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  “As you can see, I have no problems whatsoever. I can do things now I couldn’t do before the injury.”

  Margie and Tyler both watched in rapt silence.

  Another knock came at the door and Dr. Pinkering slid inside. “Pardon my tardiness; I had a few rounds to make this morning. Giving them the full display Kenny?”

  Kenny again bounced from side to side. “Just showing this young man what he has to look forward to.”

  Tyler glanced back to his mother. “When did you have the surgery done?”

  “Seven months ago,” Kenny replied. “I can’t believe it took me that long to have it done. The KnightRunner is better than having my own knee in there.”

  A thin smile grew across Tyler’s face as he turned his head towards his mother. “Better than having my own knee.”

  Silence fell once more. Tyler and Margie sat on one side of the room weighing the new information. Dr. Pinkering and Sarconi stood across from them, both watching their every move.

  The only direct participant in the room was Kenny, who walked to the window and peered out through the blinds as the morning sun settled in over Columbus.

  “What do you think, mama?” Tyler asked.

  Margie frowned. “I’m still not sold on this. Wouldn’t it be safer to just repair what’s there?”

  Dr. Pinkering stepped forward and said, “Ms. Bentley that is correct. The natural body parts are always preferred whenever possible. But as I showed you last night, that isn’t the case here. The trauma was just too great.

  “We are presenting the KnightRunner to you because Tyler’s body doesn’t have the capability to recover on its own.”

  “Then why do I get the impression you gentlemen are trying to sell us something?” Margie asked.

  Dr. Pinkering made a face as if he’d been wounded. “Ms. Bentley, you have my word as a Doctor, backed by the Hippocratic Oath, and as a man. This isn’t just the best course of action for Tyler, it’s the only course.”

  Margie fell silent and turned her attention back to her son. “Tyler, it’s your decision.”

  Tyler shifted his focus to Kenny and nodded. “Thanks for coming by. I appreciate it.”

  “My pleasure. It was good to meet the star running back of the Crimson Knights.”

  Tyler nodded in acceptance of the compliment and shifted his gaze to Dr. Pinkering. “Give us an hour to discuss this. And just in case, you better back off on the morphine right now.”

  “Of course,” Dr. Pinkering said.

  Behind him, Kenny and Sarconi both fled the room. A moment later, the doctor joined them in the hallway. He motioned for them to follow him, and only once they were a little ways down the hall did he lean in close.

  “So, what do we think?”

  “I think that boy wants back on the field so bad he’ll do damn near anything,” Sarconi said.

  “So I did alright?” Kenny asked, looking at each of them in turn.

  Sarconi responded with a heavy slap on the back. “Better than alright. Damn near Oscar worthy!”

  Chapter Eight

  The anesthesia was just beginning to lift when the flash bulb went off. A small click followed by an unexpected orb of light that bathed the entire room in bright brilliance, freezing Margie in place, her eyes wide. Beside her, Tyler’s eyes cracked open into thin slits, the light penetrating his narcotic-induced stupor.

  “What the heck?” he mumbled, raising a hand to the side of his head, his voice thick and pained.

  Margie pounced before the cameraman ever had a chance to get off a second shot. She tossed herself in front of Tyler’s bed, using her prodigious girth to block her son from view.

  “Get out! Now!” she yelled, shooing away the photographer that had somehow found his way to Tyler’s room. “The press conference is downstairs, just like all the signs say!”

  Unfazed, the photographer raised the camera again. “Adam Smarte with Weekly Sport magazine. Our readers want to see what Tyler looks like after all this.”

  “He looks like a man that just got out of surgery!” Margie yelled. “And if you or your readers ever want another word out of Tyler, you’ll get out of here this instant!”

  The threat froze him just long enough for Margie to burst forward and mash her oversized chest into his shoulder. Like a bulldozer pushing forward, she shoved him out into the hallway, punctuating the move with a two-handed shove that sent him stumbling backwards.

  Margie stood in the hall for several long moments to make sure the man slunk away, then turned her gaze to two orderlies standing slack-jawed in the corner. “If anybody else gets near this door, I’m holding you responsible. Got it?”

  Both nodded as Margie turned on a heel, stomped back inside and closed the door behind her. She pressed her back against it for several long moments allowing the mother lion vitriol to flee her before returning to the bedside.

  “How do you feel sweetie?”

  A faint smile crossed Tyler’s lips. “Like a man that just got out of surgery.”

  Margie’s eyes were glassy but she remained free of tears.

  “Have I ever mentioned I’m glad I’ve never had to look across the line and see you at linebacker?”

  The comment forced a laugh from Margie, the sound somewhere between a gasp and a chuckle. She reached out and stroked the top of his head, her eyes avoiding his leg suspended above the bed.

  Tyler sighed and raised a hand to grip his mother’s. “So, how did it go?”

  “Dr. Pinkering stopped by a little bit ago on his way to get ready for the press conference. Said everything went well.”

  “That’s all he said?”

  “Pretty much,” Margie said and picked the remote up from the bedside table. She turned on the television and flipped through the channels until she found the local news station. Front and center was Dr. Pinkering, Sarconi and a black man they’d never seen behind him.

  Margie snorted. “Apparently if we want to hear any more we need to need find out like everybody else.”

  “Try playing college football,” Tyler replied, his voice still thick with grog. “First two years I was here the only time I ever saw Coach Valentine was on Sportscenter.”

  On the screen, the press conference got under way.

  “This is a great day for Ohio Tech University athletics,” Dr. Pinkering said into a bank of microphones. “Earlier today, a massive first step was taken in returning its star back to where he belongs.

  “It’s also a great day for Ohio Tech University medicine. Today we were able to, in a revolutionary new procedure, pair with the creative expertise of SynTronic to introduce a new product that will revamp sports injuries as we know them.”

  He paused for a moment and leaned back from the microphones, allowing his words to sink in.

  “It is with great pride that I report the operation to repair Tyler Bentley’s knee was a complete success. Performed by Dr. Manningham, orthopedic staff surgeon here at OTU, the surgery took just over seven hours and was done without any unforeseen difficulties.

  “The remains of Tyler’s knee were cleared away and in its place the new KnightRunner artificial joint was implanted.”

  “Glad they finally got around to mentioning me during their little sales pitch,” Tyler mumbled.

  “Who the hell is Dr. Manningham?” Margie asked. “I thought Pinkering was doing the operating?”

  Tyler moved his hand to cover his eyes, his movements stiff and stilted. “I don’t know. The last few days have all been a blur.”

  On the screen, Dr. Pinkering finished his speech and opened the floor for questions. A sea of arms sprang up in response, reporters all lobbing questions without waiting to be called.

  Rising above the fray was a blonde woman in the front row, her voice an octave higher than those around her. “An artificial joint? Isn’t that a bit extreme?”

  Dr. Pinkering pointed to her and shook his head as the rest of the crowd quieted down. “For those of you watching the game the oth
er night, you saw the hit Tyler Bentley took. What you didn’t see was the devastation it caused his knee.

  “After x-rays and evaluation, we found that the damage was so extensive that the joint was beyond repair. This wasn’t just the best option, it was the only option. Next question.”

  The arms reappeared in front of the screen and a bald man asked, “Why go with an untested product like this? What did you call it again, the KnightRider?”

  Dr. Pinkering nodded to the man and said, “That’s KnightRunner. We in conjunction with SynTronic have been testing this product for the better part of a year now. There are no less than a dozen people already walking around with KnightRunner knee and hip replacements, all with phenomenal results.”

  The arms appeared again and an older gentleman asked, “So what does this do for the projected health and return to the field for Bentley?”

  Dr. Pinkering shook his head in a non-committal manner, a smug smirk belying the gesture. “At this point I don’t think it would be out of the question to say he’d be one hundred percent ready when camp opens this fall.”

  The moment the words left his lips, the hands again sprang up with renewed zest. Snippets of questions could be heard through the television, each of them wondering about Tyler’s return on such a truncated time table.

  Margie aimed the remote at the television and lowered the volume several decibels.

  As she did, Tyler held out a hand to her. “Just turn it off mom.”

  “Heard enough huh?”

  “He’s not there to talk about the surgery; he’s there to hawk his new toy.”

  Margie turned the television off and sat for a moment in the newfound quiet of the room.

  Beside her, Tyler slid his hand and forearm across his face, the crook of his arm shielding him from the world.

  “You should try to get some rest mom. I bet you haven’t slept in days.”

  Margie raised her red-rimmed eyes to her son and lifted one corner of her mouth in a smile. “Yeah? And what are you going to do?”

  “I’m going back to sleep. My leg hurts.”

  Chapter Nine

  Four days later, the point arrived when Margie couldn’t afford to be off work any longer and was forced to return home to Worland. Her boss at the mill had given her all the time she needed to be with Tyler, but even nights spent by his bedside and meals from vending machines couldn’t make up for the extra flight and lost week’s wages.

  True to its hype, the KnightRunner had Tyler up on crutches by the time she left. Rehab started two days later, the moment the painkillers and swelling subsided enough to allow for movement.

  Phase one was a regiment of aquatic movements, the buoyancy of a controlled pool removing most impact from the joint. At first it was straight line walking, followed by jogging, followed by lateral movements.

  By week three he was walking unassisted.

  Phase two started a week later, the same exact regiment performed on dry land. Plenty of light strengthening exercises, quad extensions, leg presses, hamstring curls, mixed in.

  By week six, he was jogging in a straight line.

  Every single day for the first two months Tyler worked with his strength and conditioning coaches, the lecherous eyes of Dr. Pinkering and Sarconi never far away. For every drop of sweat he perspired, they stood before a bank of microphones and reported to the world how well their new product was working.

  As spring settled into Columbus, Tyler was certain they saw him as their personal cheerleader and nothing more. Day by day he bit back the animosity that welled within him, funneling it into his workouts.

  By March, he began shuffling laterally. Two weeks later, he was doing it at full speed.

  Every night Tyler fell asleep staring at the wall above his bed. On the left half he posted the cards and letters of support he received from coaches, fans, and friends all over the country. On the right half hung an oversized schedule for the upcoming season surrounded by detailed printouts of his progress.

  Everything was going on planned.

  Chapter Ten

  “These four a.m. workouts are killing me, Coach,” Tyler joked as he and OTU strength coach Harold Curl walked through the athletic center and onto the indoor turf field. Each of them carried a large duffel bag over their shoulder filled with supplies for the morning workout.

  “Four?” Curl return in mock indignation. “Look out that window there. You see that big yellow thing in the sky? Trust me, if this was four a.m., that wouldn’t be there.”

  Tyler made no attempt to bite back a grin. “Still, this is awful early for a college kid on spring break.”

  “What, you think you’re on MTV or something?” Curl asked, dropping the bag from his shoulder. It landed with a heavy thud against the artificial turf surface, a trio of orange cones spilling out.

  A black man with very light skin and close cropped hair, Curl was an aspiring all-natural bodybuilder and thick all over. He had a quick smile and a genuine interest in the athletes, something that won him many friends throughout the school.

  When Tyler first began his rehab stint, it was Curl that volunteered to come in at four a.m. to work him out. The time was less than ideal for both of them, but it was the only chance they had when another varsity sport wasn’t using the facilities.

  For the first time in three months, they had been able to come in at a more reasonable hour. Spring break had most of campus deserted, leaving behind just those athletes still in season.

  Curl bent down and extracted the rest of the plastic cones, stacking them high atop each other. “Alright, let’s get going. Two laps, you know the drill.”

  Tyler unloaded his bag beside Curl’s and bent at the waist to slide an elastic knee brace up around his knee. He snapped it into place with a heavy slap of rubber against skin and took off at a brisk jog around the field.

  Behind him, Curl unzipped the second bag and extracted a nylon harness and several thick rubber bands. He laid them out in order beside him, then took up the stack of cones and arranged them in a pattern ten yards in length.

  From his own bag he removed a speed ladder, a metal sled, and a twenty-five pound weight. He attached the harness to the sled and slid the weight down onto it.

  He was just positioning the speed ladder when Tyler finished his laps and sat down on the ground beside him.

  “So how’s life coach?” Tyler asked as he dropped to his bottom and spread his legs wide. Next he walked his hands forward in front of him, stretching out his hamstrings.

  “Calm before the storm, man. Kids are about to start little league, full load of teams back in here after break, got spring tournaments coming up.”

  “After that things ease up again though right? Nobody’s in season. You guys divvy up the sports, get everybody ready for next year?” Tyler asked, lying flat on his back and extending his right leg into the air.

  “True,” Curl replied, gripping Tyler’s ankle and stretching his leg back towards his head. “That’s still a load though. You guys alone give me over a hundred players to keep track of.”

  “Yeah, we’re a demanding bunch,” Tyler conceded.

  “Yeah, well, football money keeps the lights on for most of the other sports around here. I’d say you’ve earned it,” Curl said, lowering the leg and shaking it out. He began to raise it again for a secondary stretch, but paused halfway up.

  “You ever notice these bruises all along your leg here? Little dark spots everywhere?”

  Tyler raised his head from the turf. “Oh yeah. Damn things hurt like hell too. I keep asking the docs about it, they keep telling me it’s normal. Leg getting itself back into shape, muscles adapting to the implant, all that stuff.”

  Curl lowered the leg and shook it out again, bringing it up for one last stretch. “All I know is I’ve worked with a lot of athletes and I’ve never seen bruising like this before, especially not from muscles getting back into shape.”

  “I know. The surgery was months ago and I was only off
my feet a week or two. Everything else they said has been true though, so I guess I’ll go with it.”

  “Alright, just keep an eye on it.”

  Curl finished stretching Tyler and hefted him onto his feet, moving him straight into a series of agility drills on the speed ladder. From there they shifted over onto the sled, running sprints of various lengths with the steel implement sliding along on the turf behind him.

  Twenty minutes in Tyler was soaked through with sweat. He stood bent at the waist, his lungs burning for air, droplets dripping from the end of his nose.

  Beside him, Curl stood with his arms folded, a half-smile on his face that resonated somewhere between self-satisfied and sadistic.

  Every Ohio Tech athlete knew the look. None of them liked it.

  “Looks like you’ve almost got your straight ahead speed back to normal,” Curl said, letting the statement hang in the air.

  “And?”

  The smile grew broader. “Got a new one for you today.”

  Tyler made no effort to move as Curl lifted a trio of bands from the ground by his feet. All three were circles two feet in diameter, colored blue and constructed of rubber over an inch wide. Curl hung all three from a finger and extended them towards Tyler.

  “So now we continue working on that lateral movement.”

  Tyler dropped his gaze to the ground for a second and shook his head, a series of half mumbles escaping his lips. Just as fast, he stood to full height and snatched the bands away.

  “Three bands?”

  “Three bands.”

  “How many laps?”

  “I didn’t say.”

  Tyler carried the bands to the top of the cone formation and slid the bands around his ankles. He lowered himself into a football position, his thighs parallel to the ground and began.

  Moving to his right, he extended his foot out as far as the bands would allow, planted and drug the left in behind it. Never did the two come closer than shoulder width apart. Not once did his pace increase above even and methodical.