CRASH & BURN

          Jessica blushed slightly, “sorry, hospital requirements,” she said in referral to how she called him. Truth be told, the blonde woman was two minutes away from peeling off her professional facade and entering the full-blown fan mode and asking him about passes, and moves he used to do on the ice. She had watched most of them anyway— sports, in general, were highly favored by the male population when she spent time on tours and so was Jessica’s. Clearing her throat before slipping on gloves and getting closer to him so she could start the physical examination, Jessica could almost feel her cheeks burning. “Okay, Mr.— Bull, sorry,” she chuckled, “I have it here that you’ll do about all your routine exams? MRIs, CT scans, and everythin’ else?” Seemed overkill for someone who was as young as he was, but like any other nurse he had to meet, Jessica needed to extensively study his case before even getting in the same room as William Bronson. “We will have to keep you in because it’s unadvised to take to amount of radiation you’re gonna take all at once, but you’re probably already knew that,” she smiled. “Have you been feelin’ fine for the past year since your last checkup? Or did you feel any dizziness, fainted or had unexplained headaches?”

Hospitals and all of the testing that went along with it was just one of many things that came out of him managing to crack his head during a game. Of course, there was other drama associated with it all but the main thing was the amount of time he had to spend in a medical facility being tested and poked and prodded. Skipping it would’ve been ideal for him but probably not the most responsible thing. “Yeah, the whole sha-bang,” he responded with a nod. He wasn’t entirely sure of everything that was required but he knew it was a whole list of tests that were necessary and on top of it just your normal checkup. “No more headaches than usual, I guess,” he said with a shrug. Maybe there were a few more headaches than usual... but he felt that their common denominator was his sister living with him and also his mother being more neurotic than usual. “Dizzy once but I think that was more just me standing up too fast,” he shrugged casually, showing his lack of concern for the dizziness. It probably was from standing up too fast, but the reaction from doctors tended to either be an underdiagnosis or a WebMD type of diagnosis. He had yet to find many that found a happy medium. “So are they gonna come in here and tell me that I’m gonna kill myself if I get on the ice again?” 

Wincing, Roman grimaced as Bull explained what had happened to his precious vehicle. While Roman himself had never been overly attached to his own form of transportation as it was a means of getting from Point A to Point B, he knew how expensive Bull’s car was and figured the repair bill would be pretty pricey as well. “I do not envy the person who’s gotta do all that work… But hey, you survived almost entirely unscathed, so I’d count that as a victory,” Roman laughed, setting his water bottle aside to wipe the sweat with the towel on his shoulder. “Thankfully, my sister doesn’t have any kids, so that’s not something I have to deal with for awhile yet. Mine was good; we baked a ton of Christmas cookies and I think I ate my weight in them at one point, but it was definitely worth it – never let anyone make you feel bad for enjoying what you eat. We passed out a lot of them to our neighbors, too, and that put a lot of smiles on faces. Dad and I did our usual cleaning of the beaches thing. I was thinking about doing something like that here too, maybe once it warms up a bit so I’m not freezing my ass off while walking along the shore. You’re welcome to join if you’ve got the time in between teaching those hooligans.”

Roman’s recap of his holidays made Bull’s holiday season seem to be filled to the brim with vanity and petty bullshit... which, well, it had been filled with both of those things; however, it was merely enhanced with Roman’s pure holiday season. It had been quite some time since Bull had been hands-on with any type of volunteer work that was outside of doing extra things around the rink. The most recent significant thing he had been involved with outside of hockey was a donation but that wasn’t volunteering. That was just writing a check to feel better about one's self. Bull took a drink from his water bottle and wiped his mouth as Roman offered for him to join in on doing some beach clean-up. It seemed like a good excuse to finally do something good with the added bonus of it being on the beach, cold or not. “Hey, that sounds amazing, man.” He said with a sure nod, “Let me know the next time you’re out there and I’ll definitely join you.” A wide smile graced his face then as he peeked at his watch for a moment, a text coming through with the schedule for little-kid hockey. “Yeah, the sixteen-year-olds are... wow, a lot. I guess I was probably like that too but, damn, they’re way more advanced than I ever was with the amount of bullshit they try to pull.” Bull laughed, “The little ones are way better, like... the innocence is at least there. They aren’t talking about “getting ass” in the locker room.” 

“Wish those girls would realize that non of these dudes are worth fighting over, not at least until they’re like way into their 20s,” he joked, getting a kick out of what Bull’s expression was every time a fight broke out in the stands. “Plus who really wants to see their boyfriend get yelled at for being shitty at hockey?” He let out a laugh as they finished up and he skated off of the ice with ease. “Fried cheese it is, I’ll have to work it off at practice tomorrow. We lost our last game, it was pretty brutal man, my kids were all torn up but I’m prepping them to fully kick ass next week. They’re gonna be little basketball machines.” He nodded along as they both changed into sneakers and he helped Bull pack a few things up so they could store them away for the weekend. “I mean I grew up knowing them, spent most time with Anna and man talk about a sweetheart, you know? Horrible shit but hey, she’s still here and that’s what matters, I take comfort in that. Up in Smoke it is, though I hope that cheating scumbag of an owner isn’t there,” he breathed out with a shake of his head. “The guy who owns it? Noah? He used to be married to my friend Kendall, apparently he’s been cheating on her for a while and they just got divorced. I mean I don’t get it man, look sometimes temptation strikes but to fuck up your whole marriage for sex? That just seems fucking..immature, you know? I really dont’ get it”

Bull was taken aback by Levi’s words about the owner of Up in Smoke. Not that Bull knew who it was on a personal level, but he wasn’t really up to date on some of the more specific gossip and talk that circulated around Eden’s. “Whoa, what?” He said then, both brows lifting as Levi shook his head and explained. Bull nodded, listening as they packed up and began heading towards the exit. “Wow, how long were they married for?” He inquired, suddenly struck with the curiosity of the situation Levi was explaining. “I mean, yeah, there’s temptation... but for most people, it’s the temptation of ordering a fat dessert and not sticking your dick where it doesn’t belong... but that’s just me.” Bull had not personally been cheated on, at least that he knew of, but he had friends who had been cheated on and it went both ways and in the end, someone had to get hurt. “Was he like a DiCaprio-type?” He asked as they walked together, pushing the doors open to reveal the parking lot. “I mean, like... y’know. Always has to be with a girl at least half his age?”

KENZIE: you know thats gonna be more of a conversation starter than you want it to right?

KENZIE: if someone pulls that fact out who the fuck isnt gonna be like "HOW THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW THAT"

Bull: FUCK

Bull: I guess you're right

KENZIE: i dont WANNA know

KENZIE: bull, do i LOOK like the kinda person whos got a tesla?? i dont think i've seen a tesla in real life lets be real

KENZIE: but now ya got me curious

Bull: HEY I'm just WONDERING

Bull: Because like....I'd like to have that fact in my back pocket so I can use it on people I don't wanna talk to

KENZIE: shut the fuck up 🤣🤣

KENZIE: i cant think of anything worse than the back of a chevy spark 🤣

KENZIE: no worries i'll clear some time for ya

Bull: I don't even KNOW how it was done

Bull: Also like if you have a Tesla right

Bull: It can open Shitflix.... but can it open porn

Callie: Not yet? That doesn't make me feel better William

Callie: I think it's something we should keep in mind, i mean, it would require spending more time with me, which is a total win for you 😉

Callie: Btw, did Kate actually made a Tinder account for you?

Bull: At least I'm letting you know it's a possibility

Bull: I meannn... Is it really a win?

Bull: Yeah. She did like months ago but I guess she is using it again?

where: edens general hospital

with: @wbronson​

          Edens General wasn’t exactly the most buzzing place in the world. Jessica had maybe had the chance of taking care of two, maybe three cases that were actually life-threatening, but most of them were routine. Controlling symptoms before diseases could actually happen. It wasn’t all that bad if one thought about it. It wasn’t all that bad for someone who had spent five years of her life treating men with severed limbs. It wasn’t all that bad at all. Except Jessica craved the adrenaline and most of the time when it was quiet and she was repeating the same things over and over again, she felt herself get lost in her thoughts. A bit startled when her pager began bipping calling her to one of the rooms in the hospital, Jess rushed on her steps only to be met outside by a group of nurses, one of them telling her she had a new patient who was in for a check-up and handed her the chart, her eyes slightly bulging at the name. Composing herself she entered the room. “Good afternoon Mr. Bronson, I’m nurse Grayson and I’ll be doin’ your check-up if that’s okay with you,” she smiled.

As part of Bull’s move, it had been heavily advised, nay, enforced that he was to spend a few days out of the year at the nearest hospital to him. The whole point of it was to make sure that nothing was going out of sorts with him after he had prematurely retired from the NHL from a career-ending head injury. While the concept of going annoyed him and he was borderline ready to cancel in the days leading up to his appointment, he forced himself to go anyway. He supposed that if tripping over Radish was going to kill him he’d rather not know. However, he would’ve felt guilty not knowing and potentially leaving Radish alone in the house with no one to check in on the poor pup. So there he sat in the exam room waiting for the nurse to come in to perform the routine. As the door opened he looked up, having been staring at his shoes beforehand, and offered a small smile to the person who entered. “I don’t think I’ve got much of a say in it,” he joked kindly with a shrug and adjusted himself on the table, sitting up straighter. “Just call me Bull,” he offered then. No one called him Will anymore except for a few people. Not even his siblings really called him Will. “Mr. Bronson is my father.” 

Callie: I thought you were gonna have me sell my soul or some shit

Callie: Have you attempted podcasts? And That's Why We Drink is a good one

Callie: We should have our own podcast, how do you think your fans will feel about you branching into another line of work?

Bull: I mean, not yet

Bull: Nah, I haven't but I'll attempt and keep that one in mind

Georgie: The same goes for you.

Georgie: I'll talk to you soon, okay?

Georgie: I may require Radish snuggles at some point in the future, so I will let you know when that time comes.

Georgie: Thank you, Will. Always taking care of everyone around you, like always.

Georgie: One of the many reasons why I love you.

Bull: It's no problem, just let me know if you need anything.

@wbronson​

“Do you think I can have parties here or will the neighbors get mad?” Kate asked as she grabbed another box out of Bull’s car. Deciding it was finally time for her to get her own place, and Bull was probably annoyed with having all his groceries ate all in one day. After a few weeks of searching she had found an apartment that was boujee enough for Kate to live in. Bull had promised to help her move all of her stuff in. 

“Are you going to miss me? Can I still have key to your house?” 

Bull lifted a brow as Kate inquired about throwing parties in her new apartment. Sure, it was probably a lot nicer than some of the more average apartments in the area; however, it was still an apartment. The walls tended to be thin, at least from Bull’s experience. “Depends on who the neighbors are,” he said as he pulled one of Kate’s 800 boxes out of the back of his vehicle. “If your neighbor is like Ellery then you’ll be thoroughly Karen’d. If your neighbor is like Benji then they’ll be over here partying with you.”

He rolled his eyes at her, “Yes, yes. And I guess,” he eyed her for a moment. “If I find you using my house as an overflow closet I’m gonna have to make Radish a guard dog, though.” 

Location: Dumbbells With: @wbronson​

One of the friendships he’d been particularly grateful for over the last few years was with Bull Bronson. He’d been a casual hockey fan, so when he’d heard the retired player had moved to Edens, he may or may not have gone out of his way to meet him, learning the two of them had similar temperaments. Now they frequented a lot of places together, the gym being one of them to help keep them both in shape – especially Roman, considering he was surrounded by sweet treats day in and day out that were hard to resist taste-testing. “So how were your holidays, man?” He asked as they took a break between sets to get some water. “I remember you saying your family can be kind of crazy.”

While Bull had been years out of the NHL, he still enjoyed the routine of working out. He wasn’t working out nearly as hard as he had been while being an active professional athlete, but still, he enjoyed the challenges of trying to better himself in the gym. One of Bull’s multiple gym buddies was Roman who, like Bull, was pretty easy going in temperament and also tended to seem like a consistently nice individual. It wasn’t like there was a lot of evil individuals looming around Edens, at least not any more than usual for a small town, but it was still nice to enjoy the company of someone who shared similar traits as oneself while also differing in other things. As Roman took a moment between sets Bull set his weights down for a moment, picking up his water bottle before laughing. “Kind of crazy is putting it lightly,” he said with a shrug. “I mean, everyone means well, you know? It’s just kind of a nightmare sometimes. Kate went to jail and of course, mom found out about that. She was on my ass about “why don’t you have a girlfriend” like I’m going to die alone, and then the usual with the other two. The other sister let her children spray paint my car, and my younger brother is just kind of... living.” Bull shook his head at the idea of his family during the holidays. Those were just the main culprits, too. “How about you, man? How were your holidays? Hopefully better than getting your car spraypainted by a bunch of children.”

Location: Eden’s High Ice Rink 

Tagging: @wbronson​

“You know I don’t know how you do it with high school kids man, like, the little ones are hard enough but,” Levi slid onto the ice as practice ended, having told Bull he’d meet him at the high school so they could hang out after. “Like I’m pretty sure those kids walking out could only talk about being horny, like my god, they’re machines.” He bent down to help pick up some of the equipment, using any excuse to show Bull that he could actually skate. It still struck him as shocking that he was friends with a retired pro athlete but he had gotten used to it after some time and tried to seem the least amount of a fanboy as possible. “So what do you think, huh? You in the mood for pizza or like chinese food or something? We could check out Up In Smoke or Legends if you feel like putting a bunch of fried shit in your body. Definitely a stop at Red Velvet though. Feel kind of bad with all the shits going on with the Coopers, want to give ;’em some business.”

“The little ones are way easier,” Bull said with a laugh as he tossed a few pucks back at the bench. “At least they don’t have relationship drama quite yet,” he added on, nodding as Levi mentioned that the few kids who had just left probably had nothing else going on than being horny. It was true. That was what it had been like to be in high school, at least. Nothing else going on but a relationship with you and your hand. Or maybe some pre-marital sex. “It’s worse when they bring the girlfriends on Saturday morning,” Bull continued and rolled his eyes, gliding across the ice with a stick in hand, casually corralling another puck across the ice. “Like, yeah.. It’s nice you got your personal cheerleaders here but sometimes the girls end up fighting more than the guys do on the ice. Like, the hell am I supposed to do?” He laughed then, “I can’t intervene because then I’m sure it’ll be something about me putting my hands on someone’s sixteen-year-old daughter even if their sixteen-year-old daughter is trying to claw the eyes out of some other girl’s head.” Bull nodded as Levi suggested some food, definitely feeling in the mood for some fried garbage right about now. He took the remaining puck then and slapped it at the empty net, the sound of the stick sliding across the ice managing to fill the now nearly empty arena. “Hell yeah, either one is good with me. I’m feeling fried cheese right about now,” he admitted and skated back towards the bench. “I know, I feel bad,” he responded with a nod, stepping off the ice and flopping down on the bench, loosening his laces as he sat. “From my few interactions, they’ve always been really nice people as far as I could tell. We’ll definitely have to stop in after. I’m thinking Up in Smoke?” 

KENZIE: of course

KENZIE: yeah right. your legs are too damn long to fit in a chevy spark. the seats dont go back far enough

KENZIE: honestly anytime. shit's slow at the minute

Bull: I had a friend who fucked in the back of a Chevy Spark

Bull: I didn't know it was humanly possible, but, they managed I guess

Georgie: I've been better, but I haven't had anything to drink so I guess that's a win?

Georgie: I appreciate the offer, but I think right now I just need to focus on going to meetings and working through the steps from the beginning again.

Georgie: Please don't worry, okay? It was a silly mistake I made in a moment of weakness.

Bull: I'm not saying I'm not gonna worry, but I will give you your space to focus. Just let me know if you need anything at all, okay?