Survival ( Book 2: Stronger Series )

41. Recovery

I woke up to the sounds of a slow rhythmic beep. Beep ... beep ... beep over and over again. My eyes felt heavy, my entire body roared with pain, and it felt like a jackhammer was pounding away inside my head. Forcing my eyelids to crack open, I saw the source of the beep. It was a heart monitor. I looked down to notice I was in a hospital bed with an IV inserted into my arm and the heart monitor clip attached to my finger. Groaning, I adjusted my body only to wince in ultimate pain. Everything hurt. Everything.

I tried to open my mouth to call out for someone, and suddenly realized that I couldn't. I heard the heart monitor spike as fear took over my body as I realized my jaw wouldn't open. I began to panic and nearly screamed.

"She's awake," I heard a male voice call out to someone, and I instantly turned my head to the source to find a guard dressed in a black suit and tie standing beside the door. Then a woman, whom I didn't recognize, quickly came out of another door near the guard.

"Oh, good," she said as she rushed over to me. She was older, had short, thin brown hair, with a plumper frame and bright red lips. She looked to be about in her mid-sixties as she came up to my bedside. "Good morning, Miss Wilder. I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up. You must be terribly confused."

No shit!

I looked at her with panic in my eyes. Who the fuck was this woman and where the fuck was I? And why the fuck couldn't I open my jaw?!

"Shh, shh, calm down before you further injure yourself. You're going to be okay. I'm Nurse Ginsby, and I'm going to be taking care of you while you recover from your recent injuries."

I tried to calm my breathing down as I attempted to get her to tell me the extent of my recent "injuries." I wanted to know what kind of damage Darren had done to my body. I lifted my right wrist only to wince in serious pain and look down to find it was in a cast.

Motherfucker.

"Now, don't struggle," she urged me. "Your right wrist is broken and two of your ribs are fractured. Your lower jaw was also fractured which is why you're mouth has been wired shut to prevent further injury. You also suffered a slight concussion along with multiple external bruising."

Now, I was pissed. Darren had not only completely immobilized me, but he also took away my ability to speak and cry for help. He was such a cruel son of a bitch!

"Your prognosis is good, though," the nurse beamed positively. "You've been asleep for a couple of days and your body is already beginning to heal itself at a fine rate. Depending on your amount of rest, you should be all healed up within a few short months and your jaw will be unwired within the next thirty days."

I raised my eyebrows. Thirty days? My jaw would be wired shut for thirty days?! Rage started to fill me again and the beeps on my heart monitor sped up.

"Now, keep yourself calm," she pleaded. "Mr. Davis will not be happy if you do something to slow your recovery."

I gave her the glare of death.

"Where is he?" I mumbled without opening my mouth and then winced. Any kind of vibration I made with my throat hurt my jaw.

"Mr. Davis is away on business and is not currently on the island. He means to return as soon as he knows you're awake. I imagine he will be here tomorrow."

"Island?" I asked her. We were on an island now?

"Yes, sorry, you were unconscious when they brought you here. We are on Mr. Davis's private island."

"Where?" I spoke softly hoping I might actually have a location disclosed to me for once.

"The Bahamas, and we're expected to have great weather this season so there should be plenty of motivation for you to get better so you can soak up some of that sun."