Celina's Lover

32- Stitches

Sara was staring out the window. She watched how the stores and houses passed. It has been a week and a lot has happened since. Her biggest secret had come out and it had changed her life completely. For the better. The panic attacks got less frequent and her anxiety decreased a lot. She was even able to quit the medication she was on. That was the moment she started to feel free. The last couple years, she had felt trapped inside of herself. Fear and chagrin had consumed her until she was just a little version of herself, not bigger than the size of her heart, trapped in this shell that they called your skin, your body. And the meds had only made it worse. Now she was rid of that, she could finally breathe. Yesterday, she made it through a whole day without getting triggered and that night, she only woke up once for a couple minutes.

The night she told Celina, she slept better than ever before. She could finally let go. Let go of all her stress and sadness and let go of all her secrets. That next day, she also told them about the park. The park she went to every day before she got injured and that same Sunday, her request came true. Just the two of them. They walked the path to the lake and watched the water fountain for about an hour. They talked and enjoyed the peace, until it started to rain. That next Monday, she had another session with her therapist and they made a lot of progress. Sara told her everything about what had happened. She learned a lot of great coping skills and lessons. They practised breathing exercises to help her calm down and it worked great.

Now, she was sitting in the car again. They were on their way to the hospital to get the stitches removed, just like the doctor had asked them too. Sara was a little nervous. She really hoped it healed correctly. She began to get tired of sitting in that wheelchair. She wanted to run and dance to the music Lucy always played when she cooked dinner. She wanted to get back to work and run after the suspects instead of watching presuits on the news. But most importantly, she wanted to be able to stand in front of Celina. She wanted to look down a little when she kissed her, just like before. She wanted to stand up normally and have Celina's head rest on her chest.

Her head was dreaming again. It had been doing that a lot the past few days. She sometimes found herself staring at the wall or ceiling, not waking up from her thoughts until something made snap out. This time was no different. Celina, who was driving the car, put her hand on her knee. Sara turned her head and smiled. Celina quickly took her eyes off the road and looked at her too. 'You know, you've been doing that a lot lately.' She said. 'I know, I'm thinking way too much. I'm sorry.' Sara apologised, her smile fading again, feeling guilty. Celina shuckled. 'That too, but I was talking about your face. It's smiling a lot more, I love it.' That made the smile come back, brighter than before. 'I've been feeling better lately.' She explained. She put her hand over Celina's and gently squeezed it. Celina took her hand back and parked the car in the parking lot.

'Hi, I'm Sarafina Braun. I'm here to get my stitches removed.' Sara said to the receptionist. In her wheelchair, she was barely high enough to look over the counter. The receptionist signed her in and they took place in the waiting room. 'I really hope I'll be able to start walking again.' Sara sighed. 'I know, baby. I-' Celina began, but she got interrupted by a lot of noise. Outside, people were yelling. 'Let me go. I'm fine, I don't need to be here! Just let me go!' A clearly, very angry man shouted. Celina and Sara both looked up and saw a man, followed by three cops. The man had dark hair and looked sloppy in his oversized clothes. He had a cut on his forehead and was bleeding through his knees. Sara noticed that his neck and arms were completely covered in tattoos and his hands were cuffed behind his back. He immediately caught Sara's eye and she froze.

'Braun? Juarez?' One of the officers who was holding the angry man asked. He sounded confused and surprised. Celina grinned once she recognized the cops and that didn't take long. 'Good morning sergeant. Hi Lucy, hi Aaron.' Celina greeted them. 'Hello.' Lucy and Aaron answered back. 'What are you doing here?' Tim asked, stopping momentarily. They were standing a couple feet away from them, next to the reception. Aaron took over the suspect and walked after the receptionist to a bed in the ER. 'What are you doing here?' Tim asked. 'Waiting.' Sara was a little surprised that they were here, so she didn't really think about her answer. Tim lifted his eyebrows, waiting for a further answer.

'I'm waiting to get my stitches removed. And hopefully leave this stupid thing here.' She pointed at her wheelchair. She was sick of sitting all day. She wanted to stand. She wanted to run. Tim smiled. 'I hope it all goes well, cause I spend a lot of time training you.' All three girls laughed. 'He means that he misses torturing you.' Lucy translated. Tim turned his attention now to Lucy, who was standing next to him. 'That's not what I said.' He said annoyed. 'It is what you meant.' Tim rolled his eyes. 'She just finished her first week as a Rookie. You barely taught her anything.' She added. 'That's not true, I've taught her a lot already.' Tim exaggerated. Now Lucy rolled her eyes. Celina and Sara's eyes went from Lucy to Tim and back, depending on who was talking. It looked like they were watching a tennis match, but it felt like they were extras to a arguing, married couple. Their smiles grew bigger as they picked up on the flirty tune between the two.

Both Celina and Sara had no idea what to say to make them stop, so they were very relieved when the doctor called Sara's name. 'Sorry, we need to go. Maybe you should go check on your suspect, you know how distracted Aaron can get.' Celina said as she wheeled Sara into the doctor's office. Lucy and TIm both rolled their eyes and Sara and Celina giggled when they both made their way quickly to the ER.

The doctor did a quick exam and removed the stitches. 'So, am I allowed to leave the wheelchair behind this time?' Sara asked, while the doctor was cleaning her wound. 'It looks like it.' She grinned up to Sara, who grew a big smile on her face. 'Really?' The doctor took her gloves off. 'Yes, but you will need crutches.' 'I'll take that switch.' Celina smiled at her from her little chair in the corner of the room. 'How much will she be able to do in the upcoming days? Can she start doing anything she wants?' She asked. 'You need to slowly build it up. With these kinds of injuries, it is always fast, but you need to be careful that you don't overdo it. I want you to walk for at least five days with the crutches and don't start running until at least 10 days from now.' The doctor looked at Sara. 'I really need you to take it slow. If you keep going when it hurts, it will only take longer.' Sara slightly rolled her eyes. 'Fine, I'll try my best.' The doctor laughed and looked at Celina. 'Keep an eye on your friend, so she doesn't injure herself.' She said with her eyes. Celina nodded almost invisible.

The doctor grabbed some crutches for Sara and let them to the door. The doctor had also told them to come by again in two weeks, to track her process, so before they left, they stopped by the reception. They made another appointment. 'If you do anything that you're not supposed to, I'll kill you. Do you understand?' Celina whispered in her ear, only half joking. Sara turned her head a little 'I won't, I promise.' She whispered back before giving her a quick kiss.

Then they were done, they went home. 'Aaron, are you riding back to the station with me?' Lucy asked, snapping him back to reality. He turned around. 'Yes, let's go.' he responded, shaking off the heartbroken feeling he had. He was too late. He had hesitated too long and now she was gone. He suddenly felt really empty. The butterflies had stopped and were turning into snails. Slowly eating away his insides like salat in a garden. Celina had kissed someone else, a girl. An actual girl.

Next part: December 12th 2024