The MRI machine sounded like a heartbeat, and Derek lay inside it, alone with his thoughts and his throbbing ankle.
Leo stood in the control room, watching through the glass, his arms crossed, his knee aching. The technician adjusted dials and stared at screens. The images appeared one by one—black and white, cross-sections of bone and ligament and swelling.
Derek had refused to let anyone come with him. “I need to do this alone,” he'd said. Leo had understood. Some moments belonged to the player, not the coach.
The machine stopped. The table slid out. Derek sat up, his face pale, his ankle wrapped in a fresh bandage.
The technician looked at Leo. “The doctor will review the images and call you with the results.”
“How long?”
“A few hours.”
Leo nodded. He walked to Derek and helped h
