Page 11 of Stand: Part One

“C-cold,” I murmured, still clutching at the blanket with my other hand.

Darren gently took it from my grasp and draped it all the way up to my neck, gently tucking it behind my shoulders. My body soaked in the warmth like a sponge, comforting me enough to calm some of the shivers down.

“Don’t try to move,” Darren ordered, as if I had any intention to try. He then lifted a small paper cup to my cracked mouth. “Just take a small sip.” Little drops of water poured in, washing away the desert that caked my mouth, allowing for small moments of relief.

God, I felt heavy. So very heavy. But consciousness was mine again, and I wanted answers.

“What. H-happened,” I barely whispered, desperately needing to know how fucked I was.

“You were shot,” Darren answered plainly, his hand tightening around mine again. “But you’re going to be fine.”

Sure, I was. Every day was fine when you were me.

The echo of footsteps grew louder until they stopped at the foot of my bed.

“How are you feeling, Mrs. Davis?” came Sid’s voice. “Are you in any pain?”

“An e-elephant,” I began, “is sitting. On. My t-torso.”

Sid nodded. “Good to know the morphine is working,” he replied.

I grunted at that. I suppose pressure was better than pain.

“What’s the damage?” I whispered as my vision started to become clearer.

Sid took a deep breath before side-eyeing Darren as if he wasn’t sure what to tell me.

Oh, fuck, it was bad. It had to be bad.

Was I paralyzed? Did the bullet hit my spine?

“Well, the bullet ricocheted off the concrete wall of the garage and struck through your pelvis. It entered at such an angle that it exited cleanly through your glutes. Luckily, no fragments of the bullet were detected. That made your surgical repairs a little less complicated, and you did very well during the surgery.”

I blinked at him. The bullet exited through my ass cheek? Bikini season was going to be lit.

“But the force of the bullet did cause a few hip and pelvic fractures,” Sid continued. “You also have a torn sacrotuberous ligament and some sciatic nerve damage. But, not to worry. All of that will heal in time.”

How much time?

Absorbing his words took longer than I liked. It took even longer to accept them. I now had damage to my bones, muscles, ligaments, and nerves. And I need not worry. Why did it feel like he was leaving something out?

“What else?” I asked pointedly, clutching the blanket tighter.

Sid shook his head with a smirk. “Still sharp as ever, Mrs. Davis.”

Darren grunted at that, side-eyeing Sid with a warning glare.

“The worst of your injury is regrettably, the loss of your right ovary and connecting fallopian tube. Both were severely compromised and unfortunately could not be saved. There was also a small tear to your uterus that we were able to repair, so scar tissue is likely to develop. But you should know though that you are expected to make a full recovery and within time, you should have no trouble conceiving in the future.”

I was silent for a minute after this little revelation, Sid’s warning of Darren’s bigger concern at the forefront of it all. I didn’t know if fate was trying to play a cruel trick on me or if it had just failed to fully release me of one of my greatest fears. I’d almost been granted the relief I wanted from ever having to bear Darren’s children. Almost.

Technically, you’re halfway there.

Why the fuck did women have to have two ovaries? One really wasn’t enough?

I sighed in disappointment, though in reality I should be kind of grateful. That bullet bought my uterus some more time. A price always had to be paid.

“With all that said, Mrs. Davis, you’re incredibly lucky the bullet was a ricochet and not a direct hit. Your injuries would have been much worse otherwise and your recovery would not look as promising.”