Mafia's Woman

5- Doctor Visit

When my alarm rang at 7:30 in the morning, I shut the clock off and stretched my body out. I hadn't slept that well in years. I reluctantly pulled myself out of the comfy bed and dressed in a pair of blue jeans, an old faded t-shirt, and a grey hoodie.

Looking at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, I realized that my bruises were heinous looking. My face was covered in black and blue markings. My eyes looked exhausted with dark rings underneath them.

I left all of the very minimal makeup I owned at my father's house, so I had nothing to conceal the bruises with. I sighed, shaking my head. I didn't want people to see my face like that. It was humiliating.

After dressing, I made the bed and sat down on the corner of it as I still had some time before I needed to meet Arsenio. As I sat down, my anxious thoughts came rushing back into my mind, and my stomach felt sick. I wasn't sure what to expect and I was scared. I went from living in an abusive home to being housed in a mansion by an intimidating stranger within a day. I didn't know what to think, it was all very overwhelming and unexpected.

When it was time, I headed to the staircase and saw Arsenio looking down at his watch. He noticed me hopping down the stairs and peered up at my face. I felt disgusting under his gaze. I knew he could see my marred face and my worn-out clothing.

He was most likely criticizing me, internally mocking me for my appearance. I looked away from him, feeling inferior and self-conscious under his unrelenting gaze.

When I reached the bottom of the staircase, he walked away through an opening in the hallway. I stood at the base of the stairs, not sure if I should follow. He soon reappeared and glared at me with his cold eyes.

"Are you going to stand there and look stupid all day or are you going to come here?" He demanded, an irritated tone lacing his voice. Blushing from embarrassment, I hobbled toward him and through the opening that he had walked through. I saw couches, chairs, and a coffee table, so I assumed we were in his living room.

He pointed to a leather couch in the middle of the room and motioned for me to sit. He walked out of the door and left me to myself. Since he was gone, I took it upon myself to look around the room. There were large windows on each side of the room with dark curtains, but the curtains were pulled back to let light in.

On one side of the room in its own spot, a piano sat. It was a gorgeous instrument. I didn't know how to play the piano and I didn't know anyone who did, but I always thought it was lovely to hear. Maybe one day in the future I would take lessons or something. Although, at the moment, my future was unknown and most likely not promising.

A few moments later, Arsenio walked into the room with an older man who I assumed was the doctor.

The man approached me and extended his hand. "Hello, Eloise. I am Doctor Rossi, and I will be treating your injury today." His voice held an Italian accent as well. I shook his hand and smiled at him. "So, Mr. Campione tells me you have an injured ankle. What happened, dear?" He asked while looking at me curiously. His eyes also wandered my face and I knew he was analyzing the bruises.

"I was just walking through the woods and I tripped over a stump and landed on my ankle. I couldn't put any weight on it and it swelled up and started bruising immediately." I didn't elaborate at all as to why I was wandering through the woods.

He nodded and examined my foot closely, asking if there was any pain when he added pressure to certain spots. After a few moments, he looked up at me. "Well good news dear, your ankle is not broken. You have, however, sprained it severely. Do not put weight on it for three days, possibly even longer if it still hurts to apply a little bit of weight to it. Use your crutches to walk. After those three-plus days, use your crutches to walk for two more weeks. Slowly apply more of your weight to your ankle each day. Then, after that, use this air cast when you walk for a week and you should be good to go. Any questions?"