Page 36 of Beyond Protection
When I stopped, Eamon was watching with his brow slightly furrowed.
"What?"
"Nothing. You're just—you're very good at what you do."
"That's the idea."
"No. I mean—" He pushed off the wall. Walked closer. "Most people don't look like that when they work. Like every movement matters. Like you're actually listening to what your body's telling you."
He stopped in front of me. Close enough to catch the smell of him—cedar and coffee.
"Your shoulder's compensating," he said. "Right side. You're favoring it."
"Old injury. It's fine."
"Show me."
I rotated my arm. The joint clicked slightly. Nothing serious. It was the accumulated wear of years playing third.
Eamon reached out and touched the front of my shoulder, thumb pressing into the muscle just below my collarbone. Not hard. Diagnostic. He knew precisely where to touch.
"Here?" he asked.
"Yeah."
His thumb rubbed and pressed deeper. The muscle released slightly under the pressure. His other hand touched my shoulder blade—steadying, counterpoint. The heat of his hands radiated through my sweat-soaked t-shirt.
"You're locked up," he said. "When's the last time you did proper recovery work?"
"Been a while."
His hands rested on me, front and back, holding the joint between them.
"You need to take care of this," he said quietly. "Or it'll get worse."
"I know."
"Mac," he said.
"Yeah?"
"I should—" He didn't finish and didn't step back.
"We should work on mobility," he said. His voice had turned careful and professional. "Before that shoulder gets worse."
"Okay."
"On the mat. I'll walk you through some stretches."
I grabbed a mat from the stack against the wall. Spread it on the concrete.
"On your stomach," Eamon said. "Arms out to the sides."
I lay down. The mat was thin. The cold from the concrete seeped through it.
Eamon knelt beside me. "This is going to feel intense. Tell me if it's too much."
One hand settled between my shoulder blades. The other found that locked-up spot in my shoulder. Then he started pressing down and forward simultaneously, opening the joint and coaxing the muscle to release.
