Page 33 of Sunflowers and Surrender

All of a sudden, Dr. Knight appears and greets us before sitting down. Tuesday looks at me and smiles before reaching for my hand. Shit. I know this girl loves me. She didn’t bat an eye when doctor tall, rich, and handsome walked in. Orthopedist extraordinaire Dr. Holden Knight is impressive. He’s talented, good-looking, and appears pretty humble. I mean, I’m a dude, and I’d hit that.

“I wanted to start by saying how impressed I am with your tenacity, Ms. Palmer. You’ve endured quite a tragic accident and bounced back impressively. While you’ll still likely face some obstacles, I think the worst is behind you.”

“I’m glad you brought that up, Dr. Knight. It’s not something I’m considering anytime soon. But I want to be clear on what the future holds.”

Confused, I turn to see she’s struggling to finish her statement.

“Can I still have kids?”

I get a lump in my throat. I never even considered this before. This could be devastating for her. Me too, if I’m being honest. But I’m not opposed to adoption if we need to.

“I’m glad you brought that up. It’s a misconception that most people with pelvic fractures, such as yours, cannot have children. Some may require cesarean section versus delivering vaginally, but the majority have healthy pregnancies without complication.”

Tuesday visibly exhales, and I can see her shoulders relax. I didn’t realize how much this had been weighing on her.

“The other area I would encourage you to feel free to discuss with me is intercourse.”

What the fuck? I drop Tuesday’s hand as both of mine ball into fists. Okay, maybe I’ll be hitting him in a different way.

He must notice my face reddening and interjects, “This is an area many find embarrassing to discuss with their doctor. And unfortunately, I suspect many of my colleagues may prefer to avoid the discussion altogether. Yet it’s important. This can obviously affect your quality of life. Some patients, men and women, can struggle with intercourse following a fracture like yours. Only time will tell. But it’s not uncommon for patients to have long term struggles. If this becomes an issue for you, please let me know. There are pelvic floor exercises that can be performed with physical therapy, biofeedback, lots of options. I don’t want you to suffer in silence.”

I sit dumbfounded. I never considered this either. Purely focused on her recovery, it never dawned on me this could be a problem down the road. But it’s not surprising. I’m glad he was so forthright about it.This fucker really is smooth.

Having leftDr. Knight’s office with a little more spring in her step, we decide to grab lunch before returning home.

“Do you feel good about how things went?”

“Yes.” She nods over her turkey club.

“I hadn’t thought about the impact this could have on our sex life,” I admit.

“Me either. I only worried about carrying a baby to term with hardware holding my pelvis together. I never considered sex could be a problem.”

“I need you to be honest when the time comes. Please don’t shut me out if you’re in pain or having any issues. I want to know what you’re feeling.”

She reaches out to squeeze my hand. “I have a good feeling about us. I think we’ll find a way to overcome whatever life throws at us.”

Lifting her hand to my mouth, I kiss the inside of her palm. This food has nothing on my sweet girl.

“Oh. Did I ever tell you I met a girl in North Carolina after your birthday cruise?”

Tuesday sits up straighter in her chair, pulls her sandwich from her mouth, and gives me the worst glare I’ve ever seen. “I wondered what happened when you ghosted me. Now I’m not sure I want to know.”

“What? No. No. That came out all wrong. I went to Sycamore Mountain with some friends to clear my head. And while I was there, I met a girl who designs gourmet cakes and cupcakes. She was saying how she wanted to expand her little shop and join forces with a creative florist to bring a unique vision to the clients who order from her for garden parties, weddings, and the like. I told her you’d be perfect for the job.”

Tuesday’s face lights up like nothing I’ve ever seen. It’s probably the most luminous I’ve seen her since the accident. “I’d love to meet her. It sounds amazing.”

“Well, why don’t we plan a trip? Sycamore Mountain, here we come.”

Tuesday

“Oh,Tuesday. I’m so proud of you. You’ve done so well with rehab, and now my baby girl is moving out on her own,” Mom says.

I smile. I’m grateful she and Dad have been so accepting of my decision to move in with Alex.

“Just don’t let your living situation distract you from your studies.”

“About that.” I wince as I try to find the right words. “I’d like to finish my degree. But I don’t want to be a nurse.”

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