Chapter 5 Little Solider - Doctor Noise

Up dated the soundtrack so this chapter is in there as well as the next. Thanks for reading!.


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Little Solider - Dr. Noise

Sarah had been doing her best to stay out of the guys way as they trained and got their feet back under them. She’d spend a few hours a day watching them. She had been social with everyone making an effort to get to know each of the guys a little. More often than not she found herself gravitating towards Kris most days. She knew him the best and over all she felt the most comfortable around him. Sure they had the most history even if it was short history but it was something.
It was a day of interviews and she could see they all were getting a bit annoyed . Dan Potash was all but stalking them and they were beaking him as usual but he didn’t seem to be phased by it this early in the season. They had other media around too doing little spots with the guys. By the end of the day everyone seemed pretty irritated about answering the same questions over and over again.
“Hey Sarah-baby we’re going to Jordan’s house to hang out.” Max called out to her as TK pretended to lay into him for some unknown reason. “I will text you the address. Come please.” he said before finally being pushed out the door.
Sarah was left smiling shaking her head walking down the hall backwards watching the file out in a goofy mess till she hit what seemed to be a wall.
“I am sorry. I was not looking.” she heard in the familiar voice she had spent several nights talking to this week as well as random lunches with the team.
She turned to look at him his face causing immediate concern. “You ok Kris you look pretty upset.” she said her brows knitting immediately.
“I will be ok.” He tucked a stray piece of hair behind his ear.
“I didn’t as if you would be ok.” she said catching his arm as he attempted to continue to walk down the hall.
“I am going to Jordan’s. You going too?” he asked trying to change the subject on her.
“Yeah… I was planning on it. I was going to stop and pick up some stuff first. It’s not a gathering without refreshments.” she said with a little smile. “Want to ride with me?” she asked.
Kris nodded his agreement.
“Awesome I will be right there. I just have to get my stuff from my office.” she said pointing down the hall. She reached into her pocket pulling out her keys. “here you can get in the car if you want I’ll be right there.” She jogged down the hall in her heels as best she could as he headed in the opposite direction.

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Kris sat out in the car patiently the windows down music turned on. He looked though her ipod a bit confused by her all over the map musical taste. He put it on shuffle just letting it go. It only took her one song to come out.
“Sorry. I had to get my stuff. Now to my house so I can change. I don’t like looking like a business traveler when you’re all in shorts and flip flops.
“I think you look nice.” Kris said buckling his seatbelt. “I would want to sit with you in business class.” He said with a link smirk. The smile faded fast though and he was back looking down.
“Right so do you want to talk about it?” she asked merging into traffic headed to her apartment. She had all kinds of snacks there they could all eat even the crazy diet guys.
“It is nothing that has not been said before.” he shrugged. “Every season they ask about my friend who died. It is not nice to interview about.” he said as the wind from the windows and the music muffled his already soft voice. She turned down the radio so she could hear him better.
“Yeah it sucks when people ask about bad things that have happened instead of the good.” she said glancing over at him from behind her sunglasses. Traffic was finally starting to flow and they were on the move. “The bad kind of serves as measure for our lives. If it was all just baseline in the middle we wouldn’t know what happy was. I found that people who haven’t suffered loss are far less happy over all.” she explained as she drove.
He thought about it for a moment. “I agree though it still hurts.” he said scratching his chest over his heat a little.
“It’ll always hurt. I know when I think about the bad stuff it still hurts.” she confessed as she pulled into her parking spot. “Come in I’ll be a few I think my jeans and stuff are still in the dryer.” she explained heading the way into her apartment.
“I don’t want it to always hurt.” he said as they headed inside.
He was unexpectedly close to her when she turned around. She knew it wasn’t the time to be feeling like she did but the smell of the soap from his shower, his cologne and being so close she could feel the heat from his body made her feel a bit woozy in a real attraction kind of way. Sure he was handsome and sweet but she had been doing everything she could to push those feelings aside. “I think if it didn’t always hurt we would forget. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to forget why I hurt.”
He nodded taking a seat at her kitchen table. “You are right. I do not want to forget. When he died it was the middle of the finals the first time.” he was really glad she wasn’t right there but listening from the laundry room off the kitchen. “They asked about it the next day in interview. I had talked to him just day before. It is hard to have it be asked about still.”
Sarah came back through laundry basket perched on her hip. “I know it’s still hard when I have to do intake on a kid that has been neglected.” she sucked in a deep breath. “It’s hard to see what people must have seen in me when my brother and I were brought in to the hospital having been in the same situation.” it was her turn to nervously tuck her hair back. “Without these experience we wouldn’t be who we are. Your friend in life made you a stronger person. Because he’s not with you now he has made you even stronger. You have learned how to be strong without him right there though he is always with you.” she sighed shifting the basket. “I’m going to change now.”
As she walked past he grabbed her free hand bringing her hand to his lips. “Thank you Sarah.” He knew it was slightly out of line but he was caught in the moment. He let go of his grip on her hand and was pleasantly surprised when she didn’t pull away but gave him a weak smile.
“I’m going to go change.” she said feeling a bit awkward. As she slowly let her hand slide from him.
She bit her lip heading to her room to change quickly. She came back out in jeans, flip flops and a tank top with a hoodie over her arm. “Ok snacks.” she said raiding her pantry. “I have nuts, muffins, cheese balls, licorice bits and sun chips.” she said loading up a reusable grocery bag. She didn’t haven’t a chance to pick the bag up before he swooped in lifting it was ease.

The little gathering was fun. She got to meet some of the girlfriends and it was nice to see people out of the official work space. Sure most of the married guys weren’t around but it was still nice to meet more people associated with the team. It was a bit weird though she kept catching Kris’ eye. They’d meet from across the room and he would smile.
Finally Max pulled her side. “You like him yes?” Max asked nodding in Tangers direction. Sarah was dumb struck unable to speak.
“I uh… it can’t happen.” she said nervously tucking her hair back behind her ear. “I think it would be a bad idea. Everything should be professional.” she added learning her throat crossing her arms over her chest.
“Right yeah but he does not like many people. I do not want to see him miss out on a chance for something good.” Max said taking her elbow and turning her around to look at him. He was a part of the group but somehow not inside of it. “Do not play with him…” she opened her mouth to say something but he shushed her. She had to work hard not to laugh remembering the playoffs the year before. “if not for him than for you. He is not the only one making eyes in the room. Do not deny yourself, you seem good for him and I believe he would be good for you.” Max said before patting her on the back somewhat roughly. He hopped over the sofa joining the group who were playing some video game at this point.
She couldn’t help but think about what Max said. He was great more great than anyone she had dated or even met in a long time. There were few people she felt that kind of a connection with and he was high on that extremely short list. She bit the inside of her lip mulling it over before taking a seat watching the group of guys intently play and cheer for the video game.
The ride home was quiet. If she was this tired she could only imagine how tired he was after the events of his much more active day. “I owe you a real dinner.” she said glancing at him from the corner of her eye in the dark car. Max’s words ringing in her ears still. “You brought me dinner at the hospital and I think I owe you a real dinner.”
She could see him looking over at her. “You didn’t like the food?” he asked seeming a bit confused by her ‘real dinner’ statement.
“Oh no the food was great!” she said giving him a smile. “By real dinner I mean I actually get dressed in something that doesn’t resemble boxy pajamas, there isn’t a code in the middle and maybe just maybe I won’t cry.” she said half joking. She hoped she wouldn’t cry out to a real dinner with him.
“Ok, tomorrow yes? I will make a reservation. Not to fancy.” he said apparently already making a plan in his head. “Wear heel shoes.” he said with a little smirk. Really he just wanted to see her in heels but she didn’t need to know that. “Date night yes?” he asked.
Sarah kept her eyes on the road as she navigated a tricky left hand turn. If it hadn’t been for the turn she would have wished life could stop like in the twix commercial. “Yes.” she said quickly glancing over at home. “It’ll be a date night.” she was pretty sure she hadn’t ever felt sick to her stomach calling something a date before. It was a good sick though a sick that she knew meant she was putting meaning into the dinner not that that she ate to many cheese balls.