Scarred ➵zauren

Chapter 3

I startled awake to the noises of metal clanging against the hospital room door. I squinted my eyes as they adjusted to the sun and saw a man brining in a wheel chair.

"Uh, what's that for?"

"Transportation to the physical therapy center. Your nurse will be in soon to take you."

"Actually I'm here now, with some breakfast," Lauren smiled as she walked in the room and she was radiating a complete different energy than last night. After her call and her little break down in my room, I didn't really know what to do, so eventually I fell asleep. But a huge cloud of gloom had evidentially fallen over her and it was more obvious each time she came in to check on me throughout the night.

"What's looking good this morning?" I wondered as Lauren set the tray down on the table.

"Something syrupy," she chuckled. "It smells like Ryan after pancake day."

"Cute," I laughed back. Lauren walked around to the side of my bed that had controls and sat me up, still needing a little adjusting, I expected her to help me slide up but instead she uncovered my body.

"How about we get you out of this bed and I show you a nice place to eat breakfast?"

"Oh my, I don't think I'm properly dressed for a date," I feigned shock.

"You're something else," Lauren blushed and I was glad to see that adorable tint on her cheeks again.

"I need you to give me a heads up, how hard is it going to be to try and get out of this bed?"

"In all honesty..probably the hardest thing you've ever done in your life. Your body is gonna wanna try and stand, but you can't and you won't feel the coldness of the floor through your socks when you place them on the ground to swivel in to the chair. It's gonna be hard emotionally...but physically it shouldn't be too hard. You just gotta rely on me, and trust me, I've got you," she smiled.

"I trust you," I stated seriously. For some reason, I really felt the words I said. It may have seemed a bit much but in the 24 hours I'd been conscious, she'd made me feel like my life was safe in her hands and I took that seriously. Coming from a Navy Seal background, trust was everything and I was willing to trust her to bring me back to me.

"Good," she offered me her two hands. "Just a heads up, these braces allow a flex so that you don't move your adjusted fractures but still give you some movement."

"The future is now," I joked.

"Tell me about it," Lauren chuckled. "Alright, just grab and I'll pull, okay?"

I nodded and gripped her hands tighter. They were cold and soft and I felt her scar beneath my thumb that wrapped around her small hand. I caught a glimpse of my legs for the first time in days and they seemed like inhuman, foreign appendages. They didn't seem like they belonged to me. It felt like I was abducted by aliens and they took my legs to experiment on them and when they returned them, they were broken. It was unsettling so I looked back up at Lauren. Her patient green eyes were watching me carefully and I felt myself trust her even more.

"Ready? 1...2...3," Lauren counted before pulling my upper body up. "There we go," Lauren smiled. "Hold my shoulder while I put your legs over the edge of the bed, I need to see if you can sit up without support. You should be able to but we always have to double check."

She brought my legs over the side of the bed and they touched the floor but she was right, I didn't feel the cold and it was a strange feeling. It felt like I was in a bad dream.

"Okay, let me grab the chair," Lauren backed up slowly as she examined my ability to sit alone. It was almost as if I was a six month old child again.