Page 37 of Last Dance, Second Chance

“Of course not. I’ll pop the kettle on. Come and find me in the kitchen when you’re done.”

When Jessica emerged, tear stains removed, she realised she’d never been in the studio’s kitchens before; it made her feel strangely grown up to be invited in there now. As it happened, it wasn’t a very exciting room — just a galley kitchen, really, with a couple of stools next to one of the countertops.

“Here you go,” said Diana, bringing two steaming mugs over to the stools. “I wasn’t sure how you took your tea so I left it black, but there’s milk and sugar if you like.”

“Thank you. Black is fine.” Jessica hid a grimace that she was once again drinking tea.

“Are you OK sitting on a stool with your foot?” Diana asked.

“Yes, thanks,” said Jessica, resting her crutches against the counter and getting up onto the stool as gracefully as possible. She wished Nathan were there to give her a helping hand.

“So,” Diana said, cutting straight to the point, “do you know how long this break is going to put you out of action for?”

“Three to six months,” said Jessica. “I’m hoping to be able to start gentle training after three, depending on what more X-rays show.”

“But the doctors think it will heal cleanly?”

“Hopefully. The X-rays weren’t as clear as they’d like, though, and they said there looked like there was some previous damage.”

“That’s hardly unusual given your line of work, is it?”

“Exactly.”

“I’m not surprised you’re upset,” said Diana, honestly.

“I’d just landed my first principal role,” said Jessica. “It couldn’t have come at a worse time.”

“That really is terrible timing. What have your company said?”

“Not a lot, really. I called them when it first happened and they sorted out an insurance payment for me straight away, which was great. And I also spoke to my friend, who took over my role. But since then, I haven’t heard from anyone.”

“I would definitely make sure you keep them in the loop,” Diana said. “Ballet can be a fickle business.”

“I know,” said Jessica. “Especially when you’re not sure exactly when you’re going to be able to perform again. Or if.” She started crying again. Diana handed her a piece of kitchen roll.

“Have you been exercising?” she asked.

“Yes, I’ve still got to be really careful with my foot, but I’ve been exercising for at least a couple of hours every day.”

“And have you got a good physiotherapist? A dancer-trained one?”

“Not at the moment,” Jessica admitted. “Hopefully I will once I’m back in New York, but the insurance won’t cover physio over here.”

“It’s still early days for that,” said Diana. “Look, you are the most talented dancer I have ever been lucky enough to teach. And as well as that you’re the most determined. If anyone can work hard enough to get her foot back to full strength, it’s you.”

“Thank you.”

“Why don’t you come along to my ballet class on Saturday morning?” Diana suggested. “You can help me with it. I’m a bit over-run at the moment. And I think it will do you good to be surrounded by other people who love ballet as you do.”

“Thank you, I think that would be really helpful. I do feel a bit like a duck out of water here. No one understands how much ballet means to me. My family have always seen it as just a job.”

“It’s impossible to understand unless you have what I call the ballet gene,” said Diana. “They don’t mean to be unkind, it’s simply not in them to feel so deeply about it.”

“That’s exactly it,” said Jessica.

“And I remember your parents being hugely supportive of you.”

“They were. They never complained about driving me to random places and hanging around for hours waiting for me.”

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