Page 87 of Alpha & Omega

“Taking care of your ass? Nope.”

I was definitely being an ass. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re fine. I expect it. You’re the grump to my sunshine.” He winked and got out of bed.

I couldn’t help but huff a laugh. “You read too many romances.”

“No such thing. You can never read enough romances. I’ll read one to you one day. You’ll see. Once I read you some smut, you’ll never look back. Now, let’s get you caffeinated and showered. We’ve got a big day today.”

He tossed on a T-shirt and shorts, kissed me again, and then padded out to my kitchen to make coffee.

I swear, each time he kissed me, smiled at me, or did something sweet, it healed a little bit of my soul. At the same time, I hurt even more because I knew this took away his time from his son and his restaurant. Not to mention, I was counting down the days until he finally gave up on me.

I pushed myself to sit up, grabbed my walker by my bed, and pulled myself to stand. It took a while to adjust to. Hell, I still wasn’t used to it. I kept wanting to stand on my missing foot. It was hard to un-train what I’d known since I took my first steps as an infant.

After I took a piss, I came out of the bathroom to eat and have some coffee before I got ready for the day.

Suddenly, a stabbing pain hit my leg… missing leg, and I had to sit back in the bed quickly.

“Fuck!” I hissed.

It felt like a fire poker stabbing my heel. The phantom pain was frequent, happening several times a day. It was no surprise since this was because oftrauma, but the pain usually had me nearly doubled over. I couldn’t even reach for something that wasn’t even there to hold it until the pain subsided.

Pain meds and nerve blockers helped, but once in a while, I’d get excruciating pain that punched through all the meds. Some were more bearable than others. This wasn’t one of those times.

I must have cried out louder than I thought because Harley came rushing in with a glass of juice and my pills, already knowing what was happening.

“We need to work more on your mirror therapy,” he said.

“I know!” I gritted my teeth, unable to see much through the pain. “Sorry. This needs to pass first.”

The therapy took time and dedication, but it was worth it if I could get over this first. It was hard to move when I felt paralyzed.

“We need to do it now.”

I didn’t fight him when I took my pills and he helped me sit on the floor with my legs spread out in front of me. Then he placed the large mirror he’d bought for me between my legs, reflecting my good leg. Once I was ready, I looked into the mirror as I wiggled my existing foot around and moved my leg and toes. Mirror therapy essentially tricked my brain into thinking my missing leg was moving, too.

After fifteen minutes of that, the pain eased. It was wild how that worked.

“Better?”

I nodded as he lifted me to sit on the edge of the bed, where I had some coffee and oatmeal with cream and berries.

“I hate this so much,” I said. “The pain is… I can’t do what I need to do. I have to fucking relearn everything, and I’m dependent on everyone, especially you.”

“It’s going to be hard for a while. Hey, but good news. Tony is moving in this weekend. His lease is finally up. He wanted you to get settled in, but he’s coming here not only to help but to move to Baltimore permanently. He said he’ll stay until he can get his own place. Your family is helping him.”

“Yeah, he texted me.” I rubbed my face and groaned. “God, I need a smoke now.”

“You’ve been doing great. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks, but tell that to my cravings.”

Once Ifinished breakfast, I grabbed my walker again and made my way to the bathroom to shower.

Harley helped me get undressed, put plastic over my cast to keep it dry, and then eased me onto my bath chair as the shower ran. It made me feel… elderly, and I wasn’t even thirty yet.

“Is this what it’s like to get old?” I asked him.

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