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I did Closing ainst ainst my knee The touch didn’t hurt Not yet He applied a littlethe stabilization Pain flared, and I gritted my teeth

"Pain on a one to ten scale?" he asked quietly

"Us Like who knew the pain scale? I needed one of those funny stick ­people pictures to use as a guide "Six?"

"Okay" He pushed a little harder, and I jumped "How about now?"

"Seven?" I squeaked

He continued to torture me, and my eyes snapped open when I felt a hand wrap aroundbeside ray ones, I couldn’t look away

"And this?" Dr Morgan asked At the sound of my harsh hiss, he reently as he rolleddown "Okay You iced and elevated?"

I nodded, still looking at Jase "Yeah"

"But it didn’t help?"

"No" I wet aze away from him so I didn’t look like too ed to ease h my left hand "It’s not as painful as the first time, and I didn’t hear any pops, but I’m afraid I really screwed it up"

"I need to know exactly what you were doing when you hurt your knee Sunday," he said, dropping his hands on his knees "Were you walking? Did you lose your balance?"

My gaze dropped to the doctor’s long fingers They were slender, but the knuckles were surprisingly big and round My throat closed off

"She said she just lost her balance," Jase said, andwhen it happened? Getting out of bed or off a chair?" Dr Morgan paused "It’s really i"

Blood pounded in aze The truth Damnit, the truth was always a pesky, nosy bitch I shook my head as I bit down on my lip "II was inin his hand Like a weekender bag Anyway, I was standing too close when he swung it around It hit "

Jase’s fingers tightened until I could feel the bones inhis hand free I couldn’t look at hi

"So it was an unplanned action Not a ives an reached for ood news first?"

My heart julanced at Jase His eyes were sharp, expression stony "Good? I guess?"

"The good news is that the x-­rays do not show any additional tears," he said, and est fear The original tear is healing"

I took a deep breath "So what’s the bad news?"

Dr Morgan shtly "What this injury shows is a destabilization of the ACL And with the kind of tear you suffered, there was a forty to sixty percent chance of reinjury Now, like I said, the tear doesn’t appear to be reinjured So no surgery, and I really do think this will heal if you go back to the brace and use the crutches over the next ­couple of days"

Instead of feeling better, the walls started to close in around me "But?"

"But" He smiled, but I tensed The smile didn’t reach his dark eyes It was the kind of smiles doctors made when they were about to deliver a death blow "This injury shows that there is a destabilization there and that is what concerns me, Teresa When you first injured your ACL, we talked about the possibility--­although slim at that time--­of continuous destabilization and"

My brain cut hiht there, but I nodded and I stared at hi with every word spoken I even s to be okay I agreed Everything would be fking perfect And then I said nothing when the nurse came in, and the dreaded blue brace was returned toIn Out In Out

So out the windshield

"Tess"

I looked over at hiazes locked His face was pale "I’ in a deep breath, I shuddered as it got stuck The destabilization was a bad, bad thing It orse than having surgery because itMy knee would always be wicked weak I would always have problems with it, even after the tear was co arthritis in the knee earlier thanwas out of the picture Noto the studio, no more lessons or recitals or competitions I’d be stupid to even attempt it And my instructors wouldn’t allow it Neither would the Joffrey School

College was no longer teer plan B It was the only plan

Oh my God

I shook my head, opened my mouth, but there were no words

Jase cursed, and II cracked wide open Like a well deep insidedownthem The interior blurred--­Jase disappeared in the haze

A deep sound came from hi there byapart, and the next ether

Chapter Fifteen