Page 14 of Fractured Grief
“Hey, man, you okay?” Lyric squatted next to me, beside Indy, looking at us questioningly.
“Yeah, f-ine, j-just tired and s-s-sore. Can you t-take Ma and Y-y-aya to get c-c-coffee while I f-finish up? I’ll m-m-eet you at the app-ointment.”
Lyric’s gaze bore into mine. He knew I wasn’t being honest, but he understood that I needed my space. “Sure.” Turning to Indy, he shot him a wink. “Take care of this big lug. Don’t let him give you a hard time. He’s just a giant teddy bear under that stoic expression.”
Color rose to Indy’s cheeks as he smiled. “I’ve noticed.”
Frowning at their interaction, I hissed at Lyric, “Go. Please.”
“All right, all right. I’m getting, I’m going.” Lyric rose and quickly ushered Ma and Yaya out of the room.
As soon as they were gone, I flopped on my back, clenching my jaw to fight the pain.
Indy set a delicate hand on my shoulder. “Let me take a look, okay?”
I nodded but didn’t move or open my eyes.
Indy’s fingers skimmed my knee and lifted my shorts to roll them up my leg. Even through the discomfort, his touch was warm and caused my skin to pebble with goose bumps. The sensations, while still foreign, weren’t unpleasant. I focused on his gentle roving fingers, instead of my injury, trying to hold on to the pleasure skating over my skin. It was happening more when Indy touched me. Something about him soothed the storm inside me. He softened my rough edges. I’d begun to long for those little touches.
“We might have overdone it this time. Have you been doing those weight exercises in bed every day?”
“Of course. I’m s-sure Alfie or one of the n-n-nurses would rat me o-out if I wasn’t.” Now that I’d had a chance to catch my breath, the initial hurt had lessened. “I c-can sit up. Can you br-ring over my ch-chair, please?”
Indy helped me up, then rolled my wheelchair over. It was still recommended for me to use this after every session, since the pain and numbness were fickle. The increased frequency of the cramps I got after a session with Indy meant it was for the best. I’d rather swallow my pride than risk another injury.
My current pain was enough, thank you very much.
I’d mastered lifting myself into the wheelchair, and with the regular exercises, my arms were starting to bulk up. My arms had more definition and almost felt like they were back to normal. Once I’d situated myself in my chair with my feet on the footrests, a nurse was squatting in front of me, assessing my knee.
Thankfully, it was determined that it was a mild sprain, and ice and rest was recommended. I was advised to use my chair for the rest of the day, so I wheeled myself back to my room to shower and prepare for my meeting with Judy and my family.
Chapter 7
Indy
After ensuring Seb was okay with the nurse, I cleaned the equipment before leaving for my office and grabbing my notes before the meeting with Judy and the Papadakis’s.
As I was walking out, I almost ran right into the stout woman who was often with Seb’s mom.
“Oh, sorry!” I sidestepped so I didn’t knock her over. She was short but radiated a formidable air. Even though I had to look down at her—she wasthatshort—I felt like I was a bug under a microscope.
She sized me up, her deep copper eyes holding my gaze. “How old are you?” she spoke with a rich accent. “You are working my Seb too hard. We need him to get better, not injure himself more.” She tutted in displeasure.
All I could do was gape at her.
“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice timid. This woman was kind of scary. I cleared my throat. “Seb’s doing really well?” I tried to reassure her, but it came out as more of a question.
She tutted again, crossing her arms as she glared at me. “You are supposed to be helping him regain his strength and help his leg. Why is he falling? Why does he always look to be in pain? What are you doing to him?”
Her rapid-fire questions had me flustered, but I’d seen problematic family members throughout my residency, though never encountered one myself. I could do this. Taking a deep breath, I stood up tall, trying to convey the confidence I usually had, but it seemed to have deserted me in front of this little dynamo of a woman.
“Sorry again. I don’t think we’ve ever been introduced. I’m Indy, and who are you to Seb?” I asked as politely as I could.
She quirked an eyebrow at me. “I’m Seb’s Yaya and need to know you are taking care of him and not pushing him too hard!”
“Ya-ya, well, hello. What’s a yaya?”
A smile finally cracked her intimidating presence. “I’m Seb’s giagiá, that is, grandmother in Greek, and Yaya is what everyone calls me. Now are you going to answer my questions or keep trying to distract me with those doe eyes of yours, hmm?”
