Full Strength

Twenty Seven-Logan🏒

"Your phone is ringing," Lillian said, standing to grab it.

I pushed back wet hair from my face. "Who is it?"

She checked the screen. "Nick."

Someone actually worth talking to, then. I grabbed the towel on deck to dry my hands before Lillian handed me the phone. Answering, I stayed by the edge of the pool.

"Hey. Would you and Lillian be interested in coming over for dinner tonight?" Nick asked.

I raised an eyebrow. "Depends. Why are you randomly inviting me for dinner?"

"Just because. Rachel and Maisy miss you," he said, his voice slightly muffled like he'd gotten distracted by something. A second later, the something was revealed.

"COME OVER, UNCLE LOGAN!" Rachel shouted. My brother's loud child.

"Pleeeeeease," Maisy begged, sounding like she was on the verge of tears. Oh, boy.

Not wanting to break her heart, I covered the phone with my hand. "Do you want to go to dinner at Nick's tonight?" I asked Lillian very quietly.

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you up for that?" she asked. "Not too tired?"

I nodded and she gave me a thumbs-up. Returning to my niece, I said, "Sure. What time do you want us there?"

"RIGHT NOW!" Rachel bellowed. That kid had a lung capacity I'd never seen before.

"How about six?" Nick offered at a regular volume.

I agreed that six was fine and we hung up, despite that Rachel and Maisy were still protesting such a ridiculous time to have us over. I set the phone on the deck, briefly glancing at the time. We didn't have to leave for Nick's house for over an hour, but I wasn't sure I could get ready that quickly. So I floated to the stairs, where Lillian was prepared to meet me.

"Do you see your nieces a lot?" she asked, helping me into a nearby chair.

"I used to. Not so much now that I'm home, but I used to go over to their house at least a few times a month," I replied, drying off with my towel. "You'll love them. They're seriously the sweetest kids."

She snapped her fingers, suddenly remembering something. "They gave you the feel-better cards on your nightstand."

"Yep. Lina did the writing, but the artistic value was all them," I laughed.

We began the slow walk back to the house. There had been a warmup last week, so all the snow had melted, leaving a muddy earth behind. It was difficult in crutches, but I made it to the house, partially thanks to Lillian keeping me upright whenever I stepped wrong.

"Do you want a shower?" she asked, hanging up her jacket. I had progressed so much in swimming that she no longer needed to be in the pool with me. While I was glad to have improved, it also made me a little sad. Swimming together had been our thing for weeks now, only now she sat on the deck, simply watching with a sharp gaze.

"Yes, please," I decided.

She looked me over, apparently thinking. "Do you want to try it on your own?"

"Your tone suggests that I'm not really ready for that," I pointed out, pulling my towel around my shoulders for warmth.

She sighed, sounding frustrated. "No, I mean, you are ready. I'm just being overprotective. My boss said we can start putting weight on your foot next week and I'm overthinking it."