“Me too.” As I wiped the wetness off Whitney’s cheek, I could still feel the sweet girl’s hug, the love that had been in her arms. “You know, every day that’s passed, I’ve wished more than anything that I’d been in Dubai, not at the race with Joe.” I looked toward the street, the mother and daughter still wrapped around each other. “I don’t wish that anymore.” My eyes moved back to Whitney. “I don’t know who I’m going to become, but I’m not going to be the man I was, and I don’t want to be.” I clasped our hands. “I know I’m one of the lucky ones; she was right about that, and so were you.”

Several more tears dripped when she said, “I’m proud to know you, Caleb Hunt. I’m even prouder to have you in my life.”

Eleven

A quietness followed us back to my condo, and so did a steady breeze of emotion that I still felt during the ride up the elevator and when we entered my foyer. Whitney automatically pushed me toward my bedroom. After being outside, I wasn’t ready to return to that dungeon.

“The couch,” I said before we reached the living room. With it being about fifteen yards away, I added, “And I’d like to walk there.”

“With your walker,” she corrected.

I had yet to take a step without it and agreed, “Yes.”

She grabbed the device from the wall and brought it to me. “You were sore this morning and had an hour of PT, followed by a long and very challenging afternoon. I know you’re tired, so please be extra careful … for me.”

Strength and independence were my goals. To get there, I had to continue fighting. If today had taught me anything, it was that.

I prepared myself to stand, leveling my feet on the ground, rising only with my legs. I immediately gripped the arms of the walker, and Whitney’s hand was on me before I even took a breath.

Within the first step, I felt the heaviness of the day. My bones ached, my muscles stiff. The tiredness threatened to make me careless, but I forced myself to focus.

“You’re doing so good,” she celebrated as I passed a sitting area. “How do you feel?”

“Determined.”

And that was what drove me to go farther, to do an additional loop around the large sectional rather than head straight for my seat. I paused when the fire became too much in my legs, giving it several seconds to calm before I continued. I kept my stride short, not the length I was previously used to. The sight of the cushions was a relief when I finally reached them. I was winded when I sat, my body screaming from just the small amount of exercise.