Lockwood Creek Book Two - This can be read as a stand-a-lone.
A Why Choose Story.
Maddy Lockwood was the Perfect Daughter and to save the Lockwood family she agreed to a marriage she did not want, but now she will learn the hard way that no matter...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
~ ~ Jackson ~ ~
Breathe. Breathe.
My hand went to my throat first, the air inside the truck suddenly thicker and as my heart rose up into my throat. I felt hot but at the same time, chills blistered my back and the shirt that Jody had brought me to come in, clung to my skin.
The Doc had warned me about this. But I already knew what it was.
Anxiety.
Which seemed like some cosmic form of bullshit. I'd seen men die in conflict, dragged dead bodies to safety so they could go home to their families. And never once had it caused this feeling I was having right now.
The fear of going home. The dread of stepping over the threshold and everything's the same, apart from me.
Jody slowed the truck and dropped gears as she turned onto the Ranch. At the end of this long dusty road people waited for me.
To welcome me home. Like I was some kind of hero.
When all I'd done was survive a brain tumour and the trouble that had caused.
"We need to sort out some kind of plan or timetable for your physical therapy appointments," said my aunt.
"Ah-huh," I replied. I had already undergone three gruelling months and still had a way to go.
"I don't mind taking you, and I'm sure it won't be long before you're back behind the wheel, driving yourself around."
I hated needing to rely on anyone. However, I was left with little choice in the matter because of the weakness down the left side of my body and my balance was still causing me issues. I had to use a walking-aid to steady myself.
Doc said my brain needed to re-calibrate and in time, that too would be fixed. Or so he hoped.
But it meant driving and riding were out of the question for the time being.
Jostled in my seat, the truck hit some kind of bump in the road. "Sorry, hun," said Jody, casting me an apologetic side-glance.
I'd insisted that she be the one to drive me home from the hospital. Logan's face had said he wasn't happy when I'd told him. And Maddy, well, it had upset her too. But honestly, I was sick of seeing that look of pity in their eyes and it was the number one reason I'd asked them to give me a little space and stop visiting me every day.
And in all fairness, they had done as I'd asked, keeping their visits to every few days. It helped because I couldn't breathe when they were around me. Hating the fact that I wasn't better yet, feeling like myself. Stuck feeling less than a man, I guess.
I wasn't even sure if I'd ever be the same, although Doc had said my progress in such a short amount of time had been nothing but amazing.
One thing was for sure, I would never take my health for granted again.
