CHAPTER THREE - CALEB
My head felt heavy as I slowly opened my eyes. Sunlight was streaming in through blinds I didn’t recognize. I squinted against the bright light and turned my head, trying to figure out where the hell I was. As I glanced around, I saw my mom’s face smiling down at me. She was standing right by my bed, her husband Darren just behind her. They both smiled at me nervously.
“What the fuck happened?” I asked, trying to sit up. A sharp pain shot through my back and I winced, falling back against the pillows. “Shit. What happened to me? Where am I?”
“You’re in the hospital,” Mom said. “You had an accident on the job.”
“The little girl!” I cried out, suddenly remembering what happened in the apartment building. “Is she okay? Did they get her out?”
“I think so,” Mom said nervously, glancing at Darren.
“Tyler said no one else was hurt,” Darren said, taking a step forward.
“Good,” I said, sighing with relief. “Shit, this fucking hurts.”
“Language,” Mom said, a warning in her voice.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “But my back is killing me.”
“Your back?” Mom asked. “How’s your leg feel?”
“My leg?” I frowned and looked down. My lower half was covered by a hospital blanket so I couldn’t see my legs. I lifted my left leg and didn’t feel any pain, but when I tried to do the same with my right, I screamed and threw my head back against the pillow.
“Don’t move it!” Darren said, rushing around to steady me. “I’ll go get your doctor, okay? Just be still.”
Darren glanced at my mom before he disappeared into the hall. I watched him go with a frown on my face. It wasn’t a surprise to see my mom here but Darren? I never expected him to flock to my bedside, no matter how badly injured I was.
“He’s worried about you,” Mom said, reading my mind.
“Right,” I snorted. “Worried I’m going to take your attention away from him.”
“Caleb!” she snapped. “Don’t talk like that.”
“I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “I’m just out of it right now. My back hurts like hell, Mom.”
“I’ll tell the doctor when he arrives,” Mom said. “For now, let’s just try to relax, okay? You’ve been through a lot, and your body needs to heal.”
I nodded, knowing that arguing would be futile. My mother had been a nurse for most of my life. She knew this hospital inside and out. There wasn’t anything I could experience as a patient she hadn’t seen a thousand times before. I could tell from the way she kept her hand clamped firmly on my shoulder that she was worried I would move too much and hurt myself even more.
She wasn’t wrong. I longed to get out of this bed, to find my buddies and hear the real story of what happened out there. They, unlike Mom and Darren, wouldn’t sugarcoat things. They would tell me straight up what the hell happened to me, brutal details included. I needed that, but I knew my mom would never let it happen. She wouldn’t leave my side unless she had to.
“Your doctor said he’d be here in a few minutes,” Darren said, stepping back into the room. “He has two patients to check up on first.”
“What?” Mom asked, her eyes narrowing with rage. “Caleb is in pain. He can’t take two seconds to stop in and assess him?”
“No,” Darren said. “You know how this works, Cathy. There are priorities.”
“That’s unacceptable,” Mom snapped. “Who is it?”
“Dr. McGee,” Darren said.
“That child?” Mom scoffed. “I’ll be right back.”
She stormed out of the room, leaving me alone with Darren, who was also a doctor at the hospital. I laughed to myself, imagining the things my mother would say to this Dr. McGee. She was a badass nurse but an even more badass mom. Despite the hell I put her through when I was young, she stood by me through everything. She defended me. I knew she would rip Dr. McGee in half if he dared to contradict her.
“I’m sorry you got hurt,” Darren said.
“Thanks.”
That was more than I could ask from Darren. He’d been my step-father since high school, but that didn’t make us close. We weren’t father and son. We tolerated each other for my mother’s sake.
Just when the silence stretched a little too long, my mother walked back through the door. I expected to see this Dr. McGee person behind her, but instead, a familiar face appeared over her shoulder.
For a split second, I stopped breathing.
A pair of pale ocean blue eyes pierced me, and my mouth fell open in shock. All my pain disappeared as I took in the sight of Tara Jones walking toward me. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail. It caught the sunlight and shimmered. I swallowed hard and tried to speak, but no words came out. What was she doing here?
My eyes trailed over her body, taking in the sight of her gorgeous curves, long legs, and full, round breasts hidden beneath a pair of black stretch pants and a gray top. The top hugged her breasts, making my heart pound inside my chest. She stared at me for a few seconds before tearing her eyes away and walking toward Darren.
He smiled at her and kissed her cheek. She smiled back before turning to face me.
“Tara,” I said, finally finding my voice. “What are you doing here?”
“Well,” Tara began. She shifted her feet beneath her and realization suddenly dawned on me. Her pants were scrubs, and her top sported a name tag. She wore black tennis shoes and had a chart in her hand. I’d been so preoccupied with her presence that I hadn’t realized what she must be doing here.
“Wait,” I said slowly. “Are you my physical therapist?”
Tara nodded and moved around to the side of my bed.
“You knew Tara moved back to town,” Mom said softly. “Remember?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Sure.”
“I’m doing my last clinical rotation here,” Tara explained.
“How is that possible?” I asked.
I felt hot and confused. My face was still flushed, and every word that poured from my mouth felt wrong and awkward. I knew I had to pull myself together.
“Well, I went to school,” Tara said, a snarky tone in her voice. “Now I’m here. Not exactly complicated.”
“No, I know. I just meant…” I trailed off, clearing my throat and starting over. Tara did always have a way of throwing me off my game. “It’s good to see you, Tara.”
“You too,” Tara said, though her eyes betrayed the truth. “All right, let’s talk about your injuries.”
“Sure,” I nodded and tried to sit up, but Tara put one hand on my shoulder and held me back. I looked at her fingers, just inches from my face and felt myself burn even hotter. Her touch was more than I could take. She cleared her throat and moved her hand quickly.
“You shouldn’t move,” she said. “Your injuries are quite substantial.”
“I can tell,” I said, wincing at the pain.
“Dr. McGee will discuss things with you when he arrives,” Tara said. “But for now, let’s talk about your leg.”
“Okay.” I nodded.
“Long story short, it’s basically torn to shit,” she said, not bothering to sugarcoat things. I smiled. “You landed on it, and it crumbled, then debris crashed on top of it. Your ligaments are a mess, and you’re going to need some serious physical therapy after you’re discharged to build up the muscles again from disuse. Dr. McGee already did what he could surgically, and that was a success, which is a positive. Still, I won’t lie to you, PT is going to be a bitch.”
“Is that how you talk to your other patients?” Darren asked, disapproval in his voice.
“The grown men?” Tara asked. “Yes. The sweet little eight-year-old girls? No.”
I smiled again. Tara’s wit had always been sharp and hearing her shut down Darren’s insult was a breath of fresh air.
“We’re going to get you through it,” Tara said, turning back to me. “You’re strong. You’re young. You’re healthy. It’ll be hard, but I don’t see any reason why you can’t make a full recovery.”
“What kind of PT are we talking about?” I asked. “Weights? Jogs? That sort of thing?”
Tara shook her head. “No. Not for a while. The first thing we’ll do is some mild stretching and range of motion exercises.”
“Stretching?” I asked, my eyebrows raised. “That’s bullshit.”
Tara’s eyes narrowed. “I’m happy to bring in another therapist if you’d like a second opinion.”
“That’s not what I meant,” I said quickly. “But you don’t have to baby me.”
“Baby you?” Tara scoffed. “The first time you try to stretch that leg, it’s going to feel like a thousand knives are piercing through you. It’s going to be more painful than anything you’ve ever felt. After that, you can tell me if you still want to go on a few jogs.”
“I’m glad to see you haven’t changed much,” I said softly.
Tara’s eyes met mine, and for a second, she softened. It didn’t last long. She got to her feet and walked back around to where Mom and Darren were standing.
“I should get going,” she said. “I have a session downstairs in half an hour. Caleb, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Are you still coming over for dinner tonight?” Mom asked her.
“Yeah,” Tara said, nodding. “Six?”
“Yup,” Darren said. “See you then, sweetheart.”
“Bye Dad,” Tara said. She waved to Mom and hurried from the room.
I watched her go, still in shock by her sudden appearance. Tara Jones. The girl I met when I was seventeen years old. My step sister and so much more. The girl who still occupied more of my mind than I cared to admit. I couldn’t believe, after all these years, she was back in my life.