in the back that led to the alley, but it was locked up tight. Damn it! He would really love to know what she’s doing in there.
*******
“D ance,” Max told her.
Chloe started moving her feet, dancing around Max’s massive form as he threw a series of jabs towards her face. “Put those hands up. Protect your face.” Chloe put her hands up like Max told her to and concentrated on keeping her feet moving. She “danced” and dodged the easy punches he was throwing at her. Every once in a while his hand would touch her head gear or her face, but he wasn’t throwing punches to hurt her, he just wanted her to practice defending and deflecting. “Okay, take a break and get some water. Where’s your head at today?”
Chloe got out of the ring Max kept set up in the bag room for sparring and she grabbed her water. After taking a long swig of it she said, “Tomorrow is the day they’re going to start waking Derek up. It’s been two weeks of pure hell but...”
“But what?” Max asked her.
“But, we don’t know what he’s going to be like when they bring him out of it. They have no idea what kind of damage all of this has done to his brain. The doctor said he could wake up with all of his cognitive and motor skills or he could wake up with none of them, or he could wake up somewhere in between.”
“But...he’ll be awake.”
“Yeah,” she said. She felt so ashamed to admit it, but as much as she needed to see him and talk to him...she was scared to death. At least while he was in the coma she could imagine what it would be like when he came out of it. In her imagination, he was as perfect as he’d always been.
“Okay, let’s work out some more of that anxiety,” Max said.
They both climbed back into the little ring and Max put on the mitts with the yellow dots in the center and told her, “Okay, you’re throwing the punches now...follow the dots.” Chloe nodded and Max started moving. She threw a right cross and then a left jab and a right jab and then a hook and an undercut... “Again!” he told her. She did it again, following the dots, choosing her punches as she went along. The muscles in her arms burned and sweat was rolling off of her, but she felt good.
When Max thought her arms had enough he had her work on her kicks on the bag for a while. Then lastly, they got back in the ring and Max said, “Okay, sweep me off my feet, but don’t go down with me. You do not want to go down to the floor with this guy.”
Chloe had a flash of memory...she was on the floor and Jesse straddled her, holding the knife...With that vision in the forefront of her mind she used her legs to sweep Max’s. Her first try, they both almost went down. She jumped back and righted herself and he was able to regain his balance again. He grabbed her again. This time she put one of her legs in between his and she used the inside of her foot to put pressure on his ankle. When he took a step to get her off of him, she used both of her legs to sweep the other one out from underneath him. Max hit the mat with a thud. When he looked up at Chloe he was smiling. Chloe was grinning from ear to ear...if she could take Max down; Jesse would be a piece of cake.
“Never stop fighting,” Max told her.
Chapter 7
––––––––
W hen Jake got to the studio to pick her back up, Chloe was showered, dressed and ready to go.
“How’d it go?” he asked her.
She smiled. “Good. I knocked Max on his ass!”
Jake grinned and gave her a high five. “That’s awesome. At least I’m not the only one you beat up recently.” They both laughed and he asked, “Are you hungry?”
“I am starving,” she said.
“Me too. I went by Derek’s office to sign those papers his staff was asking about and I honestly didn’t stop signing or reviewing things until I finally just told them I absolutely had to go.”
“Is his work getting way behind?”
“I think we took care of the pressing things today. Dad and I both
*******
“D ance,” Max told her.
Chloe started moving her feet, dancing around Max’s massive form as he threw a series of jabs towards her face. “Put those hands up. Protect your face.” Chloe put her hands up like Max told her to and concentrated on keeping her feet moving. She “danced” and dodged the easy punches he was throwing at her. Every once in a while his hand would touch her head gear or her face, but he wasn’t throwing punches to hurt her, he just wanted her to practice defending and deflecting. “Okay, take a break and get some water. Where’s your head at today?”
Chloe got out of the ring Max kept set up in the bag room for sparring and she grabbed her water. After taking a long swig of it she said, “Tomorrow is the day they’re going to start waking Derek up. It’s been two weeks of pure hell but...”
“But what?” Max asked her.
“But, we don’t know what he’s going to be like when they bring him out of it. They have no idea what kind of damage all of this has done to his brain. The doctor said he could wake up with all of his cognitive and motor skills or he could wake up with none of them, or he could wake up somewhere in between.”
“But...he’ll be awake.”
“Yeah,” she said. She felt so ashamed to admit it, but as much as she needed to see him and talk to him...she was scared to death. At least while he was in the coma she could imagine what it would be like when he came out of it. In her imagination, he was as perfect as he’d always been.
“Okay, let’s work out some more of that anxiety,” Max said.
They both climbed back into the little ring and Max put on the mitts with the yellow dots in the center and told her, “Okay, you’re throwing the punches now...follow the dots.” Chloe nodded and Max started moving. She threw a right cross and then a left jab and a right jab and then a hook and an undercut... “Again!” he told her. She did it again, following the dots, choosing her punches as she went along. The muscles in her arms burned and sweat was rolling off of her, but she felt good.
When Max thought her arms had enough he had her work on her kicks on the bag for a while. Then lastly, they got back in the ring and Max said, “Okay, sweep me off my feet, but don’t go down with me. You do not want to go down to the floor with this guy.”
Chloe had a flash of memory...she was on the floor and Jesse straddled her, holding the knife...With that vision in the forefront of her mind she used her legs to sweep Max’s. Her first try, they both almost went down. She jumped back and righted herself and he was able to regain his balance again. He grabbed her again. This time she put one of her legs in between his and she used the inside of her foot to put pressure on his ankle. When he took a step to get her off of him, she used both of her legs to sweep the other one out from underneath him. Max hit the mat with a thud. When he looked up at Chloe he was smiling. Chloe was grinning from ear to ear...if she could take Max down; Jesse would be a piece of cake.
“Never stop fighting,” Max told her.
Chapter 7
––––––––
W hen Jake got to the studio to pick her back up, Chloe was showered, dressed and ready to go.
“How’d it go?” he asked her.
She smiled. “Good. I knocked Max on his ass!”
Jake grinned and gave her a high five. “That’s awesome. At least I’m not the only one you beat up recently.” They both laughed and he asked, “Are you hungry?”
“I am starving,” she said.
“Me too. I went by Derek’s office to sign those papers his staff was asking about and I honestly didn’t stop signing or reviewing things until I finally just told them I absolutely had to go.”
“Is his work getting way behind?”
“I think we took care of the pressing things today. Dad and I both
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