Siren In The Sky // Bradley Bradshaw

Chapter 5

Sweat coats my body as I grip the bars on either side of me. One more step. I lift my leg and limp forward again. Just one more step. I breathe out a sigh of relief once I make it to the end, putting all my weight on my good leg. 

"You're not done yet. Again." 

I turn and send a harsh glare to who spoke. Hangman. Day 4 of PT and I want to kill him. For an hour I walk back and forth between these two stupid bars as he antagonizes me. Grunting I start my way back.

"Remind me again why you're in charge of my PT?" I grumble. I was excited the first day that he was helping me but I'm quickly starting to hate him.

"Because I have experience in the area and volunteered to help." He gives me a cheeky grin and crosses his arms. "Now get moving." I roll my eyes and step forward once again. This is more tiring then I thought it was going to be. The place where my thigh meets the metal leg aches and is sore, but it's a good kind. The showing progress kind. 

"Jeeze Siren, I never knew you were so lazy." I send him an offended look as I continue to slowly walk. "I'm not lazy. How about I come over there and cut off your leg? See how you like it?" His grin widens. "Come over here and cut off my leg? Can you even get over here?" he teases. "Shut up," I grumble. He moves so he's standing a few feet away from the bars. "If you can make it to me we're done for the day." I nervously swallow. My hands release the bars slowly. With a deep breath I extend my mechanical leg and march forward. Pausing for a moment I smile. I slowly take the remaining strides towards him. My walking is by no means pretty, I limp the whole way. But I am walking. 

"I did it." I breathe. "I FUCKING DID IT!" Hangman raises his arm for a high five. "Atta girl!" he says with a big smile. I high five him as hard as I can. "Ow, what the fuck. Why do you high five so hard," he complains, shaking out his hand. My own hand is burning and tingling but I ignore it. I'm so happy. "I did it. I did it." I sing as I start to do a victory dance. Hangman joins in the dance doing the worst disco move I've ever seen, popping out his hip and everything. "She did it. She did it." 

"What's going on in here?"

We both stop our movements and turn to look at Bradley staring at us with a puzzled look on his face. "I walked 5 steps by myself." Hangman and I look at each other before continuing our horrible dancing. Bradley strolls towards us slowly, looking at us judgementally, before his facade drops and he joins in the dancing too. I throw my head back and laugh as he does the cabbage patch and Hangman tries to twerk. Key word tries.

Bradley scoops me up and spins me around. "I'm so proud of you." I look into his brown eyes as he sets me down. Their shining crinkled at the edges from the large smile overtaking his face. His dimple is bold and prominent on his right cheek. He really is proud. 

"Nuh uh, nope. Y'all are not making out with me here." Bradley releases me and grumbles under his breath something about stupid Hangman. I just chuckle and lightly tap Bradley's chest. Hangman brings me my water bottle and crutches. "I'll see you tomorrow. Remember your exercises to do before bed." I mock salute him before pulling him into a quick hug. "Thank you." Hangman smiles back. "Of course."

Once seated in the car I can't help but laugh at Bradley's still pouting face while he climbs in. "Is someone still grumpy?" I tease. He frowns. "No." I pretend to sigh. "That's a shame because I was planning to make you feel better if you were," I state mock disappointed. "Get over here." I squeal as Bradley quickly pulls me so I'm straddling him in the front seat. "This is a very compromising position Mr. Bradshaw," I vocalise, cupping his cheeks. "That's what makes it so ideal Ms. Mitchell."

Our lips meet in a long kiss, both of us smiling into it. These kisses are taken for granted. Everyone loves the passionate kisses. The fevered ones that has you gasping for more. The dramatic ones that feel like you need air and the other person is your oxygen. Those are great yet this is my favorite kind. The quiet kisses. The slow ones where he holds me gently and I softly run my fingers through his hair. It feels like peace. One of his hands trail down my arm and interlaces our fingers, soothingly running his thumb along the skin. I didn't know these existed until him. 

We pull away and rest our foreheads against each others, basking in the silence around us. The world has felt so loud and overwhelming lately, and now it suddenly feels still as he delicately rubs his nose against mine. "Let's go home," I break the silence. He only hums in response and places a quick kiss on my mouth. I carefully slide back into my seat with our hands still intertwined. 

That night we embrace the tranquil quiet. We take a shower and our eyes remain attentive and loving while we tenderly wash each others hair. We order pizza and lay the box out on the bed, pour a glass of wine, and watch Heartstopper. His arm around my shoulder and my head against his chest, we lay there til the hour grows late and we drift off to sleep. I smile as my eyes flutter shut. Maybe everything will end up just fine.

But I spoke too soon.

I shoot up in bed, my eyes zeroing on the clock that reads 4am. Something is wrong. And then I feel it. A pain so intense that it takes my breath away. I open my mouth to scream but it gets caught in my throat. I rip the covers off to look at my half a leg. Tears blur my vision as I think it looks fine but pain is shooting through my body. "Bradley," I whimper as I lean over and clutch at it, willing it to stop. "Bradley, please wake up." I start to sob. He stirs so I weakly shake him. "Bradley, please." He opens his eyes slowly before he rapidly sits up next to me. 

"Selene? What's wrong?" His eyes are frantic and concerned. "I don't know," I cry. "It hurts." He says something about getting my pain killers and running out of the room. My fingernails are digging into my scalp as I sob, trying to understand why it could hurt. He comes back with the pills and a glass of water that I hurriedly down. 

"I-I don't know what's happening. It feels like the part of my leg that-that's gone is there and is being stabbed over and over again. How do I make it stop?" 

 I'm bawling, mostly from the pain but as the pain killers start to help I continue weeping. Bradley wraps his arms around me just like he always does. His familiar scent and steady breathing comforts me and eventually my cries begin to slow. I'm terrified and frustrated. I feel like I'm at war with my own body and I have absolutely no control over anything. Every happy day ends up with a new set of problems until I'm completely destroyed. 

"I'm so tired," I say defeated. I don't just mean physically, but mentally. How much more will be thrown at me until it's over? "I know," he answers softly. He lays us back down and kisses my head. "Try to go back to sleep, my love. I'll call Dr. Stevenson when her office opens," he whispers. I barely nod and close my eyes, trying to focus on his fingers combing through my hair and not the throbbing feeling coming from a part of me that doesn't exist anymore.