Unknown - driven

Caulley looked apologetically at Dylan after giving her a quick hug. “Sorry,” she whispered. “I couldn?t get them to bed down.”

“Been up all night?”

Caulley yawned. “Pretty much, yeah. When your flight was late, Mac started calling around. We didn?t get confirmation of the crash, and your rescue, until a couple of hours ago. By then, they were all too wired.”

“We could talk to the league about postponing the game,” Mac suggested, sidling up behind the small group.

Dylan gave the idea serious, if brief, consideration. Then she shook her head. “Nah. They?ve got too much energy that they need to burn off.”

“I could give them the practice from hell,” Caulley retorted, eyes glinting with an almost sadistic light.

Dylan smirked. “I?m sure you could, but?.” She paused as Cat turned to her, expression almost pleading. “?I think we?ll just go ahead. See if you can coax ?em into a couple hours? shut eye at least, then we?ll set up for a light practice before the game. See what happens.”

Caulley nodded. “I can do that.” She lifted her head. “Alright, ladies, the party?s over. Everyone back to their rooms. Now,” she ordered to forestall the expected protests. Shoulders slumped, the players filed back onto the elevators, leaving Mac, Dylan, Kelly Norton, and Cat behind.

Mac looked at the small group. “I?uh?put you and Cat in the room adjoining Dylan?s, Kelly. I figured you guys would want to?talk?or whatever.”

Norton grinned. “Better hope I never tell your wife what a sweetie you are, Mac. You?ll never hear the end of it.”

The others chuckled as Mac blushed hotly, fingering his collar and clearing his throat. “I, um?I?.didn?t?..”

Laughing, the physician clapped the huge man on his massive back. “Just teasing, my friend. Seriously, though, thanks. The closer space will let me check over my patients? injuries. So, good job and all that kinda stuff.”

“Thanks.” The blush still hadn?t receded. “So?I?ll see you guys later, then?”

“Count on it.”

The room was cool, dim, and comfortable. Cat groaned as she dropped her duffle on the side of one of the double beds and pulled down the spread. The soft whiteness beneath seemed to be calling her name, and she moved toward it willingly, until another voice, this one much sharper, broke into the fantasy.

“C?mon, shortchange. I need to check your sutures.”

Groaning, Cat stamped her foot like a petulant child, and turned to the figure leaning against the doorjam that separated the two adjoining rooms. “Can?t you do it here?”

Norton grinned. “Nope. Light?s better in here. And besides, Dylan?s here and I?d rather just kill two birds with one stone, if you don?t mind. Some of us didn?t get a chance to nap on the way over.”

“Oh, alright.” Sighing, Cat followed the doctor into Dylan?s well lit room and sat down on the massive king-sized bed, careful not to jostle Dylan, who was already laying down, injured leg unbraced and propped up on several pillows.

“Ouch,” Cat hissed, eyeing the lurid bruise that covered Dylan?s leg from mid thigh almost to her ankle. “Damn, that?s ugly.”

“Doesn?t feel all that pretty either,” Dylan bit off, shifting her weight in the bed as waves of angry pain rolled through the joint as if a hornet?s nest had taken up residence inside her knee. Her thigh and calf were cramping to beat the band, adding to the agony.

“Anything I can do?”

“Yeah,” Norton replied, frustrated at her limited ability. “How are you at digging out Charley Horses? She?s cramping up bad but she can?t put weight on that leg.”

“I?ve done a few in my time,” Cat allowed.

“Alright, but make sure you don?t flex her foot and stretch the Achilles.”

“Damn, well, that?ll make it a little harder, but?.” She looked up at Dylan and received a short nod in return. “Okay. Tell me if I?m hurting you.”

“Believe me, it won?t hurt any worse than it does now,” Dylan grunted, both hands grabbing fistfuls of blanket and squeezing tight. “Just do it.”

Stiffening her fingers, Cat dug into the cramp, grunting with the effort. She hadn?t been lying when she said that she had some experience with calf cramps, but she?d never had to try and soften one in a leg as muscled as Dylan?s. It was like trying to dig into solid rock. “I?m sorry,” she murmured when Dylan flinched.

“?sokay. Just keep at it,” the coach replied through gritted teeth.

The next several minutes were spent in tense silence as Cat?s strong fingers worked deep into the muscle, probing and massaging until the cramp finally, mercifully, began to loosen. She gentled her touches then, squeezing and releasing Dylan?s leg to make sure huge knot didn?t return. Feeling the tension slowly subside, she looked up to find Dylan slumped bonelessly against the headboard, eyes closed.

“God, that feels good.”

Cat grinned happily. “Yeah? I?m glad.”

The young woman?s fingers continued to move of their own accord, gliding over warm, silken skin in a languid caress. A movement off to her left caused her to shift her gaze from Dylan?s peaceful face to Norton, who bore a decided smirk.

It was then that Cat realized what she was doing and, flushing from her neck to her hairline, she drew her hand back as if her fingers were on fire.

Norton laughed softly, shaking her head. “Lay down up there with Dylan, Cat. Let me finish up with the Goddess here, and I?ll check your sutures in a couple minutes.”

“Are you sure?” Cat asked, a bit uncomfortable. “I mean, I could just?.”

“C?mon up here,” Dylan said, eyes still closed. “I won?t bite.”

“That?s not what I heard,” Norton snorted, using her uncasted hand to massage the big muscles in Dylan?s thigh.

One blue eye opened and gave her a stare before closing again.

Once again realizing how truly exhausted she was, Cat crawled up the bed, then turned, and flopped down on her back, one arm flung over her eyes.

A second later, she was fast asleep.

“Poor kid,” Norton said softly as she finished the massage. “Kinda rough start for her, huh?”

Opening her eyes, Dylan rolled her head and looked down at Cat?s peaceful face. She fought the urge to gently stroke the pale cheek, just to see if it was as soft as it felt. “Yeah.”

“She?s pretty resilient, though, I?ll give her that.”

Norton looked over at Dylan and knew her words were wasted. The tall superstar seemed totally absorbed in the smaller figure laying next to her. There was a smile on her face that Norton, who had known Dylan for over ten years, had never seen on her face before. Sweet, tender, laced with warm affection and, possibly, something else.

“Dylan?”

“Yeah?”

As the doctor looked on, Cat shifted, then rolled onto her side, one hand reaching out and curling around Dylan?s wrist.

Norton smiled.

“Nothing.”

Grabbing the brace, she reapplied it to the coach, seating the Velcro firmly, but not too tightly. Then she rounded the bed and brushed Cat?s bangs away, checking on the neat line of sutures right at her hairline. Aside from a little residual swelling, everything seemed to be fine. And she could tell just by listening that the steroids and antibiotics Cat had been given had done their job.

“Listen, it?s probably best if she stays here with you tonight. No sense in waking her up and bringing her back to the other room, right? I mean?as long as you?re comfortable with it.”

“I?ll be fine,” Dylan replied, distracted by the warm, soft hand encircling her wrist.

Norton smirked. “I?m sure you will be, my friend. I?m sure you will be.”

Bidding them both a silent goodnight, she left the room and closed the door quietly behind her.