Chapter 16: Loose Lips

Author's Note: Recoving from the covid has actually given me more time to write. Can't do much else. I have like 5 more days of isolation. Boo.

"We are too!" Charlie exclaimed. He leaped from his seat. "We weren't the Ducks until you came along. You made us now you're stuck with us!"

Charlie pushed past Bombay and ran out of the diner iner tears. "Charlie!" Bombay called out.

Casey Conway had returned with Gordon's coffee. "Where did Charlie go?" she asked Gordon.

Gordon sighed. "Do you want me to go and try and find him?"

Casey looked at Gordon. She had not seen Charlie run off. "He'll be back," Casey said. "I do wish he wouldn't just take off like that. Did he say where he was going?"

"No. I just told him I wasn't going to be able to coach anymore," Gordon said glumly. Despite the fact that he had found a good replacement in Mr. Hall, he was going to miss coaching the ducks.

"Why's that?" Casey asked. She was genuinely concerned. This was the first time in years her son had a real hockey coach. She was doubtful that the next coach that came along would be even half as good as Bombay was.

"You were at the game," Gordon said. "You can't play with two players."

"I'm sure this will all blow over quickly," Casey said dismissively. "It'll all be forgotten about in a week."

Gordon wasn't as optimistic as Casey. Charlie might be the most kind, forgiving kid Bombay had ever met but the rest of the ducks were not as naive.

"Did you tell Mr. Hall about me and Mrs. Hall going to AA?" Gordon asked changing the subject.

"I might have mentioned something along those line," Casey said. "I thought it was a good thing that you are getting help."

Bombay sighed. "It's not about me. It's about Mrs. Hall."

Casey was confused. "I thought it was good she was good she was getting the help she needs."

"It is. Its just…." Bombay paused. He wasn't sure how to say it. "Somehow, her sons found out about it from Mr. Hall."

"Oh." Casey was silent. It never occurred to her that Mr. Hall would say anything to his children about Bombay and and Mrs. Hall.

The parents of the newly formed district five ducks were a tight group. She knew all the parents. The Goldberg's. Maggie Moreau. The Germaine family. The Karp's. And so on. They saw each other at various time during the year whether it was birthday parties to hockey games to parent - teacher conferences. She was particularly close to Maggie Moreau as they were both single mothers.

In fact, when Charlie and Connie were younger, they both took turns babysitting so they could work on their respective GEDSs. Each family had their own unique problems and circumstances but everyone always managed to get along until Mr. and Mrs. Hall hit a rough patch. She could tell something was wrong but Mr. Hall was never one to share. She honestly thought she was helping by telling Mr. Hall that his soon to be ex-wife was getting the help she desperately needed. She was wrong.

"I'm sorry Gordon," Casey apologized. "I thought I was helping."

"It's not me you should be apologizing to," Gordon said. "But if I were you, I'd say out of Mrs. Hall's way for the next couple of weeks."

Casey nodded and then turned serious. "Are you sure you are ready to give up coaching? "

Gordon had just assumed that giving the coaching job to Mr. Hall was the right thing to do. To keep the team together. But he never asked himself if he was ready to give up coaching. If he was honest with himself, he was no where near ready to give it up. Coaching the ducks was the one bright thing in his life. The thing he looked forward to. It gave him a happiness that no bottle was ever able to give him.

"I'm not," Gordon admitted. "But it's too late. I've already talked to Mr. Hall about taking over."

"It's never too late Gordon." Casey offered him her very best smile. She didn't want to see Bombay stop coaching either.

Bombay brightened. There was something about Casey's smile which caused him to believe in himself. He owed it not only to himself but to Charlie as well to try. Charlie had given him a reason to hope where he had none before. Charlie believed in him. All he had to do is believe in himself.

Gordon Bombay carried a small box of his personal belongings though the bullpen, past the lunch room and to the elevator. All the junior attorneys watched in amazement as the once mighty Gordon Bombay went from one best defence attorney in the city and the next likely senior partner in the firm to fired all on the same day. Rumours spread like wildfire through the offices of Duckworth, Saver and Gross. Only Bombay, Ducksworth, Phillip Bank and Jack Reilly knew the truth. He had given up his job, his career, all for a game. For some kids.

On the way down on the elevator, much to Bombay's surprise, he saw Mr. Hall step into the elevator. He was near tears but he refused to let anyone, let alone Gordon Bombay, see it. He had seen Mr. Hall get on the elevator on the 19th floor.

'Contracts' Bombay thought to himself. The firm represented many employers in the Minneapolis / St. Paul area. Most of the time, it was to was to find loopholes in existing contracts so the employer would have to avoid paying.

"What are you looking at?" Mr. Hall grumbled. "You work for these crooks. You're all the same."

Gordon smirked. It looks like the water cooler gossip had not yet to made it off the 23rd floor. "Worked. I don't work here anymore," Gordon said.

"What? I thought you were going back to being a lawyer after you offered me the coaching position," Mr Hall said.

Gordon shrugged. "I thought so to but I'm starting to think being a lawyer, at least here, isn't for me anymore. Why are you here?"

"The company I work for is trying to take away my benefits. For taking too much time off when Terry was sick last year," Mr. Hall huffed. "Can you believe it?"

Gordon could believe it. It happened more often then he'd care for. But if he had complained to Ducksworth about it, Duckworth would simply say that its part of the job and that as a lawyer, it wasn't his place to judge.

An idea formed in Bombay's head. He was wasn't familiar with the case but now that he had no job to go back to, it wasn't like he didn't have time.

"You don't have anyone representing you, do you?" Gordon asked. He knew the answer but he had to ask.

Mr. Hall shook his head no. "I can barely afford to.."

Gordon stopped him. "Let me represent you." Mr. Hall started to protest the Bombay stopped it him. "Pro Bono. I'll not only get you your benefits back but I'll make sure they'll double your vacation time."

Mr. Hall was speechless. "Thank you."

His son had told him that Bombay though that they were a bunch of losers. Mr. Hall knew his son wasn't a liar. But here was Bombay willing to help with no expectations of anything. 'Maybe it was a big misunderstanding' Mr. Hall thought to himself

"Happy to help," Gordon smiled. He thought for a moment. "I need you to do two things though."

Mr. Hall glared at Bombay. There was a always a catch.

"Firstly, I want to coach the ducks. I know we talked about you taking over but I've though it over. I'm not quite ready to give it up," Gordon said.

Mr. Hall raised an eyebrow. That was not what he was expecting. He accepted the position because he knew how much his boys loved to play. But even he had to admit that he was no Gordon Bombay.

"And the second?" Mr. Hall asked waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Show Jade a little grace," Gordon said. "I know you know that we both go to AA. She's trying. She really is. Regardless about how you feel about her, she loves your boys."

Stunned. That was the last thing he had expected Gordon Bombay to say. The very last. He was uneasy at first with Gordon Bombay being a recovering alcoholic coaching the ducks but Casey Conway had assured him that it was fine. But for Bombay to stand up for Jade Hall was something else.

"I'll think about it."