Page 83 of Zane

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“Can’t you please just cut the cast off, let me itch my leg, then put it back on again?”

When Gareth rolled his eyes at him, Zane felt like he was five years old and fighting the urge to punch his older brother.

“You have a couple more weeks,” Gareth said. “Then we’ll see how it’s going.”

Zane frowned, hoping Gareth could read his displeasure with that response. He was in a constant state of agitation these days. If his leg wasn’t itching, his head was aching. And vice versa. He was also bored out of his mind.

It was so bad, he actually envied Kelsey going to her job stocking shelves. At least she got out of the house and had something to fill her time.

He had nothing, and it was driving him crazy. He’d started to do a bit of cooking at the house. But even then, he really had to be in the mood. Sometimes, being in the kitchen was just a reminder of what he’d lost. Both remembered and forgotten.

“What am I supposed to do with my time?” Zane asked. “I can’t read books or watch screens for very long because I get a headache, or my headache gets worse. I can’t do yard work because it’s nearly impossible to manage crutches and a rake. I’m at a complete loss as to how to fill my time.”

Gareth’s expression turned sympathetic as he leaned back in the chair at his desk. “I understand that you’re not used to sitting around doing nothing. But right now, the best thing you can do is just rest and let your brain continue to heal.”

“I don’t think I even care about getting my memory back anymore.”

“Well, healing is needed for more than just your memory. The fact that you’re dealing with headaches is a sign your brain still needs to recover from its injury.”

“Will I ever not have headaches?” Zane asked.

“Hopefully. But it will take some time. Even your hard head wasn’t enough to protect your brain from the knock around it got in that accident. It wasn’t just a light tap on the noggin.”

“It will help a lot to get this cast off, so I don’t feel so helpless and useless.”

“How are things with Kelsey?”

“As good as can be expected, given the circumstances.”

“Have you talked at all about how you see your future?”

Zane nodded. “We talked and made the decision that we are going to give things a shot, even though I don’t have my memory at the moment.”

“That’s good,” Gareth said. “I think that’s the best thing you can do. I know it’s not easy for you since you have no memory of her and your marriage.”

“Yeah. Talking to Sarah helped, not just because she could tell me why we broke up, but she also could share with me what I’d told her about Kelsey. Since the rest of you didn’t really know Kelsey, it was good that Sarah had some insight.”

“Is that why you decided to try to make it work?”

“Yeah. Partly. I felt like I owed it to Kelsey and to the man I was when I married her to stick it out and try.”

“That’s a good outlook,” Gareth said. “I admire you for getting to this point.”

“I just hope I’m not wasting our time, assuming I’ll come to feel for her the way I did prior to the accident.”

“You won’t know if you don’t try. We’re definitely praying for both of you,” Gareth assured him. “And if there’s anything we can do, be sure to let us know.”

There was a light knock on the door, then it swung open a crack and Janessa peeked her head through. “Your first afternoon patient is here.” She smiled at Zane. “Or maybe it’s your second.”

“I guess that’s my cue to head home,” Zane said. “And try to find something to entertain myself.”

“Are you bored?” Janessa asked as they walked toward the back of the clinic where he’d parked Kelsey’s car, which she’d offered him the use of when she didn’t need it. Currently, she was sleeping after working the night shift the previous night.

“A bit,” he admitted. “It would be a lot easier if I didn’t have this cast on my leg.”

“Patience, little bro,” Janessa said. “You need to give your body a chance to heal properly, or you’ll have problems for much longer.”

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