Page 154 of Reeves

"Better. The rest has helped."

The lie slides out smoothly. Practiced. I've been telling doctors and commanding officers the same thing for months, but the scans don't lie.

"Good to hear. I'm glad to know it's doing better. Maybe all of that with Kaplan will blow over."

"Yeah. Maybe."

"All right. Orchid later?"

"Let me confirm with you. I'm waiting to see what Charli and Benjy have going on in Bay St. Louis."

"Oh, I see how it is. I get it, though. You only have so much time here."

"Thanks, man. I really appreciate all of your help."

The line goes dead. I set the phone back in the cup holder and merge into the right lane as traffic starts to thicken near the city outskirts.

The house is tooquiet when I walk through the front door. Idrop my keys on the hall table and they clatter louder than they should in the empty space.

"Ms. Landry?"

No answer. She must already be out for the day.

I head upstairs, taking the steps two at a time. In my room, I pull off my shirt and toss it toward the hamper. It misses, but I don't bother picking it up.

My hands move without direction. Opening drawers. Closing them. I grab a pair of shorts and change, then sit on the edge of the bed.

This is ridiculous.

I stand again. Walk to the window. Sit back down.

"Reeves?" Ms. Landry's voice carries up from downstairs.

I stick my head out of the door and see her at the bottom of the stairs. "Good morning, Ms. Landry. Didn't mean to startle you. I called for you when I got home but didn't think you were here."

"No worries. I'm heading out for the day. Grocery shopping, then visiting my sister. Do you need anything before I go?"

"No. I'm fine."

She studies my face for a moment. Whatever she sees there, she keeps to herself.

"There's lunch meat in the refrigerator if you get hungry."

The front door closes behind her.

I change into running gear, snag my AirPods off the dresser, and head back outside. My feet hit the pavement hard from the first step. No warm-up. No easy pace to start.

I hit the pavement hard, pushing for a pace my body can settle into. I believe that false promise, even with Charli's face continuing to flash behind my eyes.

My breathing comes harder than it should this early in the run. I push faster anyway. I can't let myself get out of shape during my leave.

The familiar ache starts in my shoulder, a warning I know by heart. I ignore it and lean into the burn in my legs instead.

The heat builds, my shoulder starts to throb, and I can't get into the run whether I want to or not. I slow to a walk, my chest heaving.

I lean against a mailbox, rolling my shoulder. The pain shoots down to my wrist.

My mind goes back to what Charli said last night. She told me to stretch before I did this. I'll go home and ice it instead of pushing through.