Two weeks after her injury, the doctor finally allowed her to remove the arm sling. The medical advice was clear: she could use her left hand as long as she was careful, and she was even prescribed a two-minute hand grip exercise every day to slowly rebuild her strength. Naturally, Eli kept a close eye on her to ensure she was strictly following the doctor's orders.
It was her second Saturday at Crowd's Fitness Gym, and this time, she was focused on gradually building her physical foundation, though punching the hanging heavy bag was still entirely out of the question.
She placed her gym bag inside a vacant locker and retrieved her personal numerical padlock. Just as she was locking it, an uncomfortable sensation flared up in the left side of her chest—a deep, frustrating itch that she couldn't quite pinpoint. Shaking off the irritation and not wanting to linger in the locker room, she headed straight into the kickboxing area to begin her routine.
"Hey, Belle. What's up?"
