I hope that this story is better than my last one….I decided to go for funny this time. Could be that I'm happy…I finally got a new job, with us only have $13.00 left in our checking book, but social security coming in tomorrow, we might just make it.
/
It was the start of another day working with the FBI; the office was filling up with agents coming into work. Lisbon walks in, carrying her coffer and purse and heads to her desk. She sits everything down and looks behind her to the sleeping man on the couch. She goes over to him, and kicks the leg on the couch hard. A book that was lying on his chest falls to the floor.
"Let me guess, it's the grumpy princess kicking my wonderfully, comfortable couch." He says keeping his eyes closed, but a smile on his face.
Lisbon just shakes her head, and glares at him. "Why did you do it?"
Jane blinks a couple of times and looks up at her in puzzlement. Lisbon looks down at the book that fell to the floor and picks it up and looks at the title. "The title to this book pretty much explains what you are."
"I though you wanted me to get more exercises, you said it was what I needed." Jane sits up on the couch as he reaches out for the book.
"Basketball for Dummies, I'm sure your name is on the first page." She hands him the book. "I went to the gym this morning to get in a morning swim and guess what I saw?"
"Abbott in a speedo?" Lisbon rolls her eyes at that comment. "Your name on the list for basketball players for the FBI Team. Jane you don't know how to play the game, or any of the rules."
"That my dear is why I bought the book; after all I am a quick study." He takes the book from her. "They are having the first practice tonight, so I need to study."
"I suppose you're planning to wear your suit and shoes to practice?" she says with a smile.
"Don't be silly, I asked Cho what I should wear and went to pick it up last night." He gives her that smile and walks away as Cho comes into the bull pen. The men exchange greetings as Jane walks away. Lisbon takes her index finger and points it at Cho and motions him to come to her desk. Cho comes over and there is almost a smile on his face.
"Guess you found out about Jane?
She closes her eyes for a moment "Why didn't you tell me? I could have talked him out of this, don't tell me that you're also on the team?"
Shaking his head "to short, but it's going to be fun going to the first game."
"They won't take him on the team with no experience." She says with a sigh of relief.
"Rules for playing in employee leagues, they can't refuse any person who wants to play and they have to play in at least one quarter so Jane will be the one player the other team will be after."
"They are going to kill him." Lisbon says with a sigh.
"Pretty much, even his own team is putting out bets on how long he will last in the game."
"You placed a bet?" Lisbon says and Cho chuckles as he walks to his desk.
The next morning Lisbon is busy talking on the phone when she looks up and sees's Jane walking in, he is moving very slow, but still smiles at her. He makes it over to his couch and falls on it with a groan. She turns her chair around so she can see him. "How did practice go?"
"Did you know that before we practice the coach made us run around the floor for twelve laps?"
"How many did you do…one?" she laughs. Jane glares at her. "No, I managed to do more than one." Jane doesn't look at her, and she just keeps standing there. "Okay, I did five, after waiting the coach said we needed to start because it was getting late."
"So you're not going play anymore?"
"Of course I am, last night I was not as fit as I will be." He says with a smile. "I have a trainer who is going to get me in shape."
"Who?" She somehow knows who it will be.
"My good friend Cho…he said he could get me in shape before our first game in two weeks."
Lisbon turns her chair back to her desk and puts her hand over her mouth to stop laughing. "Are you laughing at me" he says with a groan.
"No, never." She says in a muffled voice.
TWO WEEKS LATER…GAME NIGHT
Cho and Lisbon come into the basketball gym, which is getting crowded. They find seats on the FBI side; the other side is the Downtown Austin Sheriff's office. She looks over and frowns "They have cheerleaders for the Sheriff's office.
Cho has been watching them carefully, he just nods in agreement. The gym locker room doors open and with lots of cheers and applause the Sheriff's team comes out wearing bright green jerseys and shorts. From the other side, the doors open and the FBI team rushes in wearing yellow jerseys and shorts. They are led by their coach Abbott. The over to their benches. Lisbon sees Jane standing by the bench with the other players, she notices that he has really nice looking legs, and looks up and sees the muscles in his arms. Where has he been hiding those muscles all this time? The whistle blows and the teams come out with the first players. She and Cho watch the game, the FBI is doing well, and she finds herself standing up with the crowd yelling when they make a basket. Half time comes and the players are talking with their couches on the sidelines. Jane is now standing up, and it looks like he is going to play this time. Lisbon can see all the men, still taking side bets on Jane. The half time is over and Jane goes offside and he throws the ball in, and the Sheriff's team grabs the ball, and their player manages to make a basket within a few minutes of the second half. Jane is working hard as a guard, but the one he is watching must be six-five easy. Every time the player scores he laughs as he high fives his team mates.
"He is so out of his limits Cho" she says as she watches Jane with the basketball, he is trying to pass the ball to another player when another player runs into him, and grabs the ball. Jane stumbles and trips fall to the floor. Lisbon stands up concern on her face. The coaches and the doctor go over to Jane. The FBI team watches what is going on, and Jane is helped up and with people applauding him, he is helped out by Abbott and another player.
Lisbon looks over at Cho, who seems to be almost smiling. "Okay so how much did you win Cho?"
Looking up at the clock and checking a piece of paper in his hand "I won hundred bucks…Jane left the game the third quarter in twelve minutes." Lisbon frowns at him as she leaves the stands and follows where they took Jane.
Later that evening Lisbon goes into Jane's bedroom in the Airstream. He is lying there with his ankle up on a stack of pillows. He is sitting up looking a bit sad. Lisbon puts a cup of tea on the side table and takes out a pill from a bottle. "Dr. Harris said this should help the pain tonight, he mentioned that a bad sprain likes your is sometime more painful than a broken ankle."
"I guess." He looks sad. He takes the pill with some of his tea. "The good news is baseball starts up in a few months."
TBC