Really?

DON’T FALL!
​
Ooomph! There goes the breath right out of me. Ow, ow, ow! My shoulder! My ankle!

I’m all wet!

“Amy!”

Thomas is beside me. The expression on his face… I almost want to laugh. Almost.

My ankle… I have to blink. You’re a big girl, Amy! Do NOT cry!

“It’s okay. You’ll be okay. Let me get this bike off of you.”

“My shoelace…”

“So that’s what happened!” He looks adorably fierce as he works to free my shoelace from the chain.

Finally, he lifts the bike off me.

I feel worse somehow, more exposed, and humiliated. I can only imagine how I look, sprawled across the wet grass.

He sits down right beside me.

“Here. Easy does it.” Gently, he helps me to a sitting position and lets me lean back against him.

“What hurts?”

Well… Suddenly I don’t feel nearly as bad as I did just moments ago. But…

“Besides my pride?”

He kisses – KISSES – my temple and nods. “Yeah, besides that.”

“Umm... Everything? But mostly my shoulder and hip and, worst of all…”

“Your ankle.”

“How’d you know?”

“It’s not looking too good.”