I chuckle then see his eyes darken.
“After he moved up here, the changes from the cancer were pretty dramatic. He lost his spark and then just seemed to waste away. It was like he died long before he actually died, if that makes any sense.” Julian lies back on his lounger, staring up at the stars and taking a deep breath. “As awful as it must have been for him, it was even harder seeing the impact it had on my family. Especially my mom and abuela. Seeing them watch him wither away was brutal.” He shakes his head. “It fuckin’ sucked.” He glances my way. “Pardon my French.”
He’s quiet for a long moment, and I fight the urge to reach for his hand.
“So, anyway. It made me want to help. Somehow. I want to make a difference and maybe prevent some of that suffering. I’m not sure if I want to go pre-med, or do something quicker, like become a nurse or a PA. There are a lot of options.”
Therearea lot of options. So many possible roads for this young man. I love hearing about his dreams and aspirations. He has such a bright future.
“Well, Julian, I think you’d be perfect for that field,” I say, my chest warming as I glance over at him.
“You think so?”
I scrunch my face. “Oh, absolutely. You’re super smart, passionate, and you have a great vibe, a very calming presence. You’re an excellent listener, and you’re strong and capable. You’re good with your hands too.”
His lip curls up on one side.
“What? I’m serious. You are.” I can’t help but grin at him.
He chuckles darkly. “Okay. Well, thanks. For saying all that.”
“Of course. Just telling you the truth.”
He shifts in his chair, rolling over onto his side to face me. “So, what about you, Chelsea? You’re a physical therapist, right?”
I’m pleased that he already knows this about me. “Yes, I am.”
“How do you like it?”
I sigh, placing one hand on my chest. “Oh, I love it. It’s the best work on earth.” I don’t mean to be so dramatic, but I can’t help it. My work means the world to me.
His eyes are warm. “What got you into it?”
“Well, let’s see. I was twenty…” I pause, thinking. “Four. I must have been twenty-four, because Gage had just started pre-K.” My eyes flicker to Julian, and I cover my face. Julian was also just starting pre-K when I was that age. Yikes.
He just licks his lips and says nothing, watching me and smiling faintly.
“Ugh. Anyway. When I was twenty-four, I sprained my ankle. Bad, like really bad. Goofing around, jumping and dancing around with the kids, and I just rolled it.” I gesture, rolling the side of my hand down onto the other palm. “Felt every tendon and ligament twang and my whole joint crunch as I went down. It hurt like a mother and swelled up really big.”
He grimaces, matching my own expression.
“Did you know that a bad sprain can take far longer to heal than a broken bone?”
He shakes his head slowly, brows raised.
“Neither did I. So, I went in, saw the doctor. They made sure there was no fracture, told me to stay off it, ice, elevation, yadda yadda. It got better, to a degree. I got off the crutches, was able to walk and all that. But weeks later, it was still really bothering me. Giving me a lot more pain than I was willing to tolerate.”
Julian nodded.
“When I went back in, the doc, who was surprised I waited so long, referred me to PT.” I shrug. “Of course. So I go to PT. Within, like, I don’t know, less than two weeks, I was fine. Totallyfine. After just some ultrasound, massage, and exercises, I healed. Completely.” I’m sure my expression is one of residual amazement, even from such an old memory.
“That’s awesome,” he says earnestly.
“Right? I knew physical therapy could help people. But I never gave it much thought until I saw it firsthand. Those therapists were legithealingpeople. Like magic. Like a miracle.” My eyes grow large as I say this.
He enjoys hearing me talk, if his expression is any indication. His undivided attention makes me feel like a flower in the sunshine as I go on.
“So I decided, with three young kids, to make the crazy decision to become one of them.” I point a finger in his direction. “By the way, I highly recommend school before kids and not the other way around. It was pretty insane for a while there.”
