The Untold Truth

Chapter 5

When I woke up, the room was filled with a clouded light. I looked to see where the source of light was coming from and saw that there were tall windows that were covered by curtains. The white curtains made it hard to look outside, but it looked extremely green past the windows. I wanted so badly to walk to the windows and just to walk around in general.

I looked towards the door and wondered if Benjamin would be mad if I moved around. I tested how much I was able to move by twisting my hips and the pain wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be in my bullet wound. I slowly sat up in the bed and gained some confidence when I was able to sit up fully.

I slowly moved my legs to hang over the side of the bed and took a shaky breath. The bed was higher than I thought and I would have to slide out of it just to touch the ground. I took a deep breath and slid out of the bed. My feet hit the floor and my side was instantly stabbed with pain. I leaned back against the bed until the pain subsided and took deep breaths until I gained enough confidence to take a step.

I stood up straight when the pain went away a little and lifted my foot to take a step. I put my hand on a bedside table to balance myself and took a step. It only hurt a little bit, which was better results than what I was expecting, so I took another step. After a few minutes, I had finally made it across the room.

I gingerly grabbed a latch on one of the windows and opened it. The smell of the outdoors instantly hit my nose and the smell was almost overpowering. Outside, all I could see were trees.

How strange.

How far away from New York were we? He couldn't have his house too far away from New York, since it seemed as if he was there almost every night. Or at least, it seemed like he was always there when I needed saving. I put those thoughts to the side of my mind and decided to just enjoy the scenery and smell. It had been so long since I had even seen the outside world. It seemed even more green than how I had remembered it.

After looking for a while more, I decided it was time to head back to bed. I lifted my arms and tried to pull down the window, but the wound in my side was instantly stabbed with pain. I cried out and gently cradled my side. I gave out another small cry when the pain didn't stop and a tear rolled down my face.

Maybe walking around this quickly was a bad idea. I moved to turn around and walk back to bed, but the pain of moving was unbearable. I stayed completely still, thinking that maybe the pain would stop if I didn't move for long enough.

A soft voice behind me asked, "Aleksandria?"

I looked behind me, making sure not to move my body and saw Shadow standing a few feet away. He seemed like he was trying to keep his distance, but when he saw the tear on my face, he instantly covered the distance and took my face in his hands.

He asked, "What's wrong?"

I gave out a shaky laugh and said, "I think moving this early might have been a bad idea."

He forced a smile and said, "Yeah, you're still on bedrest I'm afraid."

I nodded my head and he asked, "Can you walk back to the bed?"

I looked down at the ground, and after the initial embarrassment, I said quietly, "I think that moving in any way right now isn't a good idea for me. Maybe if I just stay here for a few more seconds it'll pass."

Shadow gave me a look of disbelief and said, "I can move you Aleksandria. It won't be that hard for me."

He seemed to be back to his usual sarcastic self.

I laughed and said, "Yeah I know. You definitely haven't been too quiet on how strong you are."

He laughed and said, "Yeah, so moving you won't be a problem."

"It's not that I doubt your strength, I just really don't want to move right now."

He looked down at my side and said quietly, "Yeah, that guy got you pretty good."

When he looked up, I expected him to have on a face of mockery, but it surprised me when he looked up and there were almost tears in his eyes.

I gave him a confused look and asked, "Shadow? Are you alright?"

It was almost as if he had just realized that he was about to cry and he immediately put his walls back up.

He said, "Well, you need to get back into bed. Every minute that you're out of bed is making it slower for the recovery time."

"Shadow you really don't have to-"

He shook his head and said, "We are doing this Aleksandria."

The determination in his eyes made me realize there was no getting out of this. He was going to carry me back to bed like a child, and I was going to have to comply. I sighed heavily and started to nod my head. He walked up to me, still having his walls up.

He said in a business-like manner, "Put your arms around my neck first."

I slowly complied, not wanting my side to flare up more by any sudden movements. As soon as I had my arms around his neck, he put one of his arms behind my back and one behind my knees. The intimate position that we were in threatened to make my cheeks blush, even though he had gotten closer to me when he first saved me compared to now.

That first time he had saved me, however, was before he had kissed me. I shook my head and focused on the fact that he was talking to me.

He said slowly, "Alright. I'm going to start lifting you up now. This may hurt, but it will help more in the long run."

He started to lift me up and my wound definitely did not like the new position that my body had taken.

I almost cried out, but Shadow beat me to it by saying, "Be strong. This will only last a moment longer."

I gritted my teeth together and hissed a harsh breath out. As soon as he was fully supporting my weight, he quickly carried me over to the bed. He gingerly set me down in the middle of the bed and made sure to treat my side with extra care. As soon as I was settled, he removed his hands and took a step away from the bed.

He said with a slight smile, "There. I think that was enough excitement for one day don't you think?"