Choices - 7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

“You’re doing great, Liam. Keep it up. Just two more and you’re done.”

Liam grunted in acknowledgement, pushing against the leg press. His muscles were tiring quickly, but he was determined to get through the exercises. Wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, he sat up, breathing heavily. “Done.”

“Wonderful, Li. I’m impressed with your progress.”

Liam grinned up at his boss before gratefully accepting a cold bottle of water. “I really want to get back to my old self.”

Corey nodded, grabbing a towel from a nearby cabinet. “I can understand that; just don’t put any unrealistic expectations on yourself.”

“I know, I know. I’ve heard you give that speech to every patient who has walked through the door.” He winked to show he wasn’t upset.

Before leaving, Liam couldn’t help but check in on the young woman who was temporarily replacing him. According to Corey, she was doing a good job, but his boss missed all of the ‘little things’ Liam did without being asked, such as ensuring the exercise area was restocked with fresh towels before each patient, and sorting the junk out of the mail. Although he didn’t wish any ill on his replacement, Liam could admit it felt good to be missed. After booking his next appointment he said goodbye and stepped out into the crisp afternoon air.

Letting himself into the apartment later that afternoon, he hung up the keys to the rental car the insurance company had provided and headed for the kitchen in search of a snack. As he contemplated the contents of the refrigerator, he was struck by how quiet the apartment was. Marty had returned home a little over a week ago, and Liam missed him fiercely. His best friend’s daily calls to ‘check in’ were nice, but it wasn’t the same as having Marty close by.

Nathan had come over once since Marty’s departure. They’d decided to cook instead of ordering in, but neither man was very proficient in the kitchen. After some discussion, they settled on chili, which was the one thing Liam knew he consistently made well. The night was fun, even if the movie was terrible, which helped to alleviate some of his loneliness, but overall, life had been fairly quiet.

Thinking of the paramedic reminded Liam he’d promised to meet Nathan for coffee before work. Checking the time, he closed the refrigerator door, deciding instead to grab something at the café. After a quick shower, Liam pulled on jeans and a long sleeve shirt… which was as difficult as one would expect with only one hand… texted Nathan, and headed back out. Downtown traffic was surprising light for the time of day, and he managed to find a spot to park close to the coffee shop. He hurried inside, and spotted Nathan by the window.

“Hey,” the man said as Liam sunk into the seat across from him, tea and a bagel in hand. “How was physio?”

“It was a bitch. Corey’s a slave-driver, but he gets results.”

“The doc say when you’re getting that cast off?”

Liam grinned happily. After a follow up appointment with his doctor the day before, he’d finally been given medical clearance to drive. “He said it’s healing nicely and I’m on track to get it off in a few weeks, and I’m allowed behind the wheel again.”

“That’s great. No more taxis for you.”

“Nope. I even picked up a shiny new rental yesterday. Just call me Mr. Independent.”

Nathan chuckled, his blue eyes sparkling with humour. “You seem to be handling that scratchy thing better than I did.” He nodded towards Liam’s casted arm. “I know I couldn’t wait to get mine off. I was ready to rip the thing off with my teeth by the end.”

Liam nodded in agreement. “Oh, I hate it, don’t get me wrong, but it’s nice to hear that I’m actually on the mend.”

“You’re doing great,” the paramedic responded, gripping his hand gently. “And if all else fails, I’m sure I have a saw I can lend you.”

Liam laughed. “I’m going to hold you to that.” He was about to ask about Nathan’s last shift when he saw someone walk in, drawing his attention. It was Aleksei’s little sister, Elena. A small smile tugged at her lips before her gaze dropped to his and Nathan’s joined hands. Liam was confused by the flash of hurt he saw in her eyes, which was quickly replaced by a tentative smile as she approached their table. He self-consciously pulled his hand free and turned to the petite blonde.

“Elena, it’s been awhile.” The last time they’d seen each other was last September at one of the local markets. She’d skirted around the topic of Aleksei, but it was obvious she was saddened by their breakup. Elena had reluctantly confirmed her brother was dating a friend of the family. Judging by her irritation, Liam got the impression it was a sore subject between the siblings.

“Oh Liam, I heard about your accident. I was going to call, but….” Elena cleared her throat and blinked rapidly. “I wanted to call, but Alexei said we should leave you be. He didn’t want to upset you any more than he already had. He thought if we called, you might think….”

“It’s all right, Elena.” He reached out and gripped her hand. “I understand.”

“I’m so glad you’re getting better,” she said with a sniffle. “We were so worried about you. I know Nat will be disappointed she missed you.”

In the time he and Alek had been together he’d gotten to know both sisters pretty well. Natascha and Elena were the only people in the family who knew about Alek’s sexual orientation, and although they supported their brother, both acknowledged the rest of the family would not be understanding.

As an example of their family’s beliefs, Nat had told him the story of a cousin who’d come out as a teenager. Their father had been extremely vocal about Luka’s ‘deviance,’ and their mother fully supported her sister’s decision to throw out her only child. As far as the siblings knew, no one in the family would take the boy in. The experience would have been sure to leave a lasting impression on a fifteen year old Aleksei.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Nathan shift in his seat, and flushed, embarrassed that he’d almost forgotten the man was there. “Elena, I’d like you to meet my… friend… Nathan. Nathan, this is Elena Petrov.”

Nathan stood and held out his hand, smiling at the petite woman. “It’s a pleasure.”

“It’s nice to meet you as well.”

Liam gestured for Elena to sit, but she declined with a kind smile. “No, I just came in to grab a hot chocolate and a bagel before I went home to bed.”

“It’s awfully early,” Liam noted, looking at the clock. “I guess you had a busy night at the clinic?” Elena was one of his veterinarian’s assistants.

“We delivered a litter of kittens early this morning,” she confirmed with a pleased, if tired, smile. “They’re adorable, but none are as sweet as Tux. How is he? I’ve missed the rascal.”

Liam chuckled. “He’s good. My friend, Bryce, took Tux home with him while I was in the hospital. He’s coming to town this weekend to bring him home and to get me out of the house,’ as he says.” Bryce had scolded Liam several times over the past six months that he needed to put himself out there and find a new man. His philosophy was: The best way to get over one man was to get under another.

“Give him a scratch behind the ears for me,” she said, stifling a yawn. “I’d better go. It was good to see you, Liam. We all miss you.” Liam noticed the sideways glance she gave Nathan. “It was good to meet you, Nathan.”

“You as well.”

“Goodbye, Elena.” Liam stood to give her a hug. Regardless of what had happened between him and Alek, he still considered Elena a friend. “I’m glad you came over. Tell Nat I said hello.”

“I will. Take care of yourself, and no more car accidents.”

Liam watched her walk to the counter before sitting.

“Aleksei’s sister?” Nathan asked, drawing Liam’s attention.

“Yeah. Younger sister.”

“She seems very nice.”

“She’s wonderful. Always so upbeat and cheerful. I swear she could make anyone smile, no matter how bad of a mood they’re in.” His gaze travelled back to the petite blonde. As if sensing his gaze, she turned and gave him a sad smile before walking through the door and out of sight.

He returned his focus to his friend. “So,” he said, mustering up a smile. “How was your shift last night?”

After Nathan left, Liam ordered another tea, not wanting to go home just yet. He read the complimentary newspaper and people watched, wondering what to do with the rest of his day. As if sensing his boredom, his phone buzzed with an incoming message from Marty.

’With all of the time off you have, it wouldn’t hurt for you to look into the physiotherapy program,’ his friend wrote, continuing their conversation about Liam’s career aspirations.

‘You’re right. I think I might do that.’

‘There’s no time like the present.’

Liam stared at the message. What was the point in waiting? It’s not like I have anything better to do with my afternoon. Right? After throwing his trash away, he drove to the university. It took some time to navigate the busy campus, find parking and locate the office of the registrar, but he managed. Two hours later he was walking back to the vehicle armed with information, forms to fill out, and a sense of excitement he hadn’t felt in a long time.

The drive home didn’t diminish his excitement, and he haphazardly tossed his coat and boots aside before grabbing his laptop from the bedroom. He settled on the couch with the information package the kind woman at the university provided him, and started typing.

Hours later he looked up from the screen, noticing with a start how much time had passed. Thoroughly preoccupied with his task, he’d missed dinner. His stomach growled, as if agreeing it was time for a break. Stretching his arms over his head, he enjoying the pop in his back, but was careful of his still tender ribs. They were healing well, but sudden movement still caused the pain to flare.

Anxious but excited by his decision to pursue a degree, he grabbed his phone from the side table, needing to share the good news with someone. Before his fingers clicked the last digit, he froze, realizing he was calling Alek. What the hell? Can’t I forget the man for one day? With a grunt of irritation he started again, punching in Corey’s number. His boss had tried to talk him into going back to school for years, and would be thrilled with the news. The man proved him right by yelling into the phone.

“Calm down, Cor,” Liam interrupted with a laugh. “I haven’t even gotten in yet.”

“I can’t see why you wouldn’t. Your grades in the sciences were really good.”

“But I’ve been out of high school for years, and my medical office assistant certificate isn’t transferrable.”

“That is true,” Corey admitted, “but they’ll take all of your education into consideration when evaluating your application as a mature student.”

Feeling more confident about his chances, he said goodbye to Corey and then texted Marty, asking the man to call when he had a minute. He didn’t even have a chance to put the device down before his cell rang.

“I didn’t mean you had to call immediately.”

“I’m sitting in my truck waiting for a property owner, so I had time. What’s up?”

“I went to the university today.”

“You did? That’s wonderful, Li. You’ll do great.” Marty sounded as excited as Corey, and Liam felt his smile widen. Between Corey and Marty he had the world’s most supportive cheering squad.

Liam filled his friend in on the program, and the application process. Marty agreed that the combination of Liam’s high school grades, and his college education should give him the prerequisites required for acceptance.

“I need to contact our old high school for a transcript.”

“I wonder if Dobbs is still terrorizing the students.” Marty said with a snort, referring to their sadistic physics teacher. He’d always assigned a ton of homework, and was the only teacher to have work due the day of their semi-formal dance.

“That man enjoyed being an asshole too much to ever retire.”

“Do you remember the time he kicked Joe Walley out because he fell asleep in class?” Liam could hear his friend’s voice becoming wistful as they reminisced.

“Well to be fair, Joe did start snoring pretty loudly.”

“The kid was asking for… oh, shit, I’ve gotta go, Shorty. The client just pulled up. Don’t forget to call about that transcript tomorrow.”

“I won’t. I’ll let you know the second I hear something.”

“You’d better.”

After saying goodbye, Liam made himself scrambled eggs, bacon and toast as a light ‘breakfast for dinner.’ He was too excited to eat much, but knew he needed to put something into his stomach. As he ate, his thoughts returned to the application, and the information he still required. He never thought he would be starting over as a student again, but this felt right. It was something he needed to do for himself. If he didn’t get in, then at least he would know he’d tried.

With his body finally healing from his injuries and his decision to go back to school made, Liam was felt like life was finally coming together. He loved working for Corey, but the thought of working with the man, as a colleague, was thrilling. All he needed was his cat back, and Marty to confirm he was moving to Toronto… then things would be almost perfect.

Thank you and a big   and a  goes out to my editor/friend, Gary, for all of the extra time and effort he puts into helping me get each chapter ready.  Thank you to all of you who read and support this story.