Who: Kal Sharma, Florrie McGonagall What: Check-up prior to the the weekend’s match When: 8 November 1999 Where: Montrose clinic at the pitch Warnings: None
Kal hadn’t exactly wanted a physical, but after the rough practice earlier in the week and the general beating her body had been taking trying to make sure she was in top condition for the Fall Classic, she couldn’t deny the wisdom of it. So she’d taken herself to Florrie at the appropriate time without any fuss, mostly because she preferred to get it over with and get back to preparing for the weekend.
“Ready for me?” she asked as she poked her head inside, glancing around to make sure no one else was around. Not that she tended to say things she shouldn’t, others around or not, but she liked knowing her audience. “I feel fine, so hopefully this is a formality.”
"I just want another look at those ribs, especially now with the news about Lorna coming back. She's out of practice compared to where she used to be, but she was an amazing Beater back in her day." Florrie gestured to Kal to sit down on the exam table while she took Kal's diagnostic measurements. "You've not had any problems with pain or movement since I patched you up, right?"
Kal nodded as she sat down, blowing out a heavy breath that had nothing to do with her physical condition and everything to do with the news that had come out of Portree that day. "No, nothing," she said honestly, sitting up straight to allow Florrie easy access for her measurements. "I mean, it was a little twingy for a couples of hours afterward, but nothing since then."
"That's all how it's supposed to be. Give me a moment and then we can talk, if you like." Florrie pulled out a form and filled part of it up before starting the diagnostic with a quick-quill to finish out the forms. Then she began the work. Over the course of the season, Kal had had a chance to hear and see the numbers many times; they were reassuringly normal.
At the end, Florrie issued her verdict. "Blood pressure is up a bit, but that's normal when you're under stress. Everything checks out fine otherwise."
Kal managed not to raise an eyebrow at Florrie's mention of talking. It wasn't that she didn't like their mediwitch, but she was the coach's sister, and Kal was always a little afraid of saying something out of turn. She was still the new girl, and a Reserve to boot. Not on Reserve this weekend, she reminded herself, staying quiet and watching the other witch finish up with the stats.
"Stress, right," she said with a snort of a laugh that she couldn't hold back. "Can't imagine what could be stressful about this week. But thanks. At least now I can reassure Lex that I'm fine. Officially."
"Lex is worried about you and I think she's worried that I'm going to get her in trouble with Merc. I told her, and I'm telling you: just let me know next time that you're doing that. I expect to patch people up after training but it would have been useful to know in advance what you four were up to." Florrie sighed a little as she filed away the parchments and the quill. "As for the rest, I can't imagine either. Just Lorna and everything else. Apparently Elsie is playing with our minds. Don't let her get to you. She's a force of raging chaos but she's only human, and so is Lorna."
Kal decided not to mention that she hadn't actually known what they were up to ahead of time. "Will do. I should probably put in a blanket notification for the rest of this week. Though presumably there won't be any more sessions quite like that one."
She swung her legs around to sit in such a way that she didn't feel quite so much like a patient. "It was bad enough when it was MacDonald, but she was a known entity. To us and to everyone else." She gestured to the world around them. "Now suddenly it's special. I'd rather not have my first time out this season be quite so newsworthy."
"Sadly we don't get to pick our first time on the pitch, or we'd all choose an easy one. Here's the thing: it's not like they know what they're doing with her. Maybe her brother does, but as for the Chasers, well, I've practised with Lorna more than they have, even if it was twenty years ago." Florrie grinned at Kal. "When I say she's only human, I mean it. I've been through good and bad times with Lorna and I promise you, you're good enough to go up against her. This game is going to be chaotic but you're ready for anything. If Merc didn't think you could do it, he wouldn't have hired you on. Trust me on that, Kal. I know how my brother thinks even better than I know how my cousin thinks."
"Before, it was going to be hard. Hard I can do. This is...visible." Kal laughed again, though this time is was a bit shy. "I know that sounds stupid, given this career, but...." She shrugged.
Kal looked down at her lap at the compliments, though she was smiling. "I appreciate the vote of confidence. Truly. I don't want to let anyone down." She hadn't intended for this to get quite so personal, but it was surprisingly easy to talk to Florrie. Maybe because she wasn't a player, so Kal didn't feel the need to put up a tough front for the sake of team morale. "But if I do, it won't be because I let this mind-trick paralyze me." Maybe if she repeated that often enough, it would actually work.
Florrie shook her head. "Don't think of it as a mind-trick," she suggested. "Think of it as 'Elsie doesn't have enough confidence in her reserve line to play it and went outside the team'. Because that's what I see. And I love Lorna like a sister, but Lorna is not in practice. She can't be. It's not just the babies, but that's part of it. It's that she's been doing nothing more strenuous than mothering two under-sevens while you've been out on the pitch with a broom or working out with weights or running or all of that other business you do. And probably eating a horrid diet with Owen and the children. That's not how you get ready for the Fall Classic.
"And it's not how you prepare the team for the Fall Classic either. What would you do if Merc fired one of your reserve colleagues and put--" she searched for an idea and came up with "--Fraser Macmillan in? Instead of Angus or Roger? How would you feel about that if it happened a week before the big match?"
Kal was grinning and giggling a bit at the picture Florrie painted, which, admittedly, didn't sound like the legend that everyone was so excited was coming back. She did sound human. Which shouldn't have been surprising, but such was the stress of the news. Her expression slipped into something more serious as Florrie applied the example to their team. She didn't know Angus all that well, so while she'd feel bad for him and probably a bit indignant, it didn't hit home quite like the mention of Roger did.
That was close enough to how she'd probably feel as a seasoned member of the Pride if one of her long-time teammates was affected. "I'd be angry. Maybe enough to say things I probably shouldn't say aloud," she said slowly. "I hadn't thought about it that way, but you're right. What a team morale killer. Maybe not for everyone, but probably enough that it could affect their game. It's a pretty big gamble so close to the Fall Classic."
"Yeah, that's what I think, too. Apart from being worried about how Lorna's going to hold up in a match after so long off the pitch." Which dimmed Florrie's expression even further; this was personal for her. "So for all that it's meant to rock us back on our brooms, it's going to do the same for the Pride. Whereas you've got confidence in your play and practice with Lex and the rest of the team."
Kal felt a little guilty talking about someone Florrie knew in such an analytical way, but it was just how things were. If she and Roger were still on opposing sides, she would have done the same with him. "I do have that," she said, confidence starting to return to her voice. "Lex has been amazing. I'm glad it isn't going to get her in trouble with the coach."
She slid off the exam table and stretched a little. "Speaking of...we're supposed to be having drinks and listening to some old matches. Revise some strategies. But thanks, really. It was good talking to you."
Florrie smiled as she turned back from locking the cabinet with all the parchments in it. "I'm glad I could help."