Camilla's POV:
The doctor walks in, my stomach and heart dropping to the floor as I catch my breath. James and Marian move closer to me, each drapes an arm around and engulfs me in a hug as we await for the doctor.
"Camilla, I have good and bad news" the calm voice of Dr. Mano breaks the silence. A sigh of relief is released between the three of us as she continues talking, "the good news is that you have not contracted any STIs or have gotten pregnant."
I begin to shed tears as she speaks, Mariana and James pulling me closer and holding me tightly.
"However, your bruises, especially on your stomach, are concerning. In addition, you have broken two ribs, which as you know requires constant rest. There are some lacerations around your lower genital area that need to be stitched up. " her now somber voice speaks.
My heart drops a bit and I lean in. "It's nothing serious" she calmly says, "But, I do want you to rest for the next two weeks as they heal up and an extra week for the ribs. The problem is that you are at risk for internal bleeding and any small traumas, even lifting something heavy, can trigger that."
"Now let me stitch the lacerations" she continues.
James exits and Mariana stays, clutching my hand as the treatment begins. At first I was fine, then a flashback happened of his hands gliding up my thighs and I begins to shake and try to escape. My flashback taking over, "No, stop, please stop! I don't even know you! Why are you doing this?!" I wailed.
James runs into the room and grips my arms.
He whispered into my ear, "Shhh Camilla, it's just Dr. Mano stitching up lacerations. Her, myself, and Mariana are here to help, don't worry"
I calm down enough for her to preform the stitches as tears stream down my face. After what felt like an eternity, she stands up and walks to her desk. I bury myself in James' chest as him and Mariana clutch me closely.
"Here. I've prescribed some pain medication for you" she smiles, while scribbling away on her notepad, before continuing "now, you're gonna have to come in again in about a week to get the stitches removed".
"Again, thank you for coming it. You did the right thing" she confidently assures while handing me the paper and hugging me before she leaves.
I gather my stuff and we silently make it outside of the hospital. I call the pharmacy about the prescription and we pick it up while on the way home.
Making our way into the apartment, I collapse on the couch, tears beginning to shed.
Mariana and James quickly join me and pull me into a hug as I shake.
"Mariana, can you call Mateo and explain to him everything?" I sniffle as tears stream down my face, emphasizing the word everything.
She nods her head and makes her way upstairs, phone already to her ear.
I turn to James and rest my head against his shoulder, my tears only shedding more and more. He wraps his arm around me and pulls me closer as I drape my arms over his neck.
"I won't ever leave you again" he whispers, "I promise."
We stay like that for some time, my tears slowly begin to lighten up. Pulling away, I use the sleeves of my sweater to wipe away my tears.
"Surprised I'm not dehydrated by the amount of tears I've cried" I squeak, attempting to lighten the mood. James smiles before responding, "Cry all you want, I'll be here."
Mariana comes down and describes the conversation she had with Mateo. I notice she has a nervous look on her face, and her phone constantly vibrates.
She heads to the bathroom, leaving her phone behind, and my curiousness strikes me. I look at the vast amount of notifications popping up onto her screen.
Boss: Mariana, you have two days to get back.
Boss: Answer me Mariana.
Boss: Mariana, where are you?
Boss: You can't just disappear from the hospital without saying anything.
There were about 20 more, each stating the same thing: she has to get back as soon as possible.
Climbing off the couch, I shuffle to the downstairs bathroom. As I near the door, I hear cries from the other side followed by multitudes of sniffles.
I quietly knock and the sounds cease. The toilet flushes and drawers open and close. Mariana opens the door, her eyes red and slightly puffy, she wipes away the remaining tears.
I pull her into a tight hug while whispering, "Mariana you can't lose your job because of me."
"Camilla, if I didn't leave this wouldn't have happened" she sniffles, tears forming.
Pulling away, I rest my arms on her shoulders and look her squarely in the eyes, "Listen to me, none of this was your fault. It was his fault. Now, I cannot have you losing your job because of me."
We embrace once more as tears stream from her eyes.
"Camilla, I'm so sorry" she whispers.
I shake my head and tell her there's nothing she needs to be sorry for. We pull away and smile at each other. She disappears upstairs, and I hear her packing all her clothes and whatnot.
Returning to the living room, I embrace James, his strong muscles tightly holding me as I rest my head on his chest.
"Mariana is leaving" I whisper, "If she doesn't, she'll be fired. I told her to go."
I feel him nod his head before he confidently replies, "You can stay with me in my house or I'll stay here for as long as you want."
"Can I stay with you?" I whisper, my words barely audible.
"Of course mi princesa" he replies as he softly kisses the top of my head.
Mariana descends the stairs, her suitcase in arm, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"This is worse than the first time I left" she wails, running to engulf me in an enormous hug.
My eyes well up again and we stay like that before Mariana pulls away.
"I scheduled my flight just now and it leaves soon" she squeaks, wiping the tears away with her sleeves.
I nod and watch her leave my apartment and climb into a taxi, her somber figure slowly getting smaller and smaller.
Climbing up the stairs, I notice the sun setting in the distance of Madrid, my rooms bathed in an orange and pink light.
"James, can you stay with me tonight, and maybe tomorrow we can go to your house?" I ask quietly.
"Anything for you mi princesa" he smiles, as he stands next to me, admiring the sunset.
He disappears downstairs after making a phone call about 15 minutes ago, and returns quickly, bags of food in his arms.
I smile at his gesture and we lay a blanket over the carpet, closest to the largest window and begin to eat.
I pick at my food, not having an appetite, which has been usual for the past few days.
"You know this paella and croquettes are almost as good as yours" he compliments while shoving the presumably delicious dinner in his mouth.
I smile, and begin to eat as well, the food melting in my mouth as my unknown hunger is replenished.
We finish our dinner, the sun setting a long time ago and the night life of Madrid coming to life below us. I yawn and head into the bathroom to change.
As I dress, I notice every single bruise once again, which has become my usual routine. I grimace as I bend to put on and take off clothes, the large yellow and purple spots erupting in pain.
My face twists in pain as I stare at my vulnerable body in the mirror, forced to turn away. Eventually I finish dressing and exit the bathroom.
James lays in my bed, his mind focused on a book as his sweatpants are covered by white sheets and his soft t-shirt hangs loosely on his body.
I climb into bed, but immediately grimace as I notice the bruises along my shoulders and back become exposed.
James pulls me into a hug as he softly kisses each bruise on my back and whispers that he'll always be there.
I drift off to sleep wrapped in his warm arms, but the sleep doesn't last long.
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Author's Note
Hey everyone! I can't believe I have over 200 votes! I honestly did not believe my story would get this popular. Thank you all for your wonderful support!
I was really upset on Sunday because when I saw that James wasn't actually starting, I thought that it was Zidane being Zidane again...and then they tied...again!
But it turned out James was injured! Now he might not play for Colombia in the WC qualifiers against Paraguay and Uruguay that are coming up!
I'm really hoping his muscle strain doesn't keep him out of the matches...
Ok time for a little rant: Have you guys heard about the creepy clown people around the US...Pretty much, it's a bunch of people dressing up around the US as creepy clowns, they chase people, carry around weapons, attempt to break into people's house, have tried to kidnapp kids, walk around the woods, all kinds of creepy stuff. Well, I didn't pay attention until they came to my state. Like last night, a college was on lockdown (no one could leave their rooms) because one of these clowns was walking around campus with a gun...And today, while I was doing my homework, my friend calls me and tells me that she saw one in her backyard! So me, with my fear of clowns, is literally terrified and shaking. I barely slept last night because I was scared and now I won't sleep tonight, so maybe you'll get an update later tonight! That was my little rant, still shaking a bit.
Thank you guys for all the support and keep reading, commenting, and voting!