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I cracked the lid and a whiff of freshly baked sugar hit my nose. "Christ, these smell fucking amazing."
"Old family recipe." She clapped and then gave a mock salute. "Anyway, Sergeant Thomas reporting for duty."
I couldn't help but grin. "Sergeant already, hey?"
"What can I say? The general liked the cut of my jib."
"Then the 'general' sounds like he belongs in the navy, but I'll let that slide. Anyway, for now, I just want you to work up a sweat on one of the machines over there," I nodded to the corner that held the meager collection of cardio equipment. "The goal is mainly to get your endorphins flowing and burn up as much energy as possible. You'll be amazed how easy it is to fall asleep later if you just tire yourself out."
The skeptical look on her face said that she didn't believe me. I couldn't blame her. Sleep was always one of the strongest motivators for my drinking. When you're desperately trying to blot things out, but all you do is lie awake at night with a racing mind, drinking yourself into oblivion starts to feel like your only option. Finding a way to get to sleep unassisted was going to be crucial to Grace's sobriety.
"Once I'm done with my session, I'll come run you through some other activities."
"Okay."
She gazed at the machines dubiously for a few seconds then shrugged and headed for the bike. Over the next half an hour, I did my best to ignore her. Tony had me interval training, alternating sprints and jogs along the length of the gym, and it wasn't long before all I could think about was the fire in my lungs. But even so, I couldn't help but sneak a peek every now and again. Grace appeared to be taking my request very seriously. She wasn't just idly peddling her way toward being slightly puffed. Sweat was running down the back of her neck as her legs pumped in a furious rhythm. She looked like a woman on a mission. Or perhaps a woman being chased.
When my body could take no more, I collapsed on one of the mats. "Good stuff," Tony said. "I'll see ya in an hour and we'll do some grappling."
I nodded, unable to summon the breath to speak, and then closed my eyes. My sessions often ended this way. People don't understand the conditioning required to be a professional fighter. They think that since we're not running lengths of a football field it's somehow all about strength, but the truth is, there are few things more tiring than trying to go five rounds in the ring. Each strike uses your entire body. It's an explosion of energy from every muscle at once. Your heart and lungs need to be in premium shape to stand any kind of chance.
A minute later, I felt another weight join me on the mat.
"You look how I feel," wheezed Grace.
"So, not good then?"
"I think I'm dying," she replied.
I choked out a laugh. "Welcome to the club."
She spent a few seconds trying to catch her breath. "You do this every day?"
"Yep. Several times usually."
"Christ. You must be some kind of masochist."
"You get used to it."
She gave a disbelieving little snort. "Well, thanks for reminding me why I never exercise."
I rolled to face her and propped myself up on my elbow. "Seriously? Not at all?"
"Nope. I tend to prefer activities that don't make me want to violently throw up. Why is that so hard to believe?"
"I don't know. I just figured that with a body like that..." I trailed off, realizing I was venturing into dangerous territory.
Her mouth curled into a curious little smile. "A body like this, huh? What exactly does that mean?"
"Just that you look fit and healthy," I replied, hating how lame my voice sounded. "Given how much you love food I assumed you had to do something to keep in shape."
She shrugged. "Nope. Just got good genes I guess."
She could say that again. "Anyway," I said, hauling myself to my feet, "it's time for your first lesson."
She groaned. "Come on. I just cycled, like, a million miles. Give me a few minutes."
"Nope. If you lie there much longer, in about two hours you're going to regret it. It's gonna hurt anyway, but if you want to be able to walk later, you can't just stop dead like that." I held my hand out for her and she reluctantly took it and pulled herself to her feet.
