Page 72 of Run
She shakes her head and bats away my words. “Don’t worry about it. I think he welcomes the pain. You know, he really took this whole thing hard.”
“I remember.”
Lizzie sticks her hands in her back pockets. “We both have to get back to work. I’m just gonna say goodbye to Knox.”
“Yeah,” I say as I back away. “I’ll see you at the office.”
CHAPTER 25
ARI
“Do you think Ethan killed him?” I dip down into another squat, my ass hitting the workout bench behind me.
“I would have.” DeShawn stands in front of me, hands barely resting on my forearms as I come back up to a standing position.
“Oh, he totally killed him,” Fonz adds from his spot on the floor where he’s sitting eating cheddar popcorn, white powder covering his fingertips and dusting his maroon henley. “Ethan has always been a bear when it comes to you.”
DeShawn holds one finger up, letting me know I have one squat left to go.
The rehab center has become somewhat of a second home for me, due to my twice-weekly physical therapy sessions. Fonzdrove me, and instead of dropping me off for an hour and having to come back, he decided to just stay and watch. I used to hate it, but now I don’t mind so much.
DeShawn’s legs are spread wide, with the insides of his feet resting against the outsides of mine, giving me a little extra support.
I take a breath in, then out, and slowly start to squat down to the bench. I get a little shaky as my ass hits the seat, then let out a grunt as my heels drive into the floor. My thighs quiver as I push myself back into a standing position.
“Atta girl!” DeShawn high-fives me, then backs away to give me space.
After Ethan left me and Sophie at the ROC Record offices yesterday I decided not to reach out to him, instead letting him come to me once he cools off.
“OK, last thing.” DeShawn approaches me. “I’ve got one finisher, and then I’ll let you go for the day.”
Finisher?Fonz mouths in horror, shuffling around beside us as he gathers his things. “All this exercising you guys are doing is making me thirsty. I’m gonna hit the pop machine. I’ll meet you at the foyer.”
DeShawn always escorts me back to the car in a wheelchair when we’re done with our sessions. He says he’d rather work me to the point of exhaustion than to let me walk out of here on my own.
Friggin’ monster.
“Hey, there.” I hear a familiar voice as DeShawn speeds me down the ramp at the front entrance, and look up to see Ethan walking toward us in a pair of fitted blue jeans, a navy zip-up fleece, and tan Army boots.
I frown, surprised. “What are you doing here?”
Ethan assesses DeShawn, who is leaning his elbows on the handlebars of the wheelchair, his face right next to mine. “Fonztexted that you guys had PT today. I don’t have to be to work until a little later, so I thought I’d give you a ride home.” He puts his hand out to DeShawn.
“Ethan, this is DeShawn,” I introduce them. “He’s my physical therapist.”
DeShawn stretches his arm out and takes Ethan’s hand. “Hey, man. Nice to meet you.”
“Same here.” Ethan pulls his hand back and puts both in his front pockets. “What’s with the wheelchair? Everything OK?”
“Hells yeah,” DeShawn answers, dipping the wheelchair back so he can look down at me. “Our girl here kicked some serious ass today, ain’t that right, Ari?”
“Yes. You nearly killed me. Now will you please right-side me back up before I barf everywhere, please?”
Just as my world tilts back to its correct axis, Fonz pulls up in his car. “Hey,” he says to Ethan through his open window. “What are you doing here?”
“I got your text. Thought I’d take Ari home.”
“Awe, kinda like shared custody.” Fonz places a hand over his heart.
