Execution (2020 Ed)

by Lucia Franco

  "Okay," was all I said as I watched over my shoulder.

  "How often do you suggest treatment," Kova asked. He was now working the blade midway down to my ankle, where there was more heat and an intense fiery burn but nothing I couldn't handle…yet.

  "Treatments can be done regularly, or twice a week. I would suggest every other day for now, that way you give the inflammation time to heal before you start again."

  Great. I'll just pencil blading into my schedule.

  Kova hit the back of my ankle and I gasped, sucking in an audible breath as he held the back of my ankle steady. He paused, then resumed, and I gripped the blue table pad. My toes curled in response to the pain. Fucking hell!

  "You feel more grit down by her ankle, don't you?" His friend asked and Kova nodded. "That’s where you need to focus on more now."

  The blade was shaped like a concaved butter knife, and he used the tip to swipe up and down around the hollows of the back of my ankle, hitting between the little grooves as he held my heel in his hand.

  "If you're feeling a lot of gravel or sand, I suggest switching blades to really get in deep and fine tune that spot."

  I no longer liked the handsome doctor.

  He handed Kova another stainless-steel tool similar to the first one, only this one didn't have a concaved edge. It looked like a butter knife with no handle.

  "She's going to feel it a little more intense now as you start up from the top and work your way down again."

  For a novice, Kova's strokes felt precise and experienced. He was confident in his ability. I tried to focus on him and his assertive nature to block out the intensifying pain, but as I watched him maneuver lower to my heel, my brain went into overdrive.

  "Oh my God, that hurts," I said through clenched teeth. He repeatedly scraped over the heel bone like he was spreading frozen butter on toast. It was the spot right where I'd had the most pain lately, and this pain felt like burning flesh just peeling off the bone. "It hurts," I choked out. Tears blurred my eyes and I grinded my jaw. I wanted to kick out with my other foot to get them away.

  "You'll be sore tomorrow, but the following day you should see a noticeable difference, it will be well worth the pain. The first visit is always the most uncomfortable one." He turned toward Kova. "Go easy on her tomorrow."

  "I make no promises," Kova said, chuckling.

  "Always were a sadist," his friend joked.

  "No pain, no gain. There is no satisfaction in easy."

  "How do you two know each other?" I bit out, dying inside.

  "College," Dr. Hart volunteered.

  Kova focused on the back of my foot, scraping over where the tendon met the heel. He drew the instrument smoothly up the center of my calf, then back down and around my boney heel like he was sculpting clay and chiseling down stone. He repeated the motions, focusing at the heart of the Achilles tendon and injury. I tensed, flexing my foot, and Ethan tapped the back of my thigh.

  "Loosen up. It's almost over."

  "How much longer?" I was on the verge of crying. Kova didn't ease up either, he continued like I hadn't even spoke.

  "Another few minutes then we should be good to go," Kova’s friend answered.

  "Another few minutes!" I shrieked. "I don't know if I can withstand any more of this agonizing pain."

  I wasn't sure I'd be able to walk after this.

  "Toughen up. Do not be so dramatic, Adrianna," Kova ordered.

  My hands balled into little fists. I was seriously contemplating back kicking his face and walking right out. I wasn't sure if there was anything worse than this sort of pain on the planet. Not even my kidney infection was this bad.

  "You see that bright red line? How it lights right up?" the wonderful doctor asked my dickhead coach. He motioned up my calf muscle. "That's the Achilles tendon. You can see she has got some issues going on there. You'll want to focus right over the line and pull in a downward motion toward her heel to promote healing and circulation, like you just were, and then upward and out to scan again. Make sure you score around the bone, get deep in the cavities and around the foot. Don't be afraid to hurt her."

  I knew I wasn't supposed to take Motrin now, but something, any kind of pain killer, would be imperative after this.

  As Kova pulled down the center of my calf with the convex side of the blade, I wanted to cry out and beg for him to stop. It felt like he was under my skin scraping the actual tendon. I tried not to squirm on the table, but the rubbing hurt like hell and I wasn't sure I could withstand any more. It was pure agony.

  "If she's having any kind of straining in her calf, then I'd suggest treatment into her foot."

  "I believe she does," Kova said, up close and personal with my leg. I prayed to God they'd save that for another day.

  "So let's work there as well."

  Fuck. My. Life.

  Fifty

  A loud banging reverberated in my sleepy mind.

  Heavy eyes and immense fatigue prevented me from moving and the banging I thought I heard drifted away. I could hardly move and nestled further into my sofa.

  After Kova and the evil doctor leisurely took their time working on my foot together, I was taped up and sent home to ice my leg. There was no way I could have practiced today. Dr. Hart had said the first few treatments would be the worst, and he was right.

  Just as I was about to fall back into a deep slumber, the banging started up again, this time much louder. Someone was at my door.

  With a groan, I sat up and leaned forward. I planted my elbows on my knees and rubbed my swollen eyes with the heel of my palms. Damn, I was exhausted.

  "Coming!" I shouted and stood, and walked toward the door. I didn't bother looking through the peep hole, it could only be one of two people who ever stopped by.

  Unbolting the lock, I opened the door to Hayden standing there, a concerned look crossed his face.

  "Hey," I said softly. My face scrunched up. "What time is it?"

  He titled his head to the side. "It's close to nine. Are you okay?"

  My brows pinched together. Nine at night? Where had the time gone? I'd slept for roughly five hours but it felt more like a handful of minutes. I waved my friend inside.

  "Of course I'm fine. I'm just tired. What are you doing here?"

  "I wanted to see how you were doing after your first blading session, but I couldn't get ahold of you."

  "I broke my phone earlier, but I should have a new one in a day or so."

  "Oh." Hayden scratched the back of his head. "I was worried about you. I brought dinner," he said in a hopeful tone and lifted his other hand. I hadn't even noticed the bag in his hand.

  A thankful smile formed on my face and I ushered him into the kitchen. "That was sweet of you, Hayden. What did you bring?"

  He lifted the plastic containers from the brown paper bag. "I brought a few different dinners, I wasn't sure what you wanted and figured we could split it all." My stomach growled embarrassingly loud at the scents that wafted into the air. He paused and looked at me. "When was the last time you ate?"

  I puckered my lips. "You know…I don't know?" I glanced up at the ceiling trying to remember what I ate today and when I had my last meal. "I think I ate lunch around noon. Then I picked up one of those cold pressed juices from that Hurricane Café before the session with Kova and Ethan, and that was it." I was suddenly ravished with hunger.

  "Aid, you need to eat more." He slid a container toward me.

  I lifted one shoulder and opened the lid. It wasn't a big deal to me. It wasn't the first meal I had ever skipped and it sure as hell wouldn't be the last.

  "I lost track of time."

  "But your body is burning way more than what you're taking in. It's probably why you're so tired and why you need those vitamin injections. You need to be fueling your body properly."

  "Okay, Dad… Mom… Kova," I said sarcastically.

  "I'm serious. Have you done blood work to make sure there's nothing else wrong? Maybe you're anemic."
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  I ignored him. I did have blood work done, but I was still waiting on the results. There was nothing wrong with me except for my drive to succeed.

  Laid out before the two of us was a smorgasbord of food, quinoa, jasmine rice, fish, chicken, green veggies. So many items, enough to feed a family of six…at least.

  "Jeez, Hayden. Have enough food here?" He shrugged like he had no other answer.

  "So, how’d you break your phone?"

  I told him about my conversation with Avery while we spooned food onto our plates. We sat on the barstools and dug in. Hayden, of course, had double the amount than me.

  "I mean, I feel like I would've told you, but you did imply that nothing was going on, so I see her point too."

  I grimaced. I wanted him to only see my point.

  "But don't you feel that’s her duty? That she still should have anyway?"

  He looked at me, perplexed. "Her duty? I'm sorry, but I don't understand girl code."

  "What would you have done?"

  "Not thrown my phone, that's for sure."

  I laughed. "I'm serious, Hayden."

  He slowly chewed his food and looked straight ahead. I stared at the way his jaw shifted back and forth, contracting and loosening, as he thought about my question.

  "Given the nature of the situation, I probably would have told you regardless, because even though you insist there's nothing going on, there's always something going on."

  I stared at him, my jaw dropping and all.

  "When it comes to Kova, I don't trust you." He angled the tip of his fork toward me as he continued to stare straight ahead. "Well, I don't trust him, really, but I don't trust you either. It's like you guys thrive on the excitement of getting caught or something, I don’t know. The whole thing is just weird, but either way, I would've told you."

  I threw my fork down. "Thank you!"

  "Calm down," he laughed. "Yes, she should have told you, but there's also no reason to flip the way you did. Maybe you were hangry."

  "Hangry?"

  "Hungry and angry."

  "I'm seeing her in two weeks."

  "Who? Avery?"

  "Yes. And I bet we don't speak until then. She's been so difficult to get ahold of as it is. I just hope when we do see each other that it's not awkward."

  "I doubt it will be."

  I nodded my head and polished off the rest of my dish over a light conversation with Hayden until he delved into the injection topic again.

  "I'm trying out different injection sites. Okay?"

  "What do you mean," he asked, helping me clean up. I had one plate of food. Hayden had three. Lucky bastard.

  "I tried my hip, but I either did it in the wrong place or I stabbed myself too hard, because I'm fairly positive I hit my hip bone and now I have a massive bruise. I haven't done it as much because it hurts, which is why I've been so tired. My levels are low."

  "So did you plan on just never taking it again because of me and Kova?"

  "No. I mean, I would've eventually, but the bruise on my leg was pretty bad, so…"

  "Show me."

  I lifted my shirt and pushed down my shorts just enough to show Hayden the ugly bruise on my left side. The needle was small, but it left behind hideous shades of deep blues and brownish-yellows.

  He bent down so he was level with my waist, his fingers gently stroked my skin. "Damn, that looks pretty painful."

  "Yeah, especially when you slam your hips on bars on top of it."

  He glanced up. "I imagine so." His words were full of sympathy. He continued to run his finger over the little lump that had formed under my skin. "I don't think the needle is supposed to go there…that could be the reason for the bruise. Want me to call my mom and ask her, and then I can do it for you?"

  My brows furrowed. "How would she know?"

  "She's a nurse, remember?" Then he held up his palms, both callused and over dry and peeling, and I noticed the rips.

  My face lit up. "I totally forgot about the nipple cream!"

  His face dropped, all expression voided. He tilted his head toward me and pointed his finger, his steel blue eyes narrowed. "Hey, don't knock the nipple cream. That shit is magical."

  Laughing, I barely got out my next set of words. "Okay. Give your miracle worker a call and see what she has to say."

  Ten minutes later, Hayden was poised with a needle and the area of injection rubbed down with alcohol.

  "What are you waiting for?" I asked Hayden. When he didn't reply, I glanced over my shoulder and took in his gawking eyes. "What's wrong with you?" When he didn't reply, I said, "You've never injected anyone, have you," I stated more than asked. He shook his head.

  "Of course not. When would I have? I don't want to hurt you."

  "The first time I had to do it on my own, I was petrified. It took me over an hour to do it and a pep talk from my dad. Your mom's a nurse and gave you a step-by-step, something I didn't have. I have complete faith in you. I know you'll do it right and you won't hurt me." His eyes scanned the small area of skin. He aimed closer. "The first time is always the worst, so stick it in and let's go."

  Hayden's flirtatious eyes snapped to mine, and I covered my mouth in realization of what I had said. I laughed behind my hand.

  "I've been trying to stick it in," he retorted, grinning from ear to ear, and it only made me laugh harder. Hayden moved to stand behind me. Gripping my opposite hip, he inserted the needle with the utmost care and professionalism.

  I screamed obnoxiously loud and jumped.

  Hayden stepped in front of me, all worried and guilty. Needle poised in the air. "I'm so sorry!"

  "I was just kidding. You didn't hurt me." I grinned.

  His face dropped, unimpressed. "You know, you're a real jerk. I honestly thought I hurt you."

  I couldn't help but laugh. "You didn't hurt me, I promise. I always gasp and jump because I hate needles, but you didn't hurt me."

  Hayden stepped behind me and placed a Band-Aid over the injection site. I purposely wheezed in a loud breath of air.

  "That wasn't so bad now, was it?" I asked.

  I turned around as Hayden shook his head. He capped the needle and placed it on the countertop.

  "No, it wasn't actually."

  "I'm not sure what I would do without you, Hayden." I smiled at him, appreciative of his kindness and consideration. He always had my best interest in mind. "Just make sure you're free the next time I need you."

  "Anytime you want me to stick something in you, I'm your guy."

  Fifty-One

  "How do you feel?" Kova asked early the next morning as I shoved my duffle bag into my locker.

  I had too much shit in there and had to squeeze it in. Maybe tomorrow I would clean it out. Probably not.

  I glanced over my shoulder. Kova was leaning against the doorway, arms crossed in front of his chest, assessing me, and looking fresh as ever. Damn the man and his good looks.

  Turning around, I shrugged casually, as if his presence didn't fluster me, but the truth was, it always did.

  "Fine. Why?"

  He tipped his chin toward my leg. Even that was sexy. Jesus Christ. I needed to get ahold of myself.

  When I realized what he was referring to, my eyebrows shot up and my eyes snapped to his.

  "Oh! You mean my Achilles?" I raised up on my toes and lightly bounced. I frowned. I didn't have a lick of pain. It wasn't even tender. In fact, when I woke up this morning, the injury hadn't crossed my mind like it usually did when I applied weight to my leg. I hadn't felt a thing.

  "How could that have worked so quickly? I don't have any soreness. It feels…normal." And it did. I wasn't sure how that was possible, but it was, and I felt great. I hadn't not had discomfort in the past year, and right now I felt like a million bucks.

  The smallest smile tipped his mouth. He was proud of himself. Cocky bastard. I shouldn't be surprised. Kova was a perfectionist and strived to be the best at everything he touched.

  "Today, after
practice, I will do a light massage and then tomorrow we will do another round of blading."

  Great. "Will your friend be there?"

  "Yes. I will have him with me for today and tomorrow to supervise. Just because you do not have any pain right now does not mean you should push hard and do more."

  "I won't."

  Kova hesitated, then said, "You look refreshed."

  I mused over his words. "I had another dose of vitamin B12. It's been a handful of days, but Hayden helped me do it right this time. It usually kicks in pretty quick."

  A muscle in his jaw twitched. His expression dulled. He didn't say anything for a long minute before he gestured behind him. "Come. Let me tape up your ankle."

  I followed Kova into the gym where I sat on the floor and lifted my foot into the air.

  "I take it you're feeling better?"

  "Better?" he asked, his voice piqued.

  "Yeah, remember when you were at home sick last week?" I tried not to blush as I thought back to the night we texted. When he continued with his blank stare, I said, "We texted after the competition…" His brows pulled together. "You had to have been deathly ill to be gone for so long. Did you eventually get on medication? What did the doctor say?"

  Kova was quiet for a long moment. I studied his somber face, trying to get a beat on what he was thinking. He was void of any expression, his focus solely on the task at hand.

  "Vodka cures what medication cannot," he said, avoiding eye contact. He expertly taped up my foot and calf, then helped me stand. I adjusted my leotard, pulling at the elastic edges to stretch and fit better, waiting for instructions. He looked everywhere but my face.

  "Apparently so. You must've had so much vodka that you forgot about our conversation."

  "Get to vault," he said stiffly. "Do not keep Madeline waiting."

  I nodded. Leaning in, I said under my breath, "By the way, I still have your dick pic saved to my phone. I look at it every night." His eyes widened and I grinned, then sprinted my way toward Madeline, grateful I didn't have to do the two-mile morning run.