International Player(40)

I sighed. “If you can be here soon, sure.” I’d come for a little space, a little distance, and to refocus after last night. But Noah sounded like he always did when he was talking about business—passionate, focused, and determined. And that was nothing I could say no to.

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

I stopped by Dr. Edwards’ secretary, arranged a meeting for Noah, then headed back to the ward.

Time for me to see Theo.

“Hey, Douglas,” I greeted the boy in the bed next to Theo. “How’s it going?” He’d been here since before Theo. His operation had gone well, and I’d heard from the head physio that he was doing better than expected. Apparently as long as he did the rehab, he was on his way to walking normally again.

He shrugged.

“I hear you stood on your own a few weeks ago.”

“You have spies in here or something? I’ve not seen you in the ward or in the activities center for . . .”

It had been weeks, but I hadn’t expected the kids to notice. “Of course I have spies.” I glanced around the room. “Everywhere, so be warned.”

He grinned. “I knew we were being watched.”

“It’s only me. I wouldn’t let anyone else.” I plonked myself in a chair between the beds. “Where’s Theo?” I asked.

“They’ve just taken him to watch the kung fu. I think it cheers him up to think that will be him one day.”

“And you too,” I said.

He shrugged.

“Hey, what’s with the attitude?”

“It’s just taking such a long time.”

I couldn’t imagine what it was like to be his age and have spent such a huge proportion of my time unable to simply be a kid. “I have a friend—he’s coming here, any minute—and he was just like you. In fact, way worse. Was told he’d never walk again. You know what he likes to do for fun now?”

Douglas’s mouth twitched. “What?”

“He skydives, that’s what.”

“What, you can do that if you can’t walk?”

“He can walk, run, jump out of planes—everything. He proved them all wrong. You’d never know he was ever in an accident.”

“How long did it take him?”

I glanced up to see Noah standing at the entrance of the ward, scanning the beds. I reached up, trying to catch his attention. “You can ask him yourself. He just arrived.”

“This guy?” Douglas asked. “No way. He doesn’t even walk with a limp,” he said as we both watched Noah stroll toward us, spinning his car keys on his index finger.

“Swear to God.” It had only been hours since I’d seen him, but my heart thudded against my ribcage as if it had been years. He grinned at me as if we were the only two people in the room, as if we shared a secret that we’d tell no one. Maybe we did.





Twenty-Two





Noah


My mouth went dry, and if I didn’t know myself better, I’d say I fucking blushed at the sight of Truly. That warm smile of hers undid me. The way it had been last night between us had been nothing short of phenomenal, and this morning any doubts I had about crossing that line with her had completely disappeared. She knew me better than anyone and had a body that was made for me.

“Hey, Noah,” Truly said. “This is my friend Douglas. Douglas, this is Noah. Skydiver, pilot, bungee jumper. You name the extreme sport, he’s done it.”

“Pilot?” Douglas asked, pulling my attention away from Truly. She’d worn her hair loose, and I wanted to bury my face in it and breathe in the scent of coconut.

“No, not yet. I’m having lessons.”

“Douglas and I were just talking about you. He’s frustrated because of how long it’s taking him to recover. But the doctors and physios are telling me he’s doing really well and as long as he keeps up with the rehab, he’ll be walking in no time.”

I nodded, not knowing quite how to respond. The kid seemed to be in such a similar situation to me. “Right.”

Truly was one of the few people I’d talked about my accident with. It wasn’t that I had anything to hide. I didn’t talk about it because I’d moved on. I’d been able to lead a very different life than expected, so why waste time talking about something that could have been so much worse. With Truly, we’d talked about everything and it had just come up one evening when she’d asked about a scar on my arm. The few people I’d told up until that point had felt bad for me—I’d seen it in their eyes. Truly just listened with rapt interest; there was no pity in her eyes. She’d wanted to know the details, how I’d felt, if it had changed me psychologically. It was the first time I’d ever told anyone who wasn’t around at the time, and I hadn’t regretted it. She’d been so matter-of-fact about it.

“Did they really say you’d never walk again and then you ended up like—just being normal?” Douglas asked.

I paused, never having spoken to anyone in the position Douglas was in and wondering how to approach it. I wanted to provide hope to this kid but at the same time, my situation wasn’t everyone’s. A lot of people had left this unit in wheelchairs they’d be in forever. But I could give him the facts of my situation, couldn’t I?