Chapter 13
Speedy Recovery
As the day progressed, Celia became more alert. The minutes slowly ticked by. Since her mother had stepped out of the room, there was nothing to do but stare at the ceiling. She tried to sleep but her mind was on too many things, one of them being a promised shower later in the afternoon.
The nurse had warned her that it would be painful but Celia didn’t care. She wanted to be clean. She could all but feel the hot water running over her sore body now.
She could also feel her temper rising as hours clicked by and Martin hadn’t been to see her. Every time the door opened and it wasn’t him, her anger grew.
It was close to three when a young woman came into the room carrying a vase of wild flowers with a balloon attached that said, ‘Get Well’. A pretty card revealed a note from her family saying they were all wishing her a speedy recovery.
Fifteen minutes later another vase of flowers arrived - red and yellow roses. They were her favorite, and as she guessed, they were from Martin. She opened the card and read the note, ‘Here’s wishing you a speedy recovery, Martin’.
She held the card, feeling nothing but anger. She had an idea Martin was out with Randi and trying to look like a good boyfriend. She wanted to crumple the card but instead laid it on the table beside the bed with the card from her family.
Around five, two nurses came in to help her with her shower. She’d been out of the bed, but this was the hardest. Not only was there pain but there was also the humiliation of needing help.
It was difficult to wash her hair so it only got one washing. When she was about to step out of the shower, there was a tap on the door.
“Do you need some help, dear?”
“Yes, please.” Celia felt such relief at her mother’s voice. There was a small seat in the shower so she sat and let her mother give her hair a thorough washing. Twenty minutes later she was back in the bed while her mother blow-dried her hair.
After the shower, Celia was exhausted and fell asleep. She woke up about an hour later ready to eat. She was weak and tired but it was heavenly to be clean. Looking at the clock, she could see it was close to seven. A glance around the room revealed two more vases of flowers.
She raised her bed and was about to call for a nurse when the door opened. Someone held out a bag that was clearly marked, ‘Take Out’. “Yes, that looks wonderful.” From behind the bag Mike appeared. She hoped he couldn’t see the disappointment.
“I suppose you were expecting Martin?” he asked.
“Yes. He’s not been by today.”
“He called about the time they were getting you into the shower.” Mike stepped closer to the bed and pulled the table into place. “I took your mother to your favorite restaurant and brought you something back.”
Celia felt like a heel. Mike was taking her mother out to eat when it should have been Martin. It wasn’t his place and she wanted to complain but smiled instead. “I’m grateful and starving. Could you find me something to drink?”
“Already done,” he said, holding up another bag.
“Thanks. I appreciate it. The food here is fair but not as good as anything from Tony’s. What’s in the bag?”
“Breaded fries, a Tony Burger with the works but no onions and extra Special Sauce for the fries.”
“Yummy. Could you set it all out for me? I feel weak as a kitten since the shower.”
“My pleasure.”
Celia watched Mike as he raised the bed into a full sitting position. They’d talked a lot over the last few weeks but she suddenly realized she really didn’t know anything about this man.
Several times he had come over to help Martin work on his bike. He even had an old pair of coveralls that hung in Martin’s garage. They had ‘Mike’ embroidered on the pocket. She had seen him wear them more than once. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say what you do for a living.”
“I’m mostly labeled as a mechanic.”
“That fits. I’ve seen you working on Martin’s bike.”
“Yes. I enjoy working with my hands and I’m pretty good with a hammer.”
Celia nodded. She knew he was fishing to find out if her memory was working. She didn’t want to lie so she ignored him. “I’m starving. Do you want half of this or some fries? I’ll share.”
“Thanks, but I had plenty. Your mother and I had the same thing.”
“My mother had a burger?”
“She didn’t eat all of it but she said it was good. Was it her first burger?”
“I’d say it was her first Tony Burger but not her first burger. It’s just that she normally won’t eat with her fingers in public.”
“I think I know someone else like that.”
Celia glanced up and smiled. “Are you hinting I might be like my mother?”
“I wasn’t hinting. Did I stutter?”
This time she wanted to laugh but she knew it would hurt. “If you’re not going to join me, please sit down. Tell me the news of the day. I’m kind of lost without my phone.”
Mike sat and as she knew he would, took out his phone and began to read her the headlines. He had a nice, deep voice and she enjoyed listening to him. Often, while he was working, they would discuss the events of the day.
She listened to Mike as he read. A couple of times he made comments about things that she knew was a hint about the work they’d been doing.
It was hard not to comment, but she couldn’t tell all just yet. She wasn’t finished with Martin but she also knew if she dragged this farce out much longer, she was going to hurt more people than just Martin.
Mike had been nothing but kind to her and he didn’t need to get hit in the crossfire. She knew she should stop this lie and get on with her life, but she couldn’t do that. Not yet. Not until she had made Martin pay for hurting her.