Page 49 of The Rat

“How was youruncle?”

“Fine.”

“So Captain’s already inthe gym.”

“Eager to getgoing?”

Ollie nodded. “Hellyeah. I beatyou yesterday.”

“You’ve been training withCaptain longer, and remember, I was stabbed.”

“Yeah, you said thatyesterday, a lot, especially after I got you in thatheadlock.”

“It wasn’t my finest hour,and it didn’t make me feel any better when Teddy gave you astanding ovation.”

Ollie grinned brighter. “Hewas proud ofme.”

Captain and Zeke were engaged in intenseconversation when they arrived. Zeke looked up, then excusedhimself.

“We didn’t mean tointerrupt.”

Captain shook his head. “Nah,it’s okay. He’s trying to convince me to see thepsychiatrist again,says it helped him.”

“And?”

Captain rocked back on hisheels. “I can still picture how frightened he looked when I startedyelling. Maybe—maybe in a few weeks, I’ll have the guts toapologize.”

“Don’t wait thatlong,” Rorymumbled.

“Anyway, come on,stretchesfirst…”

****

Ollie was wiping the floor with him,quite literally. Rory panted, and made a time-out sign with hishands.

“You’re getting better.”Captain said.

“Really?”

“Slightlybetter.”

Rory laughed, and acceptedOllie’s hand. He tugged him off the floor, then patted his back. “That’ssix-nil to me.”

“Whatever.”

Rory bowed forward and restedhis hands on his knees. His heart thumped heard enough to distort his vision, andCaptain held his shoulder to steady him.

“Okay?”

“Yeah, justdizzy.”

“You need some water.”

“Ina sec.”

“Hey, Rory.”

Helooked up at Damon. “Yeah?”

---