“Okay, big man. Let’s not overdo it. Take the brace off.”
My breath gets caught in my throat.
“Are you sure?” I ask, not confident that what I just did will be possible without my safety net.
Jared nods. “Yep. Take it off and see what you can do.”
My fingers hover at the Velcro. I’ve been living in this thing for weeks. Wearing it at practices, wearing it at rehearsals, often times wearing it to bed in fear that I’d bend the wrong way in my sleep.
Shaking my head, I clear my throat and undo the brace, setting it on the table behind me. I look at the large, pink vertical scar in the middle of my knee and get chills. I’d been avoiding looking at it, because every time I do, I remember how it got there.
I feel naked and exposed. Yes, of course Jared’s seen it plenty of times as my physical therapist, but he’s never made me take it off for drills.
“Shift your weight,” he orders.
With a deep breath in, I do, and nothing happens. There’s no buckle, no lightning bolt of pain, no shock that makes me want to scream.
It just… works. My laugh bursts out, rough and disbelieving.
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
Jared chuckles. “See, and you thought I was torturing you just for fun.”
Rolling my eyes, I say, “Oh come on, some of it was definitely for your enjoyment.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” he shrugs. “Listen, Jamie. This is progress, but you’re not one hundred percent healed. You still need to be careful. Don’t be getting cocky, now.”
“Right, yeah. I know.” I hesitate before asking the question I really want an answer to. “Do you think I’ll play professionally again?”
Something flickers in Jared’s eyes before he nods once. “Yeah, Jamie. I think you’ll play professionally again.”
He pats my shoulder with a smile, squeezing once, and then he leaves the room.
For the first time, I leave physical therapy with smile on my face and hope in my heart.
Cold air hits my face when I step outside the clinic. I flex my knee on the sidewalk, stretching and making sure it’s still solid.
A grin pulls at my mouth before I can stop it.
I feel like I’m seeing parts of my old life again, and I’m so ready to get back to it. Except, this time, Ellie will be by my side.
She’s the first person I think about telling the good news to. Not my mom, not my team, not even Callahan. It’s her. Of course it is.
Dragging a hand down my face, I let out a breath of frustration and relief.
I don’t know how she’ll react to the news. The last time I got the chance to play, I left her. I think she’ll be happy for me, because that’s just who Ellie is. But I don’t think she’ll continue what’s happening between us. Me getting better might mean the end for us.
“Get it together,” I mutter to myself. It’s going to be fine. This is a good thing. This is the best news I could have gotten. I can’t let what Ellie might think or do take away from that.
Getting into my car, I grip the steering wheel and stare out the windshield.
Things just got a little morecomplicated.
Chapter 33
Ellie
C
