Page 10 of Release
Chapter 5
SEBASTIAN limpedwith one crutch toward his aunt and uncle’s minivan parked in his driveway.
“Do you have your other crutch?” Aunt Sadie asked when he climbed into the car.
“The clinic people said I should be walking with just one now. I don’t need it.” Grunting, he heaved the crutch into the backseat and slammed the passenger door closed, buckling into his seatbelt. “Let’s get this physical therapy over with,” he grumbled. He huffed testily as he settled in next to his aunt, then remembered she was taking time out of her day to help him. He turned and smiled at her. “Sorry about this mood I’m in. I’m glad you offered to spend time with me under the guise of taking me to physio.”
“Aww, honey,” she chuckled. “Your uncle Lucas and I haven’t seen you for months. You shouldn’t be going through this alone. It’s the least we can do.”
“Thanks, Aunt Sadie. It’s not a fun trip is all.”
She turned the car key to start the engine. “I hear you, Sebastian. I wish you didn’t have to go through any of this. You sure do look like you hate it. Honestly right now, I can’t tell if it’s making you better or worse, the way you are now, before the appointment even starts.”
Sebastian looked back through his passenger side rear view mirror as Aunt Sadie reversed out of his driveway. “It’s tough to get used to, but you’re right. I need to take it in stride and stop whining and complaining about it. They said…well, you know I might not be able to go back to work after this. I’m trying to change that prognosis. I just have to push myself harder.”
His aunt glanced over at him once she began driving down his main street, holding the sympathetic lift of her brows. “Don’t go too crazy with it, son. Lucas said when he picked you up the last time you were overdoing it with some intense workout video. What’s it called, ‘Stupidity’? I don’t want you to break your neck trying to get better. You don’t want to push too far too fast, honey, or you might make things worse.”
The car zipped along the street, following through a light afternoon traffic. Sebastian smiled and gazed out the window. No way was he telling her the video was calledInsanity, or that he was doing some parts of the workout to keep his upper body and core in shape, but maybe also to keep from focusing too much on Alexandra.
“What are you going to do if you can’t return to firefighting?” She gripped the steering wheel and swerved to keep from hitting a vehicle that cut in front of her without indicating the lane change. “Damn fools! Why don’t you learn how to drive!” she yelled out her now open window.
Sebastian laughed out loud. His aunt was the sweetest ball of fire on the roads of Tucson. “Aunt Sadie, you can’t be starting any fights now. I’ve got a bum knee,” he joked. She snickered and quickly calmed down. Resting his head on the headrest, Sebastian contemplated how to answer her question. “About work? I have no clue. I can’t come up with how I’m going to manage and move on if they say I can’t go back.”
“You really don’t have any plans? Well, I’m sure your uncle can talk to someone at his company and find you a position. He’s always wanted you to have a nice suit and tie job. You look so good in a suit.”
“Heck, no. That’d be torture. I appreciate the gesture, but I can’t see myself showing up for work in a suit and tie every day, or working out of an office.”
“Don’t go dismissing options so soon, Sebastian.”
“Well, yeah, but...” he sputtered. She was right. He needed to keep his options open. He had bills to pay, and the truth was, when it came down to it, he was a survivor and would adapt. “I guess you’re right. Let’s just put that idea of Uncle Lucas and me working in an office together at the bottom of the option pile for now. I love him and all, but for me to be in an office all day would be downright punishment to everyone else in the building.”
“You’ll come up with something to do, son. I’m sure of it. Just remember what the orthopedist told you. Anything more strenuous than office work might make that leg worse. I know how you must feel. It’s hard to believe you’re going through this at such a young age, love, but we’re here for you.”
“Thanks. That means a lot.”
“So what about the arthritis? Is he sure that part of the diagnosis is accurate? You seem awful young to get that.”
“It’s traumatic arthritis,” he answered, gazing away.
All those times he had banged his knee here and there on the job, or lifted something the wrong way, or pushed through the pain and kept going—things that had not seemed like a big deal at the time—they had all culminated in this serious add-on to his diagnosis. According to the specialist, it couldn’t be reversed, just tempered a bit if Sebastian learned to take care of himself. The bottom line was that any job requiring the frequent use of stairs, or to be on his feet for long hours at a stretch would be out of the question—if this physical therapy didn’t work.
Aunt Sadie drove up to the entrance of the clinic. “All the same, I wish you didn’t have to worry about it. Well, here we are. Oh, don’t forget your crutch. Remember, try not to overdo it.”
“I’ll try.”
“I’ll be back in an hour or so,” Sadie called through the window.
“See you soon.” He hopped out of the car. Turning to look at the front doors of the therapy center, he took a breath and hobbled toward the automatic doors on one crutch.
“I can’t wait for this to be over,” Sebastian muttered to himself. He was counting down the days like a kid anxious for Christmas. The sooner the doctor could clear him for work, the faster he could return to his job as a firefighter. That’s all he wanted to do, and he was going to make it happen.
I’m Sebastian Sullivan.
I’m a firefighter.
I don’t know how to be anything else.
This therapy has to work.
