Page 7 of Goalie Secrets
She thinks she can fix what Kyle has barely kept under control for years? She talked about my condition like it hasn’talreadychronically taken over my life. If she only knew what I went through before Kyle, she wouldn’t be so condescending.
Suddenly, icy hands wrap around a calf.
“Holy shit! Did you wash your hands in cold water?”
She makes a sound that I swear is a snicker.
“Pardon me, Jeremy. We haven’t implemented hot stones like they have in spas,” she answers sarcastically. “I’ll ask Dr. Lane toupgrade our services for your next appointment.”
There will not be a “next appointment” if she plans on being this disagreeable. Determined to find something specific for when I complain to Kyle about his new hire, I let her work on my legs.
She’s quiet. Kyle and I usually shoot the breeze and talk about hockey or whatever. He was a goaltender in college and a big fan of the Mavericks.
Dr. Kapur, however, is all business. After some measurements that she records on a computer, her warmed and confident hands return.
At first, it’s the usual deep tissue massage. The stretching feels nice, and my muscles begin to relax. But then she’s doing something up and down my spine. She works on different pressure points, isolating them till my back responds. I’m reminded of the term “unwinding” to indicate relaxation. At different points along my spine, there’s an unraveling of knots I didn’t know existed.
She moves in front of the table, leaning forward to work my neck and skull. Weird that her hands are in my hair. It isn’t sensual, though it’s notnot,either. I get a whiff of flowers and herbs and something else, earthy and sweet.
“Have you ever considered acupuncture, Jeremy?”
“Tried it once. Waste of time.”
It’s hard to talk because I’m practically drooling at how good her hands are working my skull.
“Would you be averse to needling? It follows similar principles of acupuncture. I would normally wait till at least a second session. However, since I only have about fifteen minutes left, I’d like to try it. If you’re uncomfortable after the first one, we’ll stop.”
I manage a sound between a grunt and a “yes.” Wheels roll as Dr. Kapur prepares an equipment cart. With hands along myhamstring, she performs a combination of kneading, pulling, and pinching.
Suddenly, a rush of heat releases from a pressure point. It feels the way a blow-up kid pool looks when you open the valve and the air exhales. Except in this case, what releases is hot blood under my skin.
“That’s the first one. How does it feel?”
Fucking incredible.
“Good.”
“Can I proceed to other trigger points?”
“Sure.”
Two other areas undergo the same treatment. They aren’t as intense as the first release, but the loosening of tension is undeniable.
“I don’t want to overwork your body in one day. Could you turn over please? We can end with some stretches.”
I lie on my back and get my first view of the doctor since she took charge of my body. She cracks her fingers. There’s a slight sheen on her forehead. I’m reminded of how physical her job must be. I feel like shit for holding back well-earned praise.
“That was great. You don’t need the next five minutes to prove anything, doc.”
She smiles patiently, and I get a bit of that first greeting, cheekbones lifted and eyes aglow. Then, it’s gone. She’s back to all business.
“Good to know. I’ll make note of it for when Dr. Lane sees you next.”
She lifts my leg to stretch it while supporting my knee. Then, she bends the leg by pressing against my inner thigh. I nearly sigh at the deep stretch of a loosened hamstring. It feels so good I don’t realize what she said until she moves to the other side.
“When Kyle sees me next? You mean when both of you do.”
Her palm smooths over my inner thigh, stroking it till I feel my ligaments give way. Then she does a lateral stretch on my knee that even sports doctors in a hockey locker room wouldn’t dare to do. There’s a slight tilt of my hips before a click.