Full Strength

Fifty Four-Lillian❤️‍🩹

    A/n: Sorry for the chapter delay! It's been a busy couple of weeks. Hopefully the next chapter comes out a little quicker lol.

       "First let's change that bandage," I said briskly, opening up my first aid kit.

        Tatiana nodded, propping her leg up on a small stack of throw pillows. Although she was temporarily immobile, she still very much reminded me of a dancer. She'd done her hair in a tight bun, the blonde locks plastered to her head. Her outfit suggested that had she been healthy, she might've been getting ready for a dance, with a loose shirt and cotton shorts. 

        Her bedroom, however, was coated in various awards, posters, outfits, and pictures from her dances. There was one shelf dedicated to shoes, another for trophies and medals. The posters and pictures aged back several years, beginning when she looked to be about four years old. Her professional career had clearly started at a young age, which made sense considering that she could perform at such a high level when she was only sixteen years old.

        Carefully, I undid the wrap around her lower calf. Angry scars and scabs stared back at me, still fresh from her surgery last week. A torn Achilles was no joke, especially for a dancer. Tatiana was still young, while both helped and hurt her. On the one hand, her body would heal better. On the other, she was more likely to be impatient. Seasoned athletes, dancers, trainers, and performers were usually pretty cognizant of the dangers of trying to get back into a routine too early. I'd seen a handful of younger ones try getting back into their specialty too early, often resulting in retearing muscles or causing a separate injury altogether.

        "What were you doing when you tore this?" I asked.

        A faint pinkness rose to her cheeks. "Just stretching before our rehearsal," she confessed. "I stretched too far."

        "I'm sorry to hear that," I murmured, putting her prescription ointment on before starting on the fresh bandages. "What are you rehearsing for?"

        "Swan Lake. It's my favorite ballet," she said with a smile. "When I was really little, we used to have this DVD that came with a mat, printed with the steps. I danced along pretty much every day."

        I smiled, then tore off a piece of tape with some scissors. "How long have you been dancing for?"

        "Fourteen years. Just one with the company."

        I finished off the wrappings. "Okay. No movement. I don't even want to start moving your muscles for a week. We'll try some light stretches then, but in the meantime, ask your mom for help," I told her. I'd met Mrs. Evergreen when I'd arrived, and she was determined to do as much as possible for her teenage daughter.

        Tatiana nodded, then looked at me. Truly looked at me. "You're that doctor, aren't you? The one dating that hockey player?"

        Yay; I'm now known as 'that docotr.' Shifting uncomfortably, I admitted, "Yes. That's me."

        "I think it's cute. Unfortunate, but sweet," she said with a faint smile.

        I raised an eyebrow. "Do you follow a lot of hockey?"

        "I've never seen a game in my life," she laughed. "But I heard about it on social media. I'm sorry that you're both being wrung through the court system. Your best friend stinks."

        Like manure. But it dawned on me that the girl sitting in front of me didn't believe Jade. She believed Logan. She believed Graham. She believed me. One single person in the entire world believe me.