"I can be stubborn all I want, Vic. It's my life. If I want to scale a damn fence, then I'll scale a damn fence."
I quickly follow her up the fence, hoping at some point she'll realize this was a bad idea. She's almost at the top.
"Don't fall," I tell her.
"I won't."
But on her way down, her foot slips. She falls the last five feet and lands with a thump. My heart stops.
"You okay?" I call out frantically as I jump off the fence and kneel by her side.
She sits up slowly. "Leave me alone," she says weakly. "I think I'm fine, so just go away."
"You think you're fine?" I ask.
She brushes dust off her knees. "I'm not leaving, if that's what you think. So I fell. It's no big deal, Vic. Stop looking at me as if I just became disabled. I don't want or need that."
I shake my head, then ho
