Page 84 of Broken Bonds

CELINE

Pain.

It waseverywhere.

Something I had become accustomed to surged through my body, making me irritable. It wasn’t just the physical, constant throb that pulsed in my braced legs that made my teeth clench, and it wasn’t my dry throat from not enough liquids or the pounding headache I couldn’t seem to get rid of.

The pain came from the mental torment of my brain reliving the last few days. The ache in my heart hurt more than my throbbing legs. What rendered me speechless was the reminder that, yet again, I wasn’t enough, even after he promised me that he wasn’t like Aidan.

Helied.

I couldn’t sleep. Not only did the pain in my legs and chest prevent me from finding any comfort, but every time I closed my eyes, I saw Ace—his sexy grin, tousled hair, and my favorite blue eyes. I saw them mocking me as if this were all a game, and I lost. Then, my mind twisted itself into all sorts of warped scenarios, keeping my brain awake all night.

I kept my eyes open, nodding numbly at the young nurse with a small smile every hour when she walked into the room tocheck or change my bandages underneath the removable braces. She was a short woman, a few years out of college, with bright eyes and a smile to match.

We shared a few short conversations, where she asked me what happened, and I shared a brief version of the last two years, skipping over details of the two men who seemed hell-bent on breaking my heart. She listened, looking genuinely interested, and shared her reasoning for becoming a nurse. She made the time go by quickly, and I looked forward to the hour mark for when she would come in again and we could chat. She was a nice distraction—aneededone.

Otherwise, the nights were long and endless. It wasn’t quiet, although I guessed it was never quiet in a hospital—not with the bright lights and many patients who needed assistance. Behind my closed door, light sneaked into the room, and the sound of footsteps could be heard along with whispers from nurses and doctors. The sound was comforting in my silent room, and it made me feel less alone.

The next morning, when the sun finally rose, the day felt impossibly longer. There was no more silence—only noise—making me yearn for the quieter, lonely night. People came in and out of the room all day—first my parents and brother the minute visitors were allowed. And to no one’s surprise, Amber came flying into the room a few minutes after, big balloons trailing behind her, a giant, white, stuffed bear under one arm and a bundle of pink roses in the other. Her cheeks were flushed, her bright hair in a ponytail, which was swishing back and forth with each quick step she took.

“Holy fuck, what a morning!” she exclaimed, standing at the edge of my bed and staring at me over the bear and flowers in her arms. Her green eyes widened when she saw my parents and Ryan leaning against the wall, out of sight from the door.“Sorry.” She cringed before turning back to me, red tinging her cheeks even more.

Laughter filled the room as Ryan relieved my crazy friend of everything in her arms and dumped the big bear on my lap. Mom went in search of a vase in the gift shop as Amber made herself comfortable on the corner of my bed, being careful to avoid my legs, which looked like rather large lumps under the blankets.

“Have you heard from him?” Ryan tensed behind her at the mention of Ace, and I gently shook my head. Her smile dropped but quickly returned. “His loss. Single ladies have more fun anyway. Just you wait. Once your legs are healed, we’re going to hit the clubs, girl!”

“Not without me.” Ryan’s voice was gruff, and he looked at her when Amber shot him a questioning gaze. “I’m her brother. I keep the bad guys away, remember?”

As if that was the reason why he wanted to come. It might be one of them, but the oblivious redhead was another—and the biggest reason.

Dr. Alex came into the room mid-morning, white coat covering a crisp, blue, long-sleeve button-up shirt and black slacks. He looked up from his clipboard and smiled at me. I didn’t smile back.

“Good morning, everyone! Celine, how are you feeling this morning?” His attention remained on me as he stepped closer to the bed, his hand inching toward my legs.

“Pretty sore.”

“Can I look at your legs?” After I nodded at him, he lifted the heated blanket and examined the back of my legs, lifting each one gently.

I stifled a groan of pain as he set them back down on the bed, and I saw his gaze flicker to mine, graying eyebrows furrowed.

“I’m going to up your dose of morphine. How did you sleep last night?” He must have seen my sheepish smile because he quickly wrote something down. “You need to sleep, Celine. You cannot heal without rest. This surgery is going to involve a lengthy recovery of about three to four months, but it can take up to six months until you’re able to get back to normal activities. For now, you need to rest so that I can release you. I’m sure you would like to get home to your own bed, yes?”

Nodding, I glanced at my parents and then Ryan, who was watching me intently. Dr. Alex promptly left the room to go put my new medication orders in, my mother and father following him out. The young nurse came in a minute later, smiling gently at me.

“This will help with the pain, honey.” Inserting a needle into the IV bag near my head, she squirted a clear liquid into the hanging bag.

Relief flooded through me almost instantly, and my vision became hazy. A strong hand grabbed mine. “Sleep, Celine.” Ryan’s deep voice washed over me, and I closed my tired eyes. I couldn’t help but doze off into a dreamless sleep.

THREE MONTHS POST-OP

The pain became more tolerable as the days passed, and I learned to live with it just like I had before. The constantthrob became background noise as I tried to maintain a life of normalcy despite feeling like a cripple with no hope.

Ryan and Amber had gone back to class a few days after I had been released home from the hospital. When Amber didn’t have class, she stuck to my side like glue, helping me complete homework assignments from my bed and filling me in on the latest about Professor Dickwad.

She quickly became the constant source of my happiness.

Six weeks after surgery, my braces were no longer required by Dr. Alex. Instead, I was instructed to use crutches to get around. Although this wasn’t ideal for the giant staircase in my home, I felt like I could breathe better without the heavy weight on my tender legs.

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