Always Him (Always #1)

Chapter Thirty-Two

                                                                                     Jasper

Once I knew that Sadie was in the clear, I found myself grudgingly away from her in the lab. I wanted her to have the prosthetic limb as soon as possible, wanted for her to feel as normal as she could. It wasn't easy. I hated seeing the anger and confusion in her eyes when she was reminded that she'd have to relearn everything that she had known up until two weeks ago. It wasn't much different, though it still required her mind to think in ways it hadn't had to since she was a small child.

She was coming around to the idea of the prosthetic leg, though the process wasn't ideal. I wasn't sure if it was my eagerness to show her what I'd made for her that had her more into the idea or not; either way, I was taking it. It was a step forward. An effort to the future we were walking towards.

I dropped my pencil as a beep went off behind me. Shuffling towards the 3D printer, I opened it, carefully taking out its contents. It was a foot. With a smile, I brought it to my table, where the other portion of the leg was.

All I had to do was attach them, work some of the kinks out with the inner mechanics, and it'd be good to go for Sadie. It was probably too high tech for what she wanted; I couldn't dwell on that though, I was looking at the bigger picture, seeing the advancement of prosthetics.

We had another leg available for her to use until this one was ready. It was her favorite color: purple.

Working on the advanced limb kept me busy, kept me focused on the task at hand. I still worried about Sadie, but I was relieved to hear and see that she'd made a friend in her nurse Brittany. Brittany would let me know if anything came up with her. It was also good to let Sadie be alone from time to time; I noticed her getting tense, pretending to be happy for all our benefits. In truth, it was too much for her, too much attention. She was someone who enjoyed her alone time. I love and worried about her, but I could do this; I could let her have time from me. I had work to do anyway, had a job I loved, and wanted to keep. She was in good hands; I was able to relax.

The door opened.

My eyes lit up when the wheelchair was pushed into the room. Sadie's eyes seemed to gleam with stars when she saw me, excitement all over her face.

Brittany had a devilish grin on her face as she pushed the chair close to the table I was working at. She'd told Sadie something, and she was excited to see her reaction, just as I was.

Sadie clapped her hands at me; Brittany took that as her cue to step back; I took it as my cue to embrace her, kneeling in front of her. Her right arm locked around me; her left was struggling. As I held her, I was patient as she tried to raise her left arm. It was healing nicely but still had a long road ahead. Sadie grunted slightly with the effort, giving up after a moment; the hand was near my waist. "So close." She groaned. "So close."

"Better than before," I replied, stepping back. Her face was red from the effort, and the excited gleam came back after a few minutes. "You'll get there, Sades, just be patient about it. We'll all be here to help you."

Her eyes had wandered to the table, widening as they took in the pieces that lay there, shining in the lights draped on them. "Those for me?"

"They are."

Brittany came back over to move the chair as I stood and headed for the table. Sadie 'ooh'd and awe'd' as she took in the pieces of the prosthetic up close. "Can't believe you did this for me."

"I'd do anything for you."

She quickly looked from the parts to me, blushing when she met my gaze. I hoped she saw the truth in them.