THERE WAS SOMETHING about getting on I-94 and leaving the farm behind with Brendan in its care that Katie found exhilarating, assuming he was still there when she got back. But she couldn’t focus on that now. These hours in Minneapolis weren’t about their issues. They were about focusing on herself and getting stronger and happier, regardless of what Brendan did or did not do.
The physical therapy regimen for her knee was not as aggressive as it could have been, but she wasn’t getting ready for a competition or looking for a non-surgical fix. Rather, she wanted to keep the pain down and the functionality up, buying herself time until she could get her head around the necessary, but nerve-wracking, medical intervention. She was unsettled enough by her competitive career ending; the looming
