Before The Bloom

Chapter Two: Encountering Wyatt

Staring up at the ceiling, Wyatt hadn't noticed Jendari yet, which she happily breathed a sigh of relief for. In her corner, she took some deep breaths and gave herself a peep talk. 'You got this'She told herself, clutching the folder a little too tight. 'Nothing to worry about'With that, Jendari steps closer to the bed, making Wyatt look at her. Presenting her friendliest smile, she introduces herself. "Hello Wyatt, my name is Jendari and I will be your physiotherapist today. So what happened?"

She had skimmed the folder and saw he had suffered a knee injury back in high school and was in today for a dislocated knee and a torn ligament. "Nothing"He grunts as he sits up straight. "It's a misunderstanding really. My knee dislocated and as soon as you pop it back in, I'll be as good as new and be back to practice in no time"
Jendari said nothing, abandoning the folder in the shelf at the end of the bed and inspecting Wyatt's knee; it was large and swollen. "Seems simple enough"She confirms to herself. "Okay, I can fix the dislocation but I'm going to need you to take a deep breath and be as still as possible. Can you do that for me?"
"Whatever you say, Doc"Wyatt did as he was told as Jendari starts a countdown from three. Fumbling over his words, he sounded like he wanted to utter a curse word but decided against it. "Is that all?"Wyatt put on a brave face as he proceeds to get out of bed.

"Not so fast"Jendari put her hand on his chest to stop him; it soon dawned on her that he was shirtless and their contact was skin on skin. Dropping her hand, she turns away as a blush tinted her cheeks. "I can't let you do that. You have a torn ligament and if it goes unchecked, it would require surgery to repair it"
"I'm fine"When Wyatt steps down and puts the weight on his left leg, he howls in pain and for the next fifteen seconds, he remains hunched over. Shifting all his weight to his right leg, he hoops backwards and settles on the edge of the bed, looking at Jendari with a somewhat pained expression. "You were saying"

"I'm not sure you're willing to listen"She crosses her arms, tilting her head to the side. With an indication that he would keep quiet, Jendari continues. "Your ligament will repair itself but for the time being, I'll need to make sure that your knee doesn't dislocate again and limit as much pressure on your left leg as possible"
"What does that mean?"Wyatt's face hardens, waiting for the worst.
"It means I have to put you in a knee brace, give you crutches and assign you four weeks of physio therapy" Wyatt's composed expression fell as he took in what Jendari was saying to him.
"I don't have a choice, do I?"Feeling defeated, his head fell.
"You do"Jendari shrugs. "You can always attempt to get up again and hobble out of here"
"That's not an option. Wrap me up please"Jendari left the room to get a knee brace and a pair of crutches. Just as she was about done, Wyatt decides to strike up a conversation. "We have fifteen minutes left; we could get to know each other"
"I'm Jendari and you're Wyatt"Her fake smile falls as quickly as it appears. "Are we done here?"
"That's not what I meant"He laughs, throwing his head back. "I'll see you tomorrow then"
"See you tomorrow Wyatt"Handing back the folder, Jendari rushes out of the studio and what she wanted more than anything was to go to the dorm rooms and tell Jennifer everything about her time with Wyatt but that would have to wait.

The next few hours consisted of pencil tapping against the desk, taking notes and dozing off. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Jendari stumbles out of her seat, wandering back to her room. "Jen!"Her roommate looks just as exhausted as she felt. "You will not believe who my patient was"
"Who?"Perking up, Jennifer's eyes glimmer with curiosity.
"Wyatt Collins"When Jendari mentions his name, Jennifer's jaw drops.
"Captain of the football team Wyatt Collins. What the heck was he doing in physio?"Jen demands.
"He injured himself pretty badly and now I have to make sure he gets better"Jendari explains, making sure not to reveal too much. "Other than that, he wasn't completely awful to be around"
Cuddling a pillow, Jennifer screams, falling backwards on her bed. "You're falling for him"Ignoring Jendari's protest, she continues her mocking. "You like Wyatt, you like Wyatt"
In a huff of panic, Jendari gets up and claps her palm over Jennifer's mouth. "Keep quiet, someone might hear you"
"Fine"Jennifer removes her friend's hand, keeping quiet for a moment before bursting into a childhood taunting song. "Wyatt and Jendari, sitting in a tree"Thinking the glare would subdue her, Jennifer was unaffected, singing happily. "K-i-s-s-i-n-g..."

Clamping a pillow over her ears, Jendari lays on her stomach, legs raised to the ceiling. "You are so annoying"She groans.
Waving a white sock, Jennifer surrenders. "I am done with the teasing, I promise. What are you going to do about Wyatt?"
"No you're not"She argues. "The only thing I can do, make sure he makes a speedy recovery"