《If Only Tonight - A Novel》


 Prologue

    Prologue


    ~ If only tonight, If this is all I got, If I can''t have your love, I won''t get back up this time. If only tonight, I''ll race you to the sun, before the morning comes, if I can change your mind. It''s only tonight, and tomorrow you''re gone, and we''re just a song, singing along...~


    Music blasted on the speakers. She sang along with the song, driving down the gravelly road. The wind rushed in through the open windows, blowing her auburn hair around. The road was surrounded by a thick forest on either side.


    Mia had always loved driving up north. Muskoka was the most peaceful place in her mind. She loved going up to her parents cottage, even if she was going to be alone. She had finally gotten time off from work. After a hectic few months, she had deserved some time off.


    She smiled as she saw her cottage come in to view. The lake behind it, made it look as though it was a picture that should have been on a postcard. Mia could feel herself relax as she parked her car.


    Stepping out of her Dodge Challenger, Mia didn''t bother to lock the doors or roll up the windows. She had the keys, and no one else was around.


    The sunlight glinted off her eyes, making her emerald green eyes more pronounced. Mia licked her parched lips. She was thirsty. She leaned in to the car, grabbing her water bottle and taking a long refreshing drink, before placing it on the hood of her car. She was glad she had dressed in a light dress and capris. It was quite warm. I''m home, she thought. Even though being home brought her joy, there was still something tugging on her heart. Mia pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind.


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    Taking a quick view of the place, Mia felt a little at peace. She had just begun to take her things out of the trunk, when her phone beeped. Perplexed, she went through the pockets of her dress in search of the phone. Who could be messaging me now? She thought. Those that knew her knew she was on vacation. She was sure even he did...although he was the reason she had gone on vacation in the first place. To get over us...she thought, miserably. The pain in her heart had never left. She had tried to mask it, tried to avoid it, but still her heart felt broken.


    She drew a breath of relief when she found it. Clicking on the screen only to find: One new text message, Mia sighed. Who is it this time? She thought out of curiosity. Open now? The phone was asking her. She shook her head as she clicked ''yes''.


    ''In your hometown...really wish you were here...'' It read. As she looked to who had sent her the message, Mia''s breath caught. He''s here? In the same country? She thought, in awe. Her heart was pounding, as though just reading his name had brought it back to life.


    Just knowing he was so close, Mia could barely breath. Her mind clouded with thoughts of him. How many nights had passed when all she could think of was him? His striking blue eyes, jet black hair, and that voice...that deeply melodic sound of him...


    Her fingers shook as they held on to the phone. Should I reply? She asked herself, feeling conflicted. Weren''t they over? At that moment she wished one of her friends was here. They would have known what to do.


    Her mind was fighting a losing battle with her heart. Mia made up her mind. Her breath shaking with nerves.


    ''But I am here...'' She typed on to her phone. Before she could think about any of the repercussions involved, Mia clicked send. The message was gone with a blink of an eye. With that she put the phone in to her pocket once more.


    No sooner had she turned to get her things from her car, her phone started to ring. It wasn''t the beep that signaled that a text message had been received...it was a ring telling her who was calling.


    A smile made it''s way on to her lips. It couldn''t be helped. Mia pulled her phone out again and answered it.


    "Hello?"

 Into The Storm - Chapter One: Starting On The Wrong Foot

    Chapter One: Starting On The Wrong Foot


    The early light of the morning had set everything a glow, as she drove to the outskirts of London. Excitement was in the air.


    "I start my new job today! Yay!" She said cheerfully. Mellenia Brooklyn couldn''t help feeling so excited, she had landed her dream job. She was going to start working as one of London F.C.''s sports injury specialists. She couldn''t believe her luck.


    As one of the more prominent teams, Mia had been surprised that the manager had even bothered to leave a message for her to come in for an interview. The interview, Mia thought, that itself had been another memorable moment.


    Walking in to the main building, Mia headed for the secretary''s desk. "Hello! I''m Mia...I have an interview at 9:30." She told the woman sitting behind the desk.


    The elderly lady looked at her, and then at a sheet. "Sorry, you''re not on the list dear." She told her.


    "I got a call telling me to come here. There must be some mistake. Can you please check again? My name is Mellenia Brooklyn." Mia insisted.


    Again, the lady looked at the sheet before turning to her. "Sorry, there is no Mellenia Brooklyn listed for any interview."


    Something clicked in Mia''s mind.


    "Can you check for M Brooklyn...that''s what I put on my resume..." She told the woman, sheepishly.


    The secretary sighed as she looked over the sheet, but nodded. "Yes, you do have an appointment." She told Mia. "Wait right here. I''m going to let Felix know that you''re here." She left Mia standing at the desk.


    Mia looked around. The walls were covered with photos of the team and some of their best moments.


    "Mr. Pettyfer will see you now." Came the voice of the secretary.


    Mia tried to shake off her nerves as she headed to the door where the woman stood. "Thanks." Mia told her, walking past her in to the room.


    An older man sat behind a desk, it looked as though he was finishing up writing something as Mia entered.


    "Hello, mister Brook...lyn-" He started, the words coming to a halt as he saw the girl standing in front of him. "You''re not a mister..." He said, shaking his head.


    "No..." Mia said, trying to hold back her laughter.


    "I''m so sorry...I thought M Brooklyn was for, well you know." He said shaking his head.


    "Well Miss Brooklyn, I''m Felix Pettyfer. The manager of London FC. Please have a seat." He said, holding out a hand. Mia shook his hand before taking the seat in front of his desk.


    "I''m very sorry about the mix up. Mellenia, is it?" Felix apologised. "It''s okay. You can call me Mia." She told him. She found it rather funny.


    Felix opened file full of papers, it was her portfolio, rifling through them, Mia saw him stop at one. He read it before turning to look at her.


    "Well then, Mia. One of my former colleagues had a lot to say about you. He was the one who called and said that if I didn''t give you a shot, I''d regret it." Felix chuckled, as he returned to scanning the papers in front of him. "You may know him. Dr. Mark Phillips."


    Dr. Phillips? She wondered silently. The man had been in charge of her work at the university; preparing her for the theoretical and practical tests. She always knew when he approved of her work; he wouldn''t say anything to her. It was when she would make a mistake, she would hear him. "Brooklyn!" He would yell, causing her to flinch. "Don''t screw this up, Brooklyn!" Mia almost winced, his voice sounded as though it was right there in the room with them.


    "I''ve been looking through your transcript. It''s astounding. How old are you?" He questioned.


    Mia stifled her laughter. Everyone always looked at her funny when she told them. "I''m twenty two..." She informed Felix.


    "How did you finish so fast?" Felix sounded in awe.


    Mia blushed. It was embarrassing when people asked her these questions. The story had always been the same...it was one of those things that once someone knew either they wanted to be her friend or they wanted nothing to do with her.


    "I took more than the required courses during semesters and then I would take summer and correspondence courses." Mia said, quietly.


    "That must have been a lot of hard work." He commented; he was now rifling through other papers. Mia looked closely at them. She grimaced; he had her high school report transcript. It seemed he had gone through, in depth, all of the items in the portfolio she had sent him.


    "You''re grades are very good. Mark told me that you scored the highest in both theoretical and practical, when you specialized for sports injuries." He looked at her.


    "So tell me, where are you from?" Mia looked up at him. "I''m from Toronto, Ontario...it''s in Canada." She answered.


    "You were promoted twice in grade school?" Mia blushed again. "Yes..." She muttered. "Which grades?" "Three and six..." "You finished high school in three years? How?" "I took virtual school courses and summer school."


    Felix interrogated her a little longer about her education. Mia wanted nothing more than to sink in to her chair.


    "It says here you have a brother, Maximillion Brooklyn. What does he do?" Mia''s heart hurt. Felix was going through every detail of her life. She had hoped he wouldn''t go there.


    "Max...umm...We were twins...I was ten minutes older..." That fact was irrelevant, Mia realized. "He''s not here anymore..." She said, with a pause.


    "Oh...I''m so sorry. I didn''t know." Felix apologized. "Was this recently?" He asked her. "No...it happened years ago..." She hoped he would stop, to her relief Felix changed the subject. Asking her how well she got along with others, if she worked well in a team setting, and after several other intrapersonal skill questions, he finally got to what her work would entail.


    He cleared his throat before speaking once more. "You must be wondering why I called you for an interview. Well, our team is looking for another sports injury specialist. I was hoping that it would be...well you know..." Mia smiled at him. He had been looking for a man to fill the position.


    "None of the other applicants are as qualified as you are. I am aware that this will be your first experience as a professional, but Mark is backing you so I would be an idiot to ignore his advice. He was one of our best specialists." Felix said, as he closed her file.


    "The job will require you to regularly check your roster of players. You will decide whether or not they are fit to play. Our players see two doctors; one for their regular physical check up, the other for sports injuries. So you will only be dealing with legs, arms, and maybe some broken ribs." He was setting the parameters of her work, for that she was more than grateful.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    "You will also have the choice to stay in the women''s dormitory. We have other women working here so you won''t be alone. We''re one of the few teams that still provide lodging for our players and staff, since many of them come from other countries; and we understand that it takes time to settle in." Mia already knew this.


    She had loved the team since she was in high school. She had read up on the history and background. Her favorite soccer player even played for the team.


    "So with all that in mind, Mia, I would like to offer you a place on the staff of London FC." Mia couldn''t believe her dreams were coming true.


    "I would love to work here!" She said, happily. "This is my favorite team...you have no idea how much I''ve wanted to work here! It''s like a dream come true!" Mia caught herself before she said too much. Felix could be heard chuckling at her enthusiasm.


    "Well, you will start Monday. So come by the field at nine thirty, I will introduce you to the team and staff. I''ll tell you who will be on your roster then." He told her, after Mia had filled out and signed the contract. "Do you have any questions?"


    "The dorms? Will I be staying there as soon as I start work?" Mia asked, she was living with her best friend at the moment.


    "There has been a little bit of construction, but they will be ready soon and you will find out who your roommates are the week after next. Right now even the players are being lodged in one of the nearby hotels. " He answered. Mia nodded. One more week with Stacie should be alright...she thought.


    Mia shut off her car. Once she had stepped out and gotten her things, she looked back at it. The poor Dodge Challenger looked out of place, having been parked in between a Bentley and a Mercedes. The players'' cars, she thought.


    "Sorry about that..." She whispered to her car, feeling guilty about leaving it with such expensive automobiles.


    Walking to the gates, she could see some people running on the track. Maybe I''ll get to meet him! She thought excitedly. She could only hope she would see her favorite player. That would be awesome! She tried to control her thoughts.


    She pressed the buzzer on the side of the gates.


    "Yes?" Came a staticky voice. "It''s Mia...I''m the new sports injury specialist..." She told the person. "Sorry. But there''s no Mia listed." The person told her. Mia sighed...Felix still hadn''t fixed that problem. "I''m probably listed as M Brooklyn." She told him. "Oh...Okay...yea I found you." There was a buzzing sound, as the gates became unlocked. Mia pushed through them.


    There were knots in her stomach now. The nervous feeling was starting to overtake her excitement. She looked around. Where would Felix be? It was odd referring to her boss by his first name, but Felix had told her that was how everyone talked to him.


    As Mia stood looking for him, someone came to stand beside her.


    "New?" A deep voice asked. Mia turned, startled.


    In front of her stood a tall man. His fair blonde hair shone in the sunlight. His blue eyes sparkled. He was wearing the players'' shirts.


    "I''m looking for Felix...I''m the new sports injury specialist." She told him, a little sheepishly.


    "Ahh...Felix told us to expect someone coming around today. I''m Oliver. Who might you be?" Oliver extended his hand.


    "I''m Mellenia...but just call me Mia." She shook his hand. His blue eyes held warmth in them. It was comforting.


    "I''ll take you to Felix, if you want. He''s over there, yelling...he might be a while." Oliver chuckled as he pointed towards the elderly man, who was indeed shouting at some people.


    Felix turned as Oliver and Mia arrived.


    "Mia! It''s so good to see you again!" Felix greeted her, shaking her hand. Mia smiled. She had taken a liking to the elderly man. He was very friendly.


    Felix assembled the team and staff around the bleachers. Mia looked at her feet. She was feeling nervous once more.


    "Okay everyone, this is Mia. She will be joining us as a sports injury specialist. So all of you please make her feel welcome." As Felix stopped, Mia looked up to see some of the players leave. There were only a few players left.


    "Mia, these will be the players on your roster." Felix spoke, Mia turned to face him. He motioned to each player.


    "Oliver Fields, whom, apparently, you''ve already met. Jason Roberts. This is one of our newer players, Nathaniel Madonia." Felix motioned to a brown haired boy. Mia smiled at him. He seemed nice enough. He gave her a warm smile, and waved to her before heading to the field. Oliver had stayed behind to watch who else was on her roster.


    As Felix introduced the rest of the guys, Mia became distracted. Her heart almost stopped beating when she saw who Oliver was talking to.


    "Last but not least. Matthew Rossi, will also be on your roster." Felix announced. Mia couldn''t help but stare. Matthew Rossi is on my roster! Mia couldn''t believe her luck. The one player she had loved watching for so long...now she would be working with him! Mia smiled excitedly.


    The glare she received almost sent her reeling. Never before had she seen such a look of pure hatred. Matthew glared daggers at her. His icy blue eyes looked glacial in the sunshine, sending shivers down her spine. Mia''s smile faltered, when the scowl on Matthew''s face became more pronounced.


    "Now now, Matt. Don''t even think about complaining." Felix admonished him.


    "Why can''t you ask Mark to come back?" She heard the player ask, sounding a little petulant.


    "Mark is happy with his academic work, Matt. Actually he''s the one who recommended Mia; she was one of his prot¨¦g¨¦''s. So if I hear you haven''t been going to see her when you''re supposed to, you won''t be playing." Felix told him, sternly.


    The older man turned to face Mia. He handed her a few files.


    "Here are some of the papers you should go through. I made sure your office has all the files you need. The computer and laptop are already there. If you need anything else let me know. And if any of them give you an ounce of trouble, make sure you tell me." He said to her, nodding in Matthew''s direction. Mia bobbed her head in agreement, not being able to get the words out.


    With that Felix walked away, heading for the field.


    Mia turned her attention to the two players that stood in front of her. She couldn''t think of anything to say.


    "So Mia, I bet you''ve heard all about this one." Oliver said, with a smile.


    Mia nodded. "You''re actually one of my favorite players. I''ve watched you play since you were in the Italian minor leagues." Mia gushed, not being able to control herself.


    If Mia had thought that Matthew would warm up to her for even a moment, she was wrong.


    "Flattery will get you nothing and no where." Matthew said coldly to her. With that he walked away.


    Mia stood frozen in place. Oliver shook his head as he walked towards her.


    "Don''t worry...Matt is always a bit of a jerk. He has a five game suspension...so lately he''s been pretending he hates anyone and everyone." He told her, trying to comfort her.


    "How about I show you around?" The older player offered. Mia nodded. She looked back in time to see Matthew turn to give her another cold glare. What did I do? She couldn''t help but wonder, as she followed Oliver.


    "What the hell was wrong with you? Were you constipated or something?" Matthew Rossi turned to hear his best friend berate him. He knew full well what Oliver was going on about.


    "No, I wasn''t. Nothing''s wrong with me. You know how much I hate not being able to play!" He told him adamantly.


    "Oh really...blame it on the red card...are you''re always such an ass when Felix brings out the new staff? You were fine right before you saw her! I don''t get why you had to do that. The poor girl was crushed! You''re her favorite player!" Oliver told him, hitting Matthew hard with his equipment bag. They started walking again, heading for the parking lot.


    "Look, I don''t see what the big deal is. I''m always a jerk...you explained that to her probably...and she''ll only have to deal with me a few times a week. Not so bad." Matthew told him, trying to sound nonchalant.


    "Well, if I find out you''re giving her a hard time; you''ll be in trouble. Red card or not!" Oliver warned.


    "What! You''re supposed to be on my side!" Matthew complained.


    "Felix told me to watch over her. I think you and Nathaniel have been replaced as the babies of the team." Oliver said, giving him a grin. They had reached their cars.


    "Shut up...you just like having seniority..." Matthew muttered.


    "Yea yea...I''ll see you later. Bye Matt...Don''t let the red card bite!" Oliver said with a laugh, ducking into his BMW. Matthew waved goodbye to his friend, before unlocking the door of his own car, a sleek black Lamborghini Gallardo. He shoved his bag in, before seating himself, and starting the engine. Oliver had gotten him good...for once.


    As he drove through the parking lot, he noticed something odd. Is that an...it''s an American car? Matthew thought in surprise. As he passed it, he saw the girl sitting inside it. Quickly, he masked his face with another cold look.


    Relaxing once he had left the grounds. It had been a long day. Matthew thought as he drove to the hotel. It was going to be a long month. His five games spanned a pretty long time. A start of the season incident hadn''t helped him. It was never any good to confront anyone...even if you were right...Matthew shoved it into the back of his mind.


    The girl had been a good distraction from his own problems. Mia...That was her name. Never in his life had he felt his knees turn to jelly at the sight of a girl. Never. And he had seen his share of girls.


    The feelings that had caused his heart to swell had in fact scared him. I''m going to have to keep away from that one, he thought, knowing how difficult it would be since she was assigned to take care of him. His mind wandered back to her. Her emerald green eyes were something he had never seen before. They had grabbed his attention the moment he had seen her.


    I can''t like her, he thought as he drove home. From what he had seen, she was a pretty simple girl. Her auburn hair had been tied back, her pale skin made him think as though she didn''t spend much time outside, her slim frame suited her average height. Her looks weren''t out of the ordinary...but they had caught him. She wasn''t one of those models, he had been known to date...Matthew shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. I''ve got to stop thinking about her, he reprimanded himself. Its going to be a long season...he thought with dread.

 Into The Storm - Chapter Two: Making Things Difficult

    Into The Storm


    Chapter Two: Making Things Difficult


    "So how did it go?"


    Mia heard as she opened the door. She saw her best friend lying on the couch. Stacie Rosen lay on the couch, her brown hair trailing behind her. Her brown eyes questioning Mia, as she walked in to the room.


    Stacie had been a permanent fixture in Mia''s life, since she had moved to England. They had both graduated from the same program, but had studied with different mentors. While Mia had decided to work outside the university, Stacie had been offered a job in her mentor''s research group. Stacie was only two years older than Mia, at twenty four.


    "It went...well." Mia managed to say, dumping her folders and bag in a corner as she joined her friend and sat on the couch across from her.


    "Doesn''t sound like it went well." Stacie smiled knowingly. Mia sighed.


    "You know how there''s love at first sight?" Mia started. "Yea, what about it?" Stacie asked, instantly curious.


    "Well, I now know there is definitely an equal and opposite reaction. Hate at first glance." Mia stated, glumly. Stacie burst out laughing, upon hearing this.


    "You are joking, right? Who could hate you? You''re so goodie goodie." Stacie asked, after her laughter had subsided. Mia glared at her.


    "Aww, you poor dear! So what happened?" Mia slumped back on to the couch. It was clear her friend still thought of it as a joke.


    "I''m serious! I got introduced to the players that are a part of my roster...and one of them hates me!" She told her. It frustrated her that someone could immediately hate her. He doesn''t even know me! She thought instinctively.


    "Oooh! Who''s on your roster?" Stacie asked excitedly, getting up and into a sitting position.


    "Oliver Fields, Nathaniel Madonia, Jason Roberts...thirteen other guys and...Wait for it! Matthew Rossi!" She told her friend, not trying to keep the excitement from her voice, she still couldn''t believe she had gotten him...of course there was that downside...


    "Hey, you got your favourite! Yea! So who''s the one who hates you immediately?" Stacie asked sounding intrigued; she was oblivious to the expression on Mia''s face. Mia smiled at her bitterly.


    "Rossi..." She told her friend, looking at the carpet. It only took a snort to make Mia look at Stacie. The older girl was trying to control her laughter.


    "Some support you are!" Mia huffed.


    "Sorry...but it''s like you were asking for it!" Stacie tried to stifle her laughter.


    "Okay...well did you tell him he was your favourite?" Stacie asked, once she had gained some control over herself.


    "Yea! It was the first thing I said to him!" Mia blurted out, feeling stupid.


    "Well, honey...maybe that''s why he didn''t like you? Maybe he thought you were some weird rabid fan girl?" Stacie tried to reason, all the while struggling to keep a straight face.


    "It''s not funny! He looked like he wanted me dead when he found out he was on my roster!" Mia said, sounding exasperated.


    "Uh huh...well he probably gets people gushing over him all the time, so I don''t think it helps when his new sports doc does the same thing. He probably thought it was unprofessional or something." Stacie sure knew how to put salt in a wound, Mia thought miserably.


    "Whatever...Oliver said it was probably because he has a five game ban." Mia tried to rationalize.


    "Who''s Oliver?" Stacie asked.


    "Oliver Fields."


    "Yea he''s probably right, he knows Rossi more than you and certainly more than I." Stacie didn''t sound as thought she believed it.


    "Thanks a lot, Stacie!" Mia groaned.


    "No problem!" Stacie''s cheek earned her the well aimed cushion Mia threw in her direction.


    "What''s up, doc?"


    Mia turned to face a smiling Oliver.


    "Nothing. What''s up?" Mia asked in return, as she hung up her lab coat. She wouldn''t need it today since she had no appointments scheduled in.


    He was dressed plainly. Jeans and a collard shirt. Mia looked over at the bulletin board on the wall, where a sheet of paper had been stuck with a tack. There was no training today, so what was he doing here?


    "Not much. Felix told me to help you settle in, and I came to help you set up the system." He nodded towards the open laptop and the humming computer.


    Mia sighed in relief; Felix was very good at knowing what she needed. Mia had just been thinking about asking for help. Lucky me, she thought. Clearly things seemed to be going in her favour today, and she had yet to run in to Matthew.


    "Yea, I could definitely use the help." She muttered, putting in the last file of papers in to the filing cabinet against the wall behind her.


    Oliver sat in front of the computer, typing things in.


    "How do you know about the system? I thought it was staff only...and besides don''t footballers have better things to do?" Mia asked, looking over his shoulder as he worked.


    "I''ll let you get away with that one, but I will have you know that I helped Felix make everything electronic. Apparently I''m not your typical footballer...I don''t think my wife would have married me if I was." Oliver chuckled.


    "You''re married?" Mia asked in surprise, turning to face him. He didn''t look that old. Her eyes flickered to his left hand. Sure enough there was a gold band on his ring finger. Why hadn''t she noticed it before?


    "Yea. Six years going on a hundred...shh don''t tell her that!" Oliver said, looking over to her. He looked amused at her surprise.


    "Wow...umm so how did you learn the computer stuff?" Mia said with a laugh, trying to steer the conversation away from his personal life. She wasn''t one to pry.


    "When I was signed here, I took a few correspondence courses in programming and stuff. I''ve always liked working with computers." He said with a shrug.


    He clicked one more thing, before turning to face her.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    "All set up. So when you have your appointments, all you have to do is fill in the forms here, and send it in. It''s the minimal paperwork approach. Oh and if a player isn''t fit or doesn''t show up, you put them as undeclared and the system sends them a text and email...so they''ll check in with you." Oliver gave her a shortened version of the manual on her desk.


    "Shouldn''t I know what you just did?" Mia asked, looking at the screen which was now showing a weekly calendar.


    "Do you really want me to break it down for you? I could go through all the different codes and components." Oliver grinned.


    Mia held her hands up in defeat.


    "Forget I asked. I get it...you don''t want to reveal your magic. So what do I do now?" Mia asked, shaking her head.


    "Well we could start by scheduling in your appointments for the week. Do you have the list Felix gave you?"


    Mia went to the filing cabinet and fished for the paper he was referring to.


    "Yea, I''ve got it." She said, holding the paper for them to see.


    The two of them sat down by the computer and filled in the schedule.


    The week had been going slowly. Mia was going to be seeing all the players. As excited as she was to be working...there was something still terrorizing her. Every time she thought of the last person she would be seeing, she could feel her stomach knot.


    Mia leaned in to her chair, as she checked her email. There was a newsletter for the staff. She immersed herself into the reading it. There was a knock on her open door. Mia turned to see who it was.


    "Hey doc!" It was the brown haired boy. "Hello Nate." She said without thinking. Nathaniel looked at her amused. "Sorry...is it okay if I call you Nate?" She asked him. Nathaniel laughed, his hazel eyes held warmth. "I don''t mind. As long as I can call you Mia, doc." He laughed.


    "Alright. That''s fair." She told him. It was easy to talk to him. Mia got to work, as she chatted to Nathaniel. They seemed to become fast friends.


    The other players weren''t as friendly as either Oliver or Nathaniel, but at least they weren''t after her blood for no reason.


    It was when she had met Jason, that she felt a little uneasy.


    She had been going through her files, when she had heard a low whistle. Mia had whirled on her heel. Her lab coat whirling to a stop behind her as she stood embarrassed in front of one of the players.


    "We don''t get many pretty doctors around here." He said, looking her up and down. She didn''t respond; it would have been unprofessional to acknowledge his comment. Instead she shrugged. Mia felt uncomfortable; she pulled her lab coat a little closer around her.


    "You must be Jason." Mia said, at last, as she looked over her clipboard.


    "At your service." Jason said, bowing.


    Mia groaned inwardly, this guy was a piece of work. She wasn''t looking forward to seeing him in the future...that much was sure.


    "Alright...it says here that you are having some sort of shooting pain in your shoulder?"


    "You have no idea! It kills every time I try to move my arm. I think I might have broken it." Jason told her, as he watched her every move.


    "¡­Well let me have a look at the X-rays Dr. Lever sent me¡­I''m sure you didn''t break it." Mia sighed, as she went through her files to get them. He was still watching her intently. This is going to be a long day, Mia sighed in exasperation.


    The tick-tock of the clock was the only sound in the office. Mia looked up. He''s late¡­half an hour late, she thought in annoyance. She rifled through her papers again, while sitting at her desk. He was due to get his foot injury checked, that''s what Jon had told her. Jonathan Lever was another team doctor who took care of the guys, they shared half of her roster. She only had to take care of their injuries¡­luckily. Yet even that was a problem.


    Where the hell can he be? She wondered. It wasn''t like he was off playing, and she knew he was aware of his appointment. Matthew Rossi sure knew how to be one gigantic pain in the-


    A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Mia turned in her chair.


    "What''s up, doc?"


    Mia smiled. It was only Oliver. He had his jacket hung over one shoulder. Clearly, he was done for the day.


    "Are you expecting to find me eating a carrot? Like Bugs Bunny?" Mia asked out of curiosity. Every time he saw her in the office, it was always ''What''s up, doc?''. Even Nathaniel had a habit of saying that.


    "I could buy you a basket of carrots; it would make playing the part more realistic." Oliver laughed. Mia shook her head; Oliver was by far the kindest of the players she had met. He was always checking to see if she needed anything.


    "So, Mia, when are you done here?" Oliver asked, coming into the office.


    "I only have one more appointment, and then I''m finished for today." Mia replied, checking her schedule on the computer.


    "So who is it?"


    Mia couldn''t hide the small frown from appearing on her face.


    "Rossi¡­" She muttered, turning to see Oliver looking at her schedule from over her shoulder. She hadn''t even heard him walk over to her.


    "He''s late." Oliver observed.


    "Yea¡­"


    "He''s probably not coming¡­" Oliver said rather quietly. She had guessed that much already.


    "You could always cancel his appointment and re-schedule him later." The suggestion was reasonable.


    "Do you know where I could find him?" Mia asked suddenly.


    "He''s probably in the lounge. It''s in the West Wing." Oliver told her. "Why?"


    "I just want to straighten things out with him. I''m not going to wait for him every time." Mia shrugged, trying to be more confident than she felt.


    "I don''t think it''s such a good idea." Oliver frowned. "Just tell Felix, if he doesn''t show up to the next appointment."


    "Isn''t that what he''s expecting me to do?" Oliver didn''t answer.


    Mia grabbed her phone, shoving it in her lab coat pocket. She checked for her keys. Mia couldn''t understand what had possessed her to go through with this. I''m not going to be bullied by some soccer player! She thought indignantly.


    "Mia¡­" Oliver didn''t sound like he approved. As she left him in her office, she heard him sigh. "Fine¡­I''ll come with you." She heard him shut her office door.


    Boredom was not something he was used to. He switched the channels on the television once more. Matthew was not enjoying himself. His foot hurt from Jason clumsily stepping on it while they were playing. Idiot, Matthew thought viciously. The clumsy oaf always managed to fall on him, step on him, or hurt him some other way. It was no secret he was jealous, Matthew knew how much Jason hated when he was dropped from the first team. It''s not my fault I''m better, he thought smugly.


    Glancing at his watch, he saw he had successfully missed his appointment. What''s she going to do about it? Cry to Felix? He thought. As he moved to sit cross legged on the couch, pain shot through his right foot. He instantly regretted not going for his appointment. Maybe I should have gone...and apologized...he thought for a moment. Nope, not going to happen, his mind retorted.


    As if someone had felt his pain, Matthew saw her. Mia...he thought dumbly. She didn''t seem too pleased to find him in the lounge. Who could have told her about- Matthew stopped in mid thought. Oliver!


    Behind Mia, Oliver came to a halt. I''m in trouble, Matthew noted, masking his face with a stony expression.


    "What do you want?" Matthew asked, icily.


    "You missed your appointment. Dr. Lever told me you injured your foot." Mia squeaked. Damn it Jon...did he have to tell her? Matthew looked at her. The girl looked terrified to be in the same room as him.


    "Yea, so, what of it?" Matthew tried to act nonchalant. His foot was still pounding with pain.


    "You can''t just not show up to your appointment and expect me to sit around and wait for you!" She sounded angry and annoyed.


    Matthew hid his amusement. Her anger was like that of small kitten. Matthew saw Oliver inch closer behind her.


    "I don''t expect you to wait for me. And I really don''t care if you do."


    She didn''t look too happy with his response.


    "Mia...come on let''s go." Oliver was trying to avert confrontation.


    Matthew could care less. He wasn''t going to have some new rookie doctor tell him what to do. He stood up, the pain shot up his foot again. Matthew tried to hide the grimace on his face. The last thing he needed was her sympathy. As he took a slow step forward, Mia took a step back, moving closer to Oliver.


    "If you don''t show up for your re-scheduled appointment tomorrow, I will go to Felix." She seemed to have come up with an ultimatum. Hadn''t Oliver told her that it wouldn''t work with him? She can''t even threaten me properly! Had he not been trying to scare her, Matthew would have laughed.


    "Alright you want to play it that way?" Matthew was a little amused. She had guts to try and threaten him.


    "Matt..." Oliver''s voice was warning him. What did Matthew care? He had nothing to lose.


    "I''m not playing a game with you. You have to show up...or else." Matthew could see she was nervous. Clearly her mentor hadn''t prepared her to deal with stubborn players. Matthew moved closer to her.


    "Or else what? You''ll go to Felix?" He inched closer to her. She watched him carefully.


    "I don''t care if you go to him. The worst he''ll do is not let me play...which doesn''t really matter right now. The last resort would be to change my specialist. So I wouldn''t be on your roster...but I''d still be around."


    He moved closer to her, trying to scare her a little bit more. It would be better if she stayed away from him...at least for now.


    "If you get me in trouble...I will make your life hell." He whispered to her. Her eyes widened with shock. Matthew knew he was out of line. The moment the words slipped from his mouth, he wanted to retract them.


    I''m definitely going to have to skip tomorrow''s appointment too, he told himself. He could see her eyes start to water.


    Matthew knew he had done enough damage. With that he carefully walked out of the room, trying to keep a limp out of his steps. He averted Oliver''s gaze.


    "Mia, are you okay?"


    Matthew heard Oliver ask the girl. Matthew walked faster, so he wouldn''t have to hear her response.

 Into The Storm - Chapter Three: Roommates

    Into The Storm


    Chapter Three: Roommates


    The second week had begun with no further incident. Mia was grateful for that. The players hadn''t given her trouble after what happened, and she was sure they knew about what had happened with Matthew. Of course a new week meant that she would be dealing with...Matthew¡­again. She was not excited.


    He hadn''t shown up for the re-scheduled appointment. Mia didn''t know how he was still walking around. From Jon''s tests and records, she knew he was in pain. Why does he have to be such a jerk? She wondered.


    She would be dealing with him soon enough. Tomorrow, Mia thought with dread. Of course that was whether or not he decided to show up. She didn''t think his attitude towards her would have changed by now. Mia put the thoughts back in to the back of her mind. He was the last thing she needed to be fretting over.


    Today constituted a whole new set of worries. She was going to be finding out where she would be staying, and who would be her roommates.


    Mia leaned back in her chair closing her eyes for a moment; she had just sent another report. The laptop was busy downloading her files that she would need to look over that night.


    Her feet were jittery, while her stomach was in knots. Mia was a little nervous about living in the dormitories, but it would be better than rushing from Stacie''s flat and almost coming to work late and usually out of breath.


    A beep sounded from somewhere in the room. Mia''s eyes fluttered open, she looked for the source. It was sitting on top of the filing cabinet. Mia got up and retrieved her cell phone. Someone had sent her a text message.


    She clicked the buttons on her phone to open it. ''Brooklyn, M: Room 226, North West Wing'', it read.


    That was her new address; Mia thought feeling herself become nervous once more. She looked at the time. It was four in the afternoon; she didn''t have anyone scheduled for the rest of the day.


    Might as well get it over with, She thought. Upon seeing that her laptop had finished its job and the main computer had sent the report successfully, Mia shut them both down and put the laptop in her bag.


    Grabbing her jacket, and putting her car keys, phone, and wallet, into her bag; Mia locked up her office and took off in search of the North West Wing.


    Just follow the signs, she reminded herself, as she walked around aimlessly. She had managed to find the South West Wing. Fighting the urge to call Oliver for help, she looked around to see where there was another sign. Finding one, she followed the arrows.


    It was when she reached the right building, a thought hit Mia. I don''t have keys, Mia thought with a gasp. No where in the text message had there been any mention of keys or where to pick them up.


    Mia found the room she was looking for. The number 226 had been nailed in gold letters on a deep blue colored door. She looked at the handle; sure enough it had a key entry. Mia groaned inwardly.


    Hopefully, her roommates were already in. Taking a deep breath she knocked on the door. When no one answered, Mia turned the door knob. It was unlocked. She entered the room, tentatively.


    It was a spacious apartment, Mia thought in approval. She hadn''t thought the dormitories would be so comfortable. Usually the hearing some one say dorm room invoked unpleasant thoughts of cramped quarters with more people living in the room than there was space.


    Circling around to take in the whole view, Mia was satisfied with her luck. It seemed there were two bedrooms and a bathroom, along with a kitchen and living room.


    "Hello?" Mia called out, suddenly remembering that there was probably another person or two who she would be sharing the space with. "Anyone home?"


    Putting her bag onto the couch, Mia went in to the kitchen to see what food was there and what she would have to bring.


    "Hello? Mia?"


    Startled, Mia spun on her heel.


    "Oliver?"


    "What are you doing here?" Oliver looked as confused as she felt, as he walked towards her from one of the rooms.


    "I got a text telling me I''m rooming here..." Mia mumbled. She walked over to him to show him the message.


    "Yea...me too." Oliver said, sounding perturbed.


    "How come you''re living here? Shouldn''t you be living with your wife?" Mia asked out of curiosity.


    "She''s taking care of her mom, back home." Oliver told her, sounding a little distracted.


    "Back home?"


    "Yea, in Munich."


    "Oh...right..." Mia muttered. That made sense. She vaguely remembered a conversation with him where he had told her he was German.


    "Mia...you do know this is the men''s dormitory, right?" Oliver asked, shuffling his feet. "The women are all in the East wing..."


    "What!"


    It was starting to become clear to Mia why Oliver had seemed so confused upon seeing her. Just wonderful...Mia thought with annoyance.


    "They thought I was a guy...again..." Mia grimaced.


    "They what?" Oliver didn''t understand.


    "For some reason...every time my name is listed as M Brooklyn, I shouldn''t have put it that way on my resume...and they think I''m a guy...and Felix said he''d get that fixed...but clearly...I must still be a guy. Although I don''t think that''s anatomically possible-"


    "Wait! The administration mistook you for a guy?" Oliver interrupted her babble.


    "Yea...it''s a pretty sad story." Mia mumbled.


    "Well, we can get this straightened out, right?" Mia didn''t understand why he was rushing her out.


    "I''ll go with you. Let me just grab my-" Oliver''s words were cut off by the door opening.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Great...just great..." Mia heard Oliver mutter, as she turned to face the newest occupant of the room.


    "Hey Olive - You''ve got to be kidding me! What the hell is she doing here?"


    Feeling the color drain from her face, Mia took a step behind Oliver, and stared at the ground. Why me, why me, why me?! Mia found caught herself asking fervently. Under any other circumstance, Mia would have been thrilled to see her favorite player. Matthew just happened to hate her.


    So that''s why he was rushing, Mia realized. Oliver was probably trying to keep her out of Matthew''s firing line.


    "She''s one of our roommates." Oliver told him, after what seemed like forever. At this Mia''s head shot up.


    "But-" Mia was silenced by the slight shake of Oliver''s head. Clearly, arguing with him right now was not going to help her. Just like not listening to him last time had ended up with her in tears.


    Mia peaked over to see Matthew shoot a glare in her direction. She looked down once more.


    "How can she be our roommate, you do know that she''s a girl, right?" Matthew asked, coldly.


    She had given him a heart attack. Standing there, an apparition of his desire. He had just been thinking of her when he turned the door knob to enter his room. Clad in jeans, and a long sleeved blue shirt, the green eyed girl was standing there in his room!


    What is she doing here? Matthew wondered, playing up to his cold facade.


    She didn''t look so thrilled to see him, judging by the way she stood behind Oliver. She clearly remembered their encounter last week. Maybe he should have been nicer to her? Matthew scoffed at the idea.


    "Well, apparently she''s with us. So be nice or else." Oliver didn''t sound as though he was joking. He clearly remembered their last meeting too.


    Matthew watched as the older boy left to get something from one of the rooms. The girl just stared at the floor.


    Matthew felt remorse momentarily wash over him. He must have done a number last time...she didn''t even peak at him. He wanted to say something to her, but bit down on his tongue. He wasn''t here to fall in love with someone; he was here to become the best football player ever.


    Love didn''t matter to him. At least he didn''t think so. He hadn''t loved any of his other girlfriends. And I don''t love her, Matthew argued adamantly. So why am I thinking about her? The question couldn''t be answered.


    "Alright, let''s go." Matthew watched Oliver come out of the room, and pull the girl along behind him.


    "We''ll be back soon. Mia''s stuff is on the couch." Oliver told him, as he pushed Mia out the door before him. He''s going to warn me, Matthew thought. Oliver could be so predictable.


    "Don''t do anything stupid." Oliver said, in a voice so low, that only Matthew could hear him. With that Oliver closed the door, but not without a final meaningful glare.


    "Some friend you are..." Matthew muttered, knowing it was useless, as the door shut. After the incident last week, Oliver had made sure to give him grief.


    "Must you always act like such a pompous ass in front of her?" He had berated Matthew. Apparently Mia hadn''t told him what had brought tears in her eyes. That had surprised Matthew. He would have bet she was going to tell on him to both Oliver and Felix.


    That girl...Mia...she was bringing out a protective side in Oliver, Matthew thought resentfully. Oliver had always had a protective nature, it was one of the reasons Felix put Matthew and Nathaniel with him. Of course this was not the same one Oliver used when he was with the guys or when he was with Ariana at a party and some drunken guy looked at her. This was different, he wasn''t protecting his wife or his friends. It was like he was protecting a sister...


    Like how I used to protect- Matthew stopped the thoughts from forming. Instead he sat down on the couch, curious to see what the girl had left behind. Oliver was not going to like this. Not like he''s going to know, Matthew thought deciding to rebel.


    He opened her bag only to find it filled with papers, her keys, phone, laptop, and her wallet. Matthew didn''t have any interest in her papers. He knew the laptop probably was password protected, so he took the phone and wallet from the bag.


    He switched on the phone. A text message was still on the screen. So she really was supposed to be rooming with them, how odd, Matthew thought as he read the message. He searched through her phone. There were pictures of flowers, a school, a few of the sun rising. Squirrels? Matthew laughed as he saw those and a few other animals. There was a picture of some guy, Matthew didn''t bother to pay much attention to it, but as he switched to the next picture, he went cold.


    There staring at him was a gravestone, on which was engraved: Maximillion Brooklyn. The dates on the stone told Matthew the person had only been eighteen when he had died.


    Matthew exited the album. He felt horrible for having invaded her privacy. What had that girl been through? He wondered as he put her things back in to the bag, no longer curious to go through her wallet.


    Getting up to the couch, Matthew decided to put his own things away. He walked to the rooms.


    "Ms. Wheldon, are you telling me that the entire women''s dormitory is full?" Felix asked, loudly.


    "Yes, Mr. Pettyfer. There are no more available rooms. Each one has the maximum number of occupants." The secretary replied.


    Oliver and Mia exchanged looks. They had been waiting for Felix to sort this out, for the last half an hour. It seemed as though Mia was stuck rooming with Oliver and the nightmare named Matthew.


    "Are you absolutely sure?" Felix asked once more.


    "Yes sir, I am. I''ve checked all the listings and everything. There are no available rooms in the East wing." The secretary told him firmly.


    "I don''t understand how this could have happened." Mia heard Felix mumble to himself.


    "Alright, well Mia, it seems you are going to have to stay with Oliver and Matthew. I''m very sorry about the mistake. I still don''t know how this could have happened." Felix turned to tell her, running a hand through his hair.


    "I understand." She muttered. It could have been worse; she could have been stuck with two horrible roommates. Now at least she had Oliver and one horrible roommate.


    "Oliver, how many rooms are in the apartment?" Felix asked.


    "Two."


    "Matthew''s the other roommate, right? You and Matthew can share one room; give the other one to Mia. I''ll have someone bring up and extra bed." He told them.


    "Yes, Felix." Oliver didn''t sound like he minded the situation.


    As they walked out of the office and in to the hall, silence fell on them.


    What is he thinking? Mia wondered.


    "Umm...so we''re roommates?" Mia started hesitantly.


    "Yea."


    They were silent once more.


    "Mia..."


    She turned to look at him. He was serious.


    "I know Matt can be difficult...he''s not actually that bad, he''s just testing waters with you...but he''ll come round soon enough. In the meantime...I think it would be best if you left him to his own devices."


    "What about his appointments?"


    "He''ll come running when he''s desperate and in a lot of pain."


    Mia snickered as she turned to face Oliver. They had reached the room.


    "Besides...he has a five game ban, so I don''t think Felix expects him to be your top priority."


    "Alright..."


    "Ready?" Oliver asked, looking over at Mia.


    Mia shrugged. It didn''t really matter if she was ready or not, Matthew wasn''t going to act any nicer towards her.


    "Ready as I''ll ever be...when I''m the target..." She muttered under her breath. She heard Oliver chuckle.


    She walked in to the room behind Oliver. Her things were still on the couch, but Matthew was no where to be seen.


    "I forgot to ask...but isn''t there a key to the room?" Mia asked, remembering the key lock.


    "Yea. I''ll get you one. Now it finally makes sense to why we have three keys." Oliver chuckled. Mia followed him in to the kitchen area, in one of the cup boards were three keys on a key ring.


    He pulled one off and handed it to her.


    "Don''t lose it." He told her, sounding like an elder brother.


    "I won''t." She promised.


    As Mia returned to the couch, Matthew came out of the room.


    "She''s still here? I thought you were kidding about her living with us." Matthew wasn''t thrilled, but Mia caught him limping as he walked to Oliver.


    He''s really hurt, she thought, as she watched Oliver hand him the other key.


    "Felix said she''s staying with us. It''s probably so his number one player gets the proper medical attention he needs." Mia couldn''t help but quietly snicker as Oliver spoke.


    "Oh and just so you know...me and you are sharing the large room, while Mia gets the other room. Felix is sending the extra bed for you."


    "What!" Matthew sounded indignant. "Why do I have to move because of her?"


    "Because Felix said so." Oliver said, a distinct finality settling about the situation.


    There was a knock at the door. Mia breathed a sigh of relief. Matthew wouldn''t be able to get in a word edgewise now, she thought as she got up to answer it.


    "Mr. Pettyfer sent this for you guys. Where do you want us to put it?" Two guys stood in the hall holding a bed.


    "In the second room." Oliver directed them. They followed Oliver as he led them to the room.


    Mia was careful not to meet Matthew''s gaze as she walked back to the sofa.


    "This doesn''t change anything." His voice was so low; Mia could barely make out what he had said.


    Mia heard him walk over to the rooms.


    "You should really get that foot checked out. It could get worse." She said quietly.


    There was no answer.

 Into The Storm - Chapter Four: Backwards Day

    Into The Storm


    Chapter Four: Backwards Day


    "So how''s living with Rossi?"


    Mia sighed, leaning in to her chair. Her food spread out on her desk. It was the only time she had to talk to her best friend.


    "He still hates me. So much so that he still hasn''t come to get his foot checked, and I live right there in the same apartment as him." Mia vented her frustration. She took a bite from her chicken sandwich.


    Stacie laughed on the other end of the line. Mia rolled her eyes. It wasn''t funny. What had she done to earn his ire?


    "You can laugh all you want, but it''s not funny."


    "Yes it is! You''re his doctor and you both live together. Yet he hates you enough not to come and ask for your help. Are you kidding me? That''s hilarious."


    "Whatever. I don''t think it''ll be funny when he makes his injury worse than it was." Mia told her seriously.


    "His fault."


    That was a good point. Can''t argue with that, Mia thought.


    "So how''s your life going?" Mia asked, deciding to change the subject. She had heard enough jokes about the current situation of her life.


    "It''s fine. Work is alright. We''re starting a new research project...so that should be interesting. I''m almost done the paper Dr. Garland asked for. Hopefully it''ll be published in next month''s journal. If not...I will kill him." Stacie sounded a little bored.


    "You know...you could always come and work in the field...like here!" Mia suggested.


    "Uh huh...and have my head chewed off by some primadonna football player? Some how that doesn''t sound any better than having a firing squad shoot at me. I much prefer Dr. Garland''s methods of torture." Stacie replied smugly.


    "Which are?" Mia asked, in between bites of her sandwich.


    "Research, write paper, reject paper, write paper again, reject paper, write paper again-"


    "Alright, alright, I get it. You love working at the university."


    "That I do, Mia. That I do."


    "I''m so glad I don''t have to write research papers anymore." Mia couldn''t help herself from saying.


    "Yea? Well I''m glad I''m not hated."


    "Thanks for reminding me..."


    "Anytime. Well I have to go...so will I see you this weekend?"


    "I don''t know yet. I''ll tell you later."


    "Alright. Bye."


    "Yea. Bye." Mia said, as she hung up. She couldn''t help but feel a little glum. She had yet to make any other friends. She usually just went back to her room and talked to Oliver. Sometimes Nathaniel would visit, he lived on the second level of the North West Wing, but that was pretty much it.


    Putting away her lunch, she checked her schedule. She only had one more appointment. Then she would be done for the day.


    He''s probably not going to come, Mia thought. Matthew had not come to the last three appointments she had scheduled for him. She didn''t think he''d come to this one.


    When fifteen minutes had passed without any sign of him, Mia decided to pack her stuff. She shut down her laptop, and started to collect her things and put them in to her bag.


    "Going somewhere?" Came a snide voice.


    Mia turned on her heel in shock. Matthew stood leaning on the door frame.


    "No...well I didn''t know if you were coming...No I wasn''t going anywhere." Mia stammered.


    Surprise was written all over her face. Matthew could tell she hadn''t been expecting him to come to any appointment.


    The pain in his foot had worsened. He feared he had done more damage to it, since he hadn''t let her check the injury right away.


    Nathaniel had been raving about what an awesome doctor they had gotten. It''s like she''s memorized all these textbooks, you list symptoms she figures out what could possibly cause them in like a minute, he had told Matthew. That doesn''t make her special, Matthew had thought. Felix had already told him about her top marks for theory and practical.


    "Look, I just came to have my foot checked." Matthew told her.


    It was partly because of her that he had decided to come. Her telling him to have it checked before it became worse was motivating. Living with her for the last few days, Matthew had kept out of her way. He had decided that if he wasn''t around her too much, then maybe it would be easier to face her. Wrong again, he thought to himself. He was already regretting showing up.


    He watched as Mia picked up his file from her desk. She flipped through the papers, finding the x-rays she placed them on the light board.


    "Umm...so why don''t you tell me what happened." He heard her ask.


    Matthew walked in to the office and sat on the examination table. His foot was killing him. He decided to tone down his cold demeanor.


    "I was playing last week, and during the practice, Jason stepped on my foot." Matthew kept it short.


    "You make it sound like he did it on purpose."


    The statement surprised Matthew. He had tried to keep the blame out of his voice.


    Clearly she was more observant than he gave her credit for.


    "Who asked you?" He responded coldly.


    "Sorry..." She retreated. Matthew watched as she quietly examined the x-ray.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Did Jon send you that?" He asked, the answer was obvious.


    "Yes. He told me you had gotten hurt." She said, as she turned to face him, she averted her eyes.


    "Can you show me your foot, please?" She asked as she came over to him.


    Matthew did as he was told. He took off his shoe and sock. His foot was still swollen, there was a large blue bruise on one side of it. He moved his foot on to the table, wincing in pain.


    Mia looked at it carefully. He watched as she tentatively touched his foot. Her delicate fingers were like ice. They sent a shiver running down him. He tried to keep himself from making a sound but failed. She heard his teeth chatter.


    "Sorry!" She told him, she must have known she was as cold as ice.


    Matthew didn''t respond. Instead he watched as she examined his foot.


    "Tell me if it hurts."


    She carried on touching his foot, putting pressure on various areas until...


    "That hurt." Matthew said, trying to keep his voice leveled. Pain had shot up his foot as she had touched the center of the blue bruise.


    "Okay." Mia walked over to the sink.


    "So...what''s wrong with it?" He asked out of curiosity.


    "It''s just a bruise. You''re really lucky Jason didn''t step any harder. Your x-ray doesn''t show any crack or fracture. But you shouldn''t be playing like this. It''s swollen because you haven''t given it rest." She told him, as she washed her hands.


    Great...I came here to be told nothing''s broken...that was a waste of time, Matthew thought with irritation.


    "So you should go and put your feet up. I can give you some topical cream to help with the pain and reduce the swelling."


    Mia couldn''t believe he hadn''t said anything snide to her yet. Five minutes, that has got to be a record, she thought. She watched as he put on his sock. He was about to put on his shoe, when she stopped him.


    "You shouldn''t be wearing that."


    "Why not? I can''t walk around barefoot." Matthew voiced his displeasure.


    "It confines your swollen foot. Causing you more pain." Mia went to open a drawer under the sink. Always be prepared. The words had been drilled in to her thanks to Dr. Phillips.


    "Here. You can wear these." She said, pulling out a pair of large black flip flops.


    She watched as Matthew eyed the flip flops in her hands. There was look of disgust on his face.


    "It''s not that bad. You''re just going to walk back to your room in them." Convincing him was going to be another chore, Mia sighed. Matthew didn''t respond.


    "It''s either you wear these and walk to your room, or I send you with crutches. It''s up to you." Moving quickly, before he could say anything, she took the running shoe from out of his hand. Mia walked back to the sink, she looked at him.


    The look of revolt registered on his face. Score one for me, Mia thought. She watched him carefully. He looked as though he was calculating something.


    "...I suppose I''ll take the hideous shoes..." He was conceding to her! She couldn''t believe it.


    Mia left his shoe on the counter and hesitantly handed him the flip flops. He looked unhappy at the outcome, but didn''t say a word as he put them on.


    She returned to her desk to fill out the appropriate forms on her computer. Mia was grateful she had only shut down the lap top. As she started working on a new document for Matthew''s file, she heard him get off the table.


    "Mia..." She heard him say her name. Masking the surprise that he knew her name, Mia turned to look at him.


    Matthew stood by the door way, she looked at his feet. Sure enough he was wearing the flip flops.


    "Well played..." He told her, a glimmer of a smile appeared on his face. It was so brief that Mia thought she imagined it. He quickly turned and stalked out of her office.


    As soon as Mia thought he was out of earshot, she couldn''t help but let out a small cheer. He knew her name! Maybe now he would stop acting so brutish towards her.


    Once Mia had sent the file, she checked to see if there was anything else she had to bring with her. There on the counter was one shoe, and on the examination table was the other and a pair of socks. Great...I''m his maid now? She couldn''t help but think.


    She moved to put the shoes in a bag. Grabbing her bag, and keys, she locked her office and walked towards her apartment.


    London FC had one of the best facilities she had seen. The building was a large square, the center was hollow. The offices and dormitories were all separated in to the different wings. In the center was a field and the fitness center. The main field, where the games were hosted, was located next to the building.


    As Mia walked down the halls to where her room was located, she heard someone whistle.


    Mia tensed, as she turned around. It was Jason. I''m on the same floor as him? Mia thought with dismay. The possibility was unnerving.


    "Hello, Dr. Brooklyn. I was just thinking about you."


    Mia couldn''t be bothered to mask the look of disdain on her face. I wasn''t thinking about you, she shot back silently.


    "So why are you in the male dormitory? Are you here to make a house call? Did little Matty break something?" Jason sneered.


    Mia gave a small laugh.


    "No...He''s fine. I just need to talk to Oliver." She didn''t want him to know where she was living, especially if there was a possibility of him being on the same floor as her. Jason, for some strange reason, gave her the creeps. He always tried to flirt with her when he came for his appointments.


    "Maybe you could come over and talk to me sometime? I''m on the third floor." He offered with a wink.


    Mia wanted to let out a huge sigh of relief. He wasn''t on the same floor as her after all!


    "We''ll see..." She told him, cringing inside, not knowing how to let him down gently.


    She knocked on the door, trying to keep the facade that she was just visiting.


    "What? Oh...it''s you." Matthew was the one who answered the door.


    "Did you forget your key?" He asked her, sounding rather condescending, unaware of the fact Jason was watching intently.


    Mia wanted to disappear. From the corner of her eye, she saw the grin grow on Jason''s face. Her cover was blown.


    "What are you smiling about, Roberts?" Mia could hear the irritation in Matthew''s voice.


    "Nothing. How''s the foot, Rossi?" Jason asked, the grin had become more pronounced.


    Mia looked up in time to see Matthew scowl.


    "Well, what are you waiting for? Get in!" Matthew suddenly barked at her. Mia hurried inside, without saying anything more to Jason. She heard the door shut loudly behind her.


    Mia put her things besides the couch. Clearly, now was not the time to point out he had left his shoes in her office.


    "What are you doing talking to him?" Matthew rounded on her.


    What does he care? He told me he''d make my life hell! Mia was confused. He hated her and now all of a sudden he was talking to her? He sounded like he was concerned. What was going on today? First he had come to the appointment, then he had listened to her, there had been minimal snide comments over the last few days, and now he was talking to her with concern?


    What''s going on? It''s backwards day, isn''t it? Mia wondered.


    "Why does it matter?" Mia asked, having not been able to come up with a proper response.


    "Roberts is nothing but trouble."


    "So are you! Besides why do you care?"


    "So are you! Besides why do you care?" Mia glared at him.


    Good point...why do I care? Matthew asked himself. Where is Oliver when you need him! He found himself thinking.


    "I don''t care." Matthew shot back.


    "Then don''t ask me why I was talking to him." She stood across from him, her hands crossed over her chest. Her curious gaze watching him for some sign of weakness.


    "Actually...let me rephrase myself. As much as I don''t care, I know Oliver does. So if you don''t want Oliver worrying over what scumbags you''re talking to...then I would advise you not to talk to Jason." Matthew hoped he had achieved his goal. Although it wasn''t true that he didn''t care, Matthew knew how Mia might have reacted to that, she wouldn''t believe him. It was better to appeal to her through Oliver, since Matthew knew Oliver would have reacted the same had it been him catching Jason talking to her. Probably worse, Matthew thought.


    Jason was the resident womanizer. How many times had Matthew seen the guy chatting up the girls on the staff? I can''t believe I used to be friends with that piece of- His thoughts were interrupted by Mia asking him something.


    "Why would it bother Oliver? I''m old enough to take care of myself." She sounded like a child complaining.


    Doesn''t she know better than to bite the hand that''s protecting her, Matthew sighed in exasperation. He walked over to the kitchen, getting himself a drink.


    "Firstly, Oliver knows all about Jason. If you have a problem just ask him. You might think you can take care of yourself, but don''t fool yourself. You''re way out of your league." He was back to his condescending self.


    "A fact that you remind me of everyday." Matthew was caught off guard by her comment, she had said it in such a quiet voice. Matthew glanced at her. She was staring at the ground, she hadn''t moved from standing beside the couch. Another wave of guilt washed over him. He looked over at her, meeting her gaze. Maybe he had taken his icy demeanor too far, he could see the hurt in her eyes.


    He chewed on his lip. What could he possibly say?


    "Look, Oliver is older than both of us...he''s protective. It''s in his nature. He''s always been there for me and Nathaniel, and now you too...so don''t screw up."


    With that said, Matthew turned and walked into his room. At least he could say he warned her.