𝘼𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡 | ✓

20 - Therapy

3RD PERSON POV

Over the following days, the surgery was performed on Valentina and it was successful, but once she had woken up a day after, she found that the muscle memory in her legs was failing. From the amount of pain she had experienced, it had focused so much on the back, that Valentina now had to talk psychical therapy sessions. It didn't help that there were two flesh-covered bones on her back.
Once she had woken up and seen them, she felt horrified. Everywhere she looked, it felt as if eyes were stuck to her back, shaming her for something she couldn't control.

But she and Francis had yet to face each other.

Neither of them talked to each other about what happened that day and Valentina didn't intend to, although Francis had other plans. He wanted to talk to her, to feel her soft skin against his body, to be able to hold her but he knew he needed to give Valentina time to forgive him- if she ever did that was.

Now, all Francis could do was watch her from afar, both glancing at each other's ways but still ignoring each other. And Xavier and Quinn tried to help this, but Valentina refused and said she never wanted to hear him speak again.

But everyone knew that she was going to have to face him.

Sooner or later.

VALENTINA'S POV

I grunted to myself as I use Quinn for support on my left side.

Today in my therapy, I had to do some fast walking with a straight posture, my back was hurting like hell as I continued to take quick small steps and I could tell that Quinn was surprised about how much I was walking even if I was in pain, but I didn't care.

I don't want to be weakened by something like this and I knew what Fran- he did to me would amplify my strength so I'm going to use that to my advantage.

As I trudged through the large room, the female doctor was looking at my form very carefully and nodding to herself as she wrote something down on her clipboard. She put her hand up, signalling for me to stop and Quinn slowed me down, eventually we both came to a stop.

I slouched more to her on my side and huffed out an angry breath.
It was stupid how weak I was from this; I'm not going to let this stop me though. Quinn and both the doctor ushered me to a seat, and I let out a light sigh, dropping my head back and the doctor laughed at my determination.

"It looks like you're doing well." she smiled, and I returned the gesture. "I sure hope so," I say before looking at the sheet of activities that we would do later and groaning to see that there were back stretches on it.

They were by far the most painful but 'I had to do them' quoted the doctor and I solemnly nodded before weakly getting up and hobbling out of the room, leaving Quinn to go do her own business.

She had been babying me for the past week and I know she needed some time to herself, and I wanted to give it to her as thanks for her helping me. I walked through the grand hallways and got some weird but weary glances from passing gang members. I knew they thought of me as an outsider, but they knew what Francis had done to me, so none of them dared to approach me.

Except for one of them.

"Val!!" that annoyingly happy voice chirped, and I groaned as tried to slump past him but was stopped by his strong grip and pulled me into a tight hug, making sure to avoid my back.

"You saw me yesterday, Xavier. Not years ago." I groaned and pried him off me as he looked at me with glee.

"Well, it feels that way." he sighs and slings my arm over his shoulders for support because just like Quinn, he thought that I couldn't walk by myself and insisted he helped me now that Quinn was on her break. I make some weak attempts trying to get him off me, but he resists me.