Kelly nods, bending over her right leg, stretching her hamstring. “It took a lot of rehab and PT before he could jog again, but yeah. He’s not as fast as he used to be, but he puts in a few miles almost every day.”
I can’t help a bitter huff. “I can still barely walk, and that’s with a limp and a cane.”
Kelly finishes with her hamstrings and moves to sitting, grasping her toes and slowly extending forward. “Ann, yours is a totally different injury. Your entire knee was basically dissolved. You’re lucky you didn’t lose the leg from the knee down. Walking at all after what happened is a miracle.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s just hard. In my soul, I’m still an athlete. My body just can’t do what I want it to.”
Kelly grimaces at me. “I’m sorry, babe.”
“At some point, I think you oughta see another physical therapist,” Chance tells me. “Get an assessment. See if you could rehab it any further, you know? Get more mobility. And if not, at least you know, you know?”
I frown at him. “With what health insurance and what money?”
He frowns back. “We know people, mama. We can get you in to see the best physical therapist in Vegas, I fuckin’ guarantee. And you ain’t gonna worry about the cost. We’ll take care of it.”
Kelly eyes Chance questioningly. “We?”
“Where I work. We’re a close-knit group, mostly combat veterans with issues that make it hard for us to stay gainfully employed at a normal business.” He glances at me, likely considering how much to tell her. “It’s a nightclub. We work security. It’s good work, good pay, and the owner provides living quarters for us all together, underneath the club. It’s a good gig for fucked-up dudes like me, for whom normal socialization ain’t really an option.”
Kelly looks at Chance thoughtfully. “You seem well adjusted enough to me.”
Chance laughs. “Trust me, I ain’t.”
“So, should I worry about Annie, with you?”
I answer for him. “No, Kel. You don’t need to worry. Chance is…he’s good. I’m good.” She smiles at me. “We’re good. Promise, babe.”
Kelly looks between Chance and me. “I don’t mean to question you, I just…my girl’s been through enough. I don’t want to see her go from trouble to trouble, you know?”
Chance nods, unfazed. “I getcha, Kelly. And I appreciate you lookin’ out for Nikki. All I can do is promise you that while I may have my issues, I wouldn’t ever do anything to hurt Nik. Not anything, not ever.” He looks at me. “I care about her, a fuckin’ lot. Ain’t known her for a long time, but…I guess my heart don’t seem to know that. My heart seems to feel like I’ve known her my whole life. I’ll take care of her. You got my word of honor on that.”
My heart squeezes, clenches, flip-flops. Words bubble up and stick in my throat. “Chance…”
He rests his mug on his knee and slings an arm around me. “I told you, mama. I fuckin’gotyou.”
I sniffle, turn my face into his arm. “Dammit.Again.”
Chance just laughs softly, kissing the top of my head. “It’s all good. You lived under a heavy-ass cloud for a long damn time. Like your girl said last night, it’s gonna take time to process all the shit you got pent up in there.”
I just shake my head against his arm. “Don’t want to. It’s too much.”
Kelly moves to sit beside me. “If you can come here and reconcile with me, then you can do anything.” She leans against me. “You talk to your mom, or anyone else?”
I nod. “Mom, Gram, and Erin.” I sniff a laugh. “I saved the hardest for last.”
Kelly laughs with me. “You always did like leaving the hard stuff for last.”
“Once the easy stuff is out of the way, I can put all my focus onto the hard thing.” I laugh. “In this case, though, I just had to work up the courage.”
“I love you, Ann.” Kelly kisses my cheek. “Unfortunately, I have some research to do that I can’t do from home.”
I sit up and wipe my face with both hands. “I love you, too.”
“Luis and I can come visit you, maybe? Where are you living, now?”
Chance answers for me. “She’s living with me in Vegas.”
I eye him. “You’re sure about that?”
