“Why would you say that?”
“Because for as long as you’ve been with her, Noah, she’s been doing everything she can to keep you away from me.”
“How do you mean?”
“Why are you here?” she asks, evading the question.
“I don’t know, honestly. I knew I had to come and see you. She’s pressuring me to into getting married and I needed to talk to you.”
“And you want me to what? Tell you not to marry her? Tell you to enjoy your life with her?” she sneers.
“I want my best friend back,” I snap at her.
“I don’t care what you want, Noah. You showed me exactly what you wanted when you left me right after professing your love for me. That’s not love, Noah. I may not have ever been in love, outside of loving you that is, but I know you don’t do something like that to people you claim to be in love with. You give them an opportunity to support you and be by your side. You don’t leave.”
“I’m sorry, Peyton.”
“So am I, Noah. Now if you’d take me back outside, Kyle is waiting for me.”
As much as it pains me, I do as she asks. Once she’s settled in her chair, I quietly leave, not saying goodbye to anyone.
27
Peyton
“Today’s the day. Are you excited?” Dr. Colby asks as she comes into the room. I’m sitting on the exam room bed with the help of my dad, with my broken leg propped up on a pillow, waiting for the tech to come in with the handy dandy saw to remove the contraption from my leg. According to the doc, I’m ahead of schedule by weeks.
Excited would be the understatement. I’m nervous, anxious and afraid of how my body is going to respond later when I’m at PT. I want to walk. Crawl. Jump up and down. I want to feel human again. Showering by myself will be a blessing in disguise. I know not only for me but my mom as well. It’s awkward as hell having to get undressed in front of her, to have her wash my body parts. I can’t imagine how she feels, but she does it without question.
“You have no idea.” Dad, Mom and the doc all laugh. If it weren’t for my parents being diligent with my care, I’d probably still be in the hospital. Once I made it through the first night, my parents were shocked to find out I wasn’t properly cared for. I get it to some extent. The surgeon probably thought having bulky casts in the way would prevent people from being able to touch me, but on the other hand, he had zero faith in me and he should’ve. He’s the doctor. It’s his job.
“How’s therapy going?”
“It’s good.” I lift my arms and show her my tiny bit of muscle. Since I’ve started working out, I enjoy it. The draw to keep going is there, and I’ve asked Xander to find me a trainer in Chicago. Much to his and everyone else’s dismay, I plan to return to school for summer classes. Missing a full semester, plus finals, is going to set me back a year, and I don’t want that.
“Your uncle tells me you plan on trying to walk today?”
I nod happily. “I do. I’m tired of the chair. Being waited on is nice, but I’m an independent person and not having my freedom is really a blow to my ego.”
“Okay,” she says. “I’ve spoken to him about stabilization. You have a few options. We can transition from the chair to a cane until Xander clears you or we can go with the Rollator, which is the walker with the seat.”
I blanch. My dad coughs. And I swear my mother snickers in the corner. I give them the side-eye, letting them know I’m not very happy with their non-verbal comments. “I think I’ll stick with the chair until my uncle says I’m good.” There is no way in hell will I be caught pushing a walker down the street. Imagine the looks I’d get. The tabloids would have a field day. They’re already insisting Kyle and I are dating, even though we’re clearly friend-zoning each other. And if it’s not about Kyle and I, I’m either a druggie, a dropout or pregnant. Each time a new headline comes out, I cringe at what it might be. Let me say, it’s been fun in my house lately.
I never bothered to tell my parents I invited Kyle over for Christmas so when he buzzed the gate, my dad was none too impressed to find it was the man who put me in the situation I’m in. They know he didn’t cause the accident, but he was there, which in my parents’ eyes means Kyle is guilty by association.
Christmas was awkward, at best. But as the day went, things got better. My mom was still hesitant around him, but I understood where she was coming from. Kyle and I both survived a very similar accident that took my father away from us – even for me, it’s hard to grasp. However, Kyle has been over more frequently to visit and has even gone surfing with my dad.