The One After [SHAWN MENDES]

Chapter 130

My two week stay at the hospital was finally ending and I was going home. Shawn was going to live with me for the remaining six weeks of my recovery, so he and my dad had been busy preparing for this. Inky, who'd been at my father's townhouse, was returning to my apartment, and I couldn't wait to see her. My boyfriend told me there was also a surprise waiting for me, but he refused to say what it was.

"Why does it always take forever to get discharged from this place," I groused as I sat in a wheelchair in my room.

"There's a lot of paperwork that the doctor has to sign and go over," Dad explained. "You'll be home soon enough."

Shawn, who'd run all of my personal belongings to his car, joined us. "Sheesh! It's really hot out today."

He had a thin layer of perspiration on his face which I found quite sexy. Too bad I couldn't hit that for a month and a half.

"Hottest August on record," my dad shared. "It's all they talked about on the news last night."

"I don't care if it's sweltering; I cannot wait to be outside again. Can we stop for a milkshake on the way home? I'm starving."

"Whatever you want, honey," Shawn said.

Fifteen minutes later, Dr. Morris hurried into the room holding her iPad. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I was reviewing your scan from this morning and everything looks good. No swelling or fluid, and your skull is healing nicely." She approached me and peered at the site of my incision. "This looks great, too. How do you feel?"

"I haven't had a headache in three days and the itching stopped."

Once I'd worked up the courage to look at my incision, I was surprised to see that it wasn't bad. It was much longer than the one after the attack, but it was relatively thin and smooth because a plastic surgeon sewed it up. Unless my hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, it wouldn't be noticeable. Both the bruising and swelling had subsided, and I was starting to look like my old self.

"Do you have any concerns?" the doctor asked.

"This is going to sound silly, but it really bothers me that I've got metal clips in my brain and permanent sutures on my skull. I don't feel them, but knowing they are there creeps me out."

Dr. Morris nodded her head. "That's not silly in the least and it is very common. It's going to take time to adjust, but you will eventually. This is something you can bring up with your therapist if it persists. I understand that Dr. Nguyen filled her in on all that's happened."

"I consented to that since it's important all of my healthcare providers have the same info."

"Absolutely. One of the things I'm including in your discharge papers is a form explaining that you have metal in your head. You'll have to present it anywhere metal detectors are used. If you're ever in need of an MRI, it's important that the technician knows. CT scans are better."

She went on to explain other things I needed to know, and by the time she was finished, I was overwhelmed and exhausted. An hour later, I was home after consuming my entire large cookies and cream shake in the car. Several bouquets of flowers were on my dining table and bookcase, and at some point I needed to thank the people who sent them. All I could think about in the short run was giving Inky some love and crawling into bed.

"Do you mind if I take a nap?" I asked Shawn and my dad.

"Not at all. Sleep is important as you heal," Dad replied. "I'm going to let you two have some time alone, but I'll be back tonight with dinner. Ollie is making you your favorite 'Kitchen Sink' pizza, along with a gluten-free veggie option for Shawn."