Teddy was excited Erina would be heading back to the city, only for her to announce that since she’d been close to peaking early anyway with her performances and dress rehearsals weren’t until midweek, she wasn’t leaving until Tuesday.
Finn’s “See you Monday?” had led to questions, which meant Erina now knew he was Teddy’s physical therapist and would not leave it alone. Luckily, he’d avoided having her discover that Finn was also his neighbor.
So far.
That didn’t prevent her from offering to bring him to physical therapy, something he agreed to only because she’d be driving again and could get him coffee. The request for caffeine ensured she’d drop him off and leave, meeting him there again afterward. He did not need her coming inside.
After hurrying into the health center before she could change her mind, Teddy checked in with Betsy to make sure Finn was ready for him, then headed directly for the workout room without waiting to be called.
“About last time,” he began without so much as a hello.
“It’s fine,” Finn said, startled initially but then motioning for Teddy to lie on the mat.
“It’s not fine.” Teddy held fast. “I was an asshole, like you said. I did warn you.”
“You did. But I don’t think you’re an asshole. I think you’re frustrated and a little bit of a perfectionist about yourself. Which is probably why you were always hard on your students. Because they were a reflection of you, and if they weren’t performing at their best, why bother?”
“Something like that.” Teddy continued to be amazed by Finn’s insight, even if he wasn’t quite up for adding that a childhood full of not being good enough for his father may have also contributed to his perfectionist outlook. “Still, I’m sorry I snapped.”
“Thank you. Now, have you been keeping up with your exercises with Erina around? Hopefully not pushing too much?”
“With her nagging added to yours, I promise, I’ve been a model patient.” Teddy really had been, following every alert on his phone to tend to his routine.
“Then prove it,” Finn said in good humor.
He looked tired, Teddy thought, maybe from whatever brother-sister bonding he and Rose had gotten up to, but while Teddy was still curious about that, he wasn’t about to push.
Teddy was sore, but nothing like a few days ago. He was able to perform most of his exercises without trouble, though he did have to end a few intervals early on some.
When they were nearing the end of their session, another therapist, the redhead Teddy had seen before, brought a patient into the room who waved at Finn with an irritated sort of flap. She was young, preteen maybe, on crutches with a magenta-colored prosthetic attached to her left leg. Judging by the way she hobbled, it must have been new.
“We went overtime a little,” Finn said. “Is it okay to skip the exam room again? You’re doing great. She’s my next patient.”
“Sure. No problem.”
The therapist left the girl at the walking station. She let her crutches fall to the side and hung on to the bars, but walking without them was an obvious chore for her.
“Really tragic. Car accident, no one’s fault, just one of those things. Her parents are fine, but her leg got trapped, too mangled, got infected later, and had to be removed below the knee. Kids are remarkably resilient, but even they take time to get to the point of being able to cope, be brave, move forward. She isn’t there yet.”
The somber tone Finn had taken on dug deep right to Teddy’s core, and he had to wonder when he looked at Finn and found dampness in his eyes if it was more than just empathy speaking.
To cut the tension, Teddy had to comment, “Did you just violate HIPAA?”
That snapped Finn’s attention back to him with a crack of a smile. “Oops.” He shrugged.
Teddy would have believed that, but then Finn gave him a swift “See you next session,” and walked over to the girl, only to say he needed to grab something from the other room and leave them alone.
Maybe Finn needed a moment to collect himself, maybe he’d left them alone on purpose, maybe both, but regardless, Finn’s words from before flitted through Teddy’s mind.
Somewhere along the line, everyone needs to save themselves, but we can do better by lending a hand or an ear even when it’s not asked for.
Stretching in the aftermath of his exercises, Teddy moved across the workout room, nearing the walking station and catching the eye of the girl, who seemed to take notice of his mild limp.
“State of the art, looks like.” He nodded to her magenta leg.
“I hate it,” she said, pausing midway along the bars.
“Chafe?”
