As the anesthetic wore off, I slowly became aware of my surroundings again. I blinked blearily a few times and then focused on the people around me. Blake was once again beside me and I could see Jared, Jake and Liam standing near the door.
I tried to sit up, but I wasn’t able to. Blake heard me moving and immediately straightened up. “Hailey?”
The other three men in the room turned to look as I stopped struggling to move. “Yeah, I’m awake.”
Blake searched for my hand and found it, squeezing it gently. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I got hit by a truck,” I said.
“Well that can’t be too pleasant,” Blake stated.
I let out a hoarse chuckle. “No, it really isn’t. How did the surgery go?”
Jared came up to my other side. “They were able to relieve the pressure on your spine, but they won’t know if any permanent damage was done for a couple of days.”
“I hate waiting,” I whined.
“I know, but there’s nothing we can do about it. Can you feel your legs at all?”
I grimaced. “Yeah, but it’s not a pleasant feeling.” I thought about it for a moment and then brightened. “Hey, at least I can feel them again. That’s probably a good sign, right?”
“Definitely,” Jared assured me. “That means you’ll likely be able to walk again, although it’ll be a lot of hard work and there’ll be a lot of pain.”
I let out a defeated sigh. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”
Blake tugged lightly on my hand. “Hey, you have me with you this time.”
Jake came to my side as well. “And you have me. We’ll all be there for you.”
“Well, can one of you help me sit up? I don’t like lying flat out like this.”
Blake stood up and leaned over me, wrapping one of his arms around my shoulders. He helped pull me up into a more comfortable position, then nudged me over until he could sit beside me on the bed.
I let my head rest on his shoulder, closing my eyes for a moment. When I opened them again, I smiled at the other three men. “Do you think I’m allowed to eat something?”
“I’ll go find out,” Liam said, and then disappeared out into the hallway. Everyone knew that he was the most likely to get some answers, since he donated so much money to the hospital and was treated like a VIP.
We chatted quietly for a few minutes while we waited for him to return. Blake told me that Jared had driven Sophie home during my surgery. She was planning on coming back to see me tomorrow.
Liam came back in and informed me that my dinner would be here shortly. He also assured me that I wouldn’t be eating regular hospital food; he’d arranged to have a local restaurant deliver to me while I was here.
I rolled my eyes a little at that. “It’s amazing what a bunch of money will do for you,” I said dryly.
“Hey, don’t mock me because I’m rich,” Liam protested. “It’s because of my money that Blake gets to stay the nights with you here.”
I perked up. “Really?”
“Yeah. All I had to do was donate some more money and it was instantly all right. We also have unlimited visiting hours now.”
I grinned. “Have I ever told you that I love you uncle Liam?”
He made a face. “Ugh, don’t call me uncle. I feel old enough as it is.”
Everyone laughed then and the atmosphere remained light until my dinner arrived. Liam had been kind enough to order some for everyone else as well, so we all ate together. The nurses checked up on me a few times, but never stayed for too long.
When we were finished eating, Jared, Jake and Liam got ready to leave. Jared said he’d go to Blake’s and grab a bag of stuff for him and then drop it off before going home for the night.
Once they were gone, Blake and I sat in silence for a bit. Now that there were fewer people here, I was finding it harder to keep myself from freaking out about the whole situation.
Of course, Blake knew that something was wrong. “Hailey, you know you don’t have to stay strong all the time. You’re allowed to break down if you need to.”
I pressed my face into the side of his neck. “I’m scared,” I whispered.
He rested his cheek on my head. “I know. It’s not going to be easy for the next little while, but I know you’ll get through it. I won’t let you give up.”
“I know you won’t. I might get mad at you a lot until I’m better,” I admitted.
“That’s okay. I was an ass to you for a while and you still stuck by me. It’s time for me to return the favor now.”
I smiled a little. “I probably won’t be as bad as you were,” I said teasingly.
He laughed. “That’s a good thing. I was pretty horrible sometimes.”
“Yeah you were. But it was worth it in the end.”
“I’m glad you think so,” he replied. “And just think; anytime you get too cranky, I can just run you into a wall,” he added cheerfully.
I giggled and pulled my face away from his neck. “You’re so weird sometimes.”
“Yeah, but you love me anyways.” He stroked my cheek with his hand. “I’ll always be here for you, Hailey. No matter what you need me for.”
It turned out that I ended up needing him for a lot. Two days after the surgery, the doctors told me that I might be able to walk again if I was willing to work very hard. I agreed and they let me go home a few days later. Blake pretty much moved in with us so that he could be there for me all the time. He helped me with everything I needed, even coming into the bathroom with me. But he also let me do things for myself, so I didn’t feel suffocated.
The sound of a guitar being strummed roused me from my sleep on the first morning I was back home. I cracked an eye open and saw Blake sitting on the edge of the bed, his guitar, which he’d brought with him last night, sitting on his lap. His back was to me, but when I shifted a little he turned his head in my direction. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
I struggled to push myself up and he quickly put the guitar down and came to my side. He offered me his hand and I took it gratefully, letting him pull me into a sitting position and prop me up against the headboard. “What were you playing? I didn’t get a chance to hear what song it was.”
He hesitated for a moment. “It’s going to sound corny, but when I had you in my arms this morning, I started thinking about how much you’ve changed my life for the better. A song popped into my head, so I grabbed my guitar.”
“What song?” I asked.
He moved back to the side of the bed and grabbed his guitar again. Then he settled beside me and bent his head over the guitar. He began playing and it only took a moment for me to recognize the song.
I've been a walking heartache
I've made a mess of me
The person that I've been lately
Ain't who I wanna be
But you stay here right beside me
Watch as the storm goes through
And I need you
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I've lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it's true
God gave me you
There's more here than what were seeing
A divine conspiracy
That you, an angel lovely
Could somehow fall for me
You'll always be love's great martyr
Ill be the flattered fool
And I need you
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I've lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it's true
God gave me you
On my own I'm only
Half of what I could be
I can't do without you
We are stitched together
And what love has tethered
I pray we never undo
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I've lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it's true
God gave me you, gave me you
Gave me you
I had tears in my eyes by the time the song finished, but I didn’t let them fall, knowing that it would just make him uncomfortable. Instead, I just cuddled into his side and he set the guitar to the side to wrap an arm around me. I tilted my head and kissed him lightly. “I love you,” I said.
“I love you too, more then I ever thought was possible. You didn’t give up on me, even when I tried to push you away. You’re one of the most stubborn people I have ever met and that’s how I know you’ll walk again. Plus, you don’t want to suffer through me running your wheelchair into walls constantly.”
I let out a quiet chuckle. “That’s enough motivation right there,” I replied. “I will walk again, I know that. It’s just frustrating that I have to be in a wheelchair until then. I’m not looking forward to going back to school.”
“Well on the bright side, at least everyone won’t be staring at me for once,” Blake said.
That caused me to start laughing and he joined in. “We make quite the duo, don’t we?”
He nodded. “Yeah, we do. The blind, cranky guy and the girl who sucks at giving directions in a wheelchair.”
“Are you seriously going to start that argument again?”
“No, not right now. I’ll save it for later.”
I rolled my eyes. “What is it that I see in you again?”
He ran his fingers up and down my arm. “My charming personality?”
“Oh yeah, that must be it,” I replied sarcastically, before snuggling into him a little more. “No, I think it must be that you’re so comfortable to cuddle with.”
He smirked a little. “That’s not all I’m good for,” he said suggestively.
I smacked his stomach lightly. “Pervert.”
He shrugged. “Can’t deny that. I am a guy after all.”
“Very true.” I stretched my arms up over my head and then sighed. “I suppose we should get up. Jared will be coming in here soon if we don’t, because I know he’ll want to start working on the therapy right away.”
As if on cue, there was a knock on my door. Jared opened the door and poked his head in a moment later. “You ready to get started Hailey?”
“I suppose. Blake will help me get up and we’ll meet you in the kitchen shortly. I want to eat before this torture begins.”
Jared rolled his eyes. “It’s not that bad. You’re just being dramatic.”
“No, you’re just a slave driver. But I know it’ll get me back on my feet faster, so I’ll try not to bite your head off too much.”
“Remember that in about an hour, okay?” he asked and then closed the door again.
Two hours later, I was cursing and swearing at him as he stretched my legs out for me. He looked at me with mild amusement. “What happened to not biting my head off?”
“You started pushing me too hard already, that’s what happened,” I snapped.
“Hailey, you know I’m not pushing you too hard. We did this before.”
“And it hurt then too,” I retorted.
Blake squeezed the hand that he was holding. “What kind of names did you call him last time?”
I thought back for a moment. “Pretty much the same ones as this time,” I replied.
“Well, we can come up with more creative ones now, right? Two minds are better then one, after all.”
And that was how the rest of the session went. Blake and I thought of creative names to call Jared and it managed to distract me from the pain. When the session was done, Blake carried me into my room so I could rest for a bit before lunch. I knew that I’d have to go through another session after lunch, so I was grateful for the brief reprieve.
Blake turned some music on and we relaxed on the bed for a bit. We eventually started talking about school. “It was nice of Mr. Avery to let us finish the semester out of school,” I said.
“Yeah, it was pretty cool of him to do that. And he arranged our schedules for next semester so that we have all our classes together.”
I smiled. “You do realize that means I’ll make you do work in all the classes, right?”
“Yeah, I kind of figured that. Luckily, one of the classes is music, so that one won’t be so bad.”
“And we have a spare, so we really only have two classes that I’ll have to bug you about.”
He sighed. “I’ll just have to suffer through it, I guess.”
I chuckled. “It won’t be that bad. And we still have a few weeks before the next semester starts, so you don’t have to worry about it for a bit. I, on the other hand, have to deal with this torture called physical therapy for a couple of months.”
He rubbed my back gently. “Yeah, but we can keep on thinking of creative names to call Jared. It made you feel better earlier.”
“I think it was just the fact that you were distracting me that made it better. You’re officially hired to entertain me during my sessions.”
“How much does it pay?”
“Three kisses an hour.”
“Hmm, can I get some payment in advance?”
I laughed and pressed my lips to his, kissing him lightly. “Good enough?”
“No way, I want more then that.”
“You have to earn them first,” I said teasingly.
“Now who’s the slave driver?” he grumbled.
“Still Jared, but maybe it’s rubbing off on me.”
He kissed me a couple more times and then pulled away. “There, that’s one hour in advance.”
I just shook my head and gazed up at the ceiling. “Is Sophie still coming over here after school?”
“Yeah, she’ll bring us some homework to do. My aunt is picking her up and driving her here.”
Later that afternoon, after my therapy session, Blake and I went into the music room to play around a little. He put my wheelchair in front of the piano and then picked up his guitar, sitting close to me. We fiddled around for a bit and then decided on a song to actually play.
You feel like a candle in a hurricane
Just like a picture with a broken frame
Alone and helpless, like you've lost your fight
But you'll be alright, you'll be alright
Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend til you break
Cause it's all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you've had enough
You get mad, you get strong
Wipe your hands, shake it off
Then you stand, then you stand
Life's like a novel with the end ripped out
The edge of a canyon with only one way down
Take what you're given before it's gone
And start holdin' on, keep holdin' on
Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend til you break
Cause it's all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you’ve had enough
You get mad, you get strong
Wipe your hands, shake it off
Then you stand, yeah, then you stand
Every time you get up
And get back in the race
One more small piece of you
Starts to fall into place, yeah
Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend til you break
Cause it's all you can take
Yeah, then you stand
Yeah, baby
Woo hoo, woo hoo
Woo hoo, woo hoo
Then you stand, yeah yeah
When we finished the song, we were both smiling. “That song reminds me a lot of you,” Blake said as he stood up, putting his guitar to the side.
“It suits you as well,” I replied. “Especially because of what you had to deal with when it came to your father.”
He shrugged and grabbed the handles of my chair. “I think it suits you better. You ready to go get something to eat?”
“Yeah, I’m getting hungry.”
Neither of us noticed as Sophie quietly snuck away from the door to the music room.
**********************************************************************
Here you go my lovelies. This chapter has two songs. The first one is God Gave Me You by Blake Shelton and I had planned on using this one at some point from the start. The second one is Stand by Rascal Flatts and I'm saying a huge thank you to everyone who suggested it :-).
I'm thinking there's about three chapters left in this story, maybe more. It depends on how the chapters go. Then I'll be editing it a LOT and sending it off to the publishers that my brother found for me. I'll also start the sequel to FTGO after that.
On a completely unrelated note, I bought another horse yesterday, which is very exciting for me. He's an amazing horse to ride, but he was unfortunately mistreated before I got him, so he's really nervous of people on the ground :-(. I'm hoping with time and love he'll gain some trust in humans.
As always, comment to let me know what you think! Oh, and this chapter isn't edited yet, so sorry for any mistakes.