She didn’t respond, but smiled to herself as she opened her eyes and turned back to him.Much of the built up tension had disappeared from his face, and his shoulders were no longer hunched or rounded as if he was trying to hold up a far too heavy weight.They stayed for half an hour.It wasn’t until Spider noticed her nose turning red and insisted they go inside that she gave in and pushed him back inside.She hadn’t minded the cold, and it had been doing him so much good.
“You two look so good,” Angie said as they passed the nurse’s desk.“Are you headed back to his room or are you going to walk for a little bit?”
“I thought we’d walk for a bit longer.It was nice getting outside but it’s cold and someone insisted it was too cold for me.”Jordon gave the back of Spider’s head a pointed look.“I’d like to make at least a couple laps, if that’s good with you?”
“That’s fine, dear.”Angie patted her arm.“I know he’s in good hands as long as you’re with him, and I know if something happens, you’ll call for help.”
“I will.Are we expecting something to happen?”
“Nothing specific, but I haven’t been working here for ten years without learning to always expect something.Just stay aware and you’ll be fine.”Angie shot her a smile before hurrying off and disappearing into one of the rooms farther down the hall.
“How are you feeling?”Jordon asked Spider after Angie had gone.
“Good.I’m up for a couple of laps, if you are.I don’t want to wear you out.”
Jordon snorted.
“As if pushing you around for half an hour is going to exhaust me.I’m more worried about you getting too tired.”
Spider’s head came back and he looked up at her.
“I’m doing a lot better.I’m regaining my strength, though it’s taking longer than I want, and I’m not getting tired so easily.”
“Good.”She pushed him for a couple of minutes.“Have they told you what the next step is, once you can put weight on your leg again?”she asked when they were about halfway through their first lap of the large building.
“We just started with PT on that leg a few days ago.It’s mostly basic shit—ankle, quadriceps, that kind of thing.Moving the muscles and tendons without putting weight on the leg or too much strain on the broken bone.They said we’ll work into more as I heal.The PT said he’s going to put together a plan for me as mine will be different from most dealing with this kind of injury.”
“It’s good that he’s working with you.Having a recovery plan tailored to what you need will help you recover in the best way for you.”She checked the convex corner mirror to make sure no one was coming up the other wing before she pushed him into the middle of the hall and made the corner.
She didn’t mention why he needed a customized recovery plan and neither did he.If he wasn’t ready to talk about it so freely, she wouldn’t push him.Daddy might be really open about it, and not at all fazed to show people what she had called his bionic leg when she was a kid, but not everyone felt that way.She knew it embarrassed some people, though she didn’t see why.From her perspective, it was a badge of honor, kind of.It was proof of how tough, how resilient someone was.To have suffered something so devastating, so life changing, and to come out on the other side.It was a kind of success, at least in her mind.And while she knew not everyone felt that way, she didn’t understand why.But just because she didn’t understand it didn’t mean she couldn’t respect each person’s feelings.They were each on their own journey and they got to determine how they dealt with it.
By the time they’d finished three laps of the building, her back was aching and the IV bags were empty.She headed for Spider’s room.He had to be eager to get that needle out of his arm and she wouldn’t say no to something to drink.She hadn’t had anywhere to put it on the walk but her iced coffee was still sitting in his room.
Chapter Fifteen
Spider lay on the bedin his new room and stared at the ceiling.Finally, after what seemed like forever, though he knew it was actually just under three weeks since he’d woken after his accident, he was in a real bed.He didn’t know how Fletch had managed to find a rental with an adjustable bed, but he was grateful.
