“I’m driving you to your follow-up appointment.”
“I can take an Uber.”
“No.”
“Liam.”
“Zoey.”
She stared at me across the table.
“You’re enjoying this,” she accused.
“I’m ensuring continuity of care.”
Markie tilted his head. “DOG. DRIVE.”
Zoey dropped her head back and laughed once. “Even the bird thinks you’re insufferable.”
“I prefer the termthorough.”
She finished the last bite of her sandwich and wiped her hands on a napkin with unnecessary force. She held my gaze for a long moment, then sighed when I didn’t waver.
“Fine,” she said. “You can drive me.”
I nodded. She stood carefully, wobbling a lot less than she had. She moved toward the bedroom without the crutches.
“I’ll get ready.”
Markie hopped once along his perch. “DOG.”
I looked at the hallway where she had disappeared.
I was in deeper than I should have been.
And for some reason I was not backing up.
She insistedon going in alone.
“I’m a fully grown adult,” she said when I pulled up to the curb outside the clinic. “You do not need to escort me inside.”
“I wasn’t planning to escort you.”
“You were thinking about it.”
“I was evaluating variables.”
She gave me a look that suggested how little she thought of my variables, then opened the door herself. Her ankle held steady when she stepped down. She didn’t wobble. She didn’t grab the door of my truck for balance.
Progress.
“I’ll be right here,” I said.
“I know where you’ll be,” she replied.
She shut the door before I could answer. I watched her walk through the sliding doors and disappear into fluorescent lighting. As soon as she did, I got into motion.
The radio volume sat at thirteen; I turned it to twelve.
