An Impossible Love (ON HOLD)

Chapter 9

Hadley's POV

Can I just say that hospitals are freaking boring? By the end of day three, I was becoming restless. It would have been sooner, but I had been sleeping off most of it. Maisie had come to visit me a couple of times, catching me up on the school gossip. Apparently Carter was flirting with other girls, so hopefully he would leave me alone when I got back. Now, however, there was nothing to do except homework or watching the TV that had no good shows. It was just the news, however, which I was tempted to watch because I had done all the homework and wasn't really feeling like getting ahead. Every once in a while (okay, maybe more than once in a while) my mind would drift off to Death. I couldn't help myself from thinking that he was pretty cute. But he is the literal form of death, so I would have to die to see him again, so I probably won't be seeing him again. I couldn't help the disappointment that ran through me. I shook my head. Since when was I always thinking about a guy? The correct answer is never. I was brought out of my thoughts the nurse came in to check on me again.

Katie smiled at me as she walked over to me. "I've got some good news for you! You ready to get out of here and go home?"

I sat there, stunned, for a few seconds before a grin split my face. "Really? You're serious?"

Katie laughed. "Of course! I'm not that cruel to tease a patient with the hope of getting out of the hospital." We both laughed, then she continued, "Your parents will be here sometime soon, then we can sign you out if you're feeling up for it."

"Yes! I am so ready to be out of here." I was trying hard not to start cackling from excitement and scaring Katie.

Katie grinned at me, sensing my restraint. "There are a few things that I will cover with you once your parents get here. Right now, though, I'm just going to test the sensation in your legs to see if there's been any progress. Sound good?" With my nod, she helped me push the blankets off of me, exposing my legs.

Katie pulled out a pen from one of her scrub's many pockets and sat down on the end of my bed. "Close your eyes and tell me when you feel the pen, okay?" After another nod from me, she watched as I closed my eyes the proceeded to touch my legs with her pen. I was a little encouraged that I could feel the pen clearer on my legs than before.

"Can you feel any lower?" Katie asked, making sure my eyes were still closed.

"From last time? A little lower. It's about the place where my toes connect with my foot. It's still very faint, though," I said, trying to explain where I could feel and where I couldn't.

"Alright. You can open your eyes now." She stood up and put the pen back into a pocket on her scrubs. "It seems like you are getting better. You will have a limp for a while, but it should disappear in the next week or so."

I breathed deeply, grinning widely. "Am I still going to be able to leave this afternoon?"

"Yes, ma'am! In fact, your parents will be here soon to start filling out your discharge papers." She helped me pull the blankets back up on me, trying (and succeeding) to get me comfortable for my last few hours in the hospital.

A few hours later, my parents finally arrived and finished filling out the paperwork. Katie helped me into the wheelchair since my legs were weak from lack of use and told me that it would take a few days for them to be at full use as long as I started doing the physical exercise routine that would be sent to me by mail sometime today.

When we got home a half an hour later, my dad let me climb onto his back to get into the house instead of trying to get through with the wheelchair, which my mom brought in.

I breathed in the air, relishing that it didn't smell like the sterile environment that I had been confined to for the past week. My dad brought me to the living room and set me down on one of the couches.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, seeing the relaxed smile that had not left my face since we left the hospital.

"Okay. My chest still hurts," I told him. I rubbed my chest lightly, feeling pressure against the bandage over my rib cage area. I winced when my fingers glided over the area where my broken rib was just starting to healing.

"It will be pretty sore for a couple weeks to be fully healed," my mom said, giving me a small smile. "It will feel better in a couple days. You should make sure you go to bed early tonight since you have school tomorrow. However, since tomorrow is Friday, we can let you stay home, and you can go back to school on Monday instead."

I shook my head hastily. "No. I'd like to go to school tomorrow. I'd rather not keep trying to learn the material on my own and then try doing the homework."

"If you're sure," my mom said hesitantly.

"I'm sure." I breathed a sigh. It was going to be a long couple weeks.

A/N Thanks for the reads! I think I'm getting to a good spot where I should be able to pick up my writing pace, so hopefully I will be able to get the chapters out quicker, but no promises...