ELENA
Elena went to the sink and reached for the soap, washing her hands thoroughly to get rid of the oil on her skin.
“That’s looking good, Jake. I’m happy with how things are going with your knee.”
“Really?”
“Yes, definitely.” Getting some paper towels, Elena turned around to find Jake was climbing off the massage table, tugging the legs of his shorts back down. “You’re still doing the exercises, which is helping to build up everything. I want you to keep doing that, and hopefully you’ll be able to get back to running sooner rather than later.”
Jake sighed. “I hope so. Sitting on the side and watching everyone else play is getting really frustrating”
“I can imagine. But with an injury like yours, we need to make sure you’ve got the strength and stability to get back on the field. Otherwise you could end up making things worse.” She pointed at Jake. “Don’t go back before I’ve said you're ready, or you won’t get any sympathy from me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Jake said dryly. He gave her a smile and nodded. “Thanks, Elena. Payment as usual?”
“I’ll send you the link for it later today.”
“Cool.” Jake picked up his gym bag. “See you later.”
“Bye.”
Elena breathed a sigh of relief as Jake left the room. That was her morning done. Now she could have a break until she went back to it at four. The gym was calling her, and Elena’s body was sore. She needed to do a lot of stretching to get rid of the ache.
But, maybe, she should have something to eat first. Her stomach was growling, demanding food. She couldn’t remember if she had actually had any breakfast; she’d been so busy getting things ready that she had forgotten everything else.
She needed to stop doing that. What was the point of being a physical therapist if she couldn’t look after her own body? Her clients would be looking at her thinking she was an idiot.
Those paninis the coffee house across the street made were sounding very enticing right now. Then she would have an excuse to burn it off in the gym.
Tidying up and collecting her bag, Elena locked up her room and headed down the stairs. She was at the turn in the stairs when her cellphone started ringing. Groaning, Elena burrowed deep into her bag. Why was it always at the bottom when she needed it? Finally, she managed to grab it and saw the caller ID. Again? Didn’t they just talk the day before?
Sighing, Elena answered before it went to voicemail.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Hey, love. Are you busy?”
“Good timing. I’m just going to lunch.”
“Excellent!” Jessica Henry’s tone brightened up. “Where are you going? Anywhere nice?”
“Just the coffee house across the street. Then I’m heading off to the gym.”
“You’re there almost every day. Don’t you ever give yourself a break?”
Elena carried on down the stairs, stepping to the side to let two women pass. “It’s good for the body to exercise, Mom. And I like it. There’s nothing wrong with exercise.”
“Isn’t it bad for your body if you do it too much?”
“Only if you push your body when it’s injured or not prepared. You do need to know your limits, and I know mine.” Elena reached the bottom of the stairs and tugged the outside door open. She stepped out into the street. “Anyway, did you want me for anything? I’ve not got much time to have a break, and I would like to eat.”
“Why don’t you come and eat with me? Or I can come to eat with you, if you like.”
“What? You want to have lunch with me?”
“Of course,” Jessica chirped. “It’s been a while since I’ve had lunch with my daughter.”
“But we spoke on the phone yesterday. What else do we have to talk about?”