Chapter Two:
Juliet was sitting in the office of one Rebecca Welton. "Thank you again so much for this opportunity."
"Of course, you came highly recommended and you have family here. Makes you less likely to take off at some point, and then I'm not stuck hiring my fifth physiotherapist in two and a half years." Said Rebecca as she leaned back in her seat.
Higgens when to open his mouth to speak when a knock came on the door. "Bing-bong! It's biscuits o'clock." Turning herself Juliet brought her eyes to see Ted standing in the doorway, backpack on and two small boxes and a to-go cup in his hands.
"Higgins! You're back!" Ted said cheerfully as he entered the room and came to stand in the empty space between Juliet and Higgins.
"Yeah!" Replied Higgins.
"All right. Well, hey, I know I may be a little too old-school for some folks but I'm gonan say it anyway. Hell to the yeah." Ted then carefully handed one box over to Rebecca. "Here you go, boss. Those are yours."
"Thank you, Ted."
"And these are for Higgins. I had a hunch you were gonna be here." Ted then handed the second box over to Higgins.
"Yeah?"
"Actually, those were for Trent Crimm's daughter. She turns three today. But it means more to me if you had 'em."
It took everything in her to not laugh as Juliet watched Higgin's face changed from one of happiness to horror. "What? No. No, no."
Ted waved his hand in the air and took a small step back. "No. It's okay. She won't remember."
From the little Juliet knew of Ted, she figured he had to be messing with Higgins, and that he would never deprive a little girl of cookies.
"Oh, Ted, you've already told her?" Said an exasperated but smiling Rebecca.
"Yeah, weeks ago. She's been looking forward to it. But she's three. She'll bounce right back. It'll be fine."
Higgins who was now shaking with fear looked to Juliet as if she was a life line. "No way. I can't."
Finally Ted let out a laugh and then the others followed. "I'm screwing with you. I'm just messing around." He patted Higgins shoulder. "I predicted this whole thing, and I made those myself for you."
An audible sigh left Higgins. "Oh. Thank you."
"Just like I predicted I should bring a cup of hot brown morning potion for Ms. Capulet." Ted held out the large cup to Juliet with a large smile. "A little birdy told me that you like one cream two sugar."
"Thank you, Montague." Juliet replied as she took the offered cup from Ted.
"What is happening?" Asked Rebecca, who was drifting her gaze between the two in question. "Do you two know each other?"
"I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Kent last night." Ted motioned to Juliet with a smile.
Juliet responded with a quite chuckle and then looked from Ted to Rebecca. "He let me stick my finger in his peanut butter."
Rebecca's eyebrow raised and she looked between the two trying to figure out what she was missing from the conversation and if peanut butter was a euphemism for something.
"Do you mind if I steal Juliet here, I promised her I'd give her the old Ted Lasso tour of the grounds?"
"I was gonna have Higgins show her around but by all means Ted go ahead. Just be sure to come back before the end of the day and we will finish out the rest of the paper work.
Juliet stood from her chair and looked to Rebecca. "Thank you once again for this opportunity." She gave her dress pants an unconscious smooth and reached down to pick up her backpack.
"I hope it works out, I'm really am getting tired of hiring new physiotherapists." Rebecca responded with a laugh.
"Here allow me Milday." Ted said while holding out a hand in the direction of Juliet's backpack.
Figuring he was not the type to argue with she held out the extremely worn leather bag. Once the strap was in his palm he took the weight of it and gave a grunt as he let himself fall towards the floor slightly, then stood back up with a laugh. "I'm just messing with ya." Ted gave a laugh and then motioned for Juliet to follow him. "I can't wait to introduce you to the rest of the team."
Once the two of them were out of the room, Higgins turned back to Rebecca. "We don't think..."
"No." Rebecca said quickly, picking up her box of biscuits. She looked sure in her answer until her eyebrows scrunched together and pursed her lips as she stared back at Higgins.
"Neah." They both quickly said.
Ted opened the door to the physio room and allowed Juliet to enter first. "So this will be your new home away from home. I thought for sure that Phillip, who replaced Gail, who replaced Susan, who replaced other Phillip, who replaced Michael, was gonna stick around. Heck, I figured about our little cleansing ritual we would have expelled any of that negative energy."
"Oh you guys cleaned out the place?' Asked Juliet as she looked around the room.
"No like for reals. The recovery room was cursed by the spirits of all these dead solders."
Juliet looked back to where Ted was stood in the entry to the room and shrugged her shoulders. "Perhaps I need to sacrifice something to the Richmond spirits too."
A large smile appeared on Ted's face at the genuine response from Juliet. "Your office is just behind there." Ted pointed towards a door with a large glass frosted window. "Did you wanna leave your bag there for the meantime. Phillip already cleared out everything for you and plans on just working from in here for the last little bit."
"Oh, sure. That was nice of him."
Opening the door to the office Juliet found a decent sized wooden desk housing a computer and a few boxes of random office supplies. A row of filing cabinets along was sat along one wall, and a large x-ray film viewer across the other. "So how long have you been doin' this for?" Asked Ted who had come to stand next to her in the room now.
"I graduated two years ago. After I got my degrees I got hired on at the clinic I had been interning at." Juliet took her backpack from Ted and laid it down on the top of the desk.
"Degrees?"
"I have a degree in Sports Medicine and Physiotherapy. I originally wanted to get into orthopedic surgery, but then I realized I preferred being pro-active to re-active. I find my enjoyment out of helping to create long term solutions as apposed to just cutting into someone."
Juliet looked up to Ted with a smile on her face. "Maybe it's silly, but I want to make a difference with the people I help, work with them, as apposed to just slapping a solution on them and never seeing them again."
"I couldn't agree more Juliet." Said Ted softly.
Unzipping her backpack Juliet reached inside and pulled out a soft brown crocheted plushy. Juliet sat the object down on the edge of her desk and settled the bottom of it so that it rested upright. Ted tilted his head slightly to examine the object. "Is that a potato?"
"It's my emotional support potato. Phoebe got it for me. I had been talking with my sister about being conflicted on what I wanted to do, and how I thought she would be disappointed in me. Think I was quitting, before I had even really started."
Ted leaned down to examine the white card that the potato's tiny arms were holding. "I may be a tiny potato, but I believe in you. Go do your thing. Good words to live by." Said Ted as he straightened up. "Come on, let's get you introduced to the rest of the gang, and then the real tour starts."
"Oh, the real tour. Feel like you are about to show me some magical wardrobe that takes me to another world."
"More like a door that leads to a very stinky boot room." Ted's nose scrunched up imposing the unpleasant expertise she was sure to have in only moments. "Oh hey, wanna play like you don't know your brother plays here?"
A soft giggle left Juliet before she moved around the desk and both her and Ted exited the room.
Making their way down the hall, Ted led Juliet into the managers office. When they entered through the doorway Juliet immediately noticed a man sitting on a cabinet fidgeting with his hands, and another man sat with his feet propped up on the top of the desk, book in hand.
"Coach Beard, our Kit Man Nathan Shelley, I would like to introduce the newest member of our team. Staring in the role of team Physiotherapist, Ms. Juliet Kent."
The man with his feet up immediately dropped his book down from in front of his face and looked her over, with a slight squint. "Kent?"
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Said Juliet with a smile.
"Kent?"
"Yup." Replied Ted.
"Kent..." The man in the desk said again as he pointed out into the locker room. "Like the footballer Roy Kent, of the Richmond Hounds, Roy Kent?"
"OH MY GOD, this is the Richmond Hounds isn't it? My bother plays here!" Juliet all but shouted, her hands came up to cover her mouth in surprise and her eyes went wide.
Ted let a laugh slip from his lips, and slowly Coach Beards face changed to that of realization. "I thought you were an Emergency Doctor?"
"That's the other sister." Said Juliet.
"I didn't know Roy Kent had another sister." Spoke Nathan from beside her. "Umm, Ted, can I talk to you a moment."
"Sure thing."
Ted and Nathan left the room, leaving Juliet alone with Beard. "So Coach Beard, before Ted get's back wanna make up a secret handshake?"
"You're crazy will fit in here just fine." Beard placed his book down on the desk and look at Juliet with an evil smirk. "And yes, always yes."
By the time Ted and Nathan had come back into the room, Beard and Juliet were putting the final touches on their handshake, and quickly separated once they had company. "Did yawl just make up a secret handshake already?"
"No." Replied Juliet and Beard at the same time.
"Hmm, I see how it is." Said Ted with a smirk.