Catch Me While I Fall - Nolan Arenado

Chapter 44

I looked over to Nolan and motioned for him to come and lay with me.

"Baby, your leg needs to stay propped up. I might mess it up."

I looked at him with puppy dog eyes and pouted.

"Please?"

He smiled, stood up, and walked over to the bed. Gently, he moved me over, so he could lay down beside me.

"See, this is perfect."

Nolan lifted his arm so that I could lay on him. He made sure I was comfy before getting comfy himself. He cut the TV on with the volume low.

"Nol, I love you."

"I love you, pretty girl. Always have and always will." He kissed my head and rubbed my hair.

"You really scared me. I thought I lost you."

I then proceeded to tell Nolan about my dream with dad.

"It was so real. I didn't know if I was going to see you again."

He rubbed my head again and replied, "I am not losing you, beautiful."

I smiled up at him and said, "someone told me you have been missing out on your games."

"Don't be surprised. I was not leaving and missing the chance of you waking up. They all understood and we made it work."

"Thank you for everything you did, especially staying with me when you didn't have to."

Nolan kissed my head and said, "For you, anything. Now you need sleep so you can heal and get better."

He went to get off the bed, but I wouldn't let go of him.

"Stay, please. I will sleep the best next to you."

He agreed, covered us up, and he fell fast asleep.

I don't know how Nolan did it, but trying to get sleep in a hospital was impossible. Between my leg being un-comfy and nurses constantly walking in, I could never fall asleep. Nolan was still in the bed with me, sleeping soundly. I was thankful for that. Anytime some walked in, I made the "shhh" noise, so they would not wake him. I knew staying with me 24/7 was not an easy task, and he was bound to be tired. I also felt terrible about him missing his games. That is his career that he had to put on hold to care for me. I appreciated him for it, and would never let him forget it.

As I looked at the clock on the wall, it was just 4:00am. The nurses let me know they would not be back until 8:00am (thank goodness) and now would be the best time to sleep.

"I wish someone would have told me sooner," I thought to myself. "Whatever."

I tried to get comfy, but it was useless. Instead, I decided to just scroll on Social Medial for a little while. I checked Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Nothing good was on there, but that was not a big surprise. I changed my pace a little and decided to online shop. Maybe I could find something for Nolan to thank him for loving me like he does. I went to my favorite shop, Etsy. They have such a wide variety with so many handmade options. I had something in mind, so I went to work. Within a few minutes, I found just what I was looking for. I quickly ordered it and had it shipped to the house. Feeling accomplished, I cut Netflix on my phone, and tried to fall asleep.

I slowly opened my eyes and was greeted by the sun. Looks like I did finally get some sleep. I looked around the room and Nolan was gone. The clock read 7:30am and the TV was on playing morning cartoons. I decided I would text him and see what was going on.

Me: I woke up and you were gone :(

Nolan: Be right back, pretty girl

I threw my phone down and covered my face with my pillow.

"Fuckkkkkk." I screamed.

"Now, what has you feeling that sort of way?"

I looked up and Nolan and my nurse were standing there staring at me.

"Sorry, just irritated. I woke up alone and hungry, and my leg hurts."

"This should help with some of the problem," Nolan said, offering me a coffee and chocolate croissant.

"Sorry for yelling." I took the items from Nolan, and he leaned down to kiss me.

He whispered, "I thought I would be back before you woke up, I am sorry for leaving you."

I smiled at him and then turned to the nurse.

"Could you maybe give me something for the pain?"

She smiled and spoke up, "I sure will, and after you eat, we have you scheduled to get fitted for your cast."

She administered my pain medicine, and gave me 30 minutes to finish up breakfast. She then walked out, leaving just Nolan and me.

"I am sorry I screamed. This is all just a lot, and I am feeling overwhelmed."

Nolan stood beside me and help my hand.

"You do not need to apologize, baby. You have been through a lot. I promise I am here to take care of you."

"You are the best. I love you."

"I love you to the moon. Now let's eat and get you ready for the day."

Nolan and I ate our breakfast while discussing plans for the day.

"Your mom should be here any minute to help out. I talked to the doctor, and after you get your cast, you will need to try and maneuver around. He said it would probably take us both to help you, and I figured you would want your mom here."

"You are perfect, you know that, right?"

"Anything for my favorite girl."

Right on cue, Mom walked in.

"There is my baby. How are you feeling?"

"Hey mom. I hurt, but they gave med medicine. It is time to get my cast on now."

"Let's do it!"

Nolan and Mom assisted me to a wheelchair, and we were guided by my nurse to an office space. It felt like such a long process. But, the doctors were nice and professional, and I got to pick out my cast color.

"Easy choice, red," I said and winked at Nolan. He knew I got red because of him and the Cardinals.

The doctor got me all set up, and back into my chair. The cast covered my foot and went all the way to my knee. He gave us some instructions when it came to cleaning.

"Ok, Kenzie, you are good to go. Good luck."

I thanked him and then the nurse led us back to my room.

"So now the cast is on, we will need you to see about moving around. You will need to use the wheelchair until you can apply pressure and then use crutches. Until you are ready to do things on your own, your mom and boyfriend will need to help you in the bathroom, like showering. It is going to be difficult, but you have a great support team, and I am here to help too."

I thanked her for taking her time helping and explain everything.

"You are a great patient. The doctor has requested a brain scan just for a follow-up. Do you have any questions?"

Mom and Nolan didn't, but I did.

"When do you think I will get to go home?"

My nurse responded, "as long as the scan comes back good, and you feel comfortable moving around, we can let you go in 2 days."

I thanked her, and she walked out.