A cold feeling formed in his gut and he took a deep breath, realizing there was yet another bitter truth he had to face.

*

When Ward showed up at Carver’s Steakhouse in the East Village a little later, most of the pain had subsided – but he was still feeling a little shaky as he walked. He glanced around until he spotted a dark-haired muscular figure who looked like he could once have been an athlete, but was now past his prime. Which was exactly what he was.

When Ward reached the table, Johnny – his friend and ex-Panthers teammate – stood and went to give him a strong embrace.

They both sat down and the waitress came over to get their drink order. Johnny went with a scotch on the rocks and Ward chose club soda.

His buddy raised an eyebrow, his dark eyes curious. ‘What’s the occasion?’

‘Just trying something new. Thanks for coming, man.’

‘Hey, always there for you – just like you’ve always been there for me.’

Johnny’s mom had passed away from cancer eighteen months ago when he was still with the team. It had hit him hard and he’d spiralled very quickly. The Panthers’ owner had wanted to get rid of him, but Ward had stepped in and told the coach that he’d handle things and get his teammate back to where he needed to be. With the knowledge that if he didn’t make that happen, they would probably both be gone from the team.

For five solid weeks, Ward had been Johnny’s babysitter/best friend/confidante and all-around go-to person.

That infamous Times Square Forrest Gump thing with the wheelchair Bernie mentioned was one example of a related blowout, and some innocent badly needed fun for his buddy. But of course the media had to turn it into something sinister.

In the end, Johnny had duly pulled himself back to where he needed to be for one last season before retiring.

‘So, how’s the knee coming along?’ Johnny asked now. ‘Physio and pills doing the job?’

The question was asked matter-of-factly but the concern in his friend’s eyes suggested he knew something was off.

‘Well, I’ve been on the meds for a while and I think I’ve reached the point where I probably don’t need them for the pain anymore,’ Ward admitted, then sat forward a little, ‘but I think that I might still need them. If you know what I mean.’

A brief nod. ‘Yeah. I know. So, what’s the game plan? Tell me what you need and I’m right there, dude. You thinking of going the rehab route?’

‘Hell, no. If that got out, I’d probably get cut from the team for good. I was thinking of something a little more … discreet.’

‘Gotcha. You want to handle it on your own but with some backup, am I right?’