Part 6 (1/2)

That'd be so d.a.m.n cool.

When her therapist walks around to place the tray in front of Rose, I notice the tag on her scrubs says Nina. Nina the therapist. At least I know what her name is now. Nina tells Rose to feel free to walk around the room after lunch and she'll be back for her in an hour.

”d.a.m.n, girl, you look good on two legs,” Johnny tells her in a non-flirtatious way.

I, on the other hand, attempt to flirt by leaning into her ear and whispering, ”I think you're beautiful no matter what.”

Her eyes get as big as Johnny's did a minute ago, and then her face turns a brighter peach and she looks down at her lap. I mentally kick myself, because maybe that was being too forward. With Rose, I need to take it slow. I know this. She's been through a traumatic event. I need to rein it in a bit, but d.a.m.n, I couldn't help myself. She's beyond beautiful.

Rose's eyes dart around the table, but she hardly raises her head, and she never touches her food.

”Girl, I'm gonna sic Marti on you if you don't start eating.”

Marti just laughs but doesn't respond to Johnny's comment.

Rose tries to ignore him, but her hands are fumbling over each other on her lap, and I'm pretty sure she's embarra.s.sed right now.

”Hey, Rose,” I say to distract her, ”Johnny and I are watching a movie in here tonight.” She turns her head to look at me. ”You're welcome to join us...It gets boring sitting in our room night after night,” I say as an afterthought.

She looks me in the eyes, and I may be wrong, but I think she wants to say yes.

To get her to seal the deal, I say, ”There'll be chocolate pudding.”

Her lips tuck in, but a small smile escapes. I made her smile, and if I'm not mistaken, the little rise of her chest tells me she's stifling a chuckle too.

”How 'bout seven?” I ask Johnny. ”I have a thirty-minute session with Katrina at six thirty. Is that good for you?”

”Sure. They usually put me in my bed about six, because I work out like Schwarzenegger and I'm beat by then, but tonight, for you guys, I'll stay up.”

”Good for you too, Rose?”

She nods. Just twice, but she nods. Yes.

Obviously Rose remains quiet while Johnny and I talk, but we do include her in the conversation. Once in a while I'll get a nod or a barely-there smile, but she does respond, and this puts a smile on my face so huge that it's pretty hard to keep it hidden.

”What's so funny?” Johnny asks.

”Nothing. Just...a joke I remember.”

”Care to share?”

”Not really.”

He shrugs and drops it.

Throughout lunch, I try really hard not to let on that I'm watching Rose, but because she's become somewhat of an interest to me, I can't help myself. I notice, though, that today...she eats. It's not a lot, and she even tries to hide that she's eating, but it's more than I've seen her eat on other days. Well, anything's more than nothing.

After Johnny's nurse wheels him away, and we've confirmed our plans for tonight, I ask Rose to take a walk with me around the room.

”Come on.” I nudge her after she doesn't respond. ”I heard Nina telling you you should. Besides, the room emptied out. It's practically just the two of us in here.”

She looks down at her legs for such a long time that I think she's ignoring me, but then her hands cup the edge of the table and she pushes her chair away. My impulse is to take her by the arm, but I don't want her to think I think she needs my help.

Her small pale hand grips her cane and she steps to my side. I take the first step, and we walk together around the edges of the large room. I'm guessing the room is set up for walking, since the tables are set in the center of the room and the lounge area is off to the far corner, leaving adequate s.p.a.ce for wheelchairs and recovering walkers to roam about the room. A month ago, I think I'd have laughed if someone asked me to walk around a room for recreation. I'm just saying, the room may be large, but it's no baseball field. None of that matters at the moment, though, because I'm walking with the most beautiful girl I've ever had the honor of walking with. So, yeah, I'm good.

11.

ROSE.

This is so awkward.

And embarra.s.sing.

I don't even know what to think right now. My yoga pants are covering this fake leg, but it's not like Ben doesn't know. Besides, even if he didn't know, all he'd have to do is look down at the big plastic foot that sticks out from the bottom of my pants.

I'm trying. Really. There's nothing I want more than to be home with my mother, but...

Well, that's a lie.

There is one more thing I want more than to be home, and that's for this stupid accident to never have taken place so that I could still dance. But that dream was wrenched away from me, and that makes me sad. Yet I don't want to stay here forever, so I need to find it in myself to willingly cooperate and show some kind of semblance to my old self.

”So, I know you don't talk much,” Ben says slowly, his hands stuck in the front pocket of his sweats.h.i.+rt, ”so you can just nod or shake your head...if you're comfortable with that, of course.”

He pauses in his speech and his step. I force myself to look up at him but only for an instant. Then he continues to walk as he asks, ”Do you like funny movies?”

I nod.

”Do you like horror movies?”

I shrug, because they're not bad, but I don't necessarily love them.

He seems to understand my shrug, since the next thing he says is, ”Soooo, not reeeeaaaally a fan, but you'll watch it...if forced.”

The way he draws out some of the words, I can't help but smile.

”Okay. What about action films...like...Need for Speed or Fast and Furious?”

I scrunch up my face and shake my head.

”What about...Hunger Games, Twilight, that kind of thing?”

I nod.

”Okay, okay, what about love stories? Like Nicholas Sparks and...”