Grace stretched to give he wrinkled body the movement it needed after being curled up in the chair all night. She made it a habit to work out in the gym in Dublin at least 3 days a week and she was starting to feel the need for a good workout. There was no hope for a gym in Swatragh, so she decided a good run would do just as well.
She changed into some workout clothes, pulled her hair up, plugged her music player in, and headed out the door. As she stood at the road, she looked south toward Maghera where she had come, and then north toward Coleraine. She didn't want to get lost, but figured if the road north was as straight as the road south had been, she would have no trouble. So north it was.
Grace easily would run three or four miles on a treadmill, but knew road running was a little different and she may not get as far. She could run a twenty minute mile when she was training, but set her goals for forty-five minutes for the day. About 20 minutes out she noticed her left calf was starting to pull. As she slowed down she realized how much it really hurt. At this point she turned around and started walking back to the cottage.
After a few hundred feet she could hear the padding of a runner behind her.
“These flat lands too much for you?” he laughed and shouted as he passed her up. Grace didn't like the implication that she was slacking off and attempted to start running again. This time the pain seared through her calf. She had definitely pulled something and was now limping. Her cell phone was in her pocket, but who could she call out here from this country road. She didn't even now enough about the area to tell someone where she was and there were no other homes in sight. She found a large rock to prop herself up against and considered her predicament when off in the distance she could see the runner heading back her way. She hardly wanted to flag down this rude bloke, but really had no choice.
As he approached he had this devilish look on his face and before Grace could say anything he blurted out, “So you've given up entirely now, have ya?”
Grace tried to control her anger at this overly ego bloated lad, but needed his help and new she had to keep her cool. “I've pulled my calf muscle and can't even walk. I need to get back to my cottage down the road,” She replied pointing in the direction from which he had come.
“Oh, are you the one staying in Aine's place?” he asked.
Grace was surprised the news had traveled so quickly through the area. “Yes, that's me. I'm Aine's granddaughter.”
“Me name's Peter. I'll run down to my place and get the car to take you home. Can ya wait here for a few? It's a couple of miles,” he stated as if he had done this before.
“Not going anywhere at the moment,” Grace begrudgingly answered, and made herself comfortable figuring she would be waiting for quite a while. It was only about twenty minutes later when she spotted a compact car coming down the road. Either Peter was lying about how far he had to go, or he was a pretty fast runner.
“Climb in lassie,” Peter leaned over and pushed the door open. Grace cringed as she limped over to the car and helped herself in. Clearly Peter had no idea what a proper gentleman should have done. “I'll have you home in no time.”
During the quick ride back to the cottage, Peter apologized for his rude remarks.
“I'm sorry that I thought you were slacking off. I don't often see a walker on these roads.”
At least when they arrived at the house, Peter helped Grace into the cottage and asked if there was anything he could help her with. Peter was not a talkative lad, but had changed his tune and seemed more concerned about her injury. Grace used his strength to help herself get situated on the over-sized chair and propped her leg up on an ottoman. He found a first aid kit in the kitchen and wrapped her calf with a bag of ice to keep the swelling down. Grace took some mild pain medication she had in her purse. No more running for her at least until her calf healed.
Peter promised to stop by the next day to check on Grace when he was out for his run. He suggested that she not try to climb the stairs or push her leg other than for some essential things. Grace was thankful that the bedroom she would be using was downstairs. She mentioned knowing Donovan, and Peter nodded that he also knew him. He would let Donovan know what happened so that Donovan could also keep an eye on Grace.
Peter didn't stay to chat and kept his conversation to Grace's situation. Grace was curious about Peter and decided that when she had a chance to talk to Donovan, she would inquire about this quiet lad.
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