Her cheeks heated at Elowen's suggestion. No question, she wanted to see Thario, but she wasn't sure when they would be able to see each other. She knew having time to herself was important. After being locked up for years, turning around just to depend on Thario for everything would be wrong. She needed to learn to stand on her own, and she wouldn't ever do that if she didn't try.
“I’d appreciate it if you all helped me find a therapist, and then I think I want to research what type of jobs I could get.”
Elowen nodded. “We’d love to help you. You have a world of possibilities open to you.”
“We’re glad to help you. I know you’ll do well,” Griz said.
“How?”
He set his fork down and held her gaze. "Because you're not in a corner crying. You're working to figure out what's next. You may backslide and might have some problems that creep up, but you'll get there. Just stay the course."
Their confidence in her made her stomach feel weird. She wasn’t sure she would come out on top. She wanted to, but there was so much that had gone wrong in her life in the past, and she wasn’t sure how she would move forward.
Chapter 20
Thario spent toomuch time on his phone ordering computers to be delivered to Griz's place, so that when he woke up, his head ached horribly. After getting up to use the restroom and letting Frog out, he lay down and fell asleep again.
When he woke close to noon, he felt better. He wanted to get online and do more stuff, but he knew he couldn't. Frog needed to go out again, so he took the dog out and then showered.
After his shower, he called the real estate agent and set up a time to look at the cabin. Maybe it would work for him, or maybe it wouldn't. He'd been smart with his money and had some saved so he could buy a place without waiting for the insurance money. Thank goodness he had kept the insurance on his house. At least he would get something.
Frog whimpered, and he got up to take him out. He needed to get another wheelchair. Wearing his prosthetic all the time would get old. Already, he was starting to experience some soreness.
Frog ran around for a while. He picked up a stick and brought it to Thario to throw. It was nice seeing Frog so active. Maybe being in the country would be good for them both.
After about twenty minutes of playing, they went inside and he stretched out on the bed, closing his eyes so he could rest his head. The last time he'd had a concussion was right after the explosion that took his leg and fingers. Back then, he'd been sedated, so he didn't have to find ways to occupy his time that didn't involve screen time or working out.
Frog snuggled up next to him, and they both slept for about an hour. When he woke, he was tired of lying around. He wanted to do something, but knew he needed a few more days of taking it easy so he wouldn't end up hurting himself more.
Thoughts of Calla filled his mind. He wondered how she was doing, if she was glad to be in the mountains. And of course, he wondered if she missed him as much as he missed her.
After a few minutes, his thoughts turned a little erotic, and he decided to get up and do something to keep his mind busy. He didn't want to have conscious thoughts of doing things with her before they even kissed. Heck, she may think he was too old to be interested in him.
Close to six that evening, he went over to his dog. "Hey, Frog, how about we go sit outside?"
Of course, Frog wanted to go outside. The light wasn't so bright with the sun starting to sink, and the weather wasn't too warm. He sat on the porch while Frog ran around.
He felt his phone in his pocket, wondering if he could take the chance and look at it. It wasn’t worth it. He was about to drop his hand when it rang. It took him less than a second to pull it out and answer.
“Hello.”
“Hey, Thario, it’s Sharp. I spoke to the detective on the case. They don’t know where Brent is, and they’re worried that he is going to try to find Calla.”
“Crap. She doesn’t need that.”
Sharp grunted. "I know. It sucks. The detective was glad that she was so far away, but you all need to be vigilant. I know you can't do computer time yet, but when you can, we need to find a way to track him down."
“Got it.”
“I sent a text message for Griz to call me when he wasn’t at home. I don’t want to upset Calla or Elowen. He’ll know how to take care of it.”
Thario drew in a deep breath. He hated feeling helpless. His strength was gone, and now he couldn’t use his computer. He felt totally useless.
"Hey, Thario, your brain will heal, and you'll be able to help soon."
He sighed heavily. “Yeah, I know.”
"In the meantime, I'm working with your insurance agent to get you your money."
