He fell onto the shower floor and panicked. The last time he had fallen in the shower he had needed to crawl out and dry before he could get to his feet. It was humiliating.
Not to mention, the pain.
However, as he hit the ground, the pain he had come to expect did not come.
"Huh?"
He blinked a few times, unsure of what was happening. He moved his legs and felt only a slight discomfort. Usually his bones would ache, but now it was only his muscles that seemed tight.
Still in disbelief, Rohan planted his foot and got up from the ground. There was no pain.
"No way… It can't be."
Instantly, he felt a lump in his throat as his rational thought wrestled with the long forgotten hope which had surged in his heart. He stood stock still, pushing down the tears which threatened to spill from his eyes.
Rohan turned off the shower and stepped out, drying himself carefully. Yet even as he performed this action, he was met with no pain, only the resistance of his stiff muscles.
Without a word, he marched into his room and got dressed in his workout gear. His mind was racing, but he did not dare think that he had recovered.
Placing on his shoes, he exited the apartment and looked at the stairs. Letting out a deep breath he descended. With every step he took down, his spirits were lifted a small piece at a time.
By the time he reached the ground, tears had already started to pool in his eyes.
'It doesn't hurt…'
But that wasn't enough for him. He turned to the street, taking in the sight of the rising sun and felt compelled to run. If he truly had been the recipient of a miracle, there was one way to find out.
Rohan took a deep breath and steadied his emotions. He placed one foot in front of the other, ensuring that he would not trip. Steadily, he increased his pace to a brisk walk and then broke out into a jog.
By now, the tears had already began to flow down his cheeks, the cool morning air brushing against their wetness. It was both refreshing and invigorating.
For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, there was no pain. Aside from the slight discomfort of his muscles, everything felt like a dream.
His jog turned into a run, and soon a sprint. As his chest heaved, Rohan cried out in joy. His body which had been a prisoner of pain this entire time, was now free to spread its wings, soaring on the clouds.
Soon, he couldn't go any further.
Rohan slowly came to a stop and went down on his hands and knees. He was gasping for air, but the air had never tasted any sweeter than it did now.
"Thank you…" he cried between breaths.
He didn't know who he was thanking, but he felt compelled to say it. It might not even reach the entity that healed him, but that didn't matter.
Rohan stayed like this for a few minutes, breathing in the sweet air. His mind was filled with gratitude, and the hope that he had buried for so long finally reared its head.
He was young and now healed, there was still time for him to fulfill his dream.
Standing to his feet, a brilliant smile crept onto his lips, lighting up his once dull features. It was as if the passion within him had reignited, causing him to shine brightly like the sun.
Not wanting to lose this feeling, he broke into a jog along the street, his smile never fading.
***
Ken had arrived at the airport early in the morning for his flight to Ohio, yet despite his dislike of flying, he was in a good mood. He could already imagine the look on Rohan's face when he realized that his body was healed.
At first he did not know why he felt compelled to use the Recovery Elixir on Rohan, in fact, he still didn't fully understand it. But after seeing how hard the guy worked despite his injuries, all doubts left his mind.
There were probably thousands of such cases around the world where an accident would destroy someone's life, taking their dreams away. But Ken doubted that there were many as tenacious as Rohan, who still tried to chase his dreams after being injured.
Just the fact he was able to play baseball after such an incident was a miracle in itself.
Ken had researched the incident which occurred in Ohio. It was horrible.
On a routine run, Rohan was cleaned up by a drunk driver and had his lower half shattered from the impact. He was lucky that his spine had not broken, but everything else had in its place.
The man had been placed behind bars, but that did little to change the fact that a promising athlete had their career cut short. Thankfully, the community had put a lot of pressure on the club and Rohan had been given the chance to return to Single-A after almost 18 months of rehab and conditioning.
He had performed well enough to get back onto the SeaWolves team, but he was never able to progress from there.
But now that he was healed, Ken had no doubt that the man would return to form soon and join him in Triple-A.
BUZZ BUZZ
As Ken was in the line to board the plane, he received a message on his phone. Taking it out, he saw that it was from Rohan, causing a smile to bloom on his face.
"I will see you in Ohio within 6 months."
There was nothing else, just that one sentence.
Ken let out a laugh and began to type before hitting send. His response was just as short.
"I'll keep the mound warm for you."
With that, Ken knew he had made the right decision. They were part of the same organization and while they were technically rivals for the starting pitcher position, Ken didn't mind it. In fact, it made him feel fired up.
'Time to kick ass in Ohio then…' he thought, grinning.
*DING*
'Hmm?'