When we got to the hospital, I waited with Alexa after they took her x-rays. And then we waited some more until the doctor finally came in to see her.
"Unfortunately the x-rays confirm that she has an ulnar fracture. It is a closed fracture and it is only on the ulnar bone so she will need a cast. Thankfully, the bone is not out of place so she won't need surgery." the doctor told me after examining her.
I sighed in relief. "Okay."
"She doesn't show any signs of a concussion but she will require a few stitches on her forehead and she should take it easy for the rest of the day."
I nodded. "Okay."
I knew I couldn't drive her home like this. I wanted to make sure she was okay while we were here in the city rather than on the road in the middle of nowhere. We would have to stay another day.
He nodded. "Okay. The nurse and I will come in a few minutes to put the cast and stitch her up." he smiled. "Any questions?"
I shook my head. "No, thank you."
He nodded then made his way out of the room. I stared at his white coat as he walked out.
The sound of Alexa crying made me look away. "Are you okay?" I asked as I took a seat on the chair next to her bed.
"It hurts." she mumbled as she sobbed.
"I know, I know." I said as I put my arm around her shoulders. "But you're going to be okay."
The nurse came in a few seconds later followed by Aaron who I noticed had put on a shirt.
"How is she?" he asked as the nurse began to get ready to stitch her forehead.
"She'll spend the night but she's going to be fine." I said although I wasn't sure who I was trying to convince more: him or me.
I stood up and walked to him. "Damian doesn't-" I sighed. "He doesn't work here, right?"
Aaron shook his head. "He doesn't, don't worry."
"Okay." I bit my lip as I nodded. "Okay."
"R-Rebecca." Alexa said nervously as the nurse got ready to stitch her forehead.
I sat back next to her and held her hand on her good arm while the nurse stitched her forehead. It was only three stitches so it wasn't a lot. It got worse when the doctor came back to cast her arm. The pain medication didn't kick in until a few minutes in so she was in pain for the beginning. It was that or she was being overdramatic which was very Alexa.
The procedure took about thirty minutes and she fell asleep shortly after the nurse and doctor left the room. It was a short arm cast so it was only on her forearm and wrapped around her palm and thumb.
The doctor said she would need the cast for about three months with doctor checkups in between. They are going to have to transfer her file to Nevada but I decided to worry about that once we got back.
"You don't have to stay here." I told Aaron.
We were seated next to each other on a couch that was positioned against the wall, to the left side of the bed. Alexa was sound asleep.
"Don't be ridiculous." he looked at me. "You could come with me, to my house."
"Yeah, right."
He shook his head. "I don't know what we did to make you hate us so much."
"I don't hate you."
"Then why did you run away? Without a call? I know you want nothing to do with him but Damian hasn't been himself since you left." He was whispering.
I raised my eyebrows. "Really? I'm surprised he even noticed that I was gone."
He sighed. "Listen, I don't know what went wrong between you guys. But I do know how much he suffered after you left so all I'm saying is that you should talk to him. He is still your husband whether you like it or not."
He is still your husband.
My husband.
I had avoided talking and thinking about Damian for the past three years. It was starting to feel like I wasn't even married but I was.
I was a married woman.
I knew Aaron was right-I was Damian's wife whether I liked it or not.
It was a fact.
"Dad passed away three months ago." Aaron said after a moment of silence.
I turned to look at him but he was looking at the floor. "Oh my god, Aaron. I'm so sorry to hear that." I said placing my hand on his back.
He turned to look at me and smiled sadly. "It was a heart attack. How ironic huh? A doctor dying of a heart attack." he said shaking his head in disbelief.
"How-" I sighed. "How is Damian?"
Aaron raised his eyebrows as he took a deep breath. "Damian does what Damian does best." he turned to look at me. "He took over dad's clinic and he's been working nonstop. I literally don't see him and we live in the same house."
I gulped. "Yeah, that sounds like Damian."
"You should go see him, Rebecca. At least call him to let him know you're alive. We were beginning to think you were dead."
I bit my lip feeling guilty for the first time in a long time. "I'm sorry."
"I know you don't have to give me any explanations so I won't ask for them." he put his arm around my shoulders and hugged me. "I missed you, Reb."
I smiled at the sound of the nickname he baptized me back when we met in college. "I missed you too." I paused. "I think I'll get a hotel, though."
He pulled away. "Come on, you don't have to pay for a hotel."
"I don't want to go back to that house."
"Is it my mom?" he asked
I sighed. "I'd rather not talk about it."
He nodded slowly. "Okay. Since you'd have to stay another day, will you please promise me you'll go see Damian?"
"Aaron-"
"I've kept my promise, Reb. Even though it's killing me not to call him and tell him that you're here-I'm not going to do it because I respect your wish. He's not doing very good and I know that seeing you will really help him." he said as he reached for his wallet in his back pocket. He opened it and took out a white business card. "This is the clinic, just in case you didn't remember where it was. I could stay with your sister if that will make you feel better."
I half smiled as I took the card. "Okay, I'll think about it." I said as I looked down at the card.
It read, Walker Pediatrics and it had the address, hours, phone number, and e-mail. Dr. Damian Walker.
"And you have to tell me where you're staying."
I smiled. "God, you're so annoying." I said making him laugh.
It wasn't until another hour or so when Alexa got discharged. The nurse gave me a big packet of paperwork which made me think about the big bill that was going to arrive in a few weeks. I could only hope the insurance could cover most of it.
Since I left my car at the beach, I had to accept a ride from Aaron.
"You know, we never made it to lunch." he said as he drove.
It was around six in the evening and the sky was illuminated by twilight. There wasn't much traffic but the streets weren't totally isolated either.
"I am starving." Alexa said as she leaned in between our seats.
"Alexa put on your seatbelt." I scolded.
She sighed as she sat back and put it on. "You are worse than mom was."
Aaron turned to look at me. "Was?"
I cleared my throat. "Sure, let's go eat."
Aaron nodded as he turned his attention back on the road. "Alright."
He took us to a pizza restaurant and we ordered pizza with wings. Alexa was still wearing the arm sling. I wanted her to wear it at least for the first few days until she got used to the cast. She was already complaining about how she was going to have to go to school with the cast. Apparently that's the worst that could happen to a teenager.
"What are you doing all the way over here anyway?" I asked Aaron as we ate. "Isn't Beverly Hills like two hours away?"
He nodded slowly. "It is, yes. I just came to meet with my friends-the ones back in the beach? I hadn't seen them in a while." he said with a shrug.
"So what do you do? Where do you work?" I asked reaching for my drink.
"I actually own a few properties."
I raised my eyebrows. "So you're like a landlord?"
He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so."
"Wow."
"Your surprise is offensive." he said looking at me.
I laughed. "I'm sorry. It's not to be mean. You just don't look like you have your life together."
"Wow, that's mean." Alexa said, laughing.
Aaron laughed. "There's the Rebecca I remember."
I smiled as I looked down at my slice of pizza. "That's good though. I mean you did want to go into business, that's what you majored in right?"
He nodded. "Yes. And you majored in accounting."
"I did." I said slowly.
I didn't really want to talk about my life and Aaron caught on that because he asked Alexa what she wanted to study in college. I was grateful for the change of subject. It's not that I hated my life or anything. It was just that my life wasn't exactly going how I planned and talking about it was a reminder.
I just didn't need that right now.