Marcie and Leo

One of the activities Marcie and I still enjoy is walking together. Even as the weather gets a little chillier, we bundle up and go walking somewhere. It was Marcie's idea because she talked about how I needed more movement to help maintain the shape I have. Of course, I am working on it as much as possible. One of the ways she motivates me to walk is to put on those yoga leggings of hers. Just the sight of her gorgeous rear end encased in spandex seems to spark me to follow wherever she leads me.

It was after one of these walks that she stood at the trailhead waiting for me. My pace was off. It wasn't until I reached her that she saw me limping. She immediately guided me to a picnic table and had me sit down.

"Where does it hurt?" she asked.

"Foot."

"Under or over?"

"Under. I think I need better shoes."

She smiled before she helped me up, except I didn't stay up. I went right back down to the table and winced even more.

"I don't think it's your foot, Leo," she said.

I looked at her and took a deep breath.

"I thought it was, but then the pain shot up my calf."

"We're going to the emergency room."

I tried to argue, but it didn't work. A jogger helped Marcie guide me to the car. I handed her my keys and tried to relax as much as possible before we reached the hospital. She went in and asked an orderly to bring a wheelchair out. As the young man wheeled one out, I started getting upset. This was the first time I had broken anything. Or a sprained anything. Folks would ask about my hands, but they mostly just became covered in scars. The feeling of helplessness as the orderlies lifted me out of the car into the wheelchair was the worst. Marcie went to park the car while I sat there.

Add to the feeling that this was the hospital I visited a ton of times for Marcie's sake for her late husband not to mention for my late wife's sake as well. It was when Marcie walked back towards me that I started to relax. She followed as the orderly pushed me through the sliding doors to the triage desk. The beautiful nurse took down all the information before we went into the waiting room to wait.

Marcie sat there holding my hand. I could tell she was a little apprehensive about being here. It didn't take any mind reading to see why. It was when they called my name that she waved down the nurse who sent an orderly to wheel me behind her. As the nurse spoke to Marcie, I was watching her rear again. It was when we reached the exam room that orderly spoke.

"You are a lucky bastard."

"Why do you say that?"

"You get to go home with her," he said with a wink.

I could see Marcie blush when he said that. I smile also. Marcie looked hot at that moment, even if she wasn't trying to. It was when the nurse put the blood pressure cuff on me that I stopped smiling. As I tried to breathe normally, the nurse checked my temperature. It was after she wrote some things down that she looked at Marcie.

"His numbers are normal. The doctor will be in shortly."

As the nurse walked away, Marcie walked towards me and leaned down to hug me. I took the hug needfully. She then kissed me on the forehead.

"I wish you weren't so stubborn sometimes, Leo,"

"I wasn't trying to be. I was walking normal before things started hurting."

"You should have said something though."

I looked at her. Her face wasn't showing anger. It showed even more concern than I had ever seen before. That was the moment I knew I messed up. In my desire to power through a situation, I scared my wife. I let my eyes go down. I started to ponder when the moment was that my leg gave out. I couldn't think straight to be honest. I felt her arms around me again and felt comforted before I heard the doctor enter.

There was mostly a conversation between him and Marcie. I kept quiet except when he directly addressed me. Marcie was in her element. This was her thing when it was Mitch. She advocated for me, explaining my routine to him before he started to run his hands along my leg. It took every ounce of control not to slug him when he ran it over the part that hurt. Marcie was whispering in my ear the whole time to keep me calm. He then looked at me. I looked him in the face before he spoke.

"It feels like a stress fracture, Mr. Mercer. I am going to order an X-ray to confirm it. This means the standard cast for a few weeks, then a walking boot after. Are you able to work from home for a while? Otherwise, you may need to get a scooter to move around in. Also, I advise no driving and no activity where you put weight on for a bit. After it heals, you'll need physical therapy to get back to walking again."

He then moved closer.

"You have the best support right there. I've dealt with your wife when she advocated for her late husband and have no doubt she will take excellent care of you. You're in good hands," he said with a smile.

I looked at him before thanking him. It was a little while before the orderly returned to wheel me to X-ray. By the time we were in the car on the way home, Marcie had already called Aubrey and Matt. Matt assured me I'd be alright at home and promised to keep me in the loop for everything. Aubrey and Wes were waiting at home to help me out of the car, albeit Wes was a bit held back. It was understandable. I thanked both after they planted me on the couch. Marcie was already grabbing a couple cushions so I could prop the leg up. After we had coffee with them, the lovebirds left to go back next door before Marcie snuggled me close.

"You're hurt worse, aren't you?" she asked me.

I looked at her.

"You have no poker face, Leo. Your pride hurts. The good news is that I'm the only one who saw it that knew. Just remember, I got you."

She kissed my forehead again. Then she held me tightly for a while. Every hero has his weakness. Not all heroes have the support I have. I looked down at the black cast covering my lower left leg. I wasn't going to let this stop me. At the same time, I knew I'd be okay as long as I had Marcie.