Reading the Defense Ch. 02

It wasn't quite seven o'clock the next morning as Gabe made his way back to the practice field for the second time, only this time he held a clipboard. A day he would like to forget three years ago in Indianapolis took the breath from his lungs and pulled him from the game forever. In the second quarter against the Colts he was taken down by a bone crushing hit damaging his knee. As one surgery turned into three, for the sake of his body the hit caused an early retirement at the age of thirty three. Despite being told that he would never put on his cleats again, San Francisco hired Gabe without hesitation and he started his career coaching the first season as a non player. The uproar with their management brought him to Rockford where he finally found a groove that was manageable, and a budding team itching to claim a spot in history. The club was new but that didn't change anything. Gabe made a vow when he started coaching, he would never push a player to do something he couldn't do himself, even if that meant getting up at the crack of dawn running lines to the comfort levels of his knee and lifting weights until exhaustion. He understood the strength and determination it took to get the job done; he also knew when to listen to his body. If the players complained it was too much, he could fight them on it or tell them to take a break. In his second season with the Cougars, Gabe was finally finding a good place as a coach.

Up ahead near the thirty yard line, Tony Soliano was already setting up so the players could start their drills after warming up. The coach was a tall and thick man in his mid-fifties. For the practice, he donned a knit polo embroidered with the Cougars' logo on the right breast. Soliano retired before Gabe entered the league and he could remember how the ex-quarterback played even if they weren't working together. He had been in a freshman in high school when Soliano played his last season for New England. Gabe had been sitting in the front room of his parents' house, shouting at the small screen with his father as he broke Len Bowman's passing record by twelve yards.

"Mornin' Russ, you stop by your desk yet?" Tony tossed a roll of tape to the turf as he spoke to Gabe.

"I dropped off the folder on Jennings this morning before working out but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Should I be looking out for something?"

The man shifted slightly and folded his arms across his chest, looking beyond Gabe he shrugged his shoulders and waited. On the side of the field, Gabe saw Deitrichs running sprints and remembered the post it note Tony had left on his phone."He's fast I'll give you that, but I don't know if he's ready yet to take it from the bench..."

Tony interrupted whatever else Gabe was going to say. "Put him in and see if he can take it, you've been pushing him hard this week. I think he could fill in the gap."

Gabe's eyebrows shot up, he stared incredulously at the man next to him before his mouth twitched at the corner. A rusty smile denied for the rough playing fields showed itself for the shortest of moments. The man was no fool and completely agreed with Soliano, he saw Deitrichs' potential and was glad he wasn't the only one.

"Was there something else I should be looking for?"

"Game film came in. I was watching it pretty late last night and think there's a break in the defense that we can work with."

Gabe rubbed the back of his head, his watch rattling as it moved along his wrist. Several players made their way out onto the field to stretch but Gabe didn't see any of it. In his head he was running plays and figuring positions, clipboards be damned. "I'll take a look after we're done and see what we're looking at."

Soliano rolled his eyes and blew out a gruff laugh. "You already knew didn't you? Damn it, sometimes I think you eat and sleep football."

Gabe grinned broadly. "It's my life."

Tony smacked his shoulder before throwing his head back and laughed. "Yeah it is, if Maggie didn't have her set of rules I'd prob'ly eat and sleep football too but seeing as my wife is the ruler of the household, it's not allowed in the bedroom."

Gabe had to laugh at that, a few of the players turned in their direction surprised to hear the sound rumbling from his chest and he quickly sobered. He remembered when he was married to Bree, something that was an afterthought of a misguided view of growing up. She would always complain about his shuffling papers while in bed studying up on plays, or how the flickering of the television bothered her. He should have known that the day she bought a mask to wear at night, the honeymoon had ended.

They married young at the start of his career. He was in love or so he thought, she wanted the lifestyle she thought would be automatic. Only to realize two years into their marriage that Gabe was a quiet man, he didn't need the bright lights. Looking back, he married her because then he would have had it all. A career, a wife and a home. When she didn't fight him over the cottage they'd shared, he knew he'd made the right decision in moving on. The last he'd heard was that she had attached herself to a defenseman in Indianapolis, wherever the ball landed he supposed.

Just then the rest of the players flooded the field and the athletic trainers started running the first thirty minutes of practice. Gabe tugged the hat low on his head and gripped the clipboard tightly to his side. As much as he should be focusing on the guys on the field, he started to get flashes of Samantha from the night before.

"Someone had a good night." Ernie smacked Gabe's back as he stood with the rest of the coaches.

Gabe nodded his head. He did have a good night, probably one of the better ones as of late but he was not in the mood to discuss that with Ernie considering where they were. Chalking off his time with Samantha, he focused on his break from the meetings. "Thanks for getting me out yesterday, I needed a break."

Ernie shook his head in disapproval. "That's not what I meant and you know it. Who's the lady?" The two men started to walk around the players as they were listening to the instructions from the trainers.

"Just someone who was meeting up with her friends." Ernie tossed a sideways glance at Gabe before hunching down next to Jamal Wallace, putting a hand on his back and pressing the player forward a little further to really stretch his muscles.

"That's interesting." As Ernie stood back up and walked on with Gabe. "I've never seen you pay the tab for 'just someone'."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothin' just seemed a lot like she wasn't just some lady you met in the bar."

"I told you, she fell and I helped her out. There's nothing more than that. " Gabe started to feel flushed in his cheeks and hoped that the change in his tone only made it look like they colored in frustration.

Ernie saw right through him but decided to play him and push a little further. "So what does she do?"

Gabe answered casually as his eyes were trained on Jennings and Phillips who were making their way to the lanes. "She's a teacher out in Hinsdale. Third grade. She said that her students last year made her throw a party for when the Cougars made it to the playoffs as long as they passed one of their tests." He smiled, remembering how her face had been filled with embarrassment when she told him how she'd rather them celebrate for the sake of them passing their tests not for some football team winning a game.

Ernie's mouth twitched before turning and heading out to the other side of the field. "Just someone."

****

What do you mean he walked you to your car? Oh my god, please tell me you had sex!

Only Liz could be this obnoxiously fun. Samantha stifled a laugh as she stared into the screen of her cell. Their messages had been going back and forth for the past fifteen minutes. The first messages had been filled with simple morning banter, saying thanks for the invite and complaints of a grueling hangover. As her assistant asked a question about yarn, Samantha thought she had said yard and started thinking about the man she stumbled into the night before. With her thoughts drifting to the memory of his warm and strong hands as they enfolded around hers, her own fingers glided over the pad of her phone. Not realizing what she was typing, the last message had included Gabe's name. Naturally her phone started to vibrate with an incoming call from Liz. She ignored it and placed a hand in front of her lips, catching her breath. Work was her life; she prided herself for being dedicated to her students and their work. The man with a sexy dimple had shaken her to the core; she was enjoying the feeling, but wanted to be smart about it. Before pushing through the back door to call Liz, she glanced up to make sure the aide was occupied and wouldn't need help.

"I want details, like right now!" Liz lived for the stories of other people's lives. She was a stay at home mother to a nine month old little boy, so getting out took a lot. Gossip did not. "Hold on, Trent needs his bottle." The sounds quieted almost immediately, Liz cleared her throat before charging back into the phone. "Okay, I want it all."

Her voice held a 'do not make me count to three' tone to it, even if it was exaggerated. Giving in to her need of sharing, she started to tell Liz about how she started to leave. The skin on her chest warmed as she mentioned Gabe, reaching down she tugged at collar of her dress to get cooler air to the skin. She glazed over how he held her hand as he walked her to the car, but could not hide the sound of her breath as it faltered.

"I wonder if paying someone's bill is the newest way of picking them up? I mean it beats having someone say, 'Do you come here often?'"

"Yeah, but he did say something about him bumping into me when I grabbed the card. That fits the cheesy pick up line Liz."

"He said that? That's actually kind of cute. You know what makes this even better?"

"If it involves future plans to trip in a bar for free drinks, you need to pick another girl."

"No, we picked the bar at the last minute. That place over on State was packed; I mean the drinks were pricy as hell, but worth it. Don't you think?"

"I guess so."

Liz laughed at the nonchalant way she felt about things sometimes. "You know so. You're the only one who walked out without losing anything last night."Except my sanity, Samantha thought to herself.

She blushed furiously, thankful that Liz could not see her. "I don't know Liz, he was probably just being nice. "

"Being nice or being male. I would die if Dave had done something like that when we dated. I was lucky if he would walk me back to the dorms, he practically lived in the library. And forget about him buying my drinks. I'm still buying his!"

Both women laughed together at the thought of Liz's husband. Dave Travers was tall and lanky, a man's man in the world of environmental services. To Liz he was her very own Captain America with a green heart. Until he found a way to build communities on eco efficient properties, she would be firm to their budget. In order to graduate, Samantha had been forced to take a class on the fundamentals of tears in the layers of the atmosphere. Science was not her forte; luckily she had been teamed up with Dave, who helped tutor her way through the course. One day, Liz had been rushing into the library in search of Samantha and found her studying with Dave. When she first heard the passion behind his words as he helped her friend, she knew he was someone she was interested in. After her third visit to the library, Samantha took the hint and told Dave she had somewhere to go leaving him alone with Liz. The next day they became a couple.

Caving to her obsessive control over her classroom, she peered through the window to see how the assistant was doing. She need not have bothered; she too, was attached to a phone. "He was really sweet." Talking about men should not be difficult, she had every right to. "And sexy as hell there's no denying that. I don't know it just threw me off. I mean where did he come from?"

On the other end, Liz shifted her son and sounded slightly breathless. "Well that's easy, we called a service."

Samantha couldn't hold the bubble of laughter as it left her mouth. "You're terrible Liz."

"That is true, but I'm telling you right now you're not going to see my credit card statement next month. I'm really proud of you Sam, you've been guarded lately and talking to you now, I don't know. You seem different."

"Different, bad?"

As Liz smiled on the other end, Samantha could almost hear it and she relaxed a little. "Absolutely not, you seem happy, and excited. I haven't heard you talk like this in a long time."

She was happy. Last night something sparked inside of her that she didn't understand. When she was falling into bed, her body felt light with anticipation. She hoped that Gabe would call her; but if he didn't, his presence alone stirred a desire within her that was in need to be unleashed.

"Look Liz, I've got to go. I've got a meeting in a few minutes."

"Okay, don't forget Sunday. Dave has been talking non-stop for the last week about how excited he is you're bringing that D-A-M-N salad. Mama doesn't swear Trent, promise."

They both fell into giggles before disconnecting. Samantha walked back into her classroom and tossed her phone into her purse. She wasn't going to be one of those women that stared at the phone waiting for a man to call on her. She'd wait until three thirty to check her phone next to see if Gabe had called. If he hadn't, well then she would find something to occupy her time.

****

A grumble rippling through his stomach broke the heavy concentration that stole Gabe's attention. Rubbing his stomach, he looked away from the previous day's practice as it played on a small screen next to the bookshelf in his office. Punching the button on the remote, the screen of the television turned to darkness. He hadn't had much more than coffee and peanuts all day. Glancing down at his watch he noticed the dials read six forty five.

Shit

He was going to call Samantha and completely forgot. One of the people from the front office had brought him reels of game film, and for the past six hours he'd holed himself up in the screening room taking in each reel. Play for play. His contacts were starting to dry out, each time his eyes closed the lids felt like sandpaper.

Rubbing his thumb and forefinger across the bridge of his nose, he stepped out into the hallway of the Cougar compound. The majority of the staff had left a couple of hours before; because it was the pre-season, evening meetings weren't in order yet so only a few of the coaches stuck around. His office was relatively small from an aesthetic view, but suited him perfectly. He'd rather be out on the field where he was at home, rather than boxed in an office attached to a telephone.

Tossing the notes in his hands aside, he grabbed the cell phone and decided enough time had been wasted. He enjoyed talking with Samantha more than he would like to admit and was looking forward in hearing the sweet sound of her voice shortly.

Gabe dialed up to her and waited.

"Hello?"

"Hey short stop." He was greeted with a soft laugh that was as warm as that August evening. His body started to stir at the sound.

"Hello Mr. Russell. You obviously didn't get marred by bears last night."

Trying to keep his body temperature under control he thought about release techniques and body control, which was not helping. "No I didn't, and I think I can sleep better tonight knowing you made it too. How did your meeting go this morning?"

Surprised that he remembered what she said the night before, it took her a second to respond. "Good. I don't think the principal takes me seriously because of my age. I don't want to be bothered but I hate to say it, it bugs me." She laughed at her own statement.

On the other end, Gabe ate up her words. He wished he was there to see her face as she spoke. Last night he had asked if she had a favorite moment of teaching yet, she thought about it before responding but beamed at him with her pick. Not knowing he was going to hear a story that made him laugh harder than he had in years, she told in great detail how hard it can be to hold your tongue around young children. One of her students had written a dirty word on the whiteboards while she had stepped away from her desk. When she came back in the ugly word made her laugh, causing her students to laugh. Ultimately she had to explain, really mean roosters that bite should not be called 'cockheads.' When he asked her what the rooster should be called, she blushed furiously.

I told them that they should call it, Mr. Rooster. So when they speak in a harsh tone, the rooster would know who the boss was in that house. God, that's awful. But so true!

"I'm sure they respect you more than you think Samantha. From what I saw last night, you seem pretty dedicated."

Dedicated didn't even describe it. She was married to her job and had no qualms about it. For as long as she could remember, she had wanted to be a teacher. There was something about educating others, getting them to see that a bigger and brighter future was out there and she could help seemed like the perfect gift.

Gabe pictured her rolling her eyes at him. "Dedication doesn't get you the golden ticket now does it?"

"Hard work and determination Samantha. Hard work."

"Yeah, yeah. Oh, I'm rambling, you must be completely exhausted with two practices in one day."

Gabe scoffed at her playfully. "It's not so bad, you get used to it after awhile. I'm sorry I'm calling so late, one of the other guys gave me some film to look over and I lost track of time."

Secretly, Samantha loved that he'd even thought of her during his hectic schedule. "It's late?" He laughed at her mock question.

"Gabe, you're job is demanding. Just you wait; as soon as my students start their book reports and dissecting plants, their projects will take reign over failed interceptions any day."

Gabe couldn't hold back his laugh at that. As they talked last night to just now, Samantha seemed to understand how easily something could sweep you away from all of the plans and hours of the day.

"Ouch, I think I spot a scorned woman on the other side."

Samantha tried her hardest to sound stern but Gabe could hear the break in her tone. "You sir are a tyrant if I've to see one."

Absentmindedly, Gabe pushed the same set of papers on his desk a little further in the corner until some fell over. He was curious about her and decided to dive in. "So, are you from around here?"

"No, I'm from Seattle. I went to college here and kind of fell in love with it all and haven't left."

"Seattle's a nice city, they've got a great football field that I've played in a few times. It's pretty in the northwest. Do you miss it?"

"You would know about that field! I do miss it, all of my family still lives in Washington so the distance gets to me sometimes. I go back whenever I can to see them, especially now that my sister has kids but I love being here and can't really picture myself living anywhere else."

Samantha settled deeper into the couch and sighed at the thought of her family. "What about you, where do you live in the offseason?"

"I have a cabin up in Michigan, it was the first big thing w-"He quickly stopped himself before mentioning his ex-wife. "I bought it when I turned pro. Its only a few hours away in either direction to all of my family that live in the area. I was actually going to go up there this weekend to lock it up for the season."

"You know, I've only been to Glen Arbor and it was gorgeous up there. "

Gabe laughed and filed that away, his cabin wasn't too far from there. "You are a Northwesterner. I know football stadiums and you know evergreens." On the other end, Samantha smiled. She had thought the same thing.