Page 32 of His Tesoro

“Oh, well, you can use it whenever you need to,” the woman responded.

“But… I don’t know, maybe I’m relying on it too much? Like I’ll get too dependent on it if I use it all the time instead of my rollator.”

I bristled at the anxiety in her voice and braced myself for how the staff would answer. If they said anything to upset her…

“No, not at all,” the woman reassured her. “You probably have times where your symptoms flare more and then subside for a while. Has that been your experience?”

Sofiya nodded.

“You can always use your rollator when you need to, but I would encourage you to use your chair most of the time. Not only can it help when you’re in pain or experiencing dislocations, but it can also prevent them. You very well may be able to walk around if you push yourself, but you’ll pay for it afterward.”

Sofiya’s shoulders softened as if a weight had been lifted. I hadn’t realized she was concerned about this, but I should have after hearing how her father treated her when he found out about the wheelchair.

But she lived with me now, not him.

“There’s also physical therapy you can do to strengthen your muscles and help stabilize your joints,” the man said as he pulled some sort of device out of a box. “It will help keep you strong.”

“What’s that?” Sofiya asked.

“You said one of your goals is to go outside more often. This is a motorized power assist. It attaches to the back axle of your chair. It powers your chair and helps you go off-road, up hills, and just save your arms and shoulders.”

Sofiya’s eyes lit up. “How fast can it go?”

Angelo snorted. “You planning on doing some racing?”

Sofiya blushed. “Maybe. It could be fun.”

The more I watched her, the more I wanted to be close to her. For the first time in years, I felt the urge to take time off from work. I imagined spending the day with Sofiya, going outside with her how she wanted. But I had responsibilities. I needed to find an interpreter for the girls to see what information they had, and check in with Franco, who was monitoring the Albanians’ movements.

But for some reason, my feet weren’t moving to the door.

“Alright, we are all set, Sofiya,” the woman said. “We will give your husband a call once your chair is ready.”

“Thanks so much for everything. It was really nice to meet you all.” She gave them a wave as she followed Angelo towards the entrance. I met them at the door, getting some enjoyment at how Sofiya’s eyes widened at seeing me.

“Matteo,” she breathed. “What are you doing here?”

“I need you to come help me with something.” I’d made up my mind. Sofiya would come with me to the clinic to see if she could get information from the two girls. If Sofiya could translate, everything would be much more efficient.

She raised her eyebrows. “Oh, okay.”

I scanned the street as we left the store, more on edge than usual.

“Thank you for setting up this appointment.” Sofiya’s voice was soft and sweet.

I cleared my throat. “Were you satisfied with the result?”

“Yeah, the new chair should be amazing.” She bit her lip. “I forgot to ask how long it will take to come in, though.”

“It will be ready in a week,” I said.

“Wait, a week? I thought it took forever to get a custom wheelchair made.”

Angelo snorted. “You don’t get it yet, do you? You’re married to the Don. Normal rules don’t apply.”

A pretty blush spread across her cheeks, and I felt like puffing up my chest.

I tossed Angelo my keys. “Follow us to the clinic.”

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