Therapy Is Good for the Soul
Chapter 3
The day of the Summer Games had finally arrived an Bailey was running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off. It’s hard to believe her idea of a few adapted softball games between various rehabilitation centers around Boston had grown into this wonderful event consisting of adapted sports activities and carnival games at the TD Gardens. As stressed as she was leading up to the event, it was still one of her favorite days of the year. She loved that this day allowed over 500 patients to be athletes versus spectators and for their families to cheer them on.
Just as Bailey finished her final pep talk and meeting with the staff and volunteers her phone rang. “Hi, Jessica. Yes, I’ll meet you where they are setting up the mini rink. See you in a few.”
Oh great, he’s here! Bailey sarcastically thought when she saw Seguin as she walked closer to meet Jessica and the Bruin players attending the event. Her mind immediately flashed to their last encounter where he was clearly hitting on her. She knew he had quite the reputation and sure as hell didn’t want to become another notch on his belt. “I’m no puck fuck and I’ll be dammed if I let anyone think I am!” she aggravatedly said under her breath as she continued toward them.
Jessica greeted Bailey with a hug and then they turned towards the Bruins. “Hi, I’m Ba” was all she could get out before Tyler cut her off “Bay, right? We met at a game earlier this year when Bergy got hurt, remember.”
“Bailey, actually and trust me I don’t have a problem with my memory.” She stated curtly and then turned her focus to the others. Bailey’s cold tone wasn’t lost on any of the guys. Marchy thought it was awesome, that a girl was actually giving Segs a hard time noted by the huge smirk on his face. Tyler however was dumbfounded; for the life of him he couldn’t figure out why this girl was giving him such a hard time. Until now, he never had difficulty talking to girls and wining them over with his charisma.
Bailey’s tone softened as she spoke to the group. “ Thank you so much for volunteering your time to help during this special event. The Bruins organization has been a huge support to Boston Children’s Hospital and the Summer Games event each year. Thank you for that!! Basically, we want y’all to hang out here and play street hockey with all the patients and their siblings. There will be a few Occupational and Physical Therapists to help make any necessary adaptations needed for the patients. Please don’t hesitate to ask them any questions. We also have a table set-up for y’all to take turns signing autographs. Your organization was extremely generous this year and donated enough jerseys for each patient registered for the Games. I am sure some of them will want them signed too. I’ll be roaming around all day, but Jessica has my number if you need me. Thank you again for your help today! Do y’all have any questions for me?”
“How many kids are coming today?” Andrew asked.
“We have over 500 patients with a variety of disabilities from various pediatric rehab centers around Boston registered.Approximately 650 siblings will also be attending. All of the events relate to skills the patients work on in therapy. The patients have been told they are athletes in training and today is the big competition. Every patient will get a ribbon at the events and a medal during the closing ceremonies. ” Bailey replied with a huge sense of pride.
“ It’s an amazing event that Bailey and all these therapists have put together. These kids will inspire you today!” Bergeron told the guys.
“Thank you for the kind words. I encourage y’all to check out all the different events and activities today. Now, if you’ll excuse me I need to get ready for the Opening Ceremonies.” Tyler was lost in his thoughts as he stared at Bailey as she walked away.
“Segs got it bad! He can’t take his eyes off of her.” Andrew said.
“Yeah, too bad she can’t stand him. I’m pretty sure I can hit that before him.” Machy laughed.
“None of you will ‘hit that’! She’s a nice girl and is NOT a puck bunny.” Jessica exclaimed.
“Come on, and lets get ready for the Games.” With that they all moved on.
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The Opening ceremonies went off without a hitch and all the events were up and running. The most popular event was of course the Bruins street hockey. How could it not be, with Bergeron, Ference, Marchand, and Seguin. Bailey still couldn’t believe that Jessica got all of these big time players to take the time during what little was left in their off season. They’ve always had 1 or 2 players attend, but until Bergeron got involved it was never a big name player. She knew the patients would be talking about this day even more after meeting and getting to play some hockey with these Bruins. Every time she walked by the mini bumper rink set up, her smile grew. She loved seeing all the kids happy and was pretty sure the players were having a blast too! Bailey was impressed at how good they were with the kids, even Seguin. Seguin may be an ass when it came to women, but he sure was great with kids. What a shame, she thought.
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“Mr. Tyler! Daddy, it’s Mr. Tyler!” Tyler heard a young girl squeal. He turned and saw that it was Alexis and he immediately walked over to her and got on his knees. “There’s my pretty girl.”
“I told you he’d remember me. Hi, Mr. Tyler!” Alexis blushed.
“I could never forget someone as special as you, Alexis.” He said with a wink, only making Alexis swoon even more. “Are you having fun?”
“Yes! Look at all my ribbons, I’m a WINNER!”
Tyler chuckled, “I can see that, you might have to give me some tips to help improve my game.”
“Mr. Tyler, you’re silly! You won't believe what I'm doing next! Come watch me PLEEEEASE!!!!!” she begged.
“Of course, what is it?’ he asked.
“I’m going to dance. You don’t want to miss it!”
“Well, all right then lead the way” Alexis wheeled off in direction of the small stage and Tyler and her dad followed close behind. As they approached the stage, Tyler’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Bailey waving and smiling in their direction. He knew it was meant for Alexis but he didn’t care. He was determined to win her over one-way or another. Who knows, maybe Alexis can help, he thought.
“ Are you ready, Alexis?” Bailey asked.
“You bet! I even got Mr. Tyler to come cheer us on!” She squeaked out as Bailey turned and nodded at Tyler.
“That’s very nice of him. Now come on, we are on next.”
“We’re soaring, flying! There’s not a star in heaven we can’t reach…” The music swelled as Bailey and Alexis danced with such joy. It was obvious that they had worked very hard on the routine, and Bailey was truly making Alexis shine. The ease, rhythm, and grace in which Bailey moved was mesmerizing to Tyler. She was simply stunning out there. He was determined now more than ever to win her over. He knew that if Bailey would just give him a chance, there could be something special between them. He just had to figure out how to make that happen.
The applause around him broke Tyler out of his trance and he started to whistle and cheer. “You were amazing!” He said to Alexis as he gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek causing Alexis’ cheeks to get rosy again.
“What about Ms. Bailey? She was good too!” Alexis said to Tyler.
“Right you are, Alexis. Ms. Bailey was lovely out there dancing with you. I couldn’t take my eyes off the pair of you!” Tyler kindly said without taking his eyes off of Bailey. Bailey felt the heat behind Tyler’s glance and this time it was her that became flushed. Tyler didn’t miss it and took that as a small victory. The moment was unfortunately broken up, when Bailey was paged on her walkie. “Sorry, guys I have to run. Alexis, I am so proud of you! You were wonderful, all your hard work in therapy paid off! You are a DANCER and don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise!” Bailey gave Alexis a quick hug before running off to get ready for the closing ceremonies. It was clear that Bailey was one of the most kind-hearted, compassionate, and loving people he’d ever met.
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Bergy gave a great speech during the closing ceremonies and surprised everyone when he donated $10,000 to the Summer Games program and committed himself to another year with the Bergy Braveheart program. Bailey was brought to tears by his moving speech and generosity. This meant the Summer Games, her baby, would live on for at least another year. The Games ended with a fantastic video montage to “We Are the Champions” of all the day’s events shown as the patients received their medals.
Just as Bailey finished her final pep talk and meeting with the staff and volunteers her phone rang. “Hi, Jessica. Yes, I’ll meet you where they are setting up the mini rink. See you in a few.”
Oh great, he’s here! Bailey sarcastically thought when she saw Seguin as she walked closer to meet Jessica and the Bruin players attending the event. Her mind immediately flashed to their last encounter where he was clearly hitting on her. She knew he had quite the reputation and sure as hell didn’t want to become another notch on his belt. “I’m no puck fuck and I’ll be dammed if I let anyone think I am!” she aggravatedly said under her breath as she continued toward them.
Jessica greeted Bailey with a hug and then they turned towards the Bruins. “Hi, I’m Ba” was all she could get out before Tyler cut her off “Bay, right? We met at a game earlier this year when Bergy got hurt, remember.”
“Bailey, actually and trust me I don’t have a problem with my memory.” She stated curtly and then turned her focus to the others. Bailey’s cold tone wasn’t lost on any of the guys. Marchy thought it was awesome, that a girl was actually giving Segs a hard time noted by the huge smirk on his face. Tyler however was dumbfounded; for the life of him he couldn’t figure out why this girl was giving him such a hard time. Until now, he never had difficulty talking to girls and wining them over with his charisma.
Bailey’s tone softened as she spoke to the group. “ Thank you so much for volunteering your time to help during this special event. The Bruins organization has been a huge support to Boston Children’s Hospital and the Summer Games event each year. Thank you for that!! Basically, we want y’all to hang out here and play street hockey with all the patients and their siblings. There will be a few Occupational and Physical Therapists to help make any necessary adaptations needed for the patients. Please don’t hesitate to ask them any questions. We also have a table set-up for y’all to take turns signing autographs. Your organization was extremely generous this year and donated enough jerseys for each patient registered for the Games. I am sure some of them will want them signed too. I’ll be roaming around all day, but Jessica has my number if you need me. Thank you again for your help today! Do y’all have any questions for me?”
“How many kids are coming today?” Andrew asked.
“We have over 500 patients with a variety of disabilities from various pediatric rehab centers around Boston registered.Approximately 650 siblings will also be attending. All of the events relate to skills the patients work on in therapy. The patients have been told they are athletes in training and today is the big competition. Every patient will get a ribbon at the events and a medal during the closing ceremonies. ” Bailey replied with a huge sense of pride.
“ It’s an amazing event that Bailey and all these therapists have put together. These kids will inspire you today!” Bergeron told the guys.
“Thank you for the kind words. I encourage y’all to check out all the different events and activities today. Now, if you’ll excuse me I need to get ready for the Opening Ceremonies.” Tyler was lost in his thoughts as he stared at Bailey as she walked away.
“Segs got it bad! He can’t take his eyes off of her.” Andrew said.
“Yeah, too bad she can’t stand him. I’m pretty sure I can hit that before him.” Machy laughed.
“None of you will ‘hit that’! She’s a nice girl and is NOT a puck bunny.” Jessica exclaimed.
“Come on, and lets get ready for the Games.” With that they all moved on.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Opening ceremonies went off without a hitch and all the events were up and running. The most popular event was of course the Bruins street hockey. How could it not be, with Bergeron, Ference, Marchand, and Seguin. Bailey still couldn’t believe that Jessica got all of these big time players to take the time during what little was left in their off season. They’ve always had 1 or 2 players attend, but until Bergeron got involved it was never a big name player. She knew the patients would be talking about this day even more after meeting and getting to play some hockey with these Bruins. Every time she walked by the mini bumper rink set up, her smile grew. She loved seeing all the kids happy and was pretty sure the players were having a blast too! Bailey was impressed at how good they were with the kids, even Seguin. Seguin may be an ass when it came to women, but he sure was great with kids. What a shame, she thought.
-----------------------------------------------------------
“Mr. Tyler! Daddy, it’s Mr. Tyler!” Tyler heard a young girl squeal. He turned and saw that it was Alexis and he immediately walked over to her and got on his knees. “There’s my pretty girl.”
“I told you he’d remember me. Hi, Mr. Tyler!” Alexis blushed.
“I could never forget someone as special as you, Alexis.” He said with a wink, only making Alexis swoon even more. “Are you having fun?”
“Yes! Look at all my ribbons, I’m a WINNER!”
Tyler chuckled, “I can see that, you might have to give me some tips to help improve my game.”
“Mr. Tyler, you’re silly! You won't believe what I'm doing next! Come watch me PLEEEEASE!!!!!” she begged.
“Of course, what is it?’ he asked.
“I’m going to dance. You don’t want to miss it!”
“Well, all right then lead the way” Alexis wheeled off in direction of the small stage and Tyler and her dad followed close behind. As they approached the stage, Tyler’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Bailey waving and smiling in their direction. He knew it was meant for Alexis but he didn’t care. He was determined to win her over one-way or another. Who knows, maybe Alexis can help, he thought.
“ Are you ready, Alexis?” Bailey asked.
“You bet! I even got Mr. Tyler to come cheer us on!” She squeaked out as Bailey turned and nodded at Tyler.
“That’s very nice of him. Now come on, we are on next.”
“We’re soaring, flying! There’s not a star in heaven we can’t reach…” The music swelled as Bailey and Alexis danced with such joy. It was obvious that they had worked very hard on the routine, and Bailey was truly making Alexis shine. The ease, rhythm, and grace in which Bailey moved was mesmerizing to Tyler. She was simply stunning out there. He was determined now more than ever to win her over. He knew that if Bailey would just give him a chance, there could be something special between them. He just had to figure out how to make that happen.
The applause around him broke Tyler out of his trance and he started to whistle and cheer. “You were amazing!” He said to Alexis as he gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek causing Alexis’ cheeks to get rosy again.
“What about Ms. Bailey? She was good too!” Alexis said to Tyler.
“Right you are, Alexis. Ms. Bailey was lovely out there dancing with you. I couldn’t take my eyes off the pair of you!” Tyler kindly said without taking his eyes off of Bailey. Bailey felt the heat behind Tyler’s glance and this time it was her that became flushed. Tyler didn’t miss it and took that as a small victory. The moment was unfortunately broken up, when Bailey was paged on her walkie. “Sorry, guys I have to run. Alexis, I am so proud of you! You were wonderful, all your hard work in therapy paid off! You are a DANCER and don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise!” Bailey gave Alexis a quick hug before running off to get ready for the closing ceremonies. It was clear that Bailey was one of the most kind-hearted, compassionate, and loving people he’d ever met.
----------------------------------------------
Bergy gave a great speech during the closing ceremonies and surprised everyone when he donated $10,000 to the Summer Games program and committed himself to another year with the Bergy Braveheart program. Bailey was brought to tears by his moving speech and generosity. This meant the Summer Games, her baby, would live on for at least another year. The Games ended with a fantastic video montage to “We Are the Champions” of all the day’s events shown as the patients received their medals.
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If you started reading this on another site you need to know I decided to combine chapter 3 and 4 on here since they are all about the Summer Games. Hope it doesn't throw anyone off.