It had been three days since William and I talked, and I was pretty worried, to say the least. He could go after anything or anyone related to me. I was praying he left my family, friends, and my babies at the shelter alone. This was between him, his sister, and me. I just wished he would listen to me with an open mind.
I sighed and rubbed my face tiredly.
This was way too much. I couldn’t sit here and think about who William was going to hurt first. He wasn’t even talking to anyone. Nathan came by yesterday and told me that William had gone incommunicado, which was definitely not a good sign.
But, first things first, I had to get this doctor’s appointment out of the way. Today, I would find out if I could get my stitches out earlier than planned and eliminate one week of bed rest. I was hoping I could do both because I was tired of everyone doing stuff for me and acting like I’d broken both my legs. It was sweet and all, but I could handle only so much, especially since I was the one who usually fussed over everyone else.
“Heather!” Andrew called. “We are going to go now so be ready.”
“I’m already ready.” I snorted. I was dressed in black leggings and a red and white flannel.
He laughed. “Right, now let me carry you.”
“I can walk. I didn’t break my legs, Andrew.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely, positively sure!”
“Okay…” he said warily.
I slowly got up from the couch. For the past two days, the pain I usually got from walking or standing in the shower was gone. I wobbled over to Andrew, who grabbed my arm to steady me. We walked out the door and I inhaled the air happily.
“I am free at last!” I started hugging the columns outside the front door and sighed.
“Are you done now?” Andrew asked, amused.
I beamed and walked over to the car. “Yep, let’s go. I’m ready to be done with my bed rest already.”
We plopped into our seats and Andrew began to drive. Once we got to the hospital, I was still excited. The people in the waiting room were staring at me like I was insane, but I was so happy to be out of the house. I usually liked to spend my time outdoors, especially after I got married, so this past week had been hard.
“Heather Solace,” the nurse called.
I approached her and she led me to a room near the end of the hallway.
“Here is your hospital gown. The doctor will be with you shortly.” She smiled and I returned it, taking the gown from her hands. I quickly changed my clothes once she left and sat there on the bed, tracing circles on my bandages.
“Heather Solace?” a deep, masculine voice called. I turned my head and saw a young man standing in the doorway. He seemed to be around William’s age and was very handsome. He had dark, chocolate-brown hair and bluish-green eyes that reminded me of the sea. He looked like those sweet, happy-go-lucky type of guys, but I had to say, I liked William’s dark, mysterious type better.
Wait a minute, what?
Oh my gosh, I was losing my mind. I should have known this sudden exposure to sunlight would mess with me. I bet I’d see dancing aliens when I walked out, or worse, William dressed as Batman and dancing around with the Joker, probably on top of my imaginary grave.
“Are you all right?” the man asked worriedly, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I blushed. “Sorry, I got lost in my thinking. Who are you?”
He laughed. “I’m your doctor, Dr. Presley. But you can call me Elliot.”
I shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Elliot.”
“Nice to meet you too, Ms.—”
“Mrs. Solace,” I corrected. “But call me Heather, please.”
“Okay, Heather, now how about you lie back so I can check your injury?”
I nodded and lay down. He pulled my hospital gown up slightly to see my stitches and whistled. “That is some cut right there, but it probably won’t leave a dark scar. How did you get it?”
“I got stabbed with a knife,” I said casually, like I got stabbed every day.
“Wow, okay. Where is your husband? Shouldn’t he want to know your recovery status?”
I pursed my lips and lied through my teeth. “He’s hung up in meetings.”
“Mm, that sucks. So, from the looks of this, it’s healing a lot faster than it’s supposed to. Did you get up at all during the week?”
“Only when I had to use the bathroom or shower. Other than that, my family watched over me twenty-four seven.” I groaned.
He hummed. “Overprotective brother?”
“Try two.”
“Ouch, that would have been hard to manage. Especially with a loving husband added into the mix,” he added bitterly.
“Uh, are you okay?” I asked. His face looked a bit…sour.
Elliot sighed and stepped back. “I’m sorry, that was rude of me. You just seem so sweet, and it’s hard to find innocent girls like you these days. I was just jealous of the fact your husband got quite the wife.”
I stared at him, slightly stunned. I didn’t know whether to be creeped out or flattered. No guy had ever told me something like that. Well, then again, I had never dated anyone before. My life was pretty sad.
“I…I…” I started, but he cut me off.
“Nice to know I made you speechless. It gives me a sense of accomplishment.”
I smiled awkwardly. What did I say now? I had to reject the poor guy.
“Listen, Elliot, you sound like a really sweet guy, I can already tell from spending five minutes with you. But I’m married and…” I trailed off.
“I know,” he said softly. “You don’t need to explain. Thanks for trying though.”
I nodded, feeling slightly guilty, even though I probably shouldn’t.
“You look so guilty. Don’t be, Heather, it’s not your fault.”
“Sorry,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair.
Elliot scoffed, shaking his head. “No, I’m sorry. I’m making you uncomfortable. But back to the appointment, you don’t need the other week of bed rest. The stitches can be taken out a week from today. However, don’t strain yourself. I can still add on weeks of bed rest, and we know you don’t want that.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you. So I can take small walks, right?”
“Yes, you can. But I want you to stop as soon as you feel weakness or any pain in your leg.”
I nodded. “Okay, and by the way, you wouldn’t happen to be related to Nathan and Jackson Presley, would you?”
“They’re my cousins.”
I smiled. “I figured. Well, I’ve got to go now. It was nice talking to you, Elliot. Thanks again.”
“Of course. And I’ll be seeing you at Jackson’s twenty-seventh birthday celebration, right?”
“Uh, right,” I said, even though I had no idea if I was going.
“Well, I’ll see you then, Heather. Bye!” he said, waving as he exited the room.
Once the door closed, I let out a huff and quickly changed back into my clothes. Andrew was pacing back and forth anxiously in the lobby.
“Well?” he asked when he saw me.
“I’m free from bed rest!” I exclaimed excitedly, beaming and jumping lightly.
He snorted. “People might think you’re pregnant, not free from bed rest, with the way you’re squealing and jumping.”
I stopped immediately and frowned. “Some people just can’t express their happiness nowadays.”
He laughed and we walked back to the car. Once we got home, I decided I wanted to go for a small walk and eat breakfast afterward. I changed into a pair of black Nike shorts, a white athletic tank top, and my running shoes.
“Andrew! I’m going for a walk!” I called. Andrew was the only one in the house since Alex and Stephanie were at work, Landon was in preschool, and my parents had gone to a friend’s house for a visit.
“Okay! Don’t overdo it though!” he called back.
“All right!”
I grabbed my iPod and earphones from the living room and walked over to the front door. I opened it and my eyes widened at the sight. William was standing there, his hand raised to the doorbell as if he was about to press it. He saw the look on my face and smirked evilly.
Oh God, please help me!