I tossed my phone on the nightstand and sighed. Not that I was even thinking about him, but to have two guys basically tell you to beat it in a month was a bit more than my bruised heart could take.
Roc had been the one to really wound me, and this guy was just the icing on the cake.
No more men.
My heart couldn’t take it anymore.
*
Chapter Twenty-One
Roc
“You’re doing great, Roc!”
I grunted and pushed against the weights.
“Give me three more and then we can move onto getting you moving without the walker.”
I grimaced and finished my last three reps on the leg bench press. I had been waiting for today.
Walking without parallel bars or a walker. I had been making steady progress all week and had been blowing away my physical therapist.
“Stand up and let’s get this belt on you.”
I shakily stood but gained my balance quickly. Braun, the physical therapist, tightened the gate belt around me and grabbed hold of it at my back. “Let’s hit it.”
Today was the day I was going to be able to have Karen go home, and I was excited as hell. I had been walking around my room without assistance the past couple of days and only used the wheelchair when I had long distances to go.
I was well on my way to being back to normal. Or as normal as I could be after breaking both of my legs.
“This is insane, Roc.” The weight of Braun’s hand at my waist disappeared. “My hand is there, but I’m not holding on unless you need me.”
My walk wasn’t as smooth as it used to be, but I was walking.
I was fucking walking.
There was a slight soreness in my legs, but it was bearable.
We did a few laps around the hallways of the rehab center then ended up back in the large rehab area.
I sat down on the weight bench where I had started and panted. “Holy hell.”
Braun laughed and unhooked the belt from me. “How do you feel?”
“Like I’m fifty-one.”
“Guess that’s better than feeling older than you really are?”
He was right, but I was sick and tired of feeling old. The past month had been nothing but feeling that way. I was hoping soon that feeling would go away.
“Let’s go around a couple of more times.”
“You sure? You’ve done amazing already.”
I nodded. “This time without the belt.”
“Roc, I don—”
“Without the belt,” I grunted. “I’m the one paying you, so if I say without the belt, then that is what we’re going to do.”
Braun held up his hands. “If that’s what you want. I know you can do it but I’m just worried with you being tired that your balance might be off.”
I shook my head and stood. “Let’s fucking go.”
My legs ached and protested when I put all of my weight on them.
There wasn’t going to be running away from shit anymore.
First, I was going to get my walking back and then I was getting Mave. She had been on my mind too much for me to forget her, so the only thing to do was come at her head-on.
*
Chapter Twenty-Two
Mave
“There’s a delivery for you down at reception.”
I glanced up from the computer screen. “What?”
Delaney leaned over the desk and whispered. “Someone sent you flowers.”
“Huh?” My brain couldn’t comprehend what Delaney was saying. Who the hell would be sending me flowers?
She knocked on my head and laughed. “Are you awake now? Someone sent you flowers, and they are at the reception desk.”
I was locked away in my office on the peds floor trying to be invisible. I had picked up so many shifts in the ER that it seemed like I hadn’t even left the floor.
“Who sent them?”
Delaney rolled her eyes. “You’re gonna have to go down there and get them. I wasn’t that nosy when I looked at them.”
Now, it was my turn to roll my eyes. “What good of a friend are you if you can’t do my snooping for me?”
“I actually didn’t see them. I was in the lounge getting a cup of coffee when I heard a few of the nurses talking about the huge vase of flowers for you.”
I stood up and stretched my arms over my head. “I can only imagine what they were saying.”
Delaney waved her hand. “Those are just unnecessary details, girl.”
That just proved they were talking shit about me. “Come with me to get them.”
Delaney shook her head. “Unfortunately, I only had time to run up here to tell you about them. Dr. Dickhead is on the rampage right now. I swear to God, that man is just a walking and talking dick.”
“But everyone just thinks he’s so charming and nice,” I laughed. “How can you not like him?”
Delaney walked with me to the elevator and rode down to the first floor with me. She headed off to the ER while I made my way to the front entrance where registration was.
I spotted the flowers and was thoroughly impressed with how large they were. I smiled at Pat who was working the desk.
“Look what came for you,” she gushed. “They are so beautiful, and they just smell amazing. Everyone keeps commenting on them.”
I put my hands on the vase and slowly spun it around. “They are something.” I looked for a card tucked into the flowers but I didn’t see one. “Was there a card delivered with them?”
Pat shook her head. “Nope. The delivery man just said they were for Mave Clark.”
“Interesting.” I had been hoping they were from Roc, and they could have been, but without a card, I didn’t know.
If I texted him a thank you for the flowers, I ran the risk of them possibly not being from him and making the awkwardness between us even worse. I hefted the flowers into my arms with a smile to Pat and made my way back to the fourth floor. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I struggled to pull it out as I juggled the flowers in my arms.
Who were they from?
Of course it was Delaney. She should have just came with me to get them.
I made it back to the fourth floor and set the flowers on my desk. I inspected the flowers more closely before I texted Delaney.
After I pricked my finger on two of the roses, it was verified there wasn’t a card.
No card. No idea who they are from.
Roc. She replied simply.
I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t sure if flowers delivered were his style. Not a clue. Won’t know.
Ask him.
Uh, yeah. That was big fat no. The man had basically opened the door and pushed me out of it. I was doubtful they were from him. Get back to work. I’ll talk to you later.
Chicken.
Damn right, I was a chicken.
I moved the flowers to the corner of my desk and spent the rest of my day staring at them trying to figure out who had sent them.
The chicken in me won out, and I didn’t text Roc.
My heart wasn’t ready for that.
*
Chapter Twenty-Three
Roc
“You send her flowers?”