Page 15 of Big Trouble
5
Jack
“How did therapy go?” Mom asked the moment I walked back in the door after Andre dropped me off. “And you’re late for dinner.”
I’d forgotten living at home came with rules. And one of those rules included telling my mom exactly where I am every minute of every day.
“I met Andre and we got dinner at the diner.”
She shook her head. “You knew I was cooking your favorite.”
Tentatively, I sniffed the air. The delicious aroma of slow-cooked beef stew hit my nostrils and my taste buds started salivating. I’d only had a salad. And she had made my favorite. I couldn’t upset her by refusing. “Maybe I could manage a small bowl?”
Her mouth pursed into a line. “I know you need to eat to keep your strength up, but you need to be careful about the calories if you’re going to get back on that bike.”
I gave her my best puppy dog eyes. If that worked, maybe she’d also give me some of the pain meds. That stupid therapy session had done nothing to improve the pain, even though the therapist had been a knockout. “Just a little bit? Otherwise I’ll only sneak down in the middle of the night and raid the refrigerator.”
Mom tutted. “Okay, Jackie-boy.”
Fuck, I hated that nickname.
I followed her into the kitchen and watched her dish out the tiniest amount of stew, which I inhaled in a matter of seconds. I didn’t even bother to sit at the table, simply eating it as I stood in the middle of the room. Being on the road, I didn’t get to eat home-cooked meals like this, and it wassogood.
“You want to tell me what they said about your progress?”
“Not really.” I tried to sound disinterested. If I told Mom what had really happened, she’d probably shout at me until morning, telling me that was no way to treat someone who was trying to help me. And she’d be right.
The expression on Lo’s face when I’d made her cry came back to haunt me. I tried to erase it. What I’d said to her wasn’t fair. I’d taken out all my insecurities about possibly never returning to the tack on her. She had only been trying to help.
“Have you got exercises to do? I can always help you with them?” Mom cleared away my empty bowl, then went to the cupboard. She took out the pill bottle and doled out the appropriate dose to me.
I took it straight away, downing it with a pint of water. With a bit of luck, they would kick in soon I could get some decent, uninterrupted sleep.
“Do you want a hand cleaning up?” I gestured to her mountain of pots and pans. Who knew how much effort went into making a simple little stew?
“I’d like that.” She smiled and I noticed how tired she looked.
“Why don’t you go and watch TV? I can handle this.”
Her gaze fell to my ankle. “You sure you’ll be okay?”
“It won’t take me long. And if I get into any bother, I know where the pills are.” I gestured to the cupboard with a wink.
The smile turned into a frown and I knew exactly what she was thinking. Dad was never far from my thoughts either.
I held up my hands. “I’m kidding, Mom.”
She visibly relaxed, her shoulders dropping. “If you’re sure.”
“After the day I’ve had, a little manual labor will probably help wipe me out.” I gently pushed her. “Go. I’ll come say goodnight when I’m done.”
The monotony and routine of washing and drying soon lulled me into a strange sense of calm. I was sure I would definitely get some rest.
Even the pills didn’t help. Despite sneaking one more from the bottle before bed, I tossed and turned even worse than I had my first night home. I kept dreaming of Lo’s tear-stained face and how she’d looked up at me as I’d stormed out. Didn’t need any kind of dream analysis to work out what that meant. I wondered whether they would assign me to another PT. She would no doubt have told her bosses about my outburst. I was surprised no-one had contacted me about it already.
I hauled my body out of bed, my body aching with tiredness. Carefully I rolled my ankle as I sat up, biting my tongue as the pain kicked in. Clearly this was going to take a while. I padded down the stairs clad only in boxers and a t-shirt. There seemed little point in getting showered and dressed yet. I didn’t exactly have big plans for the day.
“Morning, love.”
