December
3 Days Later...
It's been a few days. I've gotten my voice back and the doctors are currently checking my paralysis.
They told me that if I show signs that I can move my lower body, then they can let me walk around the hospital with a walker.
I would be jumping for joy if I weren't so embarrassed. I mean, I basically have to relearn to walk. How could I not be embarrassed?
The nurse I was given pokes my left leg with a thin, dull metal stick. "Can you feel that?" I shake my head. She puts the stick down and picks up a slightly sharper one.
She pokes with the same amount of pressure as the other. Hard enough for my muscles to feel and respond but not hard enough to draw blood. "How about now?" she asks with her usual smile on her lips.
I shake my head no, again. She sighs and puts the stick down on the tray. "Okay, so there is one more pin and if you can't feel it then the bullet hit more than we thought. The result of that being a longer time period with paralysis or permanent damage." the smile is no longer on her face as she picks up the last stick which is sharper than the other two. Almost like a toothpick.
My heart beats so loud I can hear it in my mind. The closer the pin comes to my leg the more panic I feel.
I pray to god that I won't be permanently paralyzed. I have to help Astoria. She needs me and I know that asshole has her. I just don't know what he's doing with her but I swear if he touched her I will give him hell before sending him there.
I feel the small needle pinch my thigh and my leg flinches softly. "Ow, what the hell?" I glare at the nurse whose smile has found its way back onto her face. Just then I realize what just happened.
I felt the needle. My leg moved. I'm not paralyzed!
"Oh my God." shock and relief fill me from head to toe. I sit up and lean against the now lifted bed. "Now, you won't be able to walk at the snap of a finger as I'm sure the doctors told you and you won't have control over your lower body but I can schedule for you to have walker practice and physical therapy." a wide smile slips onto my face at the news.
This is the only good news I've retained this entire time. I can't help but feel as if things are finally looking up for me.
"And how long would that take?" I ask.
She thinks for a while before answering. "Well, every patient is different and for you specifically I may take a few weeks maybe since your injury was quite minor. But then again your legs were very quick to respond to pain." weeks?
I shake my head in denial. "I don't have weeks. Has anyone ever accomplished this quicker than that?" in those weeks Astoria could be found dead somewhere in a forest. I can't let that happen.
"Well Mr. Montgomery as I said before, every patient is different so I couldn't say-"
"Is there any way I could walk within the next few days?" I cut her off.
She looks confused. "Well, no one has b-" Again, I cut her off. "I will give 1 million dollars to anyone who could get me up and walking by Monday." her eyes widen and her mouth falls open.
"S-Sir that's only 4 days away." I take a breath to keep myself from raising my voice. I take a second to calm myself down before returning to the conversation. "Just. Do. It." is all I could say without losing my shit.
She leaves the room in a hurry and I sigh, rubbing my forehead in frustration.
I can't explain to these people why I need to be out of here so soon but that doesn't mean I'm not doing everything I can to get out of this place to get back what's mine.
I few minutes pass by before the door opens again. I look up to see who it is and come face-to-face with the man I never thought I'd be so happy to see.
Marshall.
"Oh my goodness." he puts his hand over his mouth and walks closer to my bed. "I'm so sorry Mr. Mont...Lewis." I shake my head and laugh.
"It is what it is." I shrug as if I wasn't just holding myself back from cursing out my nurse. Seconds later Nyla and James walk in. "I see you haven't burned the hospital to the ground yet." J jokes because he knows how much I hate hospitals. They do the bare minimum and most of the time, it's not enough to save someone's life.
It's because of my name and title that I'm alive right now.
"And I see your back to be a sarcastic asswipe." he laughs and plops into the light brown leather chair in the corner. I hear papers shuffle next to me and my attention is transferred to Marshall.
"James contacted me a few days back and told me to find Keith's whereabouts. It just so happens that he's not even trying to hide anymore. I think he wants you to find him since it was overly easy to get his location."
"Of course he does, he's using Astoria as bait. He wants us to find him because he's pissed I killed his new wifey." James looks at me with an illogical look. His eyebrows scrunched tightly, the same look I had the night I found out. Except mine had more anger.
"Oh, didn't you know? He remarried. She looked way younger than me." I scoff. He's such a tool and there are way more words to describe him.
"He's fucking sick. So much for Mom is the 'Love of his life'." I look over to Marshall and wait for him to continue.
"Oh, so he's at a warehouse in the Portman Rainforest. I'm not sure if he's planning to leave but he's been there for a few days now." Portman? That's like an hour away from Norchester. If he wants to be found why the hell would he go that far?
"Is he alone?" Nyla asks, she leans back on the door with her arms crossed over her chest. I'm pretty sure J filled her In on the whole situation.
Marshall shrugs his shoulders. "I'm not sure but I wouldn't put it past him. If he's expecting you then he must have backup."
I shake my head. "No, he wants me and James' heads on a platter. He'd enjoy killing us on his own. I don't he has people with him." I could be wrong but I genuinely don't think he does.
A knock sounds on the door and Nyla moves out of the way.
The nurse and a few other people in scrubs walk in. "Hello Mr. Montgomery, and friends of Mr. Montgomery, I have gathered some of our proficients and they'll be working with you." they wheel in a short metal structure and the people help me up from the bed.
"So we hear you want to relearn to walk by this Monday?" The male proficient asks as he hooks the cuffs on my wrists so my hands don't slip off of the bars of the walker.
"Any reason?"
I look at J and he nods hesitantly. "Uh, I'm meeting with my girlfriend. I want to wall when I see her." I lie. Well it's not completely a lie, I am going to see(save) her, and I do want(need) to walk when I do.
"Ah, does she know what happened? Has she come to see you?" the woman asks this time and I begin to accumulate irritation from all of the questions.
"Look, all I need to know, is if you'll be able to help me or not." they pause and look between each other before nodding.
"We will, of course, we'll have to be in the walker a lot more than if you had weeks to months to do this but with a few medications and hours walking, you'll be on your feet in no time." the man smiles.
I unconsciously nod my head. At least this is back on track.
So now we know the location of Astoria and I'll be able to hold her in my arms by Monday.
•••
After hours on end of walking up and down the halls with the walker, they help me back onto the mattress.
"You did great today Mr. Montgomery. We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow after you get some sleep." everyone files out of the room and I sigh a relieved sigh.
I'm tired as hell but It'll all be with it when I can walk again. I hate not being able to go where I want when I want. It's like I'm being controlled and it fucking sucks.
J woke up from the sound of the door shutting. "Hey, how'd it go?" he says in a raspy voice while stretching his arms out above him.
"It was fine. I'm exhausted though." I express, fighting a yawn from creeping out. Once he's fully awake he looks as if he just remembered something and jumps up.
"What?" I ask.
He runs over to my bed and squishes in next to me. "Keith sent a voicemail. I didn't listen to it because I wanted to do it with you. Want to listen? It's your call." I nod my head immediately and he unlocks his phone. He scrolls and taos on the screen before turning up his volume and putting the phone in between us.
The message begins to play.
*VoiceMail*
Keith Landon here,
You know, I thought you'd have found me
already. Guess I'm better at hiding than I thought.
Speed it up though. This little brat is getting on my fucking nerves. And tell your punk little brother I said hi.
Tell him revenge is in his cards. A love, for a love.
*End of VoiceMail*
That piece of shit. So that's his fucking plan. To get back at me. But to use the one person I've ever fucking loved is low. But hey, it's Keith Landon, he knows no limits.
"Do you think..." I know what he's thinking. I know and I don't want to think about it.
"Don't say it. Please." my voice is soft, unintentionally quiet. J nods his head and rubs my back. An attempt to comfort me. The same comfort I know for a fact Astoria needs right now. And the fact that can't give it to her, the fact that she even needs it, fucking kills me.
It kills every part of me.
•••
She runs through the vast fields of bright yellow sunflowers, my chasing right behind her.
The laugh that leaves her mouth is angelic. A sound I've loved since the first time I heard it. I finally catch her and she wraps her arms around my neck. I swing her until we tumble onto the soft green grass.
"Do you believe in fate?" she asks, not taking her eyes away from the huge blue sky. Although my eyes never leave her.
"Like something was meant to happen?" I ask and she nods. "No, I don't." I never have. It's never occurred to me that just because you were in the right place at the right time, everything was meant to be.
I see her face fall at my response. I grab her hand in mine and rub my thumb over the top of it.
Her head turns to me and her honey-brown eyes find my ocean-blue ones. "But," I lean down closer to her face. "I do believe in soul mates. A person specially designed just for you. And I believe your mine. And I'm yours."
Her smile. The same smile that could light up a room, creeps onto her face again and she closes the distance between us.
I don't hesitate to kiss her back with all of the love in my heart. "I love you, Astoria." I pull away to look her in the eyes. I've finally told her how I feel about her. What she says now determines so much.
I look at her expectantly, waiting for a response.
"I-"
My eyes shoot open and I take in my surroundings. The same hospital room I've been in for days.
No sign of Astoria.
I turn to my side and curl up with my arms around myself. I feel warm tears fall from my cheeks. The memory of her getting louder and louder. So loud it hurts.
Has love always been painful?
-my baby :'(