FROM LACROSSE TO HIS ARMS

Chapter 4: The favour

"Where is this place you want me to take you?" He asked.

I swallowed hard and hesitated before speaking. My fingers tightened around the edge of the blanket.

"I want to go to campus. I have some important things to pick up."

Thierry raised his brows and frowned. His eyes dropped to my injured leg, then returned to my face. He didn't even have to say anything. I already knew what he was thinking.

I couldn't blame him.

I had a severe injury, a brace holding my knee in place, and barely enough strength to sit up without feeling exhausted. Asking to leave the hospital probably sounded ridiculous.

"I'm sorry but I'll have to say no. You can't move around for now. What do you need? I can speak to your mum and she can reach out to them in school, rest assured. You'll get it." He said.

I shook my head immediately.

"No."

The word came out faster than I expected. The thought of my mother finding out made my stomach twist.

"She doesn't know about it and soon my locker will be cleaned up. I have something I need to pick. I can't let her see it." I said.

Thierry stared at me for a few seconds.

He didn't look angry anymore. Instead, there was something thoughtful in his expression.

His eyes moved over my face as if he was trying to decide whether whatever I needed was worth risking his job over.

"I'm sorry Chase. I can't guarantee such favour."

My shoulders dropped..I leaned forward slightly, ignoring the pull in my injured leg.

"It's really important." I said, hoping he would change his mind.

He sighed and looked down at my knee brace.

His fingers briefly touched the back of the chair beside him, but he didn't sit. He remained standing there, staring at the brace like it was an answer to a question only he could see.

For several seconds, he said nothing. I watched him carefully. He was fighting with himself.

"You're asking me to take you outside the hospital when you're barely a few days into recovery," he finally said.

I didn't answer.

"If anything happens to that knee while you're there, your mother won't be the only person asking questions."

"I know."

"And if the doctor says no, we're not going."

I nodded.

He rubbed his jaw and glanced toward the door. For a moment, I thought he was going to refuse again, then his eyes returned to mine.

"I also feel you seeing what you care about will help and push you to work harder to get well."

I blinked.

That was probably the last thing I expected him to say. He had been strict with me since we met. He had told me not to walk. He had stopped me when I tried to get out of bed. He had even unplugged the television when I was watching the news.

Yet somehow, he understood something my mother didn't. I didn't just want to go back to campus to pick something.

I needed to see it.

The field, the locker room, my team and the life I had been forced to leave behind.

"Are you agreeing?" I asked.

His mouth twitched. "I'm saying I'll ask."

A small smile escaped me.

He picked up his chart from the table.

"I'll be back in five. I need to get clearance from the doctor before I can take you anywhere."

"Okay." I replied.

He walked toward the door. His hand had already reached the handle when he stopped.

He looked back at me.

"And Chase?"

"Yeah?"

"Whatever you're going there for, we get it and we leave. No walking around. No trying to prove you're stronger than you are."

I rolled my eyes."You have my word."

Then he walked out and closed the door behind him. The room became quiet again.

I stared at the closed door.

For some reason, I found myself smiling, then the smile disappeared. My eyes dropped to my brace.

Thirty days.

That number had started to feel like a countdown hanging over my head. Thirty days to fix what had taken years to build.

I rubbed my palms together and looked toward the window. For the first time since waking up in the hospital, I was going back to the campus.

Not as the captain. Not as the girl everyone expected to win or even as the athlete who had been preparing for professional scouts.

I was going back in a wheelchair.

My throat tightened and I looked at my legs.

The same legs that had carried me across countless fields. The same legs I had pushed until they shook during training.

Now one of them rested inside a brace, useless without someone helping me.

I quickly looked away. I didn't want to cry again.

A few minutes later, the door opened.

Thierry came back pushing a wheelchair.

"Lucky you. He approved it immediately." He said with a smile.

I looked at him. Something about him looked different.

He had changed out of his scrubs and was now wearing a black fitted top underneath a biker jacket, baggy jeans and Timberland shoes.

Without the navy-blue scrubs, he looked less like my physiotherapist and more like someone I could have passed on campus without ever knowing he worked at a hospital.

I stared for a second too long, then I quickly looked away. A small smile tugged at my lips before I could stop it.

"Why are you smiling?" he asked.

"I wasn't."

He shook his head, amused.

"Sure."

He brought the wheelchair closer and locked the wheels. "Okay. We're going to do this slowly."

I nodded.

Thierry moved beside the bed.

"Put your hands here."

I followed his instruction. He slipped one arm carefully behind my back while his other hand supported my good leg. When I tried to shift my body, pain shot through my injured knee.

I sucked in a breath.

"Easy."

His voice immediately became softer.

"I've got you."

His hand tightened slightly around my back to keep me steady. For one strange second, I forgot about the pain. I was more aware of him.

The warmth of his body. The faint scent of his cologne and the way his face was only inches away from mine.

His jacket shifted as he leaned over me, revealing the black fitted shirt underneath. I caught myself looking at him before quickly turning my face away.

My cheeks felt warm.

Why was I noticing him like this? He was my physiotherapist. That was it.

"Careful, you're shaking." he murmured.

I swallowed hard. "I'm in pain."

His eyes met mine.

"I know."

Something about the way he said it made my chest tighten.

He helped me lower myself into the wheelchair. Once I was seated, he adjusted the footrest and made sure my injured leg was properly supported.

"Comfortable?"

I nodded and he e crouched briefly to check the brace again.

He stood and moved behind the wheelchair.

It felt strange sitting there.

I had never imagined myself in one of these. Not once. I had spent most of my life running across fields and training. Now I couldn't even stand without someone helping me.

I pressed my lips together and fought the tears threatening to return.

Thierry moved around to face me.

"I'll take you to your school and monitor every of your movement myself. Are you okay with that?"

I nodded in response. He gave me a small nod before preparing to leave.

Soon, we were outside.

The hospital doors opened and the afternoon sunlight hit my face.

I squinted.

For a second, I simply sat there. The sun felt different. Maybe because I hadn't been outside since the accident.

The world was moving around me.

People walked past carrying bags. Cars moved along the road. Someone laughed near the entrance. A nurse hurried across the parking lot with a file pressed against her chest.

Everything looked normal, but I wasn't.

Thierry noticed me staring. "You okay?"

"Yeah."

He simply moved behind the wheelchair and carefully pushed me toward his car.

Thierry carefully helped me into his car, making sure my injured leg was protected before folding the wheelchair and placing it securely in the trunk.

He checked everything twice. Only when he was satisfied did he close the trunk.

I watched him through the window. Even when he wasn't talking, he seemed focused and determined. Different from the way he acted when we were in the hospital.

Soon, he got into the driver's seat and started the car.

The drive was quiet. Neither of us spoke.

I rested my head against the window and watched the buildings pass by.

Life continued as if mine hadn't suddenly fallen apart. I watched everything through the glass, then music started playing through the radio.

A love song.

My expression immediately changed. I reached toward the switch at the same time Thierry reached for it.

Our hands touched and we both stopped.

For one second, neither of us moved. His fingers brushed against mine.

I felt a strange little spark travel through my hand. His eyes dropped to our hands, then he looked at me.

I pulled away first.

He cleared his throat and returned his attention to the road.

"You can turn it off." He said and focused on the drive.

I quickly turned the music off. Silence filled the car again.

I stared outside again.

My heart was beating slightly faster than before, and I hated that I couldn't explain why.

It was just a touch. Nothing more.

I reminded myself of that.

A few minutes later, my school appeared in the distance.

My stomach tightened.

The familiar buildings rose behind the gates, and suddenly I felt like I was seeing my old life from the outside.

Thierry slowed the car.

"You want me to drop you somewhere less crowded?"

"That's better."

He parked away from the main entrance.

The last thing I needed was students surrounding me, asking questions about my leg or taking pictures.

I pulled my face mask over my nose and put on my face cap.

Thierry got out. He opened the door and carefully helped me out. Once I was seated in the wheelchair, he adjusted my injured leg before slowly pushing me inside.

The moment we entered the building, warmth rushed over me.

I stared at the familiar walls. The noticeboards, classroom doors, trophy cabinets and photographs of teams that had won championships before us.

Everything looked exactly the same.

Students started looking at us. Some whispered. Others stared at Thierry.

I couldn't blame them.

He was handsome, and apparently everyone else had noticed too.

I rolled my eyes beneath my mask.

"Where is your locker room?" He asked.

"Just down that hallway." I said.

Thierry pushed the wheelchair in that direction. The further he pushed me down the hallway, the quieter it became.

The sounds of students faded behind us, then I heard a familiar voice.

I froze.

"How could you do this? She is just recovering and got injured so badly, and all you could think of the next day is to sign up for the lacrosse team captain. How pathetic, Jade!"

My fingers tightened around the armrest.

Ella, I hadn't heard her voice in days.

Thierry stopped behind me.

I stared at the half-open door ahead.

My locker room.

The place I had spent years calling home. The place where I had laughed until my stomach hurt. Where I had cried after losing games.

Where my teammates and I had celebrated victories. Where I had stood in front of the mirror wearing the Red Titans jersey and believed I could conquer anything.

And apparently, things had already started changing without me.

My chest tightened.

Jade's voice came from inside.

"It's not like she will recover soon. We need someone to fill in her place."

My stomach dropped.

Someone to fill in my place.

The words hit harder than they should have.

"And you think you're the best fit?" Ella mocked.

I stared at the door. I suddenly didn't want to go inside. What if everything had already moved on?

What if they had?

Thierry looked down at me. He seemed to notice the change in my face. His hands remained on the wheelchair handles, but he didn't push.

Are you sure you wanna do this?" He asked.

My heart pounded.

I could turn around and tell him to take me back. I could pretend I never heard them, but my fingers tightened around the armrest.

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"Yes," I whispered. "Push me in."