Page 40 of Colliding with Ten

She smiled, taken aback, as if she hadn't expected this question. Leaning back in her chair, she looked at me. “USC.”

I nodded.

“Doctor of Physical Therapy program. But that wasn’t where it started.”

I leaned forward, hands on my knees. “Where did it start?”

“With dance. I was a performer first, both ballet and contemporary. I trained until I got hurt.”

Every athlete carried the same fear: that one day, the thing that you built your body to do would become the thing it couldn’t.

“I didn’t want to leave movement,” she continued. “I wanted to understand it. Why some bodies come back stronger, and others don’t.”

“So you studied⁠—”

“Kinesiology. I delved further into biomechanics and anatomy. I studied the science of movement.”

I nodded, my mind racing ahead of her words. My fingers trembled with adrenaline.

“USC was the only place that made sense,” Ronan went on. “Their DPT program doesn’t separate athletes from artists. Everyone learns the same language.”

She smiled. “And Los Angeles helps. There are ballet companies, film choreography, elite sports franchises, and Olympic training facilities, all within reach. You don’t have to choose one world.”

My throat squeezed. “After USC?”

“Internships everywhere,” she said, laughing at a memory. “Ballet companies first, then sports performance labs. Orthopedic clinics that specialize in dancers and gymnasts. I wanted to see the extremes.”

“Why?”

“Because dancers are precision athletes. If you can rebuild them, you can rebuild anyone.”

Pride bloomed in my chest. “And after?”

She shrugged. “Board certification in Orthopedic Clinical Specialization.”

I stared down at my shaking hands, then back at her. “Do you think someone like me could do that?”

Ronan didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

“Even if I don’t know exactly what I want to do yet?”

Ronan smiled. “That’s the point. You explore.” She paused, watching me. “That enthusiastic endorsement makes more sense now.”

“Endorsement?”

She nodded, folding her hands on the desk. “Did the push happen because you’re interested in this field?”

I frowned, confused. “The push from who?”

“Well, I didn’t want to take your case. Your injury wasn’t⁠—”

“—substantial enough,” I finished.

“That’s correct.”

“I was told.”

“Conservative care would’ve been fine. You’ll be back on your feet soon, so I initially turned down Dr. Patel.”