Page 39 of Hearts & Embers

"Then I'm glad."

I leaned back against the couch.

"My doctor agreed as long as I stay off my feet as much as possible. The principal has approved the plan, and my classroom is being arranged so I can teach mostly from my desk."

"Mostly?"

I smiled.

"You don't sound convinced."

“I’m not. You don’t strike me as someone who is content with sitting still."

"I'll be careful. Elyssa is driving me there and home every day, the office staff know I'm not allowed to be running around the building, and my principal has threatened to send me home if I overdo it."

"Good."

"You're starting to sound like Elyssa again."

His laugh warmed me more than it should have.

We talked for another twenty minutes before ending the call, and by the time I set the phone down, returning to school felt more real than it had before. The rest of Saturday passed in a combination of lesson planning, laundry, and Elyssa hovering while insisting she wasn't hovering. Oliver seemed unconcerned by any of it and spent most of the afternoon sprawled near my feet as though guarding me from poor decisions.

By Sunday evening, after spending the weekend, Elyssa had packed the belongings she had gradually spread through my apartment since coming to stay after the accident. She did it reluctantly, pausing every few minutes to inspect cupboards, check supplies, and remind me where things were stored as though I hadn’t lived alone for years before she arrived. I let her continue because the fussing made her feel useful, and because a part of me understood that moving back to her own apartment felt strange after everything she’d done for me.

"You know I can still come back," she informed, folding the last of her clothes into a bag.

"I know."

"I mean it."

"I know you do."

"If you need anything, you call."

"I will."

"If your leg hurts, call."

"I will."

"If you start pretending you're fine when you're not, I'll know."

I smiled.

"That sounds ominous."

"It should."

She zipped the bag and looked around the room one final time.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow morning at seven."

"I know."

"And I'll drop you home afterward."

"I know."