with any of it. She couldn’t afford to. Go Away . Whoever wanted her gone should save their energy because that was her plan, to go away just as soon as Greer stopped worrying.
“I heard he kissed you. How was—”
Delaney lifted her head to scowl at her sister, then lay back down on the table. “I’m not talking about that either.”
“Okay. Well, you’re lucky, that’s all I can say.” Greer finished manipulating her leg and moved over to the small freezer. She pulled out a cold pack and wrapped it in a towel before placing it on Delaney’s leg.
Delaney snorted. “Because Quinn kissed me?”
“No. I mean, yes, because Quinn’s a great guy, but I was talking about your leg.”
“Lucky, huh?” The cold seeped through all the aching layers of muscle, nerve, and bone. It polished down the sharp, stabbing edge of pain, leaving only a throbbing irritation. “I’ve been called ornery, cranky, contrary, intractable, mulish, and grumpy. Never lucky.”
“I stand corrected. You aren’t lucky. Thank God you are ornery, cranky, contrary, intractable, and mulish because that’s probably why your recovery was almost textbook—until you went AWOL.”
Textbook? Delaney peered up at Greer. “In retrospect, going AWOL from therapy was a bad choice. I’m sorry I worried you, but honestly, I just needed a . . . a vacation. From reality.”
“Uh-huh. Well, no more vacations for a while. You actually are lucky you didn’t lose much over the three weeks. Thank goodness you didn’t form contractures, because those are hell to fix.”
“Contractures?”
“When a body stays static too long, the muscles and tendons tighten and shorten, and then they impede movement.”
Static . That’s what her life felt like. Like she’d been stuck in the same place ever since the explosion. Treading water, barely staying afloat, but not moving toward the shore either. Totally adrift from the person she was before.
“And lucky because you had a great surgeon. You were already fit and strong from running, and your natural athletic ability has helped you adapt well to walking with your prosthesis. Thank goodness you didn’t lose your knee.”
Yes, Greer. Whatever you say, Greer .
“God, I’m rambling.” She scrubbed her hands over her face wearily, “I’m sorry. I was so worried about you, you just don’t know.”
“I know. The whole kidnapping thing was a big clue.”
“I just needed to know you weren’t—”
“I’m not. Look, I’ll eat, and attend these PT sessions, and even work out at the gym, but I can’t stay here, Greer. There are too many bad memories for me here.
“When I walked into the library, I remembered Daddy yelling at Mrs. Johnson about my overdue library book. He had the poor woman in tears over my one-dollar fine. That was the last time I checked a book out.”
“That’s why you told me I could only read the books while we were there.”
“Everywhere I look, it’s like he’s a ghost clunking around town. The gas station where he accused Cooter of running up the bill, the movie theater when he tracked me down in the middle of a movie and pulled me home.” She needed to exorcise the man from her head, but failing that, getting far away from his memory would help. “Once you see I’m okay, I need to head back to D.C.”
“Let’s not think that far ahead, okay?” Greer’s hands fluttered before settling on the cold pack and towels to remove them from Delaney’s leg. She handed Delaney her prosthesis and sweatpants from the nearby chair, then cleaned up the TENS unit she’d used for pain therapy. “I think we should just take it one day at a time.”
What she had done to Greer was unfair. It was only right to ease her mind before escaping back to D.C. Yes, Greer. Whatever you say, Greer. Delaney nodded her head. “One day at a time. I can do that.”
“Sure you can. What are you going to do with the rest of the day?”
The rest of the day? The hell if she knew.
“I heard he kissed you. How was—”
Delaney lifted her head to scowl at her sister, then lay back down on the table. “I’m not talking about that either.”
“Okay. Well, you’re lucky, that’s all I can say.” Greer finished manipulating her leg and moved over to the small freezer. She pulled out a cold pack and wrapped it in a towel before placing it on Delaney’s leg.
Delaney snorted. “Because Quinn kissed me?”
“No. I mean, yes, because Quinn’s a great guy, but I was talking about your leg.”
“Lucky, huh?” The cold seeped through all the aching layers of muscle, nerve, and bone. It polished down the sharp, stabbing edge of pain, leaving only a throbbing irritation. “I’ve been called ornery, cranky, contrary, intractable, mulish, and grumpy. Never lucky.”
“I stand corrected. You aren’t lucky. Thank God you are ornery, cranky, contrary, intractable, and mulish because that’s probably why your recovery was almost textbook—until you went AWOL.”
Textbook? Delaney peered up at Greer. “In retrospect, going AWOL from therapy was a bad choice. I’m sorry I worried you, but honestly, I just needed a . . . a vacation. From reality.”
“Uh-huh. Well, no more vacations for a while. You actually are lucky you didn’t lose much over the three weeks. Thank goodness you didn’t form contractures, because those are hell to fix.”
“Contractures?”
“When a body stays static too long, the muscles and tendons tighten and shorten, and then they impede movement.”
Static . That’s what her life felt like. Like she’d been stuck in the same place ever since the explosion. Treading water, barely staying afloat, but not moving toward the shore either. Totally adrift from the person she was before.
“And lucky because you had a great surgeon. You were already fit and strong from running, and your natural athletic ability has helped you adapt well to walking with your prosthesis. Thank goodness you didn’t lose your knee.”
Yes, Greer. Whatever you say, Greer .
“God, I’m rambling.” She scrubbed her hands over her face wearily, “I’m sorry. I was so worried about you, you just don’t know.”
“I know. The whole kidnapping thing was a big clue.”
“I just needed to know you weren’t—”
“I’m not. Look, I’ll eat, and attend these PT sessions, and even work out at the gym, but I can’t stay here, Greer. There are too many bad memories for me here.
“When I walked into the library, I remembered Daddy yelling at Mrs. Johnson about my overdue library book. He had the poor woman in tears over my one-dollar fine. That was the last time I checked a book out.”
“That’s why you told me I could only read the books while we were there.”
“Everywhere I look, it’s like he’s a ghost clunking around town. The gas station where he accused Cooter of running up the bill, the movie theater when he tracked me down in the middle of a movie and pulled me home.” She needed to exorcise the man from her head, but failing that, getting far away from his memory would help. “Once you see I’m okay, I need to head back to D.C.”
“Let’s not think that far ahead, okay?” Greer’s hands fluttered before settling on the cold pack and towels to remove them from Delaney’s leg. She handed Delaney her prosthesis and sweatpants from the nearby chair, then cleaned up the TENS unit she’d used for pain therapy. “I think we should just take it one day at a time.”
What she had done to Greer was unfair. It was only right to ease her mind before escaping back to D.C. Yes, Greer. Whatever you say, Greer. Delaney nodded her head. “One day at a time. I can do that.”
“Sure you can. What are you going to do with the rest of the day?”
The rest of the day? The hell if she knew.
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