's kids, Brooks, Luke, Emma and Milly were really cute as hell, although of course they weren't as cuddly as Elle's nephew Ian, but still Elle liked it when she visited the Taylors and played with the kids.

Sarah, Zac's wife of 13 years, was also a great woman, and despite the age difference, Elle and she got along very well, which was why Elle had spent quite a bit of time at the Taylor's home at least twice a week, partly because her dad had assigned Zac to keep an eye on Elle.

A couple of times Elle had also watched the kids when she was still in college so Zac and Sarah could have a night alone, but since Elle was working and was usually busy longer than Zac, that wasn't possible anymore.

"Oh, they're fine. The kids just have to get used to not seeing me as much the next while now that the season is starting up again and that's always a bit of a drama at first, which is why Sarah is a bit more stressed than usual, but yeah, everything else is great" Zac explained and sat down across from Elle.

"But I don't think you're knocking on my door this late to ask me about my family, are you?" he asked laughing. Elle shook her head. "I'm here at Paul and Nick's request. It's about Joe."

"Oh, what about him? Is his situation deteriorating? Was it too soon?" Zac asked with concern.

"No, Joe is on a very good path back to his normal form. We were just talking about whether it might be better to give him another break tomorrow so it might not be too soon. He's only been back to normal training for a week and a half and his knee looks good and isn't causing any problems but a real game is a lot different than training and practice."

Zac nodded in agreement. "So your advice is that he just watches tomorrow and doesn't play yet?" Elle nodded. "it's our opinion, but you have to decide. Joe is definitely ready to play, but the risk that it's too early and he could get seriously injured is still there."

"You guys are totally right. I'll go to Joe in the morning and explain that he still needs to sit out and we'll bring him back slowly for the next game" Zac agreed with her.

"may be the best option" she said pleased and relieved that Zac agreed to tell Joe since she didn't know how he would react.

She had come to know him as very ambitious and focused and not playing might not sit well with him.

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Question: How was your first celebrity crush?

my answer: I had maaaaany celebrity crushes and I don't think I can remember all of them but I think my first real celebrity crush was Chris Evans after watching THE AVENGERS for the first time. Well, now I like Sebastian Stan more than him, preferences can change haha

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