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A Week Later
“Brian, its Hailey. Please call me back, I miss you. Something’s going on with Nick, I know he needs you these days; I’m kind of a handful. But yeah, give me a call, love ya.” I hung up the phone and wheeled myself into the kitchen.
“Hey get a hold of him?” Nick asked squirting mustard on a turkey sandwich.
“No. I left a message.”
“I may go stop in and see him tomorrow. Ready for lunch?”
“I’m not really hungry.”
“It’s two pm, you didn’t eat breakfast and they worked you hard in therapy today.”
“More like hardly worked. How is it working when the guy is doing all the movement with my legs and back and everything?”
“Because you can still feel it in your body and I know it takes a lot out of you. You want turkey or ham?”
“I told you Nick—”
“And I am telling you I am NOT doing this eating/not eating anymore with you. Your body is trying to heel and YOU are just tearing it apart. DAMMIT HAILEY!” He slammed his fists on the counter and I kind of jerked back. Without saying anything, I turned my wheel chair around and just headed back into the living room. I wanted to run, I wanted to go up the stairs and lock myself in the room or go for a walk or run but I couldn’t do any of that. Nick hadn’t yelled at me that way since we were broken up and I didn’t know how to take it.
“Hailey, Hails, I’m sorry,” Nick walked into the living room. I continued to stare out the window, not saying anything. “I just want you to be you again.” I shot my head up and looked at him.
“I am trying everything to be me Nick. The only difference is that I can’t walk and you make that unforgettable to me every day. You know what; I’m not doing this, just leave me alone.” He didn’t say anything and took a step towards me. “GO!” I yelled.
“FINE!” Nick yelled back, I heard him take his keys off the hook and he slammed the door behind him. I moved to the couch, took off the one arm rest and placed it on the ground.
“Who does he think he is yelling at me like that. It’s not like I was trying to starve myself…was I?” I questioned myself. I put one hand on the couch and one pushed me off chair and I started to pull myself over when my back cramped up. I cried out in pain and fell to the ground. Although Nick has been by my side since I had been home, I had felt alone. And now that he wasn’t there I was more alone than ever.
My cell phone on the coffee table began ringing and I sat up and dragged myself over to it, tears of frustration and pain slipping down. I reached the phone and lied flat on the ground. Without looking to see who it was I answered.
“Hello?”
“Hailey?”
“Brian!”
“Are you okay, you sound like you’re crying.”
“Nick and I got into a fight, I went to go on the couch and I fell.”
“I’ll be right over,” Brian hung up the phone and I closed it, letting it drop to the ground. Within ten minutes the door opened. “HAILEY?!” Brian’s voice boomed in the foyer.
“Living room,” I started to push myself to the upright position.
“What happened, where’s Nick?” He started to move me.
“No wait, it hurts too much,” I cried.
“What do you want me to do?” His eyes were worried.
“I don’t know? It usually goes away after a little bit.” I lay my head back down on the ground. “If you put a pillow under my legs, that sometimes helps. Brian got off his knees and looked around. Nick didn’t have any throw pillows but he found a blanket and rolled it up. He lifted up my legs and placed it under my knees.
“What was the fight about?” he brushed my hair back and I told him.
“I don’t even know if it really was about all that. He’s just been so, well not Nick since the whole thing. He’s been great don’t get me wrong but I feel like I have a nurse, not a boyfriend.”
“But you haven’t been eating again?”
“I just seriously haven’t had the appetite lately. But he won’t even kiss me so maybe subconsciously I wasn’t eating thinking that I’ve been getting fat from not being able to work out and maybe that’s why he won’t touch me…”
“If anything, you look skinnier and you’re still just as beautiful so maybe something else is up with him. How’s the pain?”
“It’s almost gone.”
“Want me to put you on the couch?”
“In a minute.” I looked into Brian’s eyes. “Bri, why haven’t you, ya know, come seen or talk to me? I’m sorry for everything that happened and putting Nick’s life in danger and yours.”
“Are you kidding me, I feel like I shouldn’t have let you go up those rocks. We should’ve waiting until the police came, or I should’ve gone up first.”
“Nick may be dead and who knows with you. It’s not your fault.” Brian looked up to the ceiling and let out a sigh. “I need you B.” I reached my hand up to his face and looked down at me; a tear dropping from his chin. I began to push myself up and Brian helped me, I wrapped my arms around him as he did with me.
“I’m sorry, I just, was scared and blamed myself.”
“I know, it’s alright.”
“Hailey?” Nick’s voice interrupted us. “Brain? What?”
“He had called me just as you had left, I took a slight spill and he came over.” I explained to Nick.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt?”
“I just had a back cramp. It’s feeling better though. Could you get me off the ground Bri?” he nodded his head and brought me onto the couch. “I think I may take a nap actually.” I told them knowing they would want to talk.
“Want me to take you up stairs?” Nick asked.
“Sure,” I shrugged a shoulder. Nick gently lifted me up. “Call me later Brian.”
“Promise.” Nick brought me up stairs and into his room. He set me on the bed and sat next to me.
“Hails I shouldn’t have walked out earlier, I mean look what happened.”
“Nick, if that’s your only reason then we have problems. Look just go talk to Brian, I’m going to take a nap.” I turned my head to the wall. I waited for Nick to kiss my cheek or say something but he didn’t. A minute later he got up and left the room.
Nick’s POV
I closed the bedroom door and wanted to go lay down with her. I myself for some reason felt extremely tired and I felt guilty for leaving her earlier. Something kept me though and I went down stairs to talk to Brian. He was sitting on the couch.
“She alright?” he asked.
“Yeah. She gets pretty tired easily these days.” I took a seat next to him and he nodded his head. “How’ve you been? I haven’t really talked to you in a while.”
“I know, I’m okay. Just the whole thing kind of messed me up.”
“I know what you mean.”
“So, want to tell me what’s been bothering you?” Brian asked me.
“Everything’s been fine, well until today.”
“Nick,” Brian warned.
“I don’t know Rok, she’s just, I feel like she’s going to break at any time. The one time I do leave her, she gets hurt and if you hadn’t called who knows what would’ve happened.”
“She would’ve been fine, it was only a cramp and you would’ve been home within a half hour. I mean why did you come home so early?”
“I was worried about her.”
“Nick she tells me that she thinks of you as her nurse and not boyfriend. That’s kind of gross to think of you in a mini outfit but hey.”
“I’m just trying to get her back on her feet.”
“Then be there for her Nick.”
“I am there for her, 24/7.”
“Do you guys hang out, do you kiss, or make love or do you guys do therapy and make small talk over meals and watching T.V?” My eyes dropped down to my hands and knew Brian was right. “Why Nick? Are you falling out of love, do you not feel the same way as youused to?”
“No, I love her more than ever. I am completely in love with her and she’s been more than amazing through all this but Brian it’s so hard to watch her go through everything . She’s in pain almost all through the day, mentally and physically. I see her wanting to cry but she won’t shed a tear. She has nightmares but when I ask her about them she brushes them off as though it didn’t happen. It’s been over two weeks but still it’s been so little time and I’m already ready to break.” My voice cracked at the last part and tears threatened to fall.
“Nick, I’m sorry I haven’t been there man. You don’t need to do this on your own though. I’ll stay and help out.” Brian pulled me in for a hug and I let the tears go. Brian was the only one of the guys that I could actually cry in front of.
“I just don’t want to lose her and I want her to be happy. I mean I’ll still love her even if she is in that chair for the rest of her life but she doesn’t deserve this.”
“Nick, she’ll be walking again. I know it.”