“You’re not missing much. Busy city, traffic like you said. I prefer this,” Pam said.
Leo stepped closer. “Best seats in the house,” he said as a greeting.
Olivia smiled up at him. “My private nurse said I need fresh air.”
“You do.”
Leo took a vacant seat. “Your color is better today,” he told her.
“It’s amazing how good you feel when a member of the hospital staff isn’t sticking a needle in your arm every morning at five a.m.”
“Hospitals are no place to rest,” Pam said.
They all nodded in agreement.
“Do either of you know when this area gets its first snow?” Olivia asked.
“No idea, but we can find out.”
“I’d like to get a feel for the place before then. Take a few walks,” she said.
Leo thought that was a reasonable request.
Pam, on the other hand . . . “Veto on walks in the woods for a couple of days.”
Olivia looked at the woman as if she were crazy.
“That evil eye isn’t going to work on me. The altitude is higher here, the ground uneven, and a few days ago you needed a hole in your lung to breathe. Up and down the flat driveway is enough for you.”
“And never alone,” Leo added.
“I have a feeling the logic the two of you are using is only going to work on me for a short time.”
He didn’t like the sound of that. “Never alone, Olivia. Neil has done everything he can to ensure that no one knows we’re here, but . . .”
Those green eyes found his briefly, then turned away to stare at the landscape. “I don’t have a death wish. I do, however, have a desire to build my strength and be independent.”
“You’re independent now,” Pam assured her.
“As evidenced by the fact that one of you is at my side every time I walk up or down the stairs.”
Leo smiled at Pam. “She has us there.”
Olivia sat up, placed her feet flat on the ground. “You have fifteen minutes to decide who gets to hold my hand on my morning walk. I plan on taking another after dinner, so be warned.”
“Olivia!”
“Yes, Pam?”
The two of them stared each other down.
Pam rolled her eyes. “I knew this assignment was too good to be true,” she muttered, a smile on her face. “Meet you out here in fifteen.” She left the two of them alone.
“Are you always this stubborn?” he asked.
“I think so. The opposite feels uncomfortable. Much like holding my fork with my right hand.” She paused. “Every day I feel that much closer to remembering who I am.”
Leo’s stomach churned. “That’s good,” he lied.
Olivia stood. “So, you’re up for a walk? I mean, you’re the one with the gun.” She nodded toward the path Pam had just traveled to go inside. “She’s making sure I don’t hurt myself, and you’re here to make sure no one hurts me.”
Leo nodded. “Fourteen minutes and counting.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Stubborn.
“I am stubborn,” Olivia said to herself in the bathroom mirror.
Dinner was behind her, and even though she could put her head on her pillow and conk out for the night, she was determined to take a walk before the sun completely set.
Lifting her left arm to work a band into her hair took a huge amount of effort. Each muscle extending and contracting on her left side was sore. And when she thought about it, some were trying to mend themselves back together.
Once her hair was up into a ponytail, she used a washcloth to rinse away the look of pain on her face. She’d gone a whole day without one person asking if she wanted something for pain. She counted that as a win.
She grabbed a sweater, placed it over her arm, and left her room. At the top of the stairs, she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and intended to set a pace going down the stairs and not falter.
Five steps down she reached for the handrail and cursed the ache in her side. Why did a bullet to the chest cause her entire body to slow down?
She counted the last three steps in her head and paused when she reached the bottom. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Even that was painful. And in truth, it got worse as the day moved on.
“It’s not a race.”
Olivia opened her eyes to find Sasha standing several feet