AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Thank you,” I said, accepting another kiss before heading over to the oven to get the pastries. “I really appreciate it.”
I couldn’t believe how lucky I was. Finn had already been spending most nights with me and going on adventures with Olly and me every weekend when he had the time off. He was still spoiling us with food and sending treats for when Gerry came over to study with me. He even sent texts to check in on me during the day and let me know he was thinking about me.
Now he was willingly offering to take time off work to bring me to my doctor’s appointments at the last second. I’d felt guilty asking Deana to bring me to all the appointments, but it was something she and I had always done for each other.
I knew it was a lot to ask of her, but it was one of those perks of having a best friend for most of your life.
It felt different for Finn to volunteer to do it without question. He sat down with me, and we dug into the croissants and coffee. A couple of minutes later, he suggested we run by the grocery store after the appointments to stock the kitchen back up. It was such a simple suggestion, but it made my heart feel warm. It was like we’d basically become an old married couple overnight.
The only issue was we hadn’t talked about anything. Not once had we had a single conversation about what was happening between us. Not even after our first night together. He never really asked if he should keep coming over. I never asked if he was going to come with us on the weekends or if we would go to the bonfires together. We had breakfast together, sipped our coffee, cuddled up on the couch to watch TV at night. He helped me put Olly to bed and played with him when he had the occasional morning or afternoon off.
It felt like we’d skipped the beginning of a relationship and slid right into the middle of it. For right then, I wasn’t going to dwell on that. I was happy. It felt good. And I was still focusing on healing and figuring out what I wanted for my future now that some of my thoughts and priorities seemed to have shifted.
That afternoon, Finn stood by the bed and held my hand while the doctor examined my knee and checked on the progress. He coached me through my physical therapy and encouraged me when the challenge felt too intense. At the end of the day, he hugged me close and kissed me, then offered to bring me for ice cream as a reward for doing so well.
I laughed but then accepted. I did do well. I totally deserved ice cream.
Over the next nearly three weeks, Finn brought me to appointments a few more times. When Deana’s reasoning behind not being able to bring me started to get more ridiculous, I asked if she was just making excuses so that Finn could bring me, and she copped to it. Apparently, my best friend and Finn were conspiring together. She told me Finn wanted to just tell me that he wanted to bring me, but she thought it would be much cuter if he just “happened” to have to keep taking me.
When I was first involved in the accident and the doctors were evaluating my injuries, they expected I would be out of work for at least six weeks. They told me it could possibly be more depending on how I healed. It was that threat that kept me from pushing myself too hard and doing more than I knew I was supposed to, even when I really wanted to.
There was no way I could stay out of work for longer than those six weeks. I was sure Everett and the other guys would understand and they would probably be more than happy to keep paying my compensation package and covering my medical expenses for longer if I needed it. But I didn’t want to put that on them. I didn’t want to run through their patience and compassion and turn into any kind of burden or liability.
There was a fine line between accepting support and help when I was incapacitated for reasons totally beyond my control and just being dead weight that was clinging onto the company. I didn’t want to even come close to the latter. The job I’d once seen as just a step to the next phase of my life had become far more important to me than I ever could have imagined, and I didn’t want to do anything that could compromise it.
This meant getting back out there as soon as I possibly could, taking my surveying test and passing with flying colors, and performing even better than I ever had.
