Before You Were Mine

Chapter Thirty-Three

A/N: I just wanted to say that you guys are probably the most amazing group of readers ever with your reviews and just simply reading this story of mine. Thank you all SO much. So, with that being said...Here's Chapter 33!

Enjoy & Thank you for reading!

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Before You Were Mine Chapter Thirty-Three

-Matt-

"Ouch!" I'm clutching the edge of the exam room table as the doctor looks me over and tsks loudly. "I'm sorry to say Mr. Donovan. But, you won't be able to return to work for a while." He tells me, his thick black rimmed glasses sliding off to the edge of his nose as he takes one finger and lifts them up slowly to stare up at me directly. "Matt, your shoulder and back injury is a lot more worse than I had thought it had been earlier and the we're most likely going to need to up your intake of the prescription pills that I had proscribed. We can put you on more-." I'm cringing at the thought of taking more pills than I should be. They haven't been working in the last year. What makes him think that they'll be working at all now?

I shake my head, lifting myself up off the table and trying to figure out how I'm going to tell our new temporary assistant chief Tyler about how I'll be on workers compensation for a while or on sick leave until my back and shoulder start feeling better again. "How long do you think I'll be out of work? Will I need surgery?" He hears me ask, darting his eyes up from the chart and straight at me when he shakes his head and exhales deeply.

"I'm not sure, Mr. Donovan. Since you're refusing to take anymore of the pills I've prescribed to you. I'm highly recommending that you have surgery on your shoulder and I'd also recommend you seeing a physical therapist at least twice a week until your lower back begins to feel better. Because if you don't, within time..You're going to feel much worse."

Nodding, I stay silent as he writes down his recommendations and hands me the slip. "Take care of yourself, Mr. Donovan." He adds on right before getting up and stepping out of the room without another word. As I watch him leave, I lean my tired and aching body into the cushion of the exam table and glance up at the ceiling. What's everyone going to think of me if I don't get better? What if my back pain gets even worse than before and I'll need a high dosage of drugs than that the doctors are prescribing me?

Shaking the thoughts away from my mind, my cell phone in my pocket comes alive as it buzzes against my thigh and I dig it out, answering promptly with a soften "Hello."

"Hey, Matty boy. It's Stefan. Listen, we need you back at the firehouse as soon as you can get here. It's important, I'm out on a call. But, Tyler needs to talk to you. I guess, it's about Patrick..He's holding an informal meeting." He tells me, leaving me without any more details as I tell him that I'm just waiting on the nurse to comeback with a written slip from the doctors and that I'll be there as soon as I can.

"Great. I'll see you soon." Stefan hangs up the phone quickly. His abrupt call makes me lean my head against the pillow and close my eyes for a moment. My mind begins to wander as I lay there and think about it. What it must feel like to be Stefan Salvatore at the moment. He's got an amazing career going on, a beautiful girlfriend who loves him more than anyone could even imagine and words been spreading fast that Stefan could be up for a promotion within the ranks soon. According to a few of the guys at work, Patrick Murphy's finally stepping down and Tyler and Damon are up for the running to take his spot. Which would leave Damon's position open and, which could mean that Stefan could easily become the new lieutenant. If that happened, to be honest, I think I'd become fairly jealous of Stefan because I've worked my ass off for this firehouse and for the new rook to get it before I did. Yeah, that wouldn't seem fair at all. Now, would it?