Even with the 'plan' explained fully now, I was uneasy, really uneasy about this. I paced up and down as lunch warmed up. Someone, probably Reece and Jeremy, had actually gone into the kitchen and rescued every single container and element of food from my kitchen and fridge, like they couldn't bear loosing all that food. Or maybe they'd seen how I'd spent the last four days, every night and spare second, trying to store up food so that I went less mad when it came to feeding so many mouths. Either way, clearly, food wasn't wasted here. It was either eaten or frozen or put into compost for the vegetable garden I'd made for Jeremy's garden... which I needed to weed badly. Someone else was supposed to do it ...but they must have 'forgot'.
Nick just sat there, put plates out, or watched me pace. Limp, that was probably a better way to put it, as if somehow by doing this I'd make it heal faster. I only calmed down when Elena reminded me that the foot would heal faster if I wasn't constantly slowing the healing process and putting weight on it. I flopped down and he pulled my leg up across his lap, running his hands gently across the tense muscles under the pants, equally as tense as I was.
“You calm down or I'll chain myself to the house and refuse to leave.” He said softly, trying to joke, but there was an element of seriousness there too. Nick was stressed out too. “I know you're able to do this.”
I sighed, flopped my forehead carefully against his upper arm, and felt his body relax just a fraction. “Sorry. Pent up energy.”
“Remember, use those crutches. Act disabled.” Nick nudged me. “Limp, moan, don't pick up a thing unless it's lighter than a plate.”
“I'll try.”
We all ate lunch. Not just a regular 'large' werewolf lunch. We ate as much as we could, till we were bloated, putting as much extra energy into our bodies as we could. I snuggled the triplets, they were bored of the Wriggles for now, as Nick got some things ready to go out upstairs. Maybe they'd noticed how stressed I was, they hadn't been as clingy this morning, but the second I made eye contract they were all over me like little magnets. We were just waiting for Paige and Lucas to come now.
I kissed them goodbye when they came, the three of us slipping into the car with the crutches beside me before they got over the excitement about Lucas and Paige enough to get upset about us going. We headed off for town as Elena tried to herd everyone inside.
As we drove, I put my foot down and found a great way to be 'limp', seeing that there were several small stones that people had probably trampled into the car at some point. I slipped it between the bandages, more or less against a sore spot, which may have been a bit sadistic but... every time I put my foot down, suddenly I was disabled. No weight could go on that foot anymore.
