Page 48 of Hard Ruck

“And if I never do?” he shot back.

“You have to retire eventually,” I said, not blinking.

He chuckled. “That’s true. I admire your tenacity.”

“It’s taken me this far,” I said. “This practical placement has been incredible. For me, it’s confirmed this is what I’m meant to be doing. From the moment I walked through the door, I felt like I belonged here.”

“This place has a way of doing that to you.” He seemed to be thinking back to the first time he stepped foot in the stadium.

“It does,” I agreed. “If you don’t mind me saying, I think the team deserves people who are ready and willing to give them their all.”

“And you think that’s you?” he asked.

“Yes, I do,” I said. “One hundred percent.” I paused for a moment. “No, I don’t think it’s me, Iknowit’s me.” Storm’s cockiness must be rubbing off on me. Did Bruce know about my relationship with the guys?

He’d be one hell of a poker player, because I had no idea what he was thinking. He could be humouring me, and he could be genuinely interested in what I had to say. Either way, it was making me increasingly nervous.

“No wonder Doctor Stuart likes you,” Bruce said. He didn’t elaborate on that. “You have final exams to sit?”

“Next week,” I said. “After that, I’ll be ready. I can start full-time on Monday week.”

“You don’t want a break before jumping into working full-time?” he asked.

“The season starts right after,” I said. “I accelerated my degree to do this final component over the Christmas trimester. I wanted to time it so I was ready in time.”

“That’s some foresight,” he said.

“When you want something, you have to do what you have to do to make it happen,” I said. “I’m sure you know that. Havingplayed rugby at a professional level, you would have made sacrifices to get there. It would have been worth it when you made the winning try in the grand final and held up that cup. Before doing a shoey.”

I’d taken the time to research him, including watching a video of him drinking champagne out of his football boot. A strange, but proud Australian tradition.

He chuckled again. “Best moment of my life. The win, not so much the shoey. That tasted as good as it sounds.” He grimaced, but his face relaxed into a smile.

I grinned. “I bet it did.” It must have been full of all sorts of sweat and germs. As long as no one asked me to do it, I wouldn’t judge them too harshly.

“Maybe we should make that a requirement of all our employees,” he mused out loud. “One shoey each.”

“I have a funny feeling there are laws against making staff do that,” I said lightly. “But if it’s a team spirit thing, you might get a few takers.”

“But not you?” he asked.

In my life, I’d had a variety of things in my mouth, but I still wasn’t interested in this. I held up my foot so he could see my leather sandals. “I don’t think they’d survive the experience, even if they’d hold liquid.”

“Point taken.” He lowered his arms and sat forward again. “How would you describe yourself, Doctor Miller?”

“Firstly, I’d suggest you call me Chelsea,” I said. “I’m not big on formality. Sir.”

He gestured for me to continue.

“I’d describe myself as driven,” I said slowly. “Committed. Dedicated. I tend to jump into things with both feet and throw everything into it. Everything I do, I give it all I have.”

“That seems to be a personality trait for doctors,” he said. “What makes you different from the others?”

The others aren’t fucking half the team,I thought.

At least, as far as I knew, they weren’t. Admittedly, I wasn’t privy to what the other players did in their spare time, much less any other candidates for this job. They could be banging like rabbits for all I knew.

“I’m not looking at this opportunity as a stepping stone,” I continued. “I’m not looking to work here then eventually move to one of the teams in Europe. My goal is to take over for Doctor Stuart some day. I know some people would say that’s shortsighted. That I lack ambition. I disagree. Working for the Smashers would be a privilege. One I’d wholeheartedly embrace. I believe continuity of care is important, and that goes beyond the players’ current situation. If they move into coaching, management or move away from the game entirely, they could look forward to knowing someone is watching out for all their medical needs.”

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