From the hospital I went directly to Thorn his house, I needed to talk to him.
"What happened with you Rose?" He asked when he opened the door. "Did Hugo break up or something?"
"No! I went to see Lucas." I sneered when I walked in his house. "Aren't Mia and Sophia home?"
"No, they went swimming with Sophia's sister. Girl's time."
I dropped on his couch "why did you threw the food on his bed?" I asked Thorn.
"He was being an ass. I asked him about physio, getting used to his new balance, using a prosthesis. He got angry and threw his trash at me. I picked it up and threw it back. Childish I now, but he was ..."
"Impossible?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"I said something about Hailey, and he threw my laptop against the wall."
Thorn shook his head "Hailey has always been a sore topic for him. Every time they were on a break, she was with someone else. Everyone knew it but everytime he took her back."
"Did he know?"
"He must have heard the gossip. So, what happened today?"
I pulled the MacBook out my bag "he bought me this. It was delivered at my work. I went to give it back to him. Of course, he refused. I told him that I would accept it if I could take him for a walk in a wheelchair, or if he would start physio, or if he would tell me what happened."
"What did he say?"
"He refused so I left, but just when I was ready to walk out, he started talking about what happened."
"Luc told you!?" Thorn sounded surprised.
"He sure did." And then I told him everything that Lucas told me and what happened after.
Thorn was quiet after everything but stood up and pulled two beers out of the fridge. Handing me one he sighed and dropped back on the couch.
"What do you think?" he asked me after a while.
"I don't think that he was driving." I said to him, looking in his hazel eyes.
"No, that's what I thought too. Something isn't adding up." He replied.
He sat back on the couch and placed his feet on the coffee table while I sat down next to him, resting my head against his shoulder. We were both gone in our own thoughts while we drank our beer in silence.
The silence was cut with a ping from my phone, I pulled it out my purse and looked at what I had received. Lucas had sent me a picture of himself with the physiotherapist and 'you were right! Can you send me your number?'
I showed it to Thorn, and he narrowed his eyes at the last part of his message. "Why does he need your number? Does he know that you have Hugo?"
I giggled "Thorn, I don't think that Lucas is interested in me like that!"
"Uh...huh you are too naïve Rose." He took his phone out and sent a message to Lucas 'why do you want Rose her number?'
I groaned "Really Thorn?"
"I want to protect you sis. I have seen him charming girls, but he always goes back to her."
"I have Hugo."
"But you said yourself that you are doubting the relationship. In that position it is easy to fall for someone else."
"I won't, I promise."
"Fine. Gail and Ed are going to be relieved that he finally started physio." He said while his phone pinged but he held his hand before it so I couldn't read it. He smiled, typed something, and put his phone away.
"What? Thorn what did you do?"
"I gave him your number. And I told him that if he hurt you that I will cut off his other leg too."
"What! Thorn, you can't say that." I scolded him.
"He can take it. Besides he didn't want pity." He shrugged.
"God man." I stood up and placed my beer in the kitchen. "I'm going home."
"Okay, I'm on shift tomorrow. See you later."
"Goodnight."
*****
Friday morning (Mai 21) I sent a message to my sister 'Give him a chance!'
'I'll try, I'm so nervous.'
'I know, do you want to go for lunch to take your mind off things?'
'That would be great, I'll meet you at your work.'
'Perfect.'
The rest of the morning passed by slowly, Diana was back but had taken a day off to spent time with Anthony, her husband. When Iris entered my office, I had only one script left for the afternoon.
"Iris, did you sleep last night?" I asked her when I saw the dark circles under her eyes.
"Not really." She shrugged.
"Why didn't you come to my place?" I stood up and walked towards her.
"I would have kept you awake with me."
"Perhaps, but I could have helped you." I wrapped my arms around her, at 5ft8 she was taller than me and her arms were around my neck.
"I love you sis."
"I love you too Iris, remember we are there for each other."
"I know. But sometimes I need to do things on my own."
I smiled at her but didn't comment. "Let's go, I'm hungry."
"Is Hugo back?"
"Didn't I tell you? He is staying another weekend. Next Friday he is coming back and then he stays a whole week."
When lunch was almost over my phone pinged with a message, but I left it unread, focusing on Iris. 5 minutes later I got another one. "Maybe it's Hugo, Rose."
"I doubt it." I told her while I pulled my phone out. "It's from an unknown number." I told her opening them.
"What does it say?"
I smiled "They are from Lucas. He asks why I didn't visit during lunch." I quickly sent him a reply back.
"Lucas? Who is that?"
"Do you remember Lucas Rutherford?"
"Thorn his friend? Yeah, who doesn't remember him?"
"He is in the hospital, I visited him once. But then I went back and..."
"What are you doing Rose, what about Hugo?" Iris interrupted me.
I scowled at her "it's not like that Iris."
"What is it, then?"
I sighed and started telling her everything that happened this week. Iris was quiet when I was done telling her everything.
"Did she swap places with him?" she asked.
"Thorn and I thought that too. But I thought about it. Could you drag a man taller than Thorn out of the back seat and drag him into the driver seat? That must be a hell of a job."
"Probably not no."
I glanced at the time "I'm sorry Iris, I need to go back to work."
We paid for our lunch and said goodbye. Back at work I took my last script and started reading.
Last night after I told the nurse that I wanted to start physio she came back after 25 minutes with a physiotherapist. "Good evening Mr. Rutherford, I'm Alexander Evans."
"Lucas please. Nice to meet you." We shook hands and he took a seat.
"Alex is fine, we went to the same high school, I was a year ahead of you."
"I don't remember."
He smiled and he continued "I've been going through your file. Can I see your stump?"
"Yes of course." I pulled my sheet away and he started to examine it. He bent my knee toward my body and did the same with the other side. I groaned with the stiffness.
"Why did you wait so long to start physiotherapy?"
I shrugged "I don't know."
"You are lying in bed for 3 months, so we need to build everything up. We need to start working first on your flexibility and then your strength. Especially for your left leg, your back, and your arms. Before your accident you were in good shape, so I believe that you will be back in shape quickly. Have you received an exercise prosthesis?"
"Yeah, but you need to ask my parents. I threw it out."
"Okay I will ask them. Do you experience phantom pain?"
"Yeah, sometimes."
"How so you coop with them?" Alex asked.
I sighed and closed my eyes "I don't. I yell at everyone, throw stuff ..."
"Lucas, everyone coops with this different. In a way you were grieving."
"True, but my family..."
"They love you. Now are you ready for some stretching exercises?"
"I am ready."
He took my good leg and started bending and flexing it. All my muscles were protesting, I groaned and huffed. But Alex ignored it. Then he went to my other leg and did the same. 30 minutes later he stopped "I give you a massage to keep the muscles loose. You will probably feel this tomorrow."
"No doubt." I told him with a groan when he started massaging my hamstrings and quadriceps.
30 minutes later he stopped "From now on we do this every day. You need to move your legs more in bed. Change your position in bed regularly, keep the stiffness away."
"Okay, I will."
"Same for your arms. I'll ask the nurse to bring you a bottle of water and you can use it for some arm exercises." He showed me the movement. I had done enough of that in the gym. So, I nodded at him. "For the phantom pain, we can give you pain medication."
"No, I don't want it."
He nodded "then I recommend that you talk about it with the people who care about you. They need to understand why you lash out to them. Because I'm sure that they don't understand now why you were so angry at everything and everyone."
"Fine." I muttered.
He smiled "see you tomorrow, I will be here at 10am."
"Oh wait! Can I take a picture with you? I want to send it to a friend of mine."
"The one who got your head out of your ass?"
"Something like that yeah." We took a picture and Alex left after that. I sent it to Rose 'you were right! Can you send me your number?' She read it but didn't reply, instead I received a message from Thorn 'why do you want Rose her number?'
Good question Thorn, why do I want her number? 'Because I like her company.' I replied to him.
'If you hurt Rose, I will cut off your other leg! Here is her number.'
I almost choked when I read his reply but then I laughed. God Thorn, I missed him and his blunt side.
*****
The next day Alex and I worked together again for an hour. We were busy when my mother walked in, when she saw what we were doing she started crying. "I'll come back later." She said and walked back out. Probably calling the whole family to tell them what she had seen. Alex and I wrapped it up and he would come back in the late afternoon to train my upper body.
When he was gone my mother walked back in directly towards me and almost jumped on me. She wrapped her arms around me "you make me so happy Lucas."
I chuckled but didn't say anything, what could I say? She pulled back and wiped her tears away.
"I told Alex that I will bring your exercise prosthesis tomorrow. It's at home."
"Okay."
She took a seat and looked expectantly at me "who got through you? Thorn or Rose?" she asked with a soft smile.
"Mom!"
"I bet it was Rose" she whispered to herself, but I heard it.
"Don't think about it mom. She has a boyfriend."
"I know. But he is in New York." She chuckled and she glanced at me. "You deserve someone who loves you for you, not for your money or fame."
"Mom" I growled.
"Hailey was never..."
"STOP!" I roared "get out!"
"Lucas, please."
"Don't mother. I don't want to hear it. Just go away."
I saw that she was crying again, but this time I couldn't blame it on phantom pain. It was another pain, I have always loved Hailey, and I have always known that she wasn't as into me as I in her. But I loved her. My family and some friends never liked her, but I kept on choosing her. In the end she never chose me. I knew that, but my heart was hers. Even now I would choose her. Even though that would be extremely stupid of me. I sighed and closed my eyes for a bit, I must have dosed of because I woke up when a nurse came in with my lunch. "Did you see Rose today?" I asked her.
"No sir."
I took my phone and had no messages at all. Where was she? I sent her a message, 5 minutes later I sent her another because she didn't reply. This time she replied 'at lunch with my sister. She needed me.'
What? What about me? I thought but also knew that that was a selfish thought. She didn't owe me anything. I pulled my lunch towards me and started eating, while flicking through the television channels. Settling on an old movie the time passed but around 3pm the movie was done, and I was bored.
I took my phone from the nightstand and sent Rose another message 'Will you stop by after work?'
'That depends on your mood.' She replied quickly. My mood? I don't have a 'mood.'
'My mood?'
'Yes, your attitude.' Well yeah, maybe she is right.
'I will behave, promise.'
'We will see about that, but yes I can come over after work.'
'Great! See you then.'