Chapter Text
“What ever happened to Roy Kent? A legend in his time, who disappeared after a career ending injury at the age of 30?” The prick on the tv asks. Roy picks up the remote and shuts it off before going back to his bread dough.
“I'm making s-sandwich loaf for toast.” Roy declares to the quiet kitchen, Princess runs over to try to get him to sit. He's about to argue with her, but she's just doing her job. She's a psychiatric service dog and was a suggestion from his sister, as Phoebe asked why he didn't leave the house unless he was with them . “Ok, I'm s-sitting down. G-good girl.” It was genuinely embarrassing being called out by a six year old.
As he sits and Princess applies deep pressure to him, he thinks about a lot of things. Sarah keeps suggesting that he looks at going to see a speech therapist. Originally they were worried about him waking up. Then came the physical therapy, not just for his knee but so he could keep himself upright. The stutter was the last of their concerns.
But it's been years. Phoebe is getting older. And he knows she would want him to be able to give a speech at her bat mitzvah. He knows he would like to be able to.
Sarah keeps telling him he needs to do this for himself. But honestly what does he have besides her and Phoebe? Roy pads over to the computer to check the comments on his YouTube. His channel, “Plates for Phoebe ” is entirely done in the hands cooking with background music and instructions in captions on the screen style. It started as Phoebe has a few food restrictions and Roy enjoyed the challenge of making foods she likes that she could actually eat.
The fact that his viewers can't see his face or hear his voice, hasn't stopped him from building a fairly large fan base. He notices a few comments including one from “jamgrant”. Honestly, if he wasn't completely ruined by the injury, he'd try to meet up with him. It's a bit pathetic to develop a crush on somebody you don't even know.
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Look, Jamie knows it's a bit pathetic to fall in love with a YouTuber who doesn't even show their face. He doesn't even talk in his videos!! But Simon was right, “Plates for Phoebe” is so calming. It's just this guy making dinner for his niece and sister.
So he commented and next thing he knows, Jamie has struck up a conversation with him and now they are kinda friends.
He's tired of people throwing themselves on him because he's “Jamie Tartt”. Honestly? Jamie's biggest regret was not taking his mothers maiden name. He'd much rather be “Jamie Grant” than “James Tartt Jr.”
Of course, if he had washed out of the system, he probably would be Jamie Grant, who has some job up in Manchester or maybe attempted to go to Uni while living with his mum and Simon and he'd probably be out.
Mum knows, Simon (who had a safe space sticker up in his office at library longer than he had been dating Jamie's mum) was incredibly cool about it.
But he doesn't even wanna imagine what would happen if his father found out.
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Roy stands back up, feeling a slight twinge in his knee, the right one. “Princess, you d-did your job. Now let me go b-back to b-baking in peace.”
He gets the loafs in the oven and sets the timer. In a moment of bravery, Roy sits down at his laptop and starts looking for a speech therapist that takes adult patients.
The first few all give off “ I went into this to help children” or “ I have a passion for geriatrics” vibes.
Then he comes across this woman who reminds him of the first woman they put him with when he was sent away to Sunderland. So he clicks on Julie Higgins (SLT) on the listing and goes to read her listing page. There's a note for adult patients: “ I am not here to baby you. Most adult patients come in with a goal in mind and I am here to help you achieve that goal. Whether it is being more comfortable, so you can give a speech at a wedding or just more everyday fluency, we have something to work towards.
Roy likes her already. The first time he tried speech therapy, it was so embarrassing. The gal the hospital assigned treated him like he was 3,not 30. And it's been almost a decade since he had tried it last. To be fair, some of the things she suggested did help. Like reading aloud to Phoebe.
Phoebe was just a baby then. What a pair he and Sarah made. An ex-footballer who just barely got the ability to be somewhat functional back and his younger sister the pregnant doctor in the last few months of her residency. Roy knows it's fucked up, but Pheobe saved his life. He totally would have killed himself if not for her. Sarah’s shitty ex was luckily gone for good by the time she found out she was pregnant. So obviously, Roy needed to get better and stick around to help her with the baby.
All in all, his recovery should be thought of as a miracle. He's able to balance on his own 2 feet and make bread and go for very slow jogs with Princess if he wants. He's just a major homebody who can't talk. That's fine. It's fine.
But maybe, just maybe. Roy wants a little more. Most people have forgotten he existed. The short curls that grew back after they shaved off the mullet (why he thought that was a good idea, he'll never know), the tinted anti strain glasses, and the casual clothes in colors he'd never wear when he was playing all allow him to hide in plain sight.
Why shouldn't he try to have a life again? Roy hears the buzzer for the bread to go off. He pulls out the two golden loaves of sandwich bread, turns them out on the cooling rack, and turns off the oven.
He grabs the harness off the hook on the wall. “You r-ready to go, g-girl?” Roy asks as Princess as she excitedly runs over to go out. Roy gets her harness on and his jacket on.
The walk around their neighborhood is going fine... until some guy with clearly highlighted blonde hair and an obnoxious pink sweatshirt runs into time.
“Sorry, mate!” He says before continuing his run.
Roy has to admit he's cute. Princess did her job blocking him.
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Jamie can't believe he ran directly into that hot guy and his cute dog. Would have stopped to say hi to the dog, but by the harness and the way they were blocking their owner, it probably was a service dog. Jamie is over random hookups, so he'll just move on and not go back to get his number.
It would be a real romcom moment if he did though.