”Buy an old man a drink?” the voice next to her said and gave her a scratchy kiss on the cheek.

”Hey Oliver” she relaxed visibly

Oliver she could deal with. Oliver, who bumbled through life and never once treated her any differently than he always had. Oliver, who had stayed by her side at the hospital, even when the pain had become so unbearable that she would have died just to make it stop. He had asked her then if she wanted him to give Holly a call, but she had said no. She knew Holly would come, and to see her pain once again reflected in Holly’s eyes was more than she could bear. She didn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t put her through that again.

”Celery wants to know how the salve she made is working out for you” he said, motioning to the bartender with two fingers and then pointing back at the two of them.

”I don’t know, but the hand seems better, more flexible” She said flexing her thumb and her two remaining fingers to prove her point as she turned to stiffly to smile at him. She could still smile.

”Good. Good.” He said as their drinks arrived, clinking the bottom of his glass with the top of hers that was still sitting on the bar. ”We just finished the new guest addition to the cabin, and Izzy and the grand-kids will be up next week.” he offered ”You know how they miss their Aunt Gail.”

”Sure” She said noncommittally ”Why not.”

She was still out on disability, with time on her hands and a head full of doubt and disturbing images and sensations that made it hard to sleep at night. Really what else was she going to do? Take up knitting, as the occupational therapist had advised. I don’t think so.

She had secretly restarted her yoga practice, doing it at home when nobody else was around. That seemed to be helping too. Not only did it quiet her racing mind, when she pushed her injured body to the limit she found she could sleep. She was starting to be able to walk better too. On good days, she could leave her cane by her bedside and shuffle around her small, one bedroom apartment without tripping over her own feet, or falling once. Yippee. Her mother had said she always knew Gail would come to a bad end.