Cheer, crutches and love chapter 8

 Cheer, crutches and love

Chapter 8

"Hailey, you're pushing yourself too hard, you need to be careful. The last thing we want is for you to re-injure yourself."

I sighed and smiled at him remembering him wrapping my sprained ankle. "I know, but I'm just so tired of being stuck like this. I want to walk on my own again, without crutches, without a cast. I miss feeling normal."

"I get that," he replied, his tone gentle. "But you have to give it time. You're healing, but it's a process. Don't rush it."

There was a pause, and I caught the way his gaze lingered on my cast, a flicker of something in his eyes, something conflicted. He had always been so supportive, so understanding, yet I could sense there was more beneath the surface.

"Nick," I began hesitantly, "is there something on your mind?"

He hesitated, as if searching for the right words. "It's just... I don't know how to explain it," he finally said, his voice low. "Seeing you like this, on crutches, with your ankle wrapped in ace bandages or in a cast... I've been having these strange feelings. Part of me is worried about you, about you pushing too hard, but there's also this other part of me that... I don't know, it's confusing"

I looked at him, sensing a confirmation, "Confusing how?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's like... seeing you vulnerable like this, it makes me want to protect you, to take care of you. But at the same time, there's this... very intense sexual attraction, I guess, that I wasn't expecting. There is something about you being on crutches, with your ankle injured... it's like I can't stop thinking how desirable you are with your knee bent walking on crutches"

I looked at Nick, surprised by his confession. I had noticed something about how he felt about me, I could see the truth in his words. I felt a stirring in my chest, a warmth that spread through my body. I realized that I felt the same way about him.

"I know what you mean," I said softly, sliding my cast along his lap, noticing the hardness beneath his pants. Nick's breath hitched as I moved my cast against him, his eyes darkening with desire. "Hailey, you tease, what are you doing?"

"I'm showing you that it's ok to have sexual or fetish attraction, I want you so much."

Nick's hands went to my hips, pulling me closer to him. I could feel the heat of his body, the strength of his muscles beneath his clothes. I leaned in, pressing my lips to his, feeling the electric spark that passed between us. We kissed deeply, our tongues exploring each other's mouths, our hands roaming over each other's bodies. I could feel the hardness of his penis pressing against my thigh, and I knew that he wanted me just as much as I wanted him.

Nick's hands went to my cast just like he did my ace bandages before. "Are you sure about this?"

I nodded, biting my lip. "Yes."

We undressed each other slowly, our hands trembling with desire. I could see the lust in his eyes as he looked at me, his body covering mine. I could feel the heat of his skin, the weight of him pressing down on me. He kissed me deeply, his tongue exploring my mouth. His hand went between my legs, his fingers sliding inside me. I moaned, arching my back, my hips bucking against his hand. He rubbed my clitoris, his fingers moving in slow circles.

Nick positioned himself at my entrance, his penis hard and ready. He pushed inside me, slowly at first. I could feel every inch of him, filling me up, stretching me out. I moaned, my hips bucking against him.

He started to move, his hips thrusting against mine. I wrapped my cast this time around his waist, pulling him deeper inside me.

"Hailey, be careful" he murmured,

"Nick, please. Don't worry." I moaned.

He complied, his hips thrusting harder and faster. I could feel the tension building inside me, my orgasm just out of reach then I felt my orgasm, my muscles tensing and he exploded inside me.

A few weeks later, my cast was off, and my lower leg and ankle were now wrapped in layers of ace bandages. Though I was still on crutches, I was finally able to partly bear weight on my leg, taking slow, careful steps. It was a relief, both physically and emotionally, to feel like I was finally getting back to myself.

"Good morning, beautiful," Nick murmured sleepily as he rolled over to face me, his fingers lightly brushing my injured ankle. His touch, gentle and intimate, sent a familiar shiver in my lower leg and ankle.

"Good morning, It's hard to believe that just a few months ago, I felt so overwhelmed by everything, my injury, long leg cast, the crutches, feeling so disconnected. And now..."

"And now you have me," Nick finished with a smile, his voice full of affection.

Later that morning, Nick helped me get ready for our trip to visit my parents. It was the first time they would see me since I had shed the cast, and though I was still using crutches, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I was healing, slowly but surely.

He stood by my side as I crutched toward the car, steady and patient as always. The drive was peaceful, and as we pulled up to my parents' house, a familiar wave of nostalgia washed over me. The house, with its wraparound porch and carefully manicured garden, had always been a place of comfort.

"Are you ready?" Nick asked as he helped me out of the car, his hand gently resting on my lower back.

"Yeah," I nodded, adjusting my grip on the crutches and taking a deep breath. "I am."

My mom was the first to greet us, rushing out the front door with a look of concern and relief.

"Oh, sweetheart, it's so good to see you!" she exclaimed, her eyes flickering to the bandages on my leg. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing much better, Mom," I reassured her with a smile. "The cast is off, and I can put weight on it now."

She hugged me carefully, her arms warm and comforting. "I'm so proud of you, Hailey. You've been through so much, but you've handled it all with such grace."

As we sat down for lunch, the conversation flowed easily, the atmosphere light and filled with laughter. Nick and my dad talked sports, while my mom fussed over me, making sure I was comfortable. It felt good to be surrounded by family, to be reminded that I wasn't going through this journey alone. At one point, as I shifted in my chair, my mom glanced at my bandaged leg.

"You're being careful, right? Not pushing too much?" she asked, her brow furrowed with motherly concern.

"Yes, Mom," I laughed. "I'm following all of Dr. Turner's instructions. Nick's been keeping an eye on me too."

On the drive back, I couldn't shake the memory of my mom's words from earlier. Her voice echoed in my head, filled with that familiar motherly concern: "You're being careful, right? Not pushing too much?"

I had laughed it off at the time, smiling to reassure her. "Yes, Mom. I'm following all of Dr. Turner's instructions. Nick's been keeping an eye on me too." But now, as the countryside blurred past the car windows, the reality hit me harder than I cared to admit.

The truth was, I wasn't being as careful as I let on.

Sure, I was doing my rehab exercises and crutching around the house as I was supposed to. But in the back of my mind, the clock was ticking. Time was running out, and soon, I'd need to be back on the field, training with my team. My ankle had to be ready, there were no other options.

I shifted in my seat, adjusting my bandaged leg, feeling the familiar ache in my ankle that came with overdoing it. I tried to ignore it, tried to push it down like I'd been doing for weeks.I glanced over at Nick, his hands steady on the wheel as he navigated the quiet roads back home. He had been amazing through all of this, patient and supportive in ways I hadn't expected. But even he didn't fully understand the pressure I was feeling, my need to get back in shape, to prove to myself and everyone else that I could still compete at the highest level.

I didn't just want to make the final competition. I had to. I needed it more than anything, before I could retire from cheerleading. The thought of sitting out, watching from the sidelines, was unbearable. I clenched my fists, frustration bubbling up inside me.

I'd worked too hard, come too far, to let this injury stop me now.

I wouldn't let it.

Cheer, crutches and love
Chapter 9 to come
K