Chapter 25
25
T he catheter was removed, and she was now shuffling across the floor in her gorgeous hospital gown with a pair of disposable slippers on her feet. Goodness, things had changed in just a day!
Her knees shook, but she wasn't dizzy, which her nurse said was great. She used the toilet, washed her hands, and screwed up the courage to look in the mirror.
Her eyes instantly watered and her nose tingled when she took in the sight before her. For the past twenty-plus years, her life was filled with looking good for the camera. Viewers relentlessly criticized every hair out of place. If they didn't like her lipstick color, she heard about it. Had she gained weight? Viewers would ask her if she needed diet tips because she looked fat yesterday. It was hard on her at first. Then it was Brody who told her to have someone else field her emails, so she didn't have to read that vitriolic shit every day. It made her paranoid and self-centered. She actually chuckled as she stared at herself. Wouldn't they love to see her now?
She straightened up and let out a breath to stem the muscle pain that caused. Opening the bathroom door, she slid her feet along the floor so she didn't fall. The nurse in her room hustled to her. "I'm supposed to help you."
"I'm fine. Is Sean outside?"
"After I make sure you're safely in bed, I'll check."
She gritted her teeth slightly, but followed the rules.
She sat in her bed. "I'd like to sit like this with my legs hanging over for a few minutes, please."
"Are you sure you aren't dizzy?"
"I'm positive."
The nurse stared into her eyes for a few moments, then hurried to the door. Less than a minute later, Sean entered. He grinned when he saw her sitting with her legs hanging.
"You're feeling better."
"Sean, take my picture. We need pictures of what I look like. We need pictures of Mina too. If the press wants to get some pictures, we're going to launch a campaign about how dangerous it is for reporters to get too zealous. And I want those reporters to see what they've done. All of it."
He swallowed, but he didn't move. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. We'll send them to our attorneys, first, but yes, we need to document this."
He sucked in a deep breath and pulled his phone from his back pocket. He held it up, then his brows furrowed. "I think you need to lay down. The windows are blacking you out of the picture."
She scooted back on the bed, and Sean, bless his heart, rushed to help her. She held on to his strong arms as she laid back. She was sore everywhere. Even her legs had bruises on them. She sucked in the deepest breath she could without shooting a piercing pain through her body and nodded.
"Get my face."
Sean snapped photos of her face. He gently moved her hospital gown to show the bruising on her legs. He sweetly replaced her gown so her legs were covered, and she lifted her arms so he could take photos of the bruises and cuts on them. Slowly, she reached back and untied her gown.
"Honey..." Sean cautioned.
"All of it," she gritted out.
He set his phone on the table and helped her remove the gown from her right arm. He kept her breasts covered and helped her with her left arm. He lifted the blanket at the foot of her bed up to cover her left breast. Then he moved her gown and covered her right breast but left the deep purple line that ran down her body, from right shoulder to left hip, where the seatbelt had been. He stood back and stared at her body, and she tried not to think about the few pounds she'd gained over the years. Her belly was softer than when they'd been together, and she had a few stretch marks from being pregnant with Mina. She swallowed her fear of him seeing her once again. But what she saw when her eyes met his was sadness. His eyes welled with tears. He sniffed a few times, then grabbed a tissue and wiped his nose. Quietly, he picked up his phone and snapped a few pictures. Then he sweetly helped her back into her hospital gown and covered her legs with the blanket.
He bent down and kissed her forehead after he covered her, leaving his lips there for a few moments. "I'm so sorry, baby."
Tears slipped from her eyes as her hands held on to his arms. He twisted and sat on her bed, near her hip, then lifted his legs, and reclined next to her. His left arm laid above her head on the mattress, his right arm laid gently across her abdomen. He kissed her temple several times, then touched his forehead to her temple.
She cried silently. Those tears fell from her eyes like rain in the heaviest of storms. She felt his tears fall on her temple. Neither of them said a word. They just held on to each other for a long time. It felt good. It felt like they'd never split up. She felt like she belonged right here with him.
The door opened and Brody said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I'll come back."
She sniffed. "It's okay, Brody. Please come in."
Sean gently removed himself from her side. He pulled tissues for both of them, and they silently dried their eyes and wiped their faces.
Brody stood awkwardly near the door. She mustered a smile and nodded at him. "I asked Sean to take pictures of me."
"Okay." His brows furrowed.
"All of me. I wanted them for the lawsuit. I want to show those assholes what they've done. I want pictures of Mina as well."
Brody's jaw tightened. He looked at Sean. "May I see them?"
Sean glanced her way, and she nodded. He pulled the photos up on his phone and handed it to Brody. Brody quietly looked at each photo, sniffed and handed the phone back to Sean.
Brody's eyes stared into hers for a while, and he nodded. "You've got sass, Gloria."
"And I'm about to use it."
The door opened again, and the doctor entered her room.
"Morning, everyone."
She struggled to sit up. Sean reached down and slid his arm behind her, then lifted her up. She looked at the doctor. "How is Mina this morning?"
"She's improved. I see you are as well. I understand you've been up."
"Yes. May I go see Mina?"
"You can after I check you out. If you're feeling up to it, you can go home today."
"I'm up to it. But I don't want to go home. I'll stay close so I can be here with Mina every day." She didn't know where that would be, but she'd figure it out.
The doctor nodded. "We can talk about that."
He neared her bed and checked her vision. She didn't see double. She counted his fingers, and he shined a light in her eyes. He asked her to pull down on his hands, checked her reflexes, then declared her fit to go home.
"It usually takes a while to process the paperwork, so you can go up and visit Mina while we process you out."
"Sounds good."
The doctor nodded and left without another word. She scooted to the edge of the bed, let her feet dangle, then froze. "I don't have clean clothes."
"I bought you some yesterday in the gift shop," Sean offered. "All they had were sweatpants and a sweatshirt, but they're clean."
"Thank you." For the first time, she looked at his clothing. He wore a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. He had the jeans on yesterday during the interview and concert, but she didn't remember the T-shirt.
He chuckled. "I had it on under my dress shirt yesterday. My dress shirt has blood on it."
She nodded. "You look good in a t-shirt."
He laughed. "You'd say that."
She grinned. "Okay. I need to get dressed."
Brody stepped back. "I'll wait outside."
Sean stepped to her closet and pulled a plastic bag from inside. "They put your clothing in here. I didn't buy you undergarments so these will have to do."
She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. When I get to my suitcase, I'll have clean clothes."
"That's at my house. I had someone take it and Mina's car there last night."
"How far is your house?"
"About twenty minutes from here."
She nodded. "Okay."
He stepped closer and bent down to look into her eyes. "We can stay there at night and come back here every day. You'll be close, be able to shower and get some rest. And we'll have time to talk."
She swallowed. "Okay." She'd take the time to process her quick answer later. Her heart still hurt, but her head tried telling her heart Sean loved her and had his reasons. Which he's now apologized for.
He stood and chuckled. "That was easier than I thought."