Chapter 39
The day after the attack Amelia received good, well, average news about Dena. She’d woken up on her own. Dena would need months of therapy and may never be able to live by herself, but she was awake.
Instead of having a picnic, they stayed home and rested. The guys made sure they had groceries and then headed over to Thario's place to help him with chores.
The next Saturday, Apple drove her to Los Angeles while Lainey stayed with Ava. They figured it would be too much for Lainey to take in.
When Amelia stepped into the room, tears filled her eyes. She hadn’t wanted to cry, but seeing Dena in the hospital bed, one leg missing, her face sagging on the left side, it was almost too much. Her dear friend had been through hell.
“Hey, Dena, I’m glad you woke up.”
It took Dena a second for recognition to fire in her eyes. There wasn’t a smile on her face, but the right side of her lips kind of tilted up.
Dena mumbled something, but it wasn’t anything Amelia could understand. She moved to the chair beside the bed and glanced over her shoulder to Avery.
“Avery brought me here. I heard you met him before you left for your business trip.”
Dena’s eyes shifted from her face to Avery then back.
Seeing her friend like this was hard, but she wasn’t going to abandon her.
She’d found a facility in San Diego, not far from Avery’s house where Dena could stay while she healed.
The doctors said it would take months, and she would probably end up on disability for a long time, but at least she would be close and Amelia could visit more often.
“I have an idea. I spoke to the doctor, and they think it’s good. There’s a place not too far from where I will be living with Avery. We want to move you there.”
Dena grunted. The doctors said Dena might be able to type out a message eventually, but it would take time.
“Is that okay?”
Dena’s chin dipped and then rose in what could be interpreted as a nod. Amelia breathed out a sigh of relief.
“Good. Avery moved our things into storage. I’ll arrange for them to be sent here in a few months once you start responding to therapy. I know right now isn’t great, but you’re getting better every day.”
Dena grunted again. She squeezed her friend's hand, glad she'd pulled through. Her quality of life would improve, and she would eventually be able to be on her own or maybe in a place where she could at least get around a little on her own with the help of a caretaker.
She sat with Dena for another hour, chatting about nothing in particular until her friend drifted off. It was hard seeing Dena in this condition, but soon, she would live close by.
“You okay?” Avery asked as they stepped out into the parking lot.
She nodded. “Yeah. I’m studying to be a realtor, but I think I want to add something.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I want to start with getting a certificate so I can work in a medical setting. It will take a while to get to the point where I can be a nurse, but that's what I want to go for.”
“That’s great.”
“So you don’t think it’s bad for me to switch?”
He shook his head. “No. And you’re close to getting your realtor’s license, right? Maybe you could do both?”
“Both?”
“Have the license for back up while you work on getting a certificate to work in a medical setting. It would give you options.”
She stopped walking and turned to him. “I’ve never really had options before.”
He put his hands on her shoulders and held her gaze. “I know I wasn't there, and I should have been. But I'm here now, and I think you having multiple options is a great thing.”
She nodded. “It makes sense. Having the option to work as a realtor and in a doctor's office would make me feel better. That way, I don't have to rely only on one job.”
“Just make sure you aren’t overdoing it. You don’t need to work two jobs.”
“I know. I just never want to be in a position where I have to work at a club again. I can’t do that.”
“And you won’t have to.”
He pulled her close, brushing his lips over her before he wrapped his arms around her and held her.
She was safe with Avery. He'd saved her and given her a place to thrive.
She could do this with his support. She'd thought life would never get easier, and there for a while, she'd thought it was over, but Avery had made everything better.