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I couldn't deny my attraction for him. He was gorgeous and kind. I did as he instructed and let my legs withstand more and more weight. When I was comfortable enough, I started taking very slow steps. It was absolutely exhausting, but with Grady so close behind me, it encouraged me to try harder than I had earlier. I made it from one end of the bars to the other, which equated to twenty-eight steps. More than double from this morning, but my muscles were on fire.
"I need to sit."
"That was amazing. I knew you had more in you. Want to get some fresh air before I take you back?"
Grady scooped me up like a baby and put me back into the chair.
"I'd like that." I hadn't been outside yet, and the air on my perspired skin sounded like heaven.
We went out through the physical therapy room and passed the pool, then out onto the sidewalk path that led around a large open area filled with trees and benches. It was a warm evening with a light breeze that caused the sweat to burst into prickles all over my body. I wrapped my arms over each other and rubbed lightly.
"Are you cold?"
"No. It feels good. Thank you for bringing me out here and for including me in the race. It was fun."
"You looked like you needed a little fun." He stopped at a bench and sat down on the end, putting me beside him.
"Jackson. Why is he here?"
"Cancer." Grady hung his head low and rubbed his hands together nervously.
"How long has he been here?"
"In and out since I've been here. So, a couple of years."
"That's not good, is it?"
"No. When he left in full remission last year, I thought he was in the clear, but the cancer returned. He's been here since just after Christmas."
It occurred to me that I had no idea what day it was or season or year for that matter. "What's the date today?"
"Friday, July 10th."
The weather made more sense now. It was summer. That meant Jackson had been in here for over six months. "Do you think he'll make it through again?"
"I don't know. I hope he will. His parents are here every day, and he has a little sister and older brother that visit, too. He would be missed by a lot of people if he didn't."
I could tell the conversation was making Grady uncomfortable, so I changed the subject. “What do you do besides wheelchair derbies at the hospital?"
He laughed loudly. "I visit rooms until I find the next perfect rider." He winked. "I should get you back."
He stood up, and we remained in silence the rest of the way to my room. I had changed the subject, but it was obvious he didn’t want to talk anymore.
When we returned to my room, he stealthily sneaked by the nurses' station and helped me back into bed. I had been freed of the IV and the heart rate monitor this morning, so I was no longer tied down to the bed, and the only beeps I heard came from the other rooms in the vicinity. He tucked me in like a gentleman.
"It was fun racing with you tonight." He smiled from the doorway, shut off the light, and closed the door.
"Thank you," I whispered a moment too late.
Through the door, I heard a nurse scold him, "Grady, you can't keep stealing patients in the middle of the night."
I laughed to myself as I pictured the nurse with her hands on her hips, scolding him like a child. The tone of her voice told me she had given up on punishing him a long time ago.
"What? I just took her for a walk," he said innocently.
I had no doubt he was batting his bright blue eyes and long lashes at the nurse in an attempt to appease her.
I shut my eyes when it got quiet and fell asleep with a sense of peace.
