Page 34 of Wicked Healing

Chapter 9

Luca participatedin as much physical therapy as he could. And even when he wasn’t in the therapy room he was doing it other places- in the hallways or waiting rooms. When he had downtime he went to the courtyard where they’d let Wicked run, and he just sat on the bench.

Twice he happened across little Hope, and it made him wish even more that Wicked was there. She looked for the dog hopefully, and when he wasn’t at Luca’s side her demeanor seemed to sink lower. Luca used to think that he was mourning Wicked’s companionship, but Hope took it to new lows. If he could have driven out to get the dog he would have, just for her.

Paul was there both times and Luca could tell that he had no idea what to do with his daughter. “I haven’t had this much hands-on time with her ever,” he said softly as they watched Hope play on a tablet. “Tara rarely allowed me to see her, and the courts gave her full custody when she argued that my medical history had caused significant attachment issues.”

Luca stared at him. “Are you serious?”

“Yes. And she was right at the time. Been through a lot of therapy since then,” the older man laughed and it sounded bitter.

“Has she had therapy?” Luca asked, tilting his chin at the little girl.

“Of course. As soon as the accident happened I got her into grief counseling. It’s helped a little. She goes three times a week, but…”

Luca could tell that the worry over the little girl was taking its toll on Paul. “Maybe you should take a break with her. Why don’t you get out of the hospital for a few days and find something fun to do. You know this isn’t an ideal situation for a little girl like that.”

Paul raked a hand through his hair. “I know it’s not but trying to find a decent caregiver willing to deal with my hours is next to impossible.”

For some reason those words triggered something in Luca’s brain. “Maybe you should try the service Erin contracts for. My mother hired them. It’s only for military personnel. I’ll get you the contact info.”

Because he had to talk to his mother this week about what he was doing. Maybe he should ask Erin, instead.

“I’d appreciate that,” Paul said, holding his hand out to shake.

Luca liked Paul. He seemed to be a decent dude dealing with a lot of stuff, though he’d only presented a calm, together attitude to his rehab residents. Hope was the chink in his armor, and Luca was glad that he’d met the little girl when he had.

Luca liked to believe that everything happened for a reason, even the bad parts, and their struggles were meant to make them stronger. Connections were made for a reason. It was happenstance that his mother had hired the service that Erin worked for, but she had changed his life more than anyone else since he’d been injured. Maybe it was Luca’s job to help Paul and Hope out the same way, by creating a connection.

He smiled a little at that, wondering when he’d become so fanciful. His life had been hard and full of trials. Losing his leg had been the biggest one yet, but for some reason he was more… zen than he’d been in a long time. He used to get this feeling when he surfed, but that had been a long time ago, before the responsibilities of adulthood. Before people shot at and tried to kill him.

Now, he realized he had something to look forward to. Erin was right in that he could completely remake his world, yet still keep the best part of it. Wicked was his companion and they would be together until one of them passed on. He knew a dog’s lifespan couldn’t measure to a human’s, but he couldn’t think of losing him when he’d just found him again.

And there was a draw that he felt to Erin that he thought she reciprocated, but they were in a bit of an odd position. He was grateful for what she’d done, taking care of Wicked when he couldn’t, and he needed to make sure that the attraction he felt for her wasn’t clouded by the indebtedness he felt to her.

Part of his excitement in moving to Phoenix was in exploring what could be between them.

Ugh… he had to tell his parents. To that end he called them later that night and invited them down the next day. Maybe they could go out to lunch, he suggested, and his parents were thrilled. He felt a little bad not telling them why he was inviting them down, but he knew they would have to see him in person to understand why he wasn’t moving back with them.

His mother was beaming when she walked into his room the next day. She drew Luca down into a hug and kissed his freshly shaven, undamaged cheek. She never touched the damaged side, and she tried not to even look at it if she could avoid it. That aggravated him more than he’d realized.

Dad slapped him on the back and dragged him into a hug that had Luca tapping out. “Careful on the ribs, pop.”

His dad laughed apologetically. “Sorry, Luca. You look really good. I guess I forgot.”

Yeah, he’d taken some care with his appearance today. Yesterday he’d gotten a haircut down in the salon on the ground level and he’d dug into the bag of clothes someone had grabbed for him, finding something more than sweats. As he was digging through the bag he realized he would need to run to his storage garage before he headed to Phoenix and decide what he needed to take with him.

It had been a bitch pulling his khaki cargo pants on, but once vertical he was amazed how normal he felt. The hospital bed was for sleeping now, and he wouldn’t be hanging out there anymore unless it was time for bed. In his mind he was preparing himself for life outside.

Luca realized he needed to think about driving. Was there time to run out to Spring Valley on the east side of San Diego to pick up his truck from Swamp Man’s place? Maybe he could coerce him to drive it in. He would have to think about it later.

His parents seemed to sense a change in him as well, especially when he led them down to the courtyard to talk. He considered this place his own little spot. It was practically forgotten by everyone other than the occasional gardener, so he felt secure talking to them there. The bad energy and recriminations he had a feeling were coming could drift away on the breeze.

“You’ve changed,” his mother remarked, taking a seat on the bench. “You look good. Everyone is going to be thrilled to see you again. I’ve planned a small dinner party for the day after you’re released.”

Yep, there it was, the first salvo. Luca squared his body, crossing his arms as he looked at his mother. “How did you know when I was being released?”

“Well, no matter how many angry words we exchange I’m still your mother. The nurses are more than happy to update me on your progress.”

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