Mia clicks the final box of medical swabs into the cabinet, the metallic thud of the door serving as a period to her long, grueling shift.
They had landed this morning. The team had returned like wilted plants under a frost, drained of the manic energy that fueled their victory in Calgary.
Coach Danny granted them a half-day of sanctuary.
The directive was simple. Sleep, recover, and show up at sunset for the post-game post-mortem and the mandatory physicals.
Mia had barely spared a glance for Elias before fleeing to her apartment. She slept with the intensity of the dead until the evening shadows began to stretch across her floor.
Now, standing in the training center, she feels the familiar hum of adrenaline.
"They're back," Dr. Anderson says, not lifting his eyes from the clipboard
