**Everyone please read the A/N at the end of the chapter. It is really important!**
When I saw Rachel the next day, I was ready for her. I put on a sad face as I walked into my math class and sat beside her. “Hey,” I mumbled.
She gave me a sympathetic smile. “Hey,” she replied softly. “You okay?”
I shrugged. “I confronted him about it last night and he admitted to it. Says he met her about a month ago and that he never meant to hurt me.”
“If he didn’t want to hurt you, he shouldn’t have cheated on you,” Rachel replied acidly.
I looked at her in surprise. I was so used to her being happy and bubbly, that it caught me off guard to hear her use that tone. “That’s what I told him,” I said with a sigh.
“Well, don’t worry. I’ll find you someone much better.”
I shook my head. “No, I’m swearing off men for awhile. I don’t want to get hurt again.”
She frowned. “So you want to be alone?”
“Yeah, at least for a little while. I promise that I’ll let you know when I’m ready to date again.”
She sighed in disappointment, but reluctantly nodded. “Okay, I won’t try to set you up with anyone yet.”
“Thanks Rachel. It’s nice to know that you want me to be happy.”
She smiled. “Well, I was lucky enough to find David, so I want everyone to be as happy as we are.”
“I’m sure I’ll find that one day. But for now, I’ll be happy being alone.”
That evening, my phone beeped, signaling that I had a text. I assumed it was from Blake, but when I checked the number, I didn’t recognize it. I opened the message and when I read it, the phone slipped out of my hands.
Baby, I need to talk to you. I miss you so much. Love, Marcus
Jared glanced up from where he was sitting and he jumped to his feet when he saw my face. He snatched my phone off the floor and read the message. His face became a mask of fury when he realized who it was from. “I’m going to go beat the hell out of that little prick,” he snarled.
I moved to the couch and sat down with a thud. I dropped my head into my hands and a moment later, I felt Jared sit next to me. He put his arm around me and pulled me closer to him. “Why does he think I would actually talk to him?” I asked.
“I don’t know, Hales. But I’ll deal with him, I promise.”
I shut my eyes and leaned my head against him. “Don’t make too much of a fuss, okay? We may not live in that town anymore, but your parents do and I don’t want them to have to deal with anything because you hurt Marcus.”
He blew out a breath. “I’ll just talk to him this time,” he promised.
I nodded. “Thanks. I’m going to go to bed.” I got off the couch and walked to the doorway. I turned back to look at Jared just before I left. “Thanks for always being here for me.”
“Anytime.”
I walked to my room and changed into my pajamas quickly. Tonto watched me closely, obviously sensing that something was wrong. I gave him a quick pat before climbing into my bed and turning my lights off. Sleep found me quickly.
“So Jake, have you met any new girls lately?” I asked my brother.
He turned to grin at me. “Always, little sister. No girl can resist my good looks.”
I rolled my eyes and looked him up and down. His hair was the same color as mine, but he had gray eyes instead of brown like me. He was tall and built, and he never lacked for female companionship. “Whatever, I still think you were an idiot for letting Amanda get away.”
His smile dimmed a little. “Yeah, maybe you’re right,” he replied softly.
Before I could comment further, my dad cursed from the drivers seat. “WATCH OUT!” my mom screamed.
My dad jerked on the steering wheel and then the car was suddenly spinning wildly. I screamed when I saw the tree we were heading for and a moment later, the car slammed into it. The sounds of crunching metal and shattering glass filled my ears, and then everything went deathly silent. “Mom, dad?” I called out. No answer. “Jake?” I turned my head to look at him and saw that he was unconscious.
My breathing hitched as I realized the severity of what had just happened. My body started shaking and I was on the verge of passing out when I heard the sounds of the sirens. I tried to shift my position, but realized I couldn’t. It was only then that I became aware of the excruciating pain in my back. A scream ripped out of my throat as the paramedics approached the wreckage that had been my dad’s car.
My eyes snapped open and I struggled desperately to breathe. My throat was raw and I was covered in sweat. I tried to wiggle out of the blankets, but I realized that I was unable to move. Tears streamed down my face as I tried again to move my legs, with no luck. My back felt like it was on fire and I whimpered.
The door to my bedroom burst open and I shifted my eyes to it to see Liam standing there in only a pair of boxers. He looked around the room wildly, although I’m not sure what he was looking for. When he realized there was no danger, he turned his eyes to me. As soon as he saw the state I was in, he rushed over to me. “Hailey? What’s wrong?”
“I can’t move my legs,” I gasped out.
Liam’s eyes widened and he immediately ran out of the room. “JARED! Get in here right now!” he hollered and then he returned to my side.
Less then thirty seconds later, Jared came skidding into the room, a baseball bat clutched in his hands. When he saw me, he dropped the bat and came to my side. “What happened?”
“Nightmare. Now my legs won’t move.”
Jared immediately wrenched the blankets off of me and ran his hands over my back, causing me to cry out in pain. I heard Jared curse violently and he turned to my uncle. “Go get me some of her compresses out of the freezer. Her whole back is inflamed and it must be rubbing on some nerves, which is why she can’t move her legs.”
I saw Liam nod and then he bolted out of the room. I closed my eyes and concentrated on getting my breathing under control.
Liam returned a minute later and handed the cold packs to Jared. Jared then placed them on my back and I flinched slightly at the temperature, my eyes opening. Once they were in place, Jared pulled back a little so he could look at me. “It’s going to be a really bad day for you, Hailey. I’m sorry.”
I nodded. “I know. Just please do something about the pain,” I begged.
“Liam, can you get her some painkillers? There should be some in her bathroom.”
After I had taken the pills, both guys sat on the ground beside my bed. Tonto sat between them, his eyes never leaving me. I knew he sensed that I was going to need him all day. “What time is it?” I asked them.
“Just after five,” Liam answered.
“Why’d you come into my room?”
“I heard you screaming,” he said agitatedly.
“Sorry,” I murmured.
“It’s hardly your fault, Hales. What were you dreaming about?” Jared asked.
“The crash. It was so clear, like it had happened yesterday.”
Liam reached out and grabbed my hand. “What do you think brought on the nightmare?”
I closed my eyes briefly. “Marcus sent me a text last night. That must have brought it all back.”
Liam swore vividly and my eyes popped open. My uncle almost never swore. “Is that dickhead bothering you?” he asked.
“Not really. He called once before, but that was a while ago now. I still don’t know how he got this number.”
“I already told Hailey that I’d take care of it,” Jared informed my uncle.
“Good. If he keeps contacting you, let me know. We can look into getting a restraining order if needed.”
My eyes started to drift shut again as the painkillers slowly took effect. I heard Liam and Jared both stand up and then each of them pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Send Tonto when you wake up again. I’ll help you into your chair,” Jared said.
I nodded and then allowed the darkness to consume me.
When I woke up a few hours later, my back was still on fire, but I was able to move my legs again, much to my relief. I couldn’t move them much, but the fact that I could move them at all was a good sign. I sent Tonto to get Jared and a couple of minutes later, Jared came in with my wheelchair. I glared at the thing hatefully, but I knew that I had no choice today.
Jared helped me get up and into the chair and then he backed away a few steps. “Do you want some breakfast?”
I shook my head. I was in no mood to eat. “I just want to be left alone.”
Jared sighed. “Hailey, don’t do this,” he said in a pleading tone.
I just turned my head away from him. I couldn’t help that I felt this way every time I had to use the chair. “Just go.” I waited until I was sure he was gone before I let the tears fall.
I was sitting in my room a few hours later, staring out my window, when I heard my door open. I assumed it was Jared checking up on me, so I didn’t turn around. “Hailey?”
I jerked up in my chair and quickly spun it around so I could stare at Blake. “Blake? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at school?”
He took a few hesitant steps towards me. “Jared called me.”
I swore under my breath. “I’m going to kick that idiot in the ass one of these days.” I rolled my chair forward until I was in front of him. “Why did you come?”
“You came to me when I was having a bad day. I figured the least I could do is return the favor.”
I let out a sigh. “Blake, there’s nothing you can do for me. I always get like this when I have to use this stupid chair.”
“Well, why don’t you tell me why you need to use it today?”
“Why?” I asked snippily.
“Come on Hailey, I’m just trying to be here for you. This isn’t easy for me either, you know.”
I closed my eyes and took a few calming breaths. “You’re right, I’m sorry.” I rolled over to the bed. “At least come and sit on the bed so I don’t have to look up at you so much. I hate feeling short.”
He smirked a little as he moved to the bed. “But you are short,” he replied.
“Ha ha,” I said sarcastically. “Not everyone can be over six feet tall, you know.”
“I guess not.” He sat down. “Now, tell me what happened.”
So I did. I told him about Marcus calling a few weeks ago, about the text last night, the nightmare, and then the pain when I woke up. “I hate having to use this chair,” I said after I finished my story.
“I know how you feel.”
“I think you’re the only one who actually would know why I hate this thing so much,” I told him.
“It makes you feel helpless, right?”
“Yeah. You know how that feels.”
“All too well.” He got off of the bed and felt around until he found the handles of the chair.
“Um, what are you doing?” I asked.
He grinned down at me. “Having some fun. How often do you think we’ll crash into walls with you giving me directions while I try to steer this thing?”
“Probably about a hundred?”
“Perfect. That’s what we’ll aim for then,” he replied. And with that, he started pushing me forward.
“Wait! The door isn’t-” Thud. “Open,” I finished with a laugh after we’d run into the door.
“Oops, my bad. Can you open it for us?”
I chuckled and reached for the rope that was attached. I pulled the door open and managed to direct Blake enough to get us into the hallway. A few moments later though, he took a corner too sharply and we crashed again. “I said go right!”
“You did not! You said go left!”
“I said right!”
“Left!”
“What the hell are you two doing?”
My head snapped around to see Jared standing in the hallway. “Um, teaching Blake to drive?”
Blake snorted. “Like I’d get you to teach me anything,” he retorted.
“Hey, it’s not my fault that you can’t follow directions.”
“I can follow directions, you just suck at giving them.”
“I do not. When I say go right, I mean go right!”
“That’s fine, but you said go left!”
“I said right!”
“Left!”
“Right!”
“Children, stop arguing,” Jared said in amusement. “I’ll leave you two to whatever you were doing. Try not to break anything.” He disappeared back down the hall.
Ten minutes later, Blake and I were both laughing hysterically as he tried to get us out of a corner. “No, you need to back up and go right a little. No, your other right!” I screeched just before he thudded into the wall again.
Blake was leaning heavily on the wheelchair, struggling to stay upright because he was laughing so hard. “We suck at this,” he finally managed to say.
“No you suck at this. If you’d listened to me, we would’ve been in the music room ten minutes ago.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just tell me how to get us out of this stupid corner.”
When we finally made it to the music room, we were both breathless from laughing. “Finally, we made it!” I crowed happily. “Now just follow me as I roll to the piano. I don’t want you to crash us into it.”
He agreed and held onto the handles as I maneuvered the chair towards the piano. He pushed the bench to the side a little when I asked him too and then sat on it while I positioned myself in front of the instrument. I ran my fingers over the keys lightly, loosening up. Then I started playing. It wasn’t a vocal piece, so I just concentrated on the melody. My eyes drifted close as the music enveloped me and the familiar feeling of peace settled over me.
When the song was over, I looked at Blake. He had a small smile on his face and his eyes were closed. “So, what did you think?”
His eyes opened. “You’re pretty good. But can you sing?”
“For that, you’ll have to wait. I’m not in the mood to sing right now, but maybe next time you’re here I’ll let you hear me.”
“Fair enough.”
Jared appeared in the doorway. “Hailey, I want to give you a massage now. Hopefully your back won’t be as inflamed and I’ll actually be able to work with the muscles.”
“I should get going anyways,” Blake said.
“No, I want to show you what to do,” Jared told him.
We both looked at him in surprise. “You do?” I asked.
“Yeah. You two spend a lot of time together, and I’d feel better if he knew the basics of what to do in case your back acts up when I’m not around.”
I turned to Blake. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“No, it’s okay. I wouldn’t mind knowing what to do. It’ll make me feel… useful,” he responded.
I smiled. “Well in that case, I’m all for it.”
“Great,” Jared said. “I’ll take you to the room Hailey. I don’t want to get old while I wait for you and Blake to argue while he attempts to follow your directions.”
I scowled. “If he would just listen, there would be no problems.”
“And if you just gave better directions, we wouldn’t have crashed so many times,” he retorted.
“Behave, you two,” Jared said as he started steering me out of the room. Blake followed right behind him so he didn’t get lost.
When we got to the therapy room, Jared put the brake on the chair. “Okay Blake, come and pick her up out of the chair.”
I was about to protest, but the look Jared gave me caused me to shut my mouth. He obviously wanted Blake to do as much as possible. Blake hesitantly reached for me and managed to get one arm under my legs and the other around my body. “You’d better not drop me,” I warned him.
He smirked a little before straightening up, lifting me as if I weighed nothing. “Good,” Jared said. “Now walk forward two steps and set her down on the table.”
Blake obeyed him and put me on the table gently. Then he followed Jared’s directions so that he got me lying on my stomach. “Why can you follow his directions so well?” I muttered.
“Because this time I knew if I didn’t listen, I’d really hurt you.”
“Ha! So you admit that you just weren’t listening earlier.”
“Just let it go, Hailey,” he said in exasperation.
“I will, because we both know that I was right.”
I heard Jared chuckle from beside me. “You two are like an old married couple.” He ignored both of our protests as he grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it up so that my back was exposed. “Blake, give me your hands.”
Blake must have obeyed, because a moment later, I felt his hands on my back. Tingles raced through my body, but I stubbornly pushed them away. This was definitely not the time for that.
I listened as Jared instructed Blake on what to do. Blake’s fingers worked my muscles and I flinched a few times, but it wasn’t too bad. I gradually felt my muscles start to relax and I let out a breath of relief.
After they were done, I tried moving my legs and I nearly cried in happiness when I was able to move them properly with no pain. My back was still sore, but at least it no longer hurt to move around. I slowly sat up and then just as slowly, I stood. My legs were a little shaky, but they held.
“How do you feel, Hales?” Jared asked.
“Much better. My back is still sore, but I can walk again,” I said happily. I turned to Blake and put my arms around him, hugging him tightly. “Thanks.”
He wrapped his arms around me and laid his cheek on top of my head. “I’m glad I could help.”
“You helped in more ways then one, Blake. This is the first time I’ve ever laughed on a day that I was stuck in that chair.”
“Well, today was the first time I really let loose and have fun, so thanks for letting me crash you into the walls.”
I smiled as I pulled back a little so I could look up at him. “No problem.”
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I wasn't planning on writing another chapter last night, but apparently my characters had a different idea and they made me write lol. So, you can thank them for getting this a day early.
Now, it's time to get a little serious. I want everyone to answer a question for me:
Since reading this story, have any of you started looking at people with disabilities differently?
Half the reason I started writing this story is because I remember in high school everyone would treat the "special" kids differently and it drove me nuts. By treating them like they are less then normal, people were actually bullying these people. It was a more subtle form of bullying, but it was bullying nonetheless. My hope is that this story will at least help some people change the way they treat people with disabilities. If one person has changed, then I've done my job :-).
Enough of the serious stuff, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Comment to let me know what you thought of it