Learning to Breathe (38 page)

Danny shrugged. “She actually suggested it. After all, you don’t turn eighteen every day.”

Frowning, I stared at him. “And she’s okay with it being just the two of us?”

“Yes.” Danny replied with a smirk.

Shaking my head, I let out a low laugh. “How the hell did you convince her?”

Danny merely smiled that crooked smile and said, “You worry too much Gilmore.”

Amazed by his infamous powers of persuasion, I decided to let it go. After all, who was I to argue about spending a week in Rome with the guy I loved?

The rest of June was a blur. We both completed our exams and I had a small, uneventful birthday party.

July involved a lot of recuperation on my part. Both Dr Kennedy and Danny helped me on my road to recovery and by the first week of August, my leg was almost back to normal.

The third week of August was our trip to Rome. It was hot and humid but also a lot of fun. It was a blur of sightseeing, ice-cream and crazy drivers.

When September arrived, we were pleased to find out that we had passed our exams. However, we still had a few decisions to make concerning our futures.

In the end, everything worked out.

It turned out that Danny was accepted to study paramedic science at the local university. He also decided to remain working as a lifeguard at the pool but only part-time while he studied.

As for me, I was thrilled to be accepted to study Psychology at the local university too, specialising in Education. I also decided to train as a lifeguard part-time. Danny had encouraged me to do it and I had found myself intrigued enough to enrol.

It was strange to think that – in just over a year – the very thing that I had hated was something that I had learned to love. I had finally conquered my fear of water and actually found joy in swimming now.

As for the nightmares, I’m not going to lie … they still haunt me occasionally. I know they’ll never disappear entirely but, in a way, I’m glad. Yes, they make me relive the worst moment of my life but they also remind me of how I found the strength to overcome them and not let them consume me.

In the end, Danny saved me. As clichéd as it sounds, it’s still true. He didn’t give up on me and supported me every step of the way – through every stumble and earth-shattering fall. Him and that ridiculously cute lopsided smile made me feel happy again … made me live again.

Another bonus is the strong bond that my mother and I now share. If it wasn’t for her relentless pursuit of ways to help me, I fear that I would still be trapped in that dark, murky world that is grief.

Grief is a funny thing. We all have our own ways of coping with it – some healthy … some not so healthy.

So, for everyone who has ever lost someone close to them … the pain may never fade completely and you may feel like giving up but know that things will get better. It’s not going to be easy and it will be the hardest thing you will ever do but eventually … we all learn to breathe again …