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“Come on, let’s not get hasty,” Riley said, looking from Ally to her dad. “I can’t make coffee to save my life. I’ll be more of a liability than help. Plus, I have a lot of homework to do. You don’t want me failing any classes.”
“Do it,” Ally urged. “One day you’ll look back at this time and realize it was one of the best parts of your life. You’ll get to spend time with your dad, you’ll meet new people. And some of the others go surfing after the shop closes on Saturdays. Who knows, you might even want to go, too.”
She could sense Nate’s stare. Could almost see it from the corner of her eye. But she didn’t dare turn her head to see what his expression was.
“Visiting hours are almost up,” the nurse called out from the doorway. Ally turned to look at her, shocked. She hadn’t even heard the door open.
“We should go,” Nate told her. “Let you get some rest.” He stood up and stretched his arms, the action lifting his t-shirt high enough for her to get the tiniest glimpse of toned abs. He tucked it back in again, ruining the view completely. “Come on, Ri.” He leaned down and squeezed Ally’s hand. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, his breath warm against her skin.
“Tomorrow?”
“Yeah. We’re your designated transport home. The doctor’s going to call me once you’ve been discharged.”
He was? Okay, then. If she wasn’t certain to look like a complete fool trying to navigate herself out of the hospital with her leg in a cast and her body relying on crutches, she might have looked forward to that.
10
Nate pulled his dark blue Lexus into the lot behind Ally’s condo building, taking a right so he could park as close as possible to the entranceway. It was a small complex, four white stone buildings clustered around a central grassy area. It was shabby, too, with paint peeling off the exterior, and black graffiti scribbled on the signs that warned residents not to play ball games there.
“Okay,” he said, when he’d pulled up beside the curb. “Stay there. I’ll run around and help you out.”
Ally nodded, but didn’t say a word. She’d been quiet ever since he and Riley had arrived at the hospital to pick her up that afternoon. The doctor had warned that she’d be in more pain today than yesterday since they’d taken her off the intravenous painkillers. Every now and then, he’d see her grind her teeth together as if to try and wait the pain out.
Grabbing the crutches the hospital had provided her from his trunk, he walked around and opened her door. Riley was hovering behind him, as though she wanted to help but had no idea what to do.
“Ri,” he said, giving her a smile. “Can you hold these while I help Ally get out?”
Riley nodded and took the crutches from his grasp, standing back to give him some room. He scooted down next to Ally. “I’m going to help you swing your legs out first,” he told her.
“I think I can do it.” She frowned, trying to lift her cast-covered ankle. She winced and fell back in her seat, muttering something he couldn’t quite hear.
“Let me.” He gently slid his arms beneath her legs and lifted them an inch or two from the seat. She was wearing a pair of cut-off baggy sweats, and one of them rode up as he twisted her, leaving his palm holding her warm, tan thigh. He could feel the softness of her skin contrasted against the suppleness of her muscles. Taking a deep breath in, he pulled her until her feet were over the lip of the car and resting on the sidewalk.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah.” She nodded. “A bit embarrassed, but fine.”
“There’s no need to be embarrassed.” He looked into her eyes, so close to his. “I’m going to help you up, after that you can take over. Can you put your hands on my shoulders?”
She reached out and did as instructed. Then Nate wrapped his palms around her waist. “Lean forward. Put your weight on me.”
He slowly began to lift her upright, taking care not to cause any more pain to her leg. She was light in spite of all the muscles she’d developed from running. When she was finally up, he inclined his head at Riley, who slid the crutches under Ally’s arms. Still holding her, he took a step back, encouraging her to put her weight on them.
Ally began to shake. “Don’t let go.”
“I won’t. Not until you’re ready.”
“They made me practice with them this morning, but it was easier then.”
“It always is. Okay, I’m going to take another step back. Try to move forward. I promise I’ll keep hold of you.”
She nodded, her face tight with concentration. He could feel her transfer her weight from him to the crutches, then watched as she shunted them forward. Inhaling sharply, she gritted her teeth together and lifted her body until she was moving toward him.
“You did it.” Nate gave he
r what he hoped was an encouraging nod. “You want to try without me holding you?”
“Not really, but I’ll do it anyway.”
