a forever type of love

progress

it's been a few days now, consisting of mostly training at the gym and being lazy

today, both leah and i had training, although i'm still not on the pitch yet. followed by therapy and dinner

i was getting stronger and stronger every day and i have a meeting with the medical team later on today to decide on my next steps

there were only a few games left of the season, one of them being this weekend against bristol city

the most nerve wracking thing about today was the fact i'm meeting leahs parents for the first time, well the first one i can remember

there is nothing more stressful than meeting your girlfriends parents for the first time, let alone over a dinner

leah and i went about our normal morning routine and i drove us to the training centre

things between us have been going smoothly since my drunken mess of a night. i hadn't really had time to process the whole jordan and leah situation but i'll talk to sarah, my therapist, about that later

we said our goodbyes as we normally do and we parted ways, with leah going into the changing rooms and myself heading to the gym

both laura and i worked out together, gossiping as we did so

we've planned to go out for lunch before the game this weekend before going to support our girls

at the end of our session, laura suggested i try the anti gravity treadmill

at first i was hesitant but she convinced me to give it a go

i hadn't run since before the accident and i was afraid that i'd disappoint myself if i couldn't do it

i placed myself on the machine and started with a slow walk

so far, no pain

as it turned into a fast walk, a few girls wandered into the gym. those being katie, caitlin, beth, viv and leah

"look at her go vivvy" katie exclaimed in happiness

"are you ready for a jog?" laura asked

i nodded my head and forced a smile on my face to mask the apprehension i was feeling inside

the girls surrounded the machine, cheering me on as laura pressed the up button

as i began to jog, leahs eyes were fixated on me. her eyes filled with proudness and a little bit teary

"faster" i said, turning to face laura as she nodded

the jog turned into a slow run, my leg feeling no pain whatsoever

"mate how the fuck" beth giggled, her voice filled with excitement

"she's superhuman" caitlin said, causing the girls to chuckle

"little bit faster lau" i said

as i ran to nearly my max speed, the girls mouths gaped open

"there is no fucking way" viv shouted

i laughed at her words as i slowed the machine down, eventually getting back down to a slow walk

"that's my superstar" katie said, placing her hand on my shoulder

"damn that felt good" i sighed

the girls clapped and cheered as i got off the machine and back onto the gym floor

leah immediately jumped into my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist

"baby i'm so proud of you" she whispered, which caused a huge smile on my face

after the fuss about my accomplishment was over, i was called into the medical room

i sat down on the bed as the medical team gathered themselves around me

"so alex, we've noticed you've been working very hard in the gym which is visible through the progress you have made. we were very impressed by your performance on the anti gravity treadmill. so, we've discussed the possible options and we have decided that you are ready to step back on the pitch at training. we want you to work solo for now as you build your strength on the ball back, we can't have you having a knock which may set you back. we cannot afford to rush you or for you to injure yourself more so we are taking every precaution we can. i hope you agree with our decision and we will see you tomorrow for some ball work" the medic said

a sense of relief waved through my body at the medics words. i was finally going to be back with a ball at my feet

the smallest of accomplishments make a huge difference

once the discussion was over, i left the room and headed into the changing rooms to pick leah up before heading to therapy

the girls knew i had my meeting so i knew they would be nosey and ask me all about it

i opened the doors and all conversations in the room were dropped and all eyes were on me

"well, don't keep us waiting mate" katie shouted

the girls surrounded me, itching for the news

i forced a frown on my face and sighed

i shook my head to indicate it was bad news

"shit man i'm sorry" laura said, placing a hand on my shoulder

i looked over in leahs direction, she looked visibly upset

"i have something to tell you guys..." i began

the girls hung onto their last bit of hope

"i'll see you on the field tomorrow" i said with a huge smile

the girls screamed and congratulated me as they hugged me one by one until it was just laura and leah left

"i hope to see you with me soon lau. i'm gonna miss our gym sessions" i said softly

"don't you worry about me. you deserve this, you worked hard for it" she replied with a slight smile

"you work so fucking hard lau, you'll be on the field soon i promise" i said, pulling her in for a hug

as i departed from laura's embrace, leah approached me, pulled me in close and squeezed me tighter than she ever has before

she clinged onto me and refused to let go

"baby i cant breathe, you're suffocating me" i joked

she loosened her grip slightly and giggled

"you have no idea how proud of you i am. i love you more than anything in this world my love" she whispered which sent a shiver down my spine

"i love you more bubs" i whispered back, trying my best to mask the giddiness in my stomach

after a long while of celebrations and hugs, we finally got into the car and headed to therapy for my second session

leah held my hand tightly, circling her thumb on the back of my hand as i drove

"i really am so proud of you baby" she said, turning her head to look at me as i pulled up outside the therapy building

"i love you more than you'll ever know le. i couldn't have done this without you. you make me a better version of myself and you motivate me to do better. so, thank you" i replied as i leant in and placed my lips against hers

"what have i told you al, don't thank me for doing my job" she rolled her eyes jokingly

"sorry sorry" i laughed

"i'll see you back here in an hour, okay?" she said, placing another kiss to my lips

"i love you" i said as a smile formed on my face

"i love you too darling" she replied as we both got out of the car and parted ways