Chapter 283 – Zoom zoom

Sinclair

A crash sounds upstairs. The second one today. I groan and put my head in my hand, honestly not wanting to know.

“Dominic?” I hear my mate call, requesting my assistance. I press my eyes shut, ignoring her for just…just one minute. “Dominic!”

“Seriously,” Roger murmurs, looking towards the door. “What were you thinking, letting her put this insane plan into action?”

I drop my hand and glare at my brother. “Ask me that again when you’re mated,” I murmur, steeling myself as I head out of the room. Roger doesn’t say anything as I go, though I feel his eyes on me. I ignore it.

“Ella?” I call from the base of the stairs. The seat of her stairlift is at the top, so she must be up there.

“Dominic!” Her faint voice comes to me, sounding relieved. “Can you come help? I’m…stuck.” I sigh and pull myself up the stairs.

Three days. Three days she’s had her wheelchairs and her stairlift, and while I’m pleased to see her spirits raised, it’s been a nightmare for me. Three days of watching her zoom around, crashing into every thing I own. I’ve already imagined six thousand ways this could go wrong – Ella sliding off of the stairlift and tumbling down the stairs, Ella somehow miraculously managing to run herself over with the chair, Ella crashing through the banister and flying through the air like Evil Knievel… 1

And you’d think that I was kidding, or exaggerating, but…

As I get to the top of the stairs, I turn to see her wedged, somehow, behind a potted fern in the

corner.

“How did you even…do this?” I ask, exasperated, as I walk over to her.

She gives me a bright, if embarrassed, little smile. “I don’t know,she shrugs. “I just…went forward, and it was there…”

I sigh again – my three hundredth sigh of the day and lift the plant, freeing her. She zooms backwards in the wheelchair, grinding potting soil from the plant into my carpet as she goes. I sigh again. Three hundred and one.

“What are you even do-” I start, but she’s off already, waving to me as she heads down the hall towards our bedroom.

“Things to do!” she calls, waving over her shoulder. “Go back to work, I’ll catch up with you later!”

I shake my head, following her into the bedroom, eager to put a stop to this. “Ella,” I demand, striding in after her. “This has to stop – I’m going insane with worry –”

“What!” she exclaims, appalled, turning her chair in a little half circle so that she’s facing me. Why are you worried?”

24 Zoom Zoom

I pause, staring at her, my mouth hanging open a little with my incredulity.

“What?” she demands, frowning her pouty little mouth at me. “Tell me!”

in the past three days you’ve broken hundreds of dollars‘ worth

ceramics alone –”

can buy new pots who cares about

and wipe a hand down my face, trying to figure out how to say this. “Sweetheart, you

But,” I continue, “baby, you’re the..you’re the worst wheelchair driver I’ve ever seen. I seriously don’t even know how you

she screeches. “I am amazing at this! What are you

hand on my heart. “Please, please believe me when I say this – and I love you –

I can’t help but laugh with her. It’s so ridiculous. But I’m so grateful that she finally sees my point.

jealous,” she asserts, giving me

has not even come

I were bad at

wheels off the ground. My stomach drops as I lurch forward, desperate to keep her from tipping over,

the chair rights itself, zooming out

do that!” I gasp, glaring

this chair can’t tip over,

anyone can manage it,” I

I mean, sure, I get stuck behind a potted plant or two.” She shrugs. “So what? I’m fine.” She gives me a bright, happy smile, and I have to say it goes to my heart. It’s good to see her cheerful and engaged again. That’s why I let this go on as long as I

enough.

very bones. But I could also feel her pride every morning when she sent me off to start my day. In many ways that was the one thing keeping her together – the idea that she was doing this for the baby, and was letting me go for our people. That her misery was, in

I went, spending as little time on my work as I in good

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time curled up with her, my

she smiles up at me. My sweet, clever girl. How do I do

then, Ella,” I say calmly, putting out a hand towards her. “Enough chair for the day… my nerves are absolutely at their end. Please. For me. I’ll

to consider it for a moment, tapping her chin as I take a step closer to her, intending to pick her up and carry her to bed.

into her eyes.

fingers over the command board and zooming past me,

of my grasp.

I cry, growling as I turn to watch her fly

she calls over her shoulder,

lights up at this little taunt.

the hallway and to the top of

herself on the

Ella gives a

button on her stairlift frantically to make it go

has one speed: glacial.

I burst out, taking two steps down the stairs so that I’m

beating her little

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