“Mostly him.”
“Did you help?”
June hesitated.
“I made up the part where everyone raises their arms.”
Elena smiled.
“That’s my favorite part.”
June looked surprised.
“You saw it?”
“Theo showed me a video from rehearsal when you were still sick.”
June nodded.
Then she asked quietly, “Do you think I should try to stand?”
Elena’s smile faded.
“Is that something you’re working toward with your own care team?”
June shook her head.
“No.”
“Then why would you need to stand?”
“Because that’s what everyone else does.”
Elena sat back.
She remembered the months she’d spent comparing herself with the person she’d been before the collision.
The way she’d measured success by whether she could stand without shaking.
The fear she’d felt when her knee gave way.
She understood why June had attached so much meaning to those few seconds at the wedding.
“June,” she said, “I stood at the reception because I wanted to try something I had already practiced safely with my specialist.”
June listened.
“I could only do it briefly, with help. It was tiring. And it wasn’t necessary for me to dance.”
The girl frowned.
“But everybody cheered.”
“They did.”
“Because you stood.”
“Some people were excited about that. But James and I also danced while I was sitting.”
