Of course, tomorrow came and it wasn't any easier to deal with. Both Oliver and I slept fitfully knowing our first task of the day was to meet with Garrett.

Oliver had just given him a vial of his memory and Garrett placed it in a pensive.

"You ready?" He asked as the basin shimmered up at us.

We nodded and all of us entered Oliver's memory of the night before. I have to admit, it was hard to watch. Alvarez was nasty and confrontational. Regardless of his reasoning, there was no value to what he said beyond instigating an argument.

Hearing the vile words he was saying hurt. I was present at practices and I never saw Oliver treat the team with anything less than the upmost respect. He worked them hard, but was never cruel and never talked down to them. The team generally had a really positive atmosphere and, as far as I knew, the other players really enjoyed him as captain.

What's worse, there didn't seem to be anything that provoked Alvarez's outburst. His intentionally cruel words came out of nowhere. Clearly, he had been festering on his feelings for quite some time and something pushed him over the edge.

Watching Oliver being beaten made my stomach churn. He defended himself only after trying to talk Alvarez down while taking the hits. Finally, the memory ended as the two were separated.

"This definitely needs to be addressed." Garrett looked absolutely pissed.

Oliver looked at him. "Coach, can I ask why Alvarez was demoted from captain?"

I sat straighter, focusing on the answer. This was something I had wondered as well, but hadn't felt comfortable asking.

Garrett looked tired as he answered. "Stupid shite like this. He's a good player and the others like him, but he's a crap leader because of stuff like this. He doesn't always think through his actions and he's hot headed. He wasn't capable of rallying the team together like you are. There was more divide and the plays were only half thought through. You," He pointed his finger strongly at Oliver. "You're a planner. You've got the strategic thinking along with the charisma to get the team excited about the plays and motivated to execute them well. You're a strong leader. Alvarez just couldn't put all the pieces together."

Pride radiated within me as I heard my love being talked about in such a favorable way.

Garrett turned his attention to me. "I'd like you to be present while we talk to him. I want there to be a full mental exam to see how big of an issue this really is. I'll be issuing him a written warning for the incident. Two more and he's banned from the professional league a full year."

Oliver turned to me. "It has only happened a handful of times, but never once has someone come back from it."

"I'm glad this is being taken seriously. He will be here in fifteen minutes for his evaluation. I'll be able to confirm that he wasn't taking any potions and such and ask a series of questions regarding his mental status to see if there is a bigger issue going on."

The boys understood and talked amongst themselves while I got the exam supplies ready.

A short time later, Alvarez walked in looking quite disheveled.

"Sit down on the table please." I instructed him and he did so silently.

No one spoke as I began to wave my wand collecting the data I needed. The smell of alcohol was seeping through his pores.

"How much did you have to drink last night?"

He sighed heavily. "Found some muggle tequila. More than I should have."

Trying not to show my disdain, I summoned a vial from my shelf. "Drink this."

He eyed it warily, but accepted it and drank it down. His head dropped for a moment before coming back up and looking at me. "Thank you. I know that by now you know the details of last night and I don't deserve your kindness."

My gaze scrutinized his face. "Maybe you should explain what led to all of that."

Garrett could have asked the question, but as a senior member of the team and the healer, we decided it would be best that I do the questioning.

He shook his head and at first, I thought he wasn't going to answer, but he seemed to just be finding the words. "This is all going to sound so stupid. Sophia and I had a fight. She played right into all my insecurities. Told me Oliver was a better captain and a better lover." I saw Oliver wince out of the corner of my eye, but he didn't interrupt. "I started this season feeling pretty bummed that I had mucked up being captain enough to be demoted. Then I saw you and thought there was a chance. When you turned me down and I found out it was because you were with Oliver, it just felt a little like he was taking everything from me that I really wanted. Things got a little better after Sophia and I started dating, but last night we had a fight. She started throwing all my failures in my face and I just snapped. Everything came bubbling to the surface. I had been drinking before game night and as we were playing, I was just sitting there stewing over everything that was wrong in my life and I was looking for someone to blame it on. Oliver was an easy target. I knew as I was talking that I shouldn't have done it but I just couldn't stop."

Nothing he said made me feel sorry for him. He wasn't cut out for captain and he seemed to know that. I wanted to just shake him and tell him to grow up already. "I'm sure it was difficult to hear the news that you were being demoted and that someone new was coming in to take your place. Have you been dealing with negative feelings over that?"

"I've been trying not to think about what it says about me that I couldn't hold the position."

Garrett spoke up then. "It says that it takes a unique individual to truly lead a team and, unfortunately, that just isn't your skillset. However, you're good at what you do and that's why you're still on this team. That being said, this behavior is unbecoming of a teammate. We need to discuss what happens next and how to prevent this from happening again."

Alvarez slumped his shoulders and nodded.

I stepped in. "The scans all look fine. As your healer though, it appears that you and alcohol don't mix. You aren't supposed to be drinking in excess based on your meal plan either. Alcohol effects your ability to make good choices. I think it would be best that you avoid it completely to prevent any temptation from going overboard again. I'd like to schedule you for regular mental evaluations to check on your status as well. It seems you have some things you aren't dealing with well and talking about them can help you work through these issues."

"Ok." His tone was weak and a bit defeated.

I turned to Garrett. "What else would you like to add?"

"I hate to have to do this, but what you did last night was inexcusable and won't be tolerated. A formal written warning has been issued. I want you to know that if you ever do something like this again, you will be off this team. We are a family and this isn't how you treat your family. Every single one of us deserves respect. Last night you disrespected your captain by telling him he doesn't deserve his place and that he is beneath you. You disrespected your healer that has gone to great lengths this season to keep you in optimal health by objectifying her and treating her like a plaything. I want an apology to these two. I also want to know what you're going to do to get their trust back."

"I understand sir." Alvarez looked at me. "Hermione, I was being a jerk. I know that you and Oliver are together and we were never a thing. It was wrong of me to talk to you like that. I asked, you said no. That's perfectly clear and I've moved on. There's no excuse for my outburst, I clearly have some things to work on. I will take your instructions to give up alcohol and work with you to sort through the cluster inside my head."

He turned to Oliver who had been eerily quiet throughout this whole exchange. "I feel I've disappointed you the most. Even I can admit that what you've done for this team is amazing. We are stronger than ever and the team responds to you in a way that leaves me in awe most of the time. I could never get them to trust me on plays or execute them the way I thought it would go in my head. You do it perfectly and make it look so easy when I know it's not. You were born to lead a team and I understand what a privilege it is to have you as my captain. I hope you can forgive me for last night. It had everything to do with me and nothing to do with you. I promise to never let it happen again. I'll make sure to respectfully follow your lead from now on and support you instead of working against you."

Oliver and I both accepted his apology and an action plan was put in place before he was sent on his way.