The warm sun-soaked into my skin through the window pan, the welcoming sunshine of June shining with all its glory. Today was a very big day for me. Six months since the accident. Although each day felt slow since everything happened, the time had flown by, now that it was the big day. Today I would go into the building, and be able to walk out, yes, walk out, and greet my friends and family. No back braces, no leg braces, no railings. Just me. Throughout the whole time I spent in rehab, I had to maintain a positive outlook on the situation. What kept me going was the idea that by the time I reached my senior year, I would be running in cross country and track again close to how I could last fall. If I did conditioning nonstop.
I had not seen my extended family since Easter, so it was going to be a huge reveal for them to see me walking out of the rehab building without any help. I thought back to four weeks ago, the first time I started walking without leg braces. I was walking with a cane and a railing.
Sweat dribbled down my forehead, feeling like I could die at any moment. Of course, I was being overdramatic, but I felt like I had the right to be, given all that I've been through. My legs shook with exertion as my being put all my focus on walking forward. This was a much different finish line than what I was used to.
To think that over five months ago I wasn't walking at all is truly mind-blowing. It was amazing what perseverance and amazing physical therapists can do. February was a dark time for me. It felt as if I was never going to be able to walk again. My greatest passion was taken from me, and I wasn't able to be with my running friends either. I was so fortunate to have such great friends. Sam. Jackson. Little Molly. And of course, Jeremiah.
My heart ached heavily. Whenever I thought of the accident, I thought of Liam. He was too pure for the world, and like that, he's basically gone. He's gone. That limp body on the hospital bed is still there, but I wasn't sure if he was there anymore. A stray tear rolled down my cheek, causing me to wipe it off in an instant. I didn't realize I would lose my balance from doing such a human thing, but before I knew it, I was on the ground, tears welling in my eyes.
"Ada? Are you okay?" June, my current physical therapist asked, getting on her knees at level with me. I looked up at her, my nose stuffy.
"Yeah. I-I just thought of Liam again." She looked at me with an endearing smile, my smile in return as pathetic as ever.
"Come here, girly," she said, tilting her head slightly. I scooted over to her, her slender arms tightly wrapping around me. I nuzzled the side of my face into her neck where it met her shoulders.
"Thank you for everything," I said, moving away from the hug. I grabbed onto my walker and clutched on tightly to the railing, determined to get back up without help.
"Here, let me help you," she replied, grabbing my arm.
"No. I've got to do this myself." I looked upward, determined to get up.
"Today is the big day," June said, taking my hand. "It's so nice to see you standing here, looking at me tall and strong. You've made the speediest recovery that I've seen in twelve years. I'm going to have to be honest with you. I wasn't sure if you'd be able to recover. Fortunately, your athletic background and resilience proved me wrong." She smiled, squeezing my hand tightly before dropping it. We walked toward the exit of the therapy building, the tinted glass doors wide. She stood at the closed door, waiting.
"Are you ready?" A wide smile made its way across my face, an uncontainable smile if you will. I gave her one more long-lasting hug.
"Yeah." She opened the door for me, her excitement almost as high as mine. Her smile lines were extremely visible. When the door opened, I was greeted by cheers from my family and friends. Tears welled up in my eyes, happy tears.
"I'm so proud of you, baby," my mom said through her free-flowing tears.
My parents wrapped their loving arms around me, warming me to the core. I squeezed my eyes tight, almost not believing what was happening. Even my little brother, who wasn't one who enjoyed hugs, joined in. Over my mom's shoulder, I could see Jeremiah, Samantha, and Jackson. Of course, Sam was recording it all, I was sure it was for Liam if he ever woke up. My family hug ended, only for me to join in on a hug with Jeremiah. He jogged over to me, his strong arms ready. He embraced me, our bodies flush against each other. I couldn't prevent the tears from falling, leaving wet spots on his well-fitted shirt. He gave me a kiss on my temple.
I gave him a kiss on the cheek, smiling at him before hurrying over to Sam and Jackson. Sam squeals in excitement, putting her phone down to give me a hug. I get lower to hug Jackson, pulling away and staying at his level.
"I wouldn't have been able to do this without you, Jackson," I said, giving him another hug.
"Man, I think I liked it better when I was taller than you," he teased with a boyish grin, winking. Samantha glanced at him with warning eyes before ruffling his styled hair. She gave him a kiss on his nose, my nose crinkling in disgust. I suppose that must've been how she felt whenever she saw me and Jeremiah kiss or show literally any form of affection. Then again, she was a sucker for romance, always reading those silly and dramatic teen romance stories with unbelievable storylines.
A warm breeze blew through my hair, which was grown out to my collarbone after having it short for so long. The warm sun radiated onto me, warming my whole body. If we were out for too much longer, it would begin to feel too warm and sticky. Of course, that was how summer behaved where we lived. Jeremiah wrapped a strong arm around my waist, making my heart pump fast. It was such an amazing feeling to have his arm around me just for affection, as opposed to before where it was to keep me standing or to keep me steady. It made me feel all giddy inside.
My Aunt Amina, along with my other relative's sent me hugs, kisses, and flowers. My mom reserved some space at a restaurant for a family dinner, my dad included for a celebration, but there was still a lot of time before the reservation.
"Mom, dad. Can I hang out with my friends before the dinner tonight? I'll be back by four o clock, I swear," I begged, my eyes wide as I begged.
"What do you think, Johnathan?" She consulted with my dad, raising her eyebrow and placing her hands on her hips.
"Go have some fun, kiddo," he replied, giving me a bearhug. He looked down at me with a proud smile. "Jeremiah! You better bring my daughter back unharmed. And don't be a pervert!" My cheeks pinkened with embarrassment at my dad. He was just giving Jer a hard time, but Jer looked fearful for his life.
"I love you, Adelaide," my dad added, rubbing my shoulder.
"I love you too, dad." I walked off, Jeremiah's rugged hand reaching for my own when I caught up with him. Samantha bent down and gave her boyfriend a strong kiss on his lips before rolling him toward the mommy van Jeremiah was driving. He was given the car by his uncle who got a new car since his uncle figured it would be better off his nephew having it than a stranger. Especially with the trying financial situation Jeremiah's family is in with the medical bills. The bright side of the van was that Jackson was able to ride with us. The trunk area was large enough to hold his wheelchair and a collapsible ramp. Jeremiah lifted Jackson into one of the seats in the back. They sort of became "homies," as Jackson would put it since they met. We settled and buckled before driving off, Jer more careful than ever since the accident.
"Where should we go?" I asked simply, turning up the radio.
"Let's go to the beach," Jer replied, his eyes on the road, but an obvious smirk plastered on his face.
"Haha," I said, rolling my eyes.
"How bout we go to the park and get some ice cream?" Sam suggested, her voice light and airy. I turned my head slightly, seeing her rosy cheeks brighten as she smiled wider.
"That is a great idea," Jack joined in, leaning over to kiss Sam. I turned around at the sight, seemingly grossed out, but secretly happy about how cute they are.
"Ice cream, it is!" Jeremiah said cheerily, taking a turn. We made our way to the park we always went to together over summer. He found a parking space before helping Jackson, once again. That was just a part of having a friend in a wheelchair, I supposed. Jeremiah was definitely getting his fitness in, first me in all those months, and now him. I thought of how I'd be able to run again soon. I was planning on really working hard on getting stronger. I was able to walk stably without struggle, but building up my muscles to be able to run again was going to be another set of challenges. It was difficult enough to learn how to walk again, so running would've been an entirely different story.
We walked up, Jackson rolled, to the ice cream cart. I thought back to how silly I acted the day when I found out Samantha and Jeremiah were together. I mean, I should've acted better. instead of running away from the problem, I should've confronted it. Maybe none of what has happened would have happened. Fortunately, as a result of all the crazy stuff I went through, I met so many amazing people, and I became better educated on disabilities and now I was able to stand with them and help them, instead of doing nothing. I also matured as an individual, not crying over little things that made me upset.
"What's on your mind?" Jeremiah asked, grasping tightly onto my hand and bumping into me lightly.
"I was just thinking about and reflecting on everything that happened this school year. The good and the bad," I replied, smiling as I thought of the future.
"I'll pay," he said with a wink. He ordered a cookie dough for me, vanilla for him, mint chocolate chip for Sam, and plain chocolate for Jack. We began to head to the bench nearby. "Milady," he said in a goofy manner, bowing down as he presented the cone of cookie dough ice cream to me. He looked up at me, the smiling evident in his eyes alone. I gladly pardoned him of his burden, taking the ice cream and licking some off the top.
"Mmm," I moaned, licking my lips. "Thank you, my noble knight." I giggled, but Sam gave me a look which was obviously saying, "seriously?"
"Ah. Ah. There's a price," my boyfriend said, narrowing his eyes deviously. He grabbed my hand that held the ice cream cone, taking a big portion of the ice cream that had started melting. I glared at him, eating some more of the savory flavor. "That's not the only price." He took a couple of steps closer to me, his stature towering over me. His eyes were mesmerizing, especially with the amber glint they possessed when the sunlight hit them.
"This." He closed the gap between us, his lips molding with mine as they moved in sync. I felt tingles from head to toe at the powerful kiss. His hand free of ice cream snaked around my back as it arched inward, pushing us impossibly close. My free hand reached the collar of his shirt, almost in an attempt to pull him closer. We pulled away, our breathing heavy as our eyes bore into each other. He spoke, his voice husky.
"At least there's one good thing that's happened this year."
AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE BOOK IS DONE!!!! (Other than the epilogue, that is 😉) Please vote and share if you enjoyed the story guys, and thank you for all the support! An author's note will get published after the epilogue, so stay tuned for that. That's all I got!
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