Page 68 of Rising Star

I adjusted the crutches under my arms for the umpteenth time, my flesh was raw where they rested against my ribcage. I maneuvered the best I could, pinching my lips together as if that could prevent me from falling face first. Claudia, the physical therapist who’d started coming over ten days ago, stayed close but didn’t intervene. I cursed as I lost my balance and had to grip the banister.

My foot pressed into the ground, and a sharp pain radiated through me. The orthopedist, who had removed the cast, had instructed me to start putting a little weight on my foot and walk short distances every day. Easier said than done since it freaking hurt to do so. After the surgery I underwent, he confirmed it would take a while before I could walk on my own two feet again.

Being on bed rest had been hard on me. Even though the nurse, who’d been by my side since I came to live at Sam’s, made sure I exercised every day so my other limbs wouldn’t atrophy, I still had lost some muscle mass.

My eyes brimmed with tears at the intensity of the pain, and I cursed some more before capitulating and sitting on a chair, ready to throw a fit. Sure, I could walk around just fine with crutches. But doing so, while also using my bad leg wasn’t as easy as it looked.

“It’s not getting better,” I spoke through clenched teeth. “I’ve been practicing for days, and I’m still unable to walk more than half a dozen steps without nausea hitting me because it hurts. Stupid accident. Stupid leg. Stupid crutches.”

“Are you done complaining?” Claudia asked with a raised brow as she neared me. “You can go back to the wheelchair if you prefer. Would you? But I don’t see it helping you get back on that tour bus if you do.”

I offered her a pointed look before murdering her with my gaze. Yeah, she had teamed up with my sister to make my life an even bigger living hell than it already was.

“Claudia, you’re supposed to root for me,” I said with a deep exhale. “Not turn into a boot camp instructor.”

“Maddie, I am rooting for you. If I don’t push you, who will? You seem to have lost faith in yourself. Good news, I haven’t. So, get up. The break is over. Show me what you can do. No excuses this time. We’re not done for the day until you walk across the house in one go.”

I grumbled something under my breath, got up, and executed myself. It took me four attempts to succeed.

Once I did, pride sizzled in me. Pearls of sweat lined my forehead. The temperature in the room felt ten degrees warmer.

After the third try, I almost announced I was done, but now I was glad I persevered.

Claudia high-fived me. “See. I knew you had it in you. Now you gotta walk back there. I’m not gonna carry you around.” She sauntered toward the kitchen, leaving me behind in the den.

With the crutches under my arms to help with the balance and remove some weight from my leg when it got too much, I gathered the last reserves of my energy and joined her where she rewarded me with a cupcake and a glass of lemonade. Yep, my sister was behind the bribing for sure.

“See? Wasn’t too hard, was it? I knew you could do it. Practice till the next session. I’ll be able to tell if you slack off.”

Once Claudia left, I took a nap.

I woke up when my phone went off. I looked at the screen, and sighed, wishing it was Riley. Since we talked ten days ago, I hadn’t heard back from him, and I wondered what took him so long to reach out.

Thrice a day, I was tempted to call him, but I chose to exert some patience and give him more time. Maybe my request was not an easy one, and he needed longer to figure things out.

Emily picked me up at five. I had agreed to the dinner date that I had bailed out on the day my cast got removed.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked as I hauled myself into her car without any help, panting as if I had run two miles, while she stowed the crutches on the backseat. “After what Claudia put me through today, I could use a drink. If Dr. Prescott agrees.”

“One, since you’re still taking meds. And we’re having Thai tonight. That place we haven’t been to in forever. Speaking of Claudia, how did your physical therapy session go?” she asked after I buckled my seatbelt and relaxed against the backrest.

“Why did you recommend her to me? She’s a sadist. I’m telling you she gets high on the idea of putting people through the wringer. There’s nothing sweet or gentle about her.”

I caught the grin forming on my sister’s lips. “I knew you two would get along just fine. You may hate her, but look at you, you’re done feeling sorry for yourself.”

I quirked one eyebrow.

“Okay, not done, but you’re getting there. Hate is a form of passion, Maddie. And being passionate is good. It’s getting you somewhere.”

I shook my head. “I guess. Anyway, thanks to your barbarian of a friend, I can maneuver around the house with the crutches. And walk a short distance using both legs. I’m getting stronger. One day at a time.”

“That’s the spirit.”

We were finishing our plates when Riley Burns walked in and sat across the table, propping his elbows on the table and watching me with his I-mean-business stare.

I blinked. “Huh, hi. What are you doing here?”

“Taking you back home, Maddie. Isn’t that why you called me the other day?”