Page 71 of Downpour

“I think so.”

Since Ray had left us in the dust, Callie led me back to a room where two other people were being put through their paces.

“How was your weekend?” she asked Ray when we caught up with him.

I wasn’t sure where to stand. There weren’t any extra chairs lying around or other people lingering in the corner. I parked myself beside his wheelchair and pressed my back against the wall so I wouldn’t be in the way.

“Fine,” he said as he tightened the laces on his sneakers.

Callie didn’t seem bothered by his rancor. She pointed to the set of parallel bars in the middle of the room. “Start with the bars.”

And then she walked away.

“Isn’t she...” I looked around. No one else was coming to help. “Isn’t she supposed to assist you?”

The parallel bars were about four feet away—just far enough that he didn’t have anything to hold onto until he reached them.

“Who? Callie?” Ray shook his head. “No. Her style of PT is kicking a baby bird out of its nest over and over again until it flies. Give me your hand.”

I stepped in front of him and held out my hands. Ray glared at me. “Beside me.”

“Right. Sorry.” I scrambled to his side and waited as he pushed out of his chair. “You gotta be more specific. Saying ‘please’ also helps.”

I watched as he tried to lift his feet out of the footrests. When he couldn’t, he used his hands to pull them out and get them flat on the floor. Ray grabbed my hand and held tight as he pushed up to his feet.

My heart felt like it stopped as he took two shuffling steps forward. I held his hand even tighter.

“Thank you,” he said quietly when we were halfway to the parallel bars. “And I’m... I’m sorry I snapped.”

“You know, you wouldn’t have to apologize as much if you just said things nicely the first time.”

“We can’t all be you, Sunnyside,” he said with a pained groan as he reached out and snagged the bar with his free hand. A few more shuffled steps and he had both hands on the bar.

Callie came back with an armful of resistance bands and weights. “Oh good. You’re ready to start.”

“Is anyone ever ready to be tortured?” he grumbled as he stationed himself on the padded track between the bars.

She laughed. “I want five passes. Try to lift your feet today instead of dragging them. You can do your first pass holding your weight on the bars. After that, I want as much weight on your feet as you can. Focus on your hips. Keep them square.”

While Ray went to work on his first trip down the bars, Callie sidled up to me. “So. Who are you? Sister? Girlfriend?”

“Oh, no. I just live with Ray. But not like that. I work for him.”

“He hasn’t brought anyone with him before. I’ve always wondered if he had help at home.”

“He doesn’t need it,” I admitted. “I think we’re just doing each other a favor. Me being there keeps people from pestering him.”

Callie smirked. “I’d say it’s probably more than that. He’s been different the last few weeks. More motivated. In the early months, he wouldn’t talk to us at all. He’d just half-ass it through his session and go home. I wanted to think someone in the office had a breakthrough with him, but I think it’s been you.”

“You know I can hear you, right?” Ray shouted.

“Mind your business or I’ll make you do more passes!” Callie shouted back.

I giggled.

Callie tipped her head toward Ray. “Hang out by the bars and distract him, will you?”

I gave her a salute. “Aye, aye, Captain.”

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