“I’ll walk you back.”
June wasn’t going to say no to a little more time with him.
“So did you always want to be a physical therapist?”he asked on their walk back.They walked side by side.Rob kept his hands tucked into the front of his pants and kept enough distance between them, so he didn’t accidentally brush up against her.
“No, Dr.Shane actually inspired it.”
“She is pretty awesome.”
“How long have you been seeing her?”
“Seven or so years now, I think.She had come as a suggestion from another veteran, and I recommend her to everyone I know.”
“That’s how my brother found her, through a friend.She’s really popular amongst the armed forces.I see a lot of veterans come through therapy.She helped me with mine, and I realized I wanted to help others like myself.”
“How did it happen, if you don’t mind me asking.”
“I don’t mind.”Many people asked her about it all the time.She used to be more sensitive about it, but now she saw it as an opportunity to inspire and encourage.“It was a car accident.My friend was driving us home drunk.She hit a tree and was ejected.I was knocked unconscious, and the front end pinned my legs.By the time I got to the hospital, it was too late to save them.”
“I had a run-in with an IED.”
June knew what an improvised explosive device was.She’d seen plenty of victims of them come through the office.Some had lost their legs or arms to them.Others their vision or hearing.Her brother had shared stories about men he had served with who had been hurt by them.Some had even lost their lives.
“Were you the only one injured, or were there others?”
Rob looked taken aback by the question as if he had never been asked that before.“My unit was hit.Two died, and three others were injured.Two of them lost a leg if not both, and another lost an arm.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”Losing friends was never easy.Trust her, she knew that all too well.A pang struck June’s heart every time she thought about her friend.Every once and a while,June wondered what Karen would have been like had she lived.What would she have done for a living?Would they even still be friends?But then, if they hadn’t been in the accident, June never would have considered physical therapy or moved to Vegas.Everything happened for a reason.It never did well to dwell on the past.
“Thanks.I’m sorry you lost your friend.”
“Thank you.”She cleared her throat.“How old were you when it happened?”
“Twenty-four.You?”
“Eighteen.”
“So young.”
She had been.“It sometimes feels like a lifetime ago.”She chuckled.Eleven years had flown by.Well, not the first six when she was feeling sorry for herself, but once she shook off the melancholy and decided to do something with her life, it went by much faster.Now it was hard to remember a time when she had her real legs instead of titanium ones.
“I know what you mean.It’s amazing what you can get used to.”He chucked lightly then sobered as he stared intently at her.He stepped closer so that only a few inches separated them.June had to tilt her head back to look up at him.“You have something here.”June jolted when Rob’s thumb swiped over the corner of her mouth.It came away with a smear of red on the pad of his thumb.
It was marinara sauce from her sandwich.How long had that been there?How embarrassing.This was why she was going to die a virgin; she’d just humiliated herself.“Thanks,” she mumbled, looking away, afraid to meet his gaze probably forever.What a dork, and here she thought he might try and kiss her.Idiot.
June started backing up and made a show of checking her watch.“I lost track of time.I have to go, bye, Rob.”
“June…”
“Yeah?”She half turned to look back at him but still wouldn’t meet his gaze.If she saw humor in his eyes or he brought up the marinara sauce, she would die of embarrassment.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow,” she repeated then hurried down the hall, ready to forget about this embarrassing moment and focus on work.At least there, she was in her element.Men not so much.
Chapter 7
“What are you doing?”Luke asked as he came up behind him.
