Page 33 of Stand: Part One
My relieved heart was still racing, excitement and nerves all wrapped in one big bundle at the pit of my stomach.
“You’re only going to stand for just a few seconds and then slowly sit back down,” Sid reminded me.
Nodding, I released a heavy breath and reached out to place my hands in Darren’s, clenching his giant palms like a lifeline. He gripped them back with an assurance I knew I could rely on. Then, with all the strength I had, I pulled myself up from the bed and finally stood on my own two feet.
Blood rushed to my head almost immediately, and the room spun. My knees shook, and my body wavered, forcing me to sit back down.
“Fuck,” I whispered under my breath, attempting to pull my hands free.
“I heard that,” Darren warned as he held my hands even tighter, refusing to let go. “You got dizzy, didn’t you?” He said it like a damn accusation, like it was all he needed to call this whole thing off and force me back into bed.
Begrudgingly, I nodded, closing my eyes as I waited for everything around me to slow down.
“That’s normal,” Sid commented, then turned to cough into his sleeve. “Try again but more slowly this time.”
When the dizziness finally passed, I released a slow breath and waited for my stomach to relax. Then, lifting my chin, I squared my shoulders and pressed down on Darren’s hands again to slowly pull myself back up. My knees continued to shake, like they could give out on me at any second, but I focused on keeping my balance.
“How do you feel?” Sid asked.
“Weird,” I replied. “It feels heavy. Unstable. Like my legs want to give out.”
“I’m not going to let you fall, Jaden,” Darren assured as he clutched my hands tighter.
Barely steady, I counted to ten and then sat back down, suddenly exhausted from the exertion. God, this was pathetic.
“Excellent job, Mrs. Davis. You did really well.”
I frowned. “All I did was stand.”
“Standing on your own two feet is half the battle,” Sid replied. “Next, you’ll be walking and running, then kicking your husband’s head around in no time.”
I snorted at that, catching the death glare Darren shot at Sid.
When did Sid become so brave?
“Sounds like a plan to me,” I agreed, cocking a brow at the unimpressed monster of a man in front of me, a challenging smirk on my face.
“Baby steps,” Darren snarked, an arrogant grin tugging at his lips.
Baby steps. Except I had yet to take a real single step. The kind where you put one foot in front of the other. The kind that I had been waiting for since I woke up from surgery. But the best I could get at the moment was standing for ten awkward seconds.
It was better than nothing. And when I had managed to stand and sit back down about ten times and then again on my own for at least nine seconds without help, the day was declared done. At least, that was what they all told me.
Before he left, Darren had tucked me into the bed, securing me under the covers like he wanted to make it as difficult as possible for me to leave it. The second the door closed behind him and the rest of the staff, I ripped the sheets off like the stubborn bitch I was.
Clive and Owen rolled their eyes at me as they began their usual stroll through the room, watching the windows.
“Where’s my dog?” I asked them. I hadn’t seen Camaro all morning, and I assumed it was because they didn’t want her getting in the way of my therapy.
“Groomers,” Clive answered without taking his eyes off the window.
“I think you guys should go get her. It can’t take all morning to groom a dog.”
Both sets of eyes shot to me with the same look of suspicion on their faces.
“Why?” Owen asked. “What shit are you trying to get into now?”
I rolled my eyes and pulled my legs back over the side of the bed.
