Danny sits opposite me looking sheepish. “Hi.”
“Hi.” We exchange tight smiles.
“I’m sorry about last night. I shouldn’t have called you so late,” he says, without looking in my eyes.
“It’s okay. I’m sorry you felt you had to.” I know it’s partly my fault after all. “How do you feel?”
He glances up at me briefly, a look of relief and hope. “Terrible.” He laughs. My stomach flutters. “How about you?” he asks.
“Fine thanks.” I blush. This is terrible, why can’t I control my body?
Danny pretends not to notice. “You have an appointment tomorrow right?”
“Yes.”
“Would it be okay if I take you?”
“Okay, that would be nice, thanks.” I try not to seem flustered.
“What will they be doing this time?”
“I’m not too sure. A new cast I suppose.” I shrug.
Danny nods. “Well whatever it is, I’ll be there.” He gives a shy smile. I get pathetic school-girl butterflies. Connie is right, he has shown me how committed he is to being here with me. So if there is something holding him back, maybe it’s me. I haven’t exactly been forthcoming.
“Thanks,” I say, touching his hand. His eyes dart from our hands to my eyes. He is stunned. I give him a little squeeze and a smile plays on his lips. He tries to keep it under control, but it betrays him and suddenly I see what Connie was saying. Seeing his reaction to such a small gesture, I see that maybe he does need some reassurance from me too.
Then he clears his throat as if to snap himself out of his trance. “I have to get back.” But as he stands to leave, he winks again.
Connie returns. “That looked like progress,” she says.
“I think so. He’s taking me to the hospital tomorrow.”
“Oooh, how romantic.”
“Alright! I know I have to make the first move. I’m thinking about it!”
“Well don’t think about it too long, the poor boy has suffered enough.”
“Ugh!” I huff. “Okay! I’ll do better.” I get up and hop on my crutches into the kitchen to find Danny. I’m acting like I’m cross with Connie for forcing me to do this, but in reality I’m grateful to her. I need this push and it’s exciting to know we could be on the brink of reconciliation. I’m shitting myself. My stomach is turning over and my palms are sweating as I search for him in the kitchen. He is getting ice cream out of the freezer in the back. He turns around and stops abruptly when he sees me.
“Everything okay?” He frowns.
“Yeah, just checking on things in here,” I say as casually as I can.
Danny glances around. “Are we doing okay?” he asks with a wry smile.
I laugh. “I don’t think I need to call a meeting just yet. Oh! I got my date through for the second surgery this morning. 7th of August.”
“That’s over a month away!”
“Five and a half weeks.”
He looks like he’s in pain. “You can’t even start to walk until then,” he says almost to himself.
“I’m used to it now,” I say, trying to ease his worry. “But I haven’t used the wheelchair in a week and I can stand for a lot longer now.”
“I know, but I just...you know. I hate seeing you suffer,” he says quietly.
“I’m okay,” I say taking a step closer. “I’ve great people looking after me.”
Danny eyes me, feeling the change in my demeanour but maybe not allowing himself to believe the possibilities it could bring.
“We all want you back to your old self.” His voice is slightly shaky from our proximity.
“Maybe after the hospital we could go out?” The words wander from my lips unchecked, but I go with it. “We could have dinner or something.”
His eyes light up as he tries to suppress a smile. “That would be really great,” he says, brimming with emotion. We stand a foot apart, I can feel the charging energy between us, it takes us both by surprise. I know he has lifted me naked in and out of the bath on several occasions over the last couple of weeks, but we have treated that like a separate world. It’s not referred to. So this closeness we have now is the first of its kind since he came back. I take a deep breath. I wish he would kiss me.
“Danny.” Someone calls from the door. “Where’s the ice cream?”
Our spell is broken. “Sorry,” he calls. ‘Sorry,’ he mouths to me, as he carries it into the diner.
I go back to the table and slump down opposite Connie. I sigh.
“So?” she demands after a pause.
“So, he is taking me to the hospital…and then we are having dinner.” I smile, looking towards him again. “And I asked him, before you say anything!” I add.
“Well, it’s about time.”
I turn back to Connie and smile.
Chapter Thirteen
Liv
Too scary?
“Oh! That’s amazing.” I sigh as I relax with my whole body in the bath for the first time since, I can hardly remember when. “I can’t believe they took it off!” I repeat for the twentieth time since we left the hospital.
To my surprise, they removed the cast today and didn’t replace it. I still can’t put any weight on it until I’ve had this screw removed, but the rest of my rehabilitation will take place cast free. The feeling of being under the water is both blissful and slightly unnerving. I gently flex my foot again as per my physio instructions, just because I can. The whole thing is just plain weird.
“I think we should celebrate,” says Danny from his usual spot leaning against the bathroom cabinet.
“Okay,” I say, excited about my evening with him. “Where shall we go? Remember I still probably can’t wear a shoe!”
“Leave it to me,” he says cryptically.
I sink back in the bubbles and relax. Things are starting to get better.
“You look beautiful,” he says when I come out of my bedroom. I’ve admittedly gone all out and I feel a bit overdone, considering I don’t know where we're going. But I haven’t worn much more than a tracksuit for so long, I needed this. The crutches ruin any outfit, but despite that I feel sexy, just for having made an effort. Max was right, I did have one decent pair of shoes that fit my swollen foot and he has done a great job with the rest of my outfit too. It feels like that first night Danny came back into my life all over again. I smile to myself thinking about how that ended.
“Shall we?” he says, holding open the door for me. As I pass him and begin to hand him my crutches, he laughs. “I’m not letting you crawl down the stairs in that dress.” He says firmly and sweeps me up in his arms.
“Whoa!” I cry.
“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you this time.” He says gently as he looks in my eyes. At first I think he is talking about my emotions and I freeze, staring intently at him, but then I realise he is referring to hitting my ankle on the door handle the first time he took me to bed. I blush, but then tuck my ankle in, just to be sure.
“Please don’t.” I implore.
Danny grins and we set off carefully down the stairs. Once I’m back on the ground, he holds open the door and we step out into the diner. A wolf-whistle comes from the kitchen as we pass and I stop briefly to chastise Jake for sexual harassment in the work place.
“Have fun kids.” He laughs as he ignores me and carries on with his work.
When we get outside, a flashy car is waiting and the driver opens the rear door for us. It’s not a limo, but is
