Page 83 of Revive Me

“Your records said you haven’t done aquatic therapy. Was it the lift?”

She knows me so well.“Among other things, but yes.”

She nods. “I figured. We don’t need to use it. I trust both of us that you can safely slide into the water. Any other concerns I should know about?”

I swallow nervously and look around the room. It’s a small pool, clearly used for something that isn’t swimming laps, and I notice Lily somehow made it so there’s no one else here. Any fears I have, anything that happens…it’s just us.

“What—” I clear my throat and try again. “What exactly are we doing?”

Lily gives me a soft smile. “Whatever we feel like doing. We can get in and use the bars to practice walking—forward and back, side to side—or we can just get in and float.”

Slowly, relief trickles into my bloodstream. “Okay. Can we decide when we get in?”

“Of course. But—”Here it comes.“I need to put a flotation device around you.” She looks almost guilty as she says it. “I’m certified as a lifeguard, but to be extra safe, I figured I’d tie a pool noodle or two around your chest. Is that okay?”

I have a now-rare negative thought ofnone of this is okay, but I can admit the idea makesmefeel better, too. I nod. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

I can see the relief on Lily’s face. Setting the towels down on a nearby chair, she strips her shirt and sweatpants off in quick motions, then straightens and waits for me to do the same.

I don’t think I can move past the pounding in my chest.

She’s wearing a modest one-piece blue bathing suit but…at this point, I’m pretty sure she could be wearing a burlap sack and I’d still think she was the most beautiful girl in the world. She mighthaveto wear a sack to cover her curves. Because even a swimsuit that covers her tits and ass is tight enough to revealthem.

“Roman?” she asks. My brain catches on to the humor in her tone, and my gaze shoots to her face.

Her hands are on her hips, lips are pressed together, and those blue eyes are laughing at me. “Payback for the abs,” she says casually.

I bark out a surprised laugh. “Touché.”

By the time I’ve managed to wiggle out of my joggers and strip off my shirt, I think I hear her murmur, “Definitely a bad idea.”

I don’t respond. The truth is, I’m relieved our flirting has lightened the moment. I’m hoping the sensation of being in the water helps the pain, because this is actually terrifying.

Slowly, I climb out of my wheelchair and onto the soft water mat beside the pool. Then I scoot over to the edge.

“Hold on,” Lily says from behind me. She’s been close enough to touch this whole time, of course. I hear her grab something, then feel as she loops it around my chest and fastens it in the back. I look down to see…not quite a floatie, but some kind of flotation device.

“Here,” she says, handing me a pool noodle. “I figured you’d feel better having one to hold on to.”

She’s not wrong. Holding the noodle tightly in one hand, I scoot closer to the edge and prepare to slide into the water. But then there’s a splash, and I realize Lily beat me to it.

I quirk an eyebrow at her standing in front of me, the water up to her collarbone. “You gonna catch me, Doc?”

She’s not laughing at my teasing.

“Always.”

And when I finally enter the water, it’s with a racing heart.

I let out the most relieved sigh when the splash has cleared, and I’ve settled onto the pool noodle. Even in the shallow water, my legs stretched out before me and feet grazing the bottom, the weightlessness feels…euphoric.

“What thefuck, Liliana,” I groan up at the ceiling. “Why haven’t we done this before? This is the least pain I’ve ever been in.”

I barely hear her soft giggle, but I feel the way she grabs the end of the noodle to stay close to me. “I can look into getting you in here during the week sometimes.”

“I’d pay any amount of money for that,” I mumble, my eyes closing.

She lets me simply float. I revel in the feeling of being weightless, my nerve pain dulling to barely a hum. After a few minutes, I ask, “Can we go a little deeper? So I can straighten and stretch out my legs?”

---