Free Rico's Recovery (Detroit Heat Book 2) by Davida Lynn

knob turned and, for a split second, I wished I had the semi-privacy of the hospital room. I rolled my eyes, glad that I had worn workout shorts to bed, at least. “Ma, give me a minute, damn.”

    She laughed as she came through the door and brushed me off with a wave of her hand. “Oh, come on, Rico. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before. We’ve got breakfast waiting. How do you feel?”

    “I feel like the accident happened last night, not months ago.” I turned to see her on the other side of the bed, and I felt every muscle in my back scream out. “Oh, shit.”

    “Rico, watch your language. Didn’t the physical therapist say that you’d have some discomfort?”

    As my mother rolled the wheelchair to the far side of the bed, I laughed, “This isn’t discomfort. This is hell. This feels like I went from jogging to the mailbox to a goddamn marathon in a weekend.”

    Rolling the chair to a stop, she looked down at me, that motherly smile on her face. “It’s going to take time. Now, go get washed up and come to breakfast. Also, watch your mouth. If I hear Sara repeat any of those words, you’ll be right back in the hospital, mister.”

    Ah, the joys of living with Ma and Pops again…

    The bathroom took a long time, but I reveled in being able to do it myself. I had a bit of my independence back, even if it was something minuscule.

    By the time I made it to breakfast, it was nearly noon. I was ready for the hot bath Lizzie had prescribed. Even before I had my pancakes and joked around with my little sis, the hot water was on my mind. My spirits were up, but only because the food wasn’t hospital food and the setting was familiar.

    As much as I missed my apartment, there was something calming about being home. I was going to be able to spend time with my baby sister, and I knew my parents liked seeing me. The fire department had kept me busy, and I was just starting to get in with some of the guys on my shift, helping them with the construction jobs they did on the side. My parents had complained that I never visited, but I was sure they didn’t want me visiting like this.

    After letting my sister drag me into the living room for some morning cartoons, I wheeled my way down the hall toward the bathroom. Grabbing a towel from my closet, I noticed my cell was flashing. For a second I thought about waiting until after the bath to check my messages, but I knew I’d be in there for a while, and I’d get bored.

    I grabbed my phone from the nightstand. When I turned the screen on, I had a text from an unknown number and my heart kicked into high gear. When I read the message, I realized that it could only have come from one person. My stomach tied in a knot immediately.

    As soon as you can walk, I have to see you.

    I stared at the screen. God, Lizzie was trying to give me a heart attack. I glanced over my shoulder, making sure Ma wasn’t about to come in and push my heart over the edge. I rolled to the bathroom in a hurry, locking the door and turning the hot water all the way up.

    I couldn’t stop thinking about Lizzie. She had pushed me so hard the day before, and every muscle in my body was furious with her. Every muscle except my heart. It was conflicted, at best.

    It wasn’t conflicted because I wasn’t sure about her. I was sure. I wanted her in a big, bad way. It was conflicted because I didn’t know if I could last until I was up on my feet. I looked at the walker folded up and leaning against the wall. It was my next step, and it was still weeks away.

    With a very frustrated sigh, I began the slow process of moving myself to the toilet, then to the edge of the bathtub. It was halfway filled by the time I was on the edge. I left the fan off so the steam would fill the room. I knew the hot water would do wonders to relieve the strain on my body. I was looking forward to soaking and closing my eyes to meditate for a while.

    I didn’t regret my decision for an instant. It seared against my