Orion: Part 1
Authors Note: Its been awhile since the last update. Been Busy. Part 2 will be up soon.
Gordon Bombay could not believe what had just happened.
Don Tibbles had phoned Bombay out of the blue and offered him, Gordon Bombay, the Director of Player Personnel position for the Junior Goodwill Games. He would be in charge of their junior hockey program worldwide.
It took a while to sink in.
Bombay had thought that after coaching Team USA to the gold medal at the Junior Goodwill Games, he had reached the pinnacle of his career in hockey. He wasn't bitter. At least not anymore.
Sure, Bombay had sulked for a few days when he blew out his knee when playing in the minors. He was so close to making it to the pros. Adding insult to injury, he returned home only to find that his girlfriend had not only moved on but had remarried in his absence. But that was behind him now.
It was only earlier that day that Bombay had spoken on the phone to his old biology teacher, Dean Buckley, the now headmaster of Eden Hall. He had called Bombay to offer Team USA full scholarships to Eden Hall Academy. His high school alma matter.
Bombay had expected a phone call from Eden Hall regarding Adam Banks. He had received a similar call from Rosemount and Blake earlier that week. But never in his wildest dreams did he ever expect that Eden Hall would want the rest of the Team USA as well.
In Bombay's mind, Eden Hall was one of Minnesota's best hockey prep high schools. Perhaps the best hockey prep high school in the entire country. Numerous NHL alumni attended Eden Hall Academy. Craig Norwich. Mike Antonoich. Theodore Orion.
The name Theodore Orion, or Ted for short, stuck out in Bombay's mind.
-flashback-
When Bombay was still a lawyer at Ducksworth, Savor and Gross, he had gained the reputation of winning unwinnable cases. He would take cases that other lawyers would turn down. Cases where everyone knew the client was guilty.
Bombay, however, would treat them as a challenge. He had become bored with the mundane daily work of proofreading briefs, writing memorandums and reviewing contracts. There was no excitement. No Trial. No game. No winners or losers.
And Bombay loved to win.
Work was slow. Bombay didn't want to spend the day in his office reviewing paperwork for what appeared to be Philip Banks' most recent acquisition.
He wanted something more.
Bombay had overheard one of the senior partners talking about a case regarding a lawsuit involving former NHL player Ted Orion.
Bombay remembered Ted Orion from high school. They played hockey together for the Eden Hall Warriors. Bombay was a hot-shot center freshman, and Orion was a senior and played defence.
The two could not be more different.
Bombay was always looking to take control of the game. Score the most goals. Get the most attention. Be a star.
Orion was happier just doing the hard grunt work. Hard checking and clearing the crease. Never getting noticed because people only see you when you make a mistake.
Although they were never close, Bombay thought he could use their shared love of hockey to his advantage and immediately asked to be on the case.
Bombay only had an opportunity to speak to Orion right before the trial when Orion was doing pre-trial depositions. Right before depositions started, Bombay attempted to befriend Orion and apologized for the grilling he was about to go through. Bombay suggested to Orion they should get together after work to reminisce about old times. No hard feelings and all.
Orion was weary about spending time with the opposition council, but when Bombay flashed his million-dollar smile, Orion relented.
"Sure," Orion said. "Why not."
Orion had nowhere else to go. His wife, in her grief, had blamed him for the accident; and although he loved his daughter dearly, he needed a break. The endless appointments. The lawsuit against his insurance company. It was all too much.
Bombay even volunteered to sit out on the disposition to put Orion at ease. Frank Huddy, his attorney, was taken aback at Bombay's offer. It wasn't like Bombay to step away from a case like this.
Orion, however, thought nothing of it.
'This was Bombay,' Orion reasoned with himself. 'My old high school teammate.'
After all, it was just business.
"All rise," Judge Weathers announced to the courtroom.
Orion and Frank Huddy slowly rose from their seats on the one side of the courtroom, and Bombay, with the rest of the lawyers from Ducksworth, Savor and Gross, rose from the other side as the verdict was read.
"In the case of Orion vs. City of Lakes Insurance, the state of Minnesota finds City of Lakes Insurance not guilty of all charges", Judge Weathers declared before slamming the gavel down.
Orion was dejected. This was his last chance to have his health insurance cover all his daughters' medical expenses due to the accident. The hospital stay alone was almost as much as his yearly NHL salary, not to mention all the follow-up appointments and round-the-clock care his daughter still required.
With the other driver eventually passing away from his injuries without insurance, the only option was to sue his insurance to cover the costs of his daughter's medical bills.
Orion could feel the floor disappear underneath him as he held on to the desk for dear life in front of him. Afraid to let go.
'How did this happen?' Orion wondered to himself. His lawyer, Frank Huddy, had promised him that the case was, in his words, 'air tight'. They would win as long as they stuck to his plan.
"Stay on script. Don't be late. And absolutely no talking to defence counsel without him there."
Orion snapped his head up. Bombay! It was Bombay.
Orion thought back to the evening that Bombay had invited him out for drinks after his disposition. The disposition had gone well. Huddy was pleased. This was his opportunity to finally beat someone from Ducksworth, Savor and Gross in the courtroom.
After Bombay had graciously, or so Orion thought at the time, volunteered to sit out of the deposition, they both went out for drinks at a local watering hole named Neumanns.
Orion, while not a teetotaler by any means, no longer spent his time going out to the bars as he did when he was younger. Especially now with a disabled daughter at home. But everyone has their breaking point, and Orion had reached his.
After a couple of drinks, Orion told Bombay everything that happened the night of the accident. He just wanted someone he could trust to listen and thought Bombay was that person. He couldn't have been more wrong.
During a follow-up cross-examination on the stand, one of the opposition attorneys asked him point-blank how he was feeling on the night of the accident. This line of questioning did not come up during the deposition, and because of that, Frank Huddy was not prepared for what was to come.
After Orion had answered he was feeling a little under the weather but otherwise fine, the lead defence attorney then proceeded to tear apart the prosecution's argument, piece by piece. Unbeknownst to his lawyer, Orion had taken some medication before getting in the car.
The defence team then turned the tables and pointed the finger back at Orion as if he was partially responsible for the accident. And because Orion had not disclosed that he had taken medication before getting behind the wheel, the prosecution's case fell apart and Orion looked guilty.
It was all over. Orion could see Bombay celebrating and hi-fiving with the other lawyers on the win. It was just like how it was years ago in high school. The only difference was that Bombay wore a suit instead of a Warriors jersey. Nothing had changed. The only thing that mattered was going for the W.
As both parties proceeded to leave the courtroom, Orion's and Bombay's eyes met. Bombay could see the anger in his eyes, but he didn't care.
After all, in his mind, it was just business.
-end flashback -
Bombay wrestled with the choice he had to make. He loved coaching the ducks with every fibre of his being. They were more than just his team. They were his family.
But being director of player personnel was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And as much as he loved coaching the ducks, Bombay felt he had taken them as far as he could. They needed someone who could take them to the next level.
That person was Ted Orion.