Page 57 of Doc Defence

It always amused Frost when Trent talked about them as a ‘we’. It made them sound like an old married couple. His thoughts strayed to Hel, but he pulled his mind away before it could go places that were not yet his to imagine.

“When do I need to make the decision by?”

“Ideally asap, but they’ve told me the end of August is really the latest. They know you’ve got some big decisions to make.” Trent negotiated hard for his clients, getting them the best deals and making sure he looked after them.

“Thanks, Trent. Can I check something about the current contract with the documentary makers?” Frost heard Trent typing and knew his agent would be opening up the contract to make sure he gave out accurate information.

“Absolutely. Shoot,” Trent said.

“Thanks. They’re paying for me to be here for the whole season?”

“Correct.”

“There’s no clause about cutting it short for any reason? This injury doesn’t mean they’ll cancel the whole deal.”

“No,” Trent confirmed. “You’re there with salary and accommodation until the end of the season.”

“Great. So, I don’t need to be playing. How about I offer my services as an assistant coach? It’s win-win. The team don’t have to pay me. The documentary guys have something to film, other than me hopping around looking miserable, and I get to stay close to the ice. It’ll make my decision about coaching next year so much easier.”

Trent didn’t even hesitate. “My man, that is a fantastic idea. I’ll phone Coach Morgan now and run it past him.”

“He works during the day. I’ll catch him tonight.” Frost tried to slow Trent down a little. Coach Morgan would be at his day job as an auto mechanic and wouldn’t want to be disturbed.

“Why wait until he finishes? He’ll be at the rink. Let’s strike while the irons hot.” Trent’s voice conveyed his enthusiasm.

“Trent. This isn’t the NHL. All these guys have normal jobs. They practise in the evening,” Frost reminded him.

“Ah, yes. Sorry. I forgot. I’ll leave it with you, and you’ll let me know the outcome?”

“Of course,” Frost reassured his agent.

“That’s great. Well, I’ve got a three o’clock meeting I need to prepare for. But we’ll stay in touch. I’ll have Randy contact you and make sure everything is going smoothly.”

And there it was: Randy was one of the most junior guys at the sports agency, and Frost had never been palmed off on him before. This was the start of the transition, where Trent would stop being available to him, and Randy would take over.

“Thanks, Trent.” Usually, Frost would say, ‘Talk soon,’ but he wasn’t convinced they actually would.

“Evening, Coach Morgan.” Frost hopped into the Coach’s office, knowing this was where he would be in the hour before practice started.

He could have phoned him, but after sitting in the house all day, with his only entertainment being daytime television and planning the week’s menu for himself and Hel, he needed to get out.

Frost wasn’t going to stay long, and he had sent a message to Hel while he was on his way to the arena in an Uber.

‘What time do you finish? Dinner’s ready to go in the oven. I’ve gone to the rink. I’ll be home at seven. Put the food in at one hundred and eighty, it’ll need thirty minutes.’

His phone buzzed as he hopped into the Coach’s office, and he only half heard the older man’s greeting in response to his as he fumbled for his phone and saw it was a reply from Hel to his earlier message.

‘You didn’t need to cook dinner for me, but I will never say no to food. Shall I pick you up from the rink? It’s the least I can do with everything you’re doing for me.’

‘Sounds good. Phone me when you arrive, and I’ll head out.’

She gave him a thumbs-up in return.

“Take a seat, son. How are you doing?” Coach Morgan indicated the chair by his desk.

Frost lowered himself into it with a grunt, sticking his plaster-clad leg straight out in front of himself. None of his jeans would go over the bulky plaster, so for the moment, he was stuck in sweatpants, which, luckily, being a pro-athlete—he reminded himself, ex-pro athlete—he had a vast amount of.

“I won’t lie. It’s not been easy. But each day is a little better than the last,” Frost said.

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