Everything Changes

Chapter Twenty-Five: Golf Swings

A week and a half after the accident, Cassie stood apprehensively on the doorstep of the large Spanish style home. She held the bouquet of flowers tightly in her hands, tapping her foot anxiously.

As she heard the door creak open, she was quick to fix her blonde hair and stand in a poised posture. She met Luke's confused eyes as he stepped out of the house. She couldn't help but notice the bandages wrapped around his hand. She tried her hardest not to think about the sight of his detached thumb and the blood on her hands. She didn't want to feel sick.

"Cassie," he said in a surprised tone, not expecting to see her face. Did her father know she was at his house? How was she allowed to speak to him? He eyed the flowers in her hands before looking back into her blue eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see how your recovery was going," she answered, her voice shaking. She couldn't stop catching sight of his bandaged hand. "I know it's been over a week since the accident... but I can't stop thinking about your hand," she explained as he nodded, looking down at his thumb. "Oh, also, these flowers are for you."

He smiled as he accepted the bouquet of blue and pink flowers. He knew his mother would be ecstatic to put them in a jar and display them by the kitchen window. "Thank you," he said amicably, appreciating the kind gesture.

"You gave me flowers when I was in the hospital," she told him as he recalled buying her those a year and a half ago to show he cared about her. "So, I figured I would give you flowers too."

He chuckled, not surprised by her mindset. She always had the most innocent and caring thought process. For how scatterbrained and forgetful she was, she remembered the smallest little details that others would easily forget. He then remembered she also had a rebellious side and figured her parents didn't know she went to visit him. That sounded correct.

"Well, that's nice of you, Cassie. Thank you," he said as he held the flowers in his arms. He could smell the fresh scent of the hydrangeas. He then shifted the conversation back to this injury. "As for my thumb, the surgeon reattached it. He said I would regain feeling but I'm honestly not too sure how that works, considering I completely lost a finger."

She had a worried look in her eyes as she stared at his bandaged hand once again. "I hope it's okay," she said with concern in her voice. It upset her to think about him with a missing thumb and how much adjusting he'd have to do. "I want you to be able to play golf."

For as long as she knew him, he wanted to play for a division one golf program. He had coaches practically knocking on his front door as early as his freshman year of high school. He was finally about to make that dream happen by playing for Florida Gulf Coast University's team that fall. It would upset her if he wasn't able to participate this season. She knew how much it meant to him - and she wouldn't wish that kind of discouragement on anyone.

"You care about me playing golf?" He questioned, truly flabbergasted. Since when did she care about his life accomplishments? He thought she only cared about Jordan Evans.

"Of course!" She exclaimed, nodding her head. "I know how much it means to you."

"Thank you," he said with a big smile on his face. It felt good to know that she still cared about him, even after their troubled history. "I hope I'll be able to play this season too."

Before Cassie was about to say her goodbyes, she remembered the most important thing she'd been wanting to say to him. "I also wanted to thank you for saving me on the dock," she said as he furrowed his eyebrows, trying to think back to the accident. "I would have died if it weren't for you."