Part 46 (1/2)
”But...”
”No buts. What else you gonna do? You said you didn't know what you wanted to major in, so do this while you decide. Dance, Rose.”
”Yeah?” I look at her and I know I'm smiling huge, because my cheeks hurt.
”Yeah.”
”Okay. I'll do it. Yeah.” I stand up and scream, ”Yeah. I'll do it. I'll do it. I'll do it, I'll do it.” I run to the middle of the floor, get in position, and spin and spin and spin and spin. All on my bad leg.
”Oh my G.o.d, Rose. A fouette turn? And so many! Look at you.”
When I come to a stop, I say, ”I've been practicing. A lot.”
”Oh my G.o.d, Rose, you're awesome. See. You're gonna be the best one out there. Oh, and by the way, I'd like to pull this all together before the fall semester. Could you stay here for most of the summer?”
”Oh.”
”If it's a problem, like finding a place to stay, you can move in with me. I kicked my boyfriend out, so I need a roommate anyway.”
”Oh. Well. I think I'd be allowed to continue living where I'm living now, but I'd have to make sure my dad doesn't need me to help him on the farm.” I think about this. ”Yeah, I don't think he'd mind. Last summer I was allowed to live in Manhattan, so, yeah, I can probably stay.”
”Ooh, yay.” She claps her hands like a dork. ”You want to move in with me?”
”Uh. Not that I wouldn't love to, but I'm pretty sure I can continue living at the house up the street.” I'm really enjoying living with Griffin and Holly, I'd hate to give that up.
”Okay. No worries. If it doesn't work out, you got a place with me.”
”Thanks, Lindsay. For everything.”
”Oh, what are friends for?” She hugs me. ”Now I better be going. Got my last cla.s.s of the semester in ten minutes.”
”Oh geez. Don't break a heel.”
”Tell that boyfriend of yours I said hi,” she yells as she sprints out the door.
After going home and showering, I am now en route to Orange Rehabilitation Center to see Ben. I've been making the forty-minute trip every Tuesday, Friday, and Sat.u.r.day for the past two months. Ben was out of the hospital in three weeks and went straight to Orange. His recovery is going much quicker than mine did. I guess being cooperative is working to his benefit. But I won't knock myself for hindering my own recovery back then. I was scared. I thought my life was over. I thought I had nothing to look forward to, so I acted the only way I knew how to act last September.
Ben, however, has everything to look forward to. So that has got to be driving his swift improvement.
Rosie Girl, always a pleasure to see your s.h.i.+ning face,” Craig says when I walk into the rec room, greeting me like he does each time I visit Ben.
”Hi, Craig.”
”You're boyfriend's takin' a p.i.s.s.” He points to the hallway. ”As usual, he sped through morning therapy because you were coming.”
”Yeah?”
”He always does. You know he's whipped, right?” Craig winks.
”Rose?” I hear Ben behind me.
”Ben,” I cry, turning to greet him. When he walks toward me, I notice how gracefully he strides. ”Oh my G.o.d, no limp?”
His arms spread out at his sides. ”Nope,” he says, smiling before he hugs me h.e.l.lo.
”Our boy's bionic now, Rose,” Craig says.
”What? You got it?”
Ben nods. ”Yup.”
”Oh my G.o.d, can I see it?”
”Yeah.” Ben leads me to a table to sit, then he rolls up his sweatpants and shows me his new bionic leg.
”Wow. It comes on and off like mine?”
”Yup. Only it has this wrap stuff.” He points to the top of the leg where mesh-looking fabric wraps around the latches.
”And it's really bionic?”
”Yeah. It's got sensors and s.h.i.+t that actually calculate my next step, kinda like my brain would do.”
”Wow, so it must move more fluidly than mine, obviously, since you don't even have a limp anymore.”
He nods. ”I guess. But then again, you have your own knee, so I don't think you'd need a leg this expensive.”
”I still can't believe that scout paid for this. It's so much money.”
”Yeah, well, he didn't, the team did, but that's not all though, Rose,” Ben says.
”Hey, Ben, I'll see you at four,” Craig says. ”Rose, always a pleasure. Hope I'll see you again soon,” he says, kissing me on the cheek.
”I'll see you Friday.”
”Actually, you won't.”
”What?”
”Ben'll tell you,” Craig says before leaving the room.
I look back at Ben.
”I got another visit from Howey. The team's not only paying for this place, they're paying for extended therapy. In-home.”
”Really?”