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Enjoy Chapter 7! :)
Chapter 7. "3-5-2"
Elma, NY- Sahlen Sports Park - 7070 Seneca Street - Thursday, May 23, 2013 - 10:05am
While Flash's players were running around the field, dozens of photographers were taking pictures of Jane.
"They were eight on Monday, thirteen on Tuesday, twenty-one on Wednesday and now they are thirty-six…", the soccer star said to Meg. "I've never been so popular during training sessions. What do they expect to see?", she sighed.
"Maybe your secret admirer…"
"Who?", she replied, annoyed.
"Your lover…Remember you're the cheater!"
"Well, they're wasting their time."
"So, what's up? Did Riley call you?"
"Nope! Not yet! She told me on Monday she would call me if there was anything new. I guess it'll be more difficult than she thought at first."
"You know it happened last Friday, six days ago.… Don't be too impatient! Give time more time. Riley is a very good agent. She will help you."
"Yeah, I know… It's just… Arh… I'm sick of being treated like I did something wrong. She did it…"
"Wow… Who is she?", she said, thoughtfully.
"Jess! Geez, who did you think I was talking about…?"
"No, no… Look to your right! Who's that girl over there?... She's… wow… Do you know her?"
"No… She looks like Olivia Newton-John in Grease… you know at the end of the movie", Jane replied smiling.
The woman was wearing a black off the shoulder top trying to cover up her ample bosom, sexy black shiny pants, black stilettos, and a black leather jacket behind the shoulder. Jane could not see her face hidden by sunglasses, but her long blond hair falling over her shoulders in a silken cascade.
"Well, seriously, wow… What is she doing here?"
"I don't know, Meg. You should go ask her", she answered, after completing the last lap.
"Very funny!"
"Okay girls! Today, we will continue to work on the 3-5-2 system", the coach exclaimed. "So.., midfielders must be positioned in kind of a W letter with two outside players, two center midfield defenders and one attacking minded midfield. The idea is to have five attackers. The central defender must be dominant in the air and has to move forward with the ball. If she isn't positionally perfect, none of you will. It's flawless, or it's tragic. I mean the 3-5-2´s biggest challenge is when the other team plays a single striker, in which case three defenders are suddenly left marking only one girl. This is even worse if that striker is a 'false nine', because the three centre-backs may be left marking absolutely no-one. So, be careful! If one of the centre-backs tracks the striker up the pitch, you'll be dragged out of position, but if they don't then the opposition will have an extra girl in midfield… Jane! Are you listening to me? Jane Rizzoli?"
The soccer star was lost in her thoughts, staring at the unknown stunning woman who seemed to look at her from time to time.
"Yes, sorry Coach!"
"Okay… So… To conclude… Do it right and our 3-5-2 will be brilliant, do it wrong and it will be self-destructive… Okay…", she said, a little upset, "We're going to take a five minute break, and then we'll start to work on our tactics…" Some girls headed to the bench to drink a few sips of water. "Jane, wait please! I need to talk to you."
Jane looked down. As soon as the girls were gone, the Coach began to talk again. "Jane! What's wrong? I know that you haven't listened to me at all…", she sighed, "How are things going with Jessica?"
"Nothing new right now… We don't have enough evidence to move forward in the case."
"Look!... I know… well… I imagine that it must be hard for you right now with all these journalists, these interviews…, but we need you… You need to be focused on the game, Jane. Otherwise, I'd be forced to leave you on the bench for the rest of the season."
"Will you do me a favor?", she sighed, deeply.
"Anything you want if it can help you be back on the pitch."
"You see the blonde girl over there… the one appearing as though she stepped straight out of the movie Grease? I'd like to know what she's doing here. She looks like she's one of these fucking models, and if it's a trap sent by Jessica and her lawyers, I'd like you to send her to hell… I can't go talk to her myself with all these journalists here, because this is exactly what they hope."
The Coach nodded. "Okay… Just go back to the bench right now. I'm going to talk to her and I'll let you know, and meanwhile… ask Greg to tell you everything about the 3-5-2."
"Okay, thanks a lot!"
"You're welcome!", the Coach said, running across the pitch towards the blonde bombshell. "Excuse me!... Miss! Excuse me!", she exclaimed, approaching the mysterious woman.
"Yes!?"
"Hello… Uh… May I help you?"
"Hello… Well… oh, no… no thank you!"
"Are you waiting for someone to meet you here?"
"Actually…, I'd like to talk to Jane Rizzoli, but I'll wait until the end of the training session."
"Look… uh… Jane is very busy… All these journalists over there are waiting for her, and she needs to focus on the game right now, so it would be nice of you, if you could come back another day, because she…"
"Oh… but I'm not a journalist… I'm just a friend…"
"A friend? Well… May I ask you your name?"
"I'm Doctor Maura Isles, nice to meet you", she said, lowering her sunglasses.
"Oh…", she replied, surprised. "Doctor Isles, sorry, I didn't recognize you… Coach Kelly Russell. Nice to meet you too", she added, extending her hand.
Maura shook her hand. "Don't be sorry! It's okay. I came here incognito. But I need to talk to Jane."
"Look!... Uh… Jane has difficulty concentrating these days… She saw you, but she thought you were one of those models sent by Jessica's lawyers to trap her or something."
"Oh… A model, uh?" the surgeon smirked.
"Yeah… So, she asked me to talk to you. Look, uh…, I think it'd be better if you were waiting for her in my office. It's on the first floor above the locker rooms. The window right here! I'll tell her you want to see her."
"Okay! Yes, I understand."
"Thanks! She'll meet you there at the end of the session. And don't worry, nobody will bother you. You'll be able to talk to each other without these vultures circling around you."
"Well, it's really nice of you Miss Russell."
"Please, call me Kelly!"
"So, thank you Kelly!"
"You're welcome, Doctor! Wait, here is the key of my office. There's a fridge inside, if you want to drink something, make yourself at home", she replied, pulling the key from the pocket of her sweatpants.
"Thank you very much!"
"Okay, see you later!" Coach Russell ran to the bench. "Okay girls, the break is over! You're going to start working with Greg, I have to talk to Jane. Jane, please, come with me!", she added, walking off the bench. The soccer star followed her.
A few seconds later, Kelly stopped and turned around abruptly to look at her. "Okay, so I've got the ID of this mysterious model sent by your ex… obviously to trap you. And… I did what you asked me to do. I sent her to hell." The Coach tried not to laugh.
"Great!"
"I told her you didn't want to talk to her and… and you wanted nothing to do with her."
"Thank you! I owe you one! So… You've got her name!"
"Yes… She said her name was… Maureen…. No… Maura… Doctor Maura Isles"
"WHAATTT?" Kelly burst out laughing, seeing Jane's reaction. "Are you kidding me? Th-the mod… This stunn… This woman is… was Doctor Isles!"
"Actually, yes…", she said, with a grin.
"A-And you told her I wanted nothing to do with her?!"
"Relax Jane! I was joking. As soon as she introduced herself, I asked her to go wait for you in my office. She told me she wanted to talk to you."
"Fuuck! Kelly! Don't ever do that again! It's not funny!"
"You're too stressed, Jane. Try to relax a bit, and from now on please stay focused on the pitch. We need you."
"Yeah, I know, I'm really sorry."
'Yeah… and you still owe me one. Now go join the others!", she said, smiling.
"Thanks!", the soccer star replied, before running toward the group.
An hour and a half later.
The training session was over, and the girls quickly returned to the locker room.
"Remember what I said Jane, we need one attacking minded midfield", the Coach said.
"I know…", she sighed.
"Okay girls, tomorrow the match will start at 7pm. The Red Stars will be at the stadium at 5pm. Let's meet at 9am here, and we'll take our bus. At 11am, we'll take a walk in the Jones Square Park. At noon, we'll have lunch, and at 5pm we'll go to the stadium. So, of course, I trust you not to do funny things tonight, okay? Have a good rest!. Jane? Please, don't forget to bring me the key of my office tomorrow."
"Yes, sure! Thanks again!"
"You're welcome!", Kelly said, before leaving the locker room.
"I can't believe that this bombshell was the greatest Doctor", Meg said, smiling.
"Me neither", Jane answered, taking the shower gel bottle out of her sport bag.
"Sooo Rizzo, Sandy/Maura's waiting for you upstairs all alone, what are you gonna do?"
"You're crazy, Meg! She wants to talk to me…, and I won't do anything", she smiled, before going to the bathroom.
Fifteen minutes later.
"Have fun!", Meg shouted from the bathroom, as Jane, fully dressed, picked up her sport bag.
"Yeah… See ya tomorrow!" Then, she went down the hall and went upstairs to the first floor.
Once she arrived in front of the office, Jane knocked on the door and opened it without waiting for an answer.
"Wow.. uh, hi Doc!", she exclaimed. Her jaw dropped.
Leaning forward, Maura was looking into the fridge. "Hello, Jane!", she said, without turning face her.
Jane swallowed hard, staring at Maura's butt. She did not expect to be welcomed like this. The tight leather pants she wore molded to her sexy curves and her perfect ass.
"You know that the fruit juices in this fridge are just as unhealthy as a soda. They contain too high levels of sugar". She turned around and closed the fridge door.
"Hmm…" Jane blushed and looked away. "I'll tell the coach."
"What's wrong?", she frowned, "I get the feeling that you're uncomfortable."
"You shouldn't have come… It's too risky."
"Why not?"
"Because… there are too many photographers outside. They want only one thing: to take a picture of me with the girl who is the cause of my breakup with Jessica."
"But you didn't cheat on Jessica, and I'm not the cause of your breakup, so there's no reason to be worried."
"Everyone believes I'm guilty, and I have no evidence that says otherwise."
"Everyone but Me…"
"Why did you come here?", she sighed.
"I came here because I wanted to see you training, and I was invited to attend the ASRM Scientific Congress in Rochester."
"The… what?"
"American Society for Reproductive Medicine Scientific Congress… It's an annual meeting… It's a conference which takes place from May 19 to 23 at the Hyatt Regency Rochester."
"What is it about?"
"It's about…", she started to say hesitantly, "ART… I mean Assisted Reproductive Technology… To be honest actually, it's about the embryo manipulation via assisted reproductive technology and epigenetic asymmetry in mammalian early development."
Jane smiled. "Seems interesting…", she said, still looking out the window.
Maura burst out laughing. "I see… you seem to be fascinated."
"No! Really… I mean it… And uh.. have you worked on… well, I mean… Are you one of the conference speakers?"
"Yes, I am. I'll speak tonight at 6pm."
"Hmm… And uh… What are you gonna speak about?"
The surgeon smiled. "Assisted reproductive technology, vitro fertilization, same-sex procreation, artificial Y chromosomes, female sperm…"
"Female sperm? Really? Are you kidding me?", she laughed, turning around to face the doctor.
"Noo, it's very serious, Jane… Science is not a joke", she frowned, taking it badly.
"Well, no… It's not what I meant… I know you talk seriously… It's just… wow… I didn't know 'female sperm' could exist… It's just… You know… I'm sorry, I didn't want to make fun of you or whatever… But… what is it about? Actually, may I come tonight to listen to you speaking about all of this?"
Maura smiled slightly. "To answer your first question, same-sex reproduction, artificial Y chromosomes and female sperm are topics that I have always defended and in which I have always believed in.
When I was younger…", she said, nervously, "Mandy and I… thought that it would happen one day… We firmly believed that one day it would possible to give birth without male sperm."
"Mandy and you?"
"Yes… Uh… I mean Amanda…, my first…"
"Best friend?", she smiled.
"Everything…", she corrected, looking down at her shoes. Maura cleared her throat, filled with emotion, "and… to answer your other question… You cannot attend the conference, unless you received an invitation. It is open only to doctors, physicists, scientists…"
"Oh…"
"But… well… invitations are for two people, so if you want to come with me…"
"It's nice of you, but we cannot go together", she said, looking away.
"I know, but you can come alone later. I'll give them your name. At the hotel entrance, just say that you're my guest. They won't ask you any questions."
"Okay… Great… Thanks! I hope there's a translator for dummies included with the invitation, because I'll be very lucky if I understand one word in ten…", she smiled.
"Well, I'll translate everything you want to know, as long as you translate and explain what a 3-5-2 system is. Because I tried to understand this mathematical formula and I didn't get it. Is it about logarithms? If so, your coach's wrong, because if the result is 2, then the exponent with a base of 3 can't be 5 but 9. So, if the result is 3, then again the exponent with a base of 2 can't be 5 but 8, and if the result is 5, then the exponent with a base of 3 or 2 can't be …"
The soccer star laughed, "Wow, wow, wow… relax doc! Soccer has nothing to do with loga-rhythmics or whatever… I don't even know what it is… It's pretty simple actually. 3-5-2 means that you play with three defenders, five midfielders and two attackers. Then, you have different tactics and strategies to disrupt the opposing defense and keep them off-balance."
"Oh… Sorry, I thought that…"
"Don't be sorry, soccer players aren't that smart, you know…", she sighed, with a smile. "By the way, I won't be able to stay long tonight. I have to wake up early tomorrow morning. We have a match at 7pm, so…"
"Of course, don't worry! Where are you going to play?"
"At home… at the Sahlen's Stadium against the Chicago Red Stars."
"I leave on Saturday, so I'll be there to see you play tomorrow."
"Oh… Cool… Well, wait, I must have another VIP pass here", she said, opening her bag. "You'll have to write your name on it… and after the match, we planned to go have dinner at Abby's, so if you're still free, you're invited to join us."
"Oh thank you! With pleasure."
"She lives not far away from the stadium."
"By the way, the Hyatt Regency Rochester is located at 125 East Main Street. As a guest, you can use the South Avenue parking garage."
"That's great!", she said, followed by an awkward silence. "Okay, I guess I gotta go… You should use the emergency exit. It's the door to the left down the stairs. You'll be able to avoid the photographers."
"Jane!"
"Hmm…", she said, heading toward the office door.
"What did you mean the other day, when you texted me you weren't sorry?"
The soccer star smiled. "Well… according to your.. loga-lady gaga rhythmic theory, if the result is 'I'm not sorry', then the exponent with a base of Me is 'I don't regret anything'." Maura burst out laughing. "Do you regret it?"
The surgeon's face became serious suddenly. "I… It's… Well..., kissing someone when you are under the influence of alcohol is not a good thing because you're not totally yourself… You're guided by your subconscious mind to do something that maybe your inner self would never have done, because it doesn't match your personality or your values of life…"
"Yes or no?"
"It's not an easy question, Jane. 'To regret is to feel sorry about a situation, especially something sad or wrong or a mistake that you have made.' I was sorry because I embarrassed myself. I kissed you suddenly. It came from nowhere. I can't explain why I did it. So, is it a mistake I've made? I don't know… Maybe… Honestly, I can't tell you if I regret it or not."
"Would you have kissed me if you weren't tipsy?"
"Who knows?" The soccer star burst out laughing. "Seriously, who can say what they would have done if things had gone differently? Who can go back in time and change things?"
"Doc Brown and Marty McFly!"
"Who?"
"Back To The Future! It's a movie…a great one by the way."
"Never heard of…"
"Talking about movies, do you try to look like Sandy Olsson wearing all of this? "
"Sandy Olsson? Who is she?"
"Olivia Newton-John in Grease. You look like her character at the end of the movie"
Maura laughed. "Oh… I love this movie!"
Jane looked at her, surprised. "Really?"
"Yes, my dance teacher staged this musical for our end of year show four years ago."
"You dance!?", she smiled.
"Yes, I've been dancing for thirty years."
"Wow… That's great! Do you have a video of your show?"
"Yes, I do", she smiled.
"I got chills, they're multiplying, and I'm losing control", Jane started singing. "'Cause the power, you're supplying, it's electrifying…", she added, improvising dance steps. "You're the one that I want, you're the one that I want… Oo, Oo, Oo honey!"
Maura laughed out loud. "You'd have done a wonderful Danny Zuko. By the way, it's funny because Rizzo was the name of a character in this movie."
"Yeah, Stockard Channing's character... the bitch!"
"No, I don't think Rizzo's a bad character. She's a feminist who defends women. She doesn't want them to be weak and submissive."
"Yeah… maybe… I should watch this movie again."
"I've got the DVD at home. Well… When you come back to Boston next time… if you want… we can watch it together."
"Why not?" she smiled. "But I want to watch your show first", she grinned.
"Okay!"
"Great! Well, I gotta go now, so…"
"And I have to go back to the hotel", Maura replied, picking up her purse.
"Oh by the way, is it okay if I wear a pantsuit tonight?"
"It's more than okay, Jane."
"Perfect!", she said, closing the door behind them. "So, see you tonight, Sandy!"
"Bye Rizzo!" She grinned.
"Bye!", she said, rushing down the stairs.
To be continued…
