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“What the hell, Josey! Are you talking about the dog? Who’s Harvey? You make no sense!” I raise my voice at the end of my sentence, trying to get through to this hot mess of a girl.
“Would you calm down? Please?” I ask one final attempt at deciphering her comment.
“Phew, okay. Obviously, wiener is referring to Asher, the miniature dachshund. Harvey is who he belongs to.”
“Wait a hot minute. Do you mean, Harvey is Mr. Fort? Because Mrs. M told me this morning, he is his dog.”
“Sure is. Asher is Harvey’s, Mr. Fort’s, dog. He doesn’t usually roam around in the physio rooms though, so he must have taken a liking to you.”
I try to get my head around all this new information, including that of Harvey. I try to envision more of what he might look like; keeping my sighting of him a secret, but Josey’s comment from earlier labeling him a silver fox piques my interest more.
“How old would Mr. Fort be?” I hope to throw the question under the radar, but it doesn’t go unnoticed for the intention I asked.
“He’s around your age I think, somewhere in his thirties.”
“Hey, I should take offense. I’m not thirty.” I’m glad for the change of subject here, especially after today, because fantasizing about him would be a bad idea.
“Yet.” The devious mischief raises her eyebrows to me.
“As I was saying.” I inhale a deep breath and continue, “Asher came into my session this morning, and we really hit it off. You should have seen us, Josey. It was amazing. He gave me strength, and I stayed on the parallel bars for twenty minutes straight.”
The way Josey lights up at the mention of my progress and the reminder of Asher has my head spinning all over again, in the best way.
“Mrs. M thinks he could be my guidance animal if it weren’t for him not being one. She suggested we wait and if he comes back to see me, she’s going to ask if he could work with me unofficially.”
Josey claps in her chair before breaking out into some random arm dance, moving them in all different ways.
When the hype finally dies down to hushed silence, we enjoy the comfort of our chairs, the outdoors and the peacefulness it brings now we’ve both had a good vent. Although, one thing weighs heavily on my mind now—who exactly is this Harvey Fort?
“I have something else to tell you,” Josey says, gaining my full attention yet again. “The real reason I crashed into you was that Preston had messaged me asking me to be his date for the mid-winter dinner.”
I’m in awe of this girl. She inspires me to no end. From the first day I met her, nothing held her back. And now with this, I’d honestly admit I’m proud of her.
“I’m so happy for you, Josey. Although, to say I’m not jealous would be a major misjudgment on my behalf.”
“Why would you be jealous of me? I’m nothing special. Just a forlorn girl in a wheelchair. Hey, we can still get ready together though, right?” She is the mastermind of deflection, yet I don’t have the nerve to call her out right now.
“Of course, we can. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
With contentment filling my heart, I turn to Josey and give her something to hold on to, hoping it’s enough to keep her going another day. “You’re like a little sister to me, Josey. I’d do anything for you. I just wanted you to know that.”
Chapter Five
Evelyn
I left the garden in a whirlwind of emotions. The devastation and tragedy that comes with any accident, no matter how big or small, will leave an everlasting mark on your heart.
Today, I truly understood that I’m not alone in my recovery. I have friends here that will cherish me no matter my circumstances. Unlike my alleged friends back home that I haven’t heard a peep from since leaving the hospital; It’s saddening.
It’s friends like Josey and Mrs. M that look past the layers, giving you the essence of your soul back. Being able to pinpoint the characteristics you lost sight of momentarily.
As I wait in my last therapy session for the day, I recall all the times I’ve been genuinely happy. Once. How the heck is it possible that, in two months, I haven’t managed to find myself in a joyous manner? Something has to give.
Thinking of ways to improve every aspect of my progress, I ponder over this morning and what has changed from any other day. The simple answer is Asher. He came into my life and guided me. He put a smile on my face. He took all the negative and replaced it with optimism, courage and satisfaction.
Perhaps he’s the reason I have been lucky enough to stand on my own two feet.
That puts a bigger smile on my face, and as I look to the door, a gentleman I recognize walks in, holding the one and only Asher. The little guy starts fussing as he sees me, so the man holding him puts Asher down.
