Page 56 of Always Mine

“Well, that’s not reassuring at all.”

He winces a bit at my tone. “Sorry… but if it helps, it could always be worse.”

It could be, but damn. I was hoping for some words of encouragement… Maybe a big eureka moment. “You’re a terrible psychologist, you know that?”

He barks out a laugh, motioning for me to bring my arm up and back down. “Guess it’s good I swapped professions then, huh?”

“Yeah, why did you? Aside from your inability to soothe people.”

He makes a thoughtful sound, stepping back a bit to hold my gaze. “My brother. He’s a lot like you, actually. Played college soccer, was a star athlete.”

“Well, he sounds like a cool guy.”

He nods, a little chuckle leaving his lips. “He’s the clown. The one who never takes anything seriously. He’s the go-with-the-flow, if-it-happens-it’ll-happen-and-if-it-doesn’t-it-wasn’t-meant-to-be type of person, you know?”

“Yeah, that does sound like me.” Or the old version, at least. I don’t take many risks anymore. I probably should if I ever plan on getting my guy back though. Damn it, my head is all over the place. I don’t know what to do.

“It must be an athlete thing then. He gets on me all the time about being too serious. Tells me to get my nose out of a book and live a little.” He pauses, his smile dimming slightly. “He was in an accident about seven years ago.”

“Oh, shit. I’m sorry. Is he okay?”

“He is now, thankfully.” He motions for me to do another rotation and I do, ready to hear more of the story.

“So, what happened?”

“Now who’s nosey?” he teases, eyes filled with humor.

“What can I say? I’m not known for my self-restraint.” In any aspect of my life.

“Well, it’s a long story, but my cliff notes is that he was hit by a car when he was jogging one morning.”

“Fuck.” The word is out before I have a chance to filter it. Jesus, that’s terrible, and now I feel like shit for prying.

“Yeah, it was really bad. He was in a coma for weeks and when he finally woke, we didn’t think he’d ever be able to talk or walk again.”

His voice is a little sad and I imagine something like that happening to one of my siblings. It makes my stomach sick. We fight and don’t always get along, but I love them and would be devastated if anything happened to them.

“That’s awful,” I mutter, not having a clue what else to say.

“It was, but he’s a miracle. After some of the most gruesome physical therapy I’ve ever seen, he’s now walking with minimal assistance from his cane and talking better than I think he did before the accident.” I can see the pride radiating off of him when he talks and it hits something deep inside me.

“That’s incredible.” It’s more than that, but again, I’m not sure what to say.

“It is.” He nods, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against a piece of equipment. “Watching him go through it, seeing all the people who helped him get to where he is now was inspiring and humbling. These people really made such a difference in my brother’s life and that’s what I wanted. To be able to help people take back their lives. Seeing the sweat, the tears, the pain… It's hard, but seeing the smiles, the triumph, and defying the odds? That’s just everything. You can’t put a price on it.”

That’s a good point, and it makes a lot of sense as to why he would want to do this for a living. “I’ve never thought about it like that. It definitely gives you perspective.”

“I’ll tell you what, that’s been my tagline for the last several years. I watched my brother go through the hardest thing I’ve ever seen anyone go through. There were so many times when I would have given up had I been in his shoes. I’d have been angry at everything I lost, resentful, but not him, though. He never lost that fighter spirit, even when he was chained to a hospital bed. Couldn’t talk, couldn’t do anything, but he still smiled through it. It was like his way of letting us know it was all going to be okay.”

“And here I am griping about a busted shoulder.” Makes everything seem so unimportant now that I’ve heard that.

“Hey, same though. I’d be just like you. Hell, I am. Spilled coffee sets me off, traffic gives me road rage, and let’s not even talk about when I hear someone popping their gum.”

I feel that on a deeper level, for real. It’s like he’s listing all the things that drive me nuts.

“Well, I guess we can all take a lesson or ten from your brother.”

“I’ll tell him you said that. I’ve been trying to get him to write a book forever. He’s stubborn, though. Doesn’t think anyone would actually read it.”

---