I smiled. “Thanks, Maisie.”
“You’re welcome.”
She went about making me a snack, while I plotted.
* * *
Waverly
The next morning, I headed to work after a night without sleep. I had a packed schedule and honestly didn’t know how I was going to manage, but after bailing on Gio yesterday, I had no choice but to work today. I couldn’t afford to take another day off.
By lunchtime I was fried. I was working with an elderly client in the main room, helping him with his balance after a fall. He’d had a hip replacement, sowe were working on getting him more mobile without his walker. All fine and good until a commotion out the window caught my eye.
“Jim, can you give me just a second, please? Keep doing those stretches.”
I stepped over to the window and let out a quiet, “Shit.”
Gio Rossi was climbing out, or rather,attemptingto climb out of, what looked like a ride share car. And he was currently losing a valiant battle with the door.
“Um, sorry Jim, I’ll be right back.” I had one of the other therapists take over for me and rushed out to the parking lot. “Gio!”
I watched as he raised his head and frowned, and I made my way to him.
“What are you doing?” I demanded.
“A little help here?” he begged.
“Give me a second,” I said, and went back inside to get a wheelchair.
I helped him into the chair and then wheeled him inside and into my office. Closing the door, I crossed my arms and shook my head. “What’s going on, Gio?”
“No, we’re not doing that. What the fuck happened yesterday?”
I took a deep breath. “I’m very sorry. That was so unprofessional. I’m embarrassed to admit, I had a panic attack. It came out of nowhere—”
“Bullshit. You panicked when you saw that biker on the television. His name was Cupid.”
“What?” I gasped, then settled myself down. “No, it was just an everyday, normal, run of the mill panic attack.”
“Waverly,” he growled.
“What?”
“Who’s Cupid to you?” he repeated.
“No one.”
“Sit down, Fizzy, we’re gonna talk.”
“I have patients.”
He cocked his head. “Cancel them.”
“Are you seriously not going to leave?”
“I’m seriously not going to leave,” he said. “And I’ll make a fuckin’ scene if you don’t sit your ass down and tell me what the hell’s goin’ on.”
I picked up my desk phone and told the receptionist to move my next appointment to another therapist, then sat down and focused on Gio. “This is highly inappropriate.”
