hands, while Kenny carefully checked the surgical site on her belly.
“ Everything looks fine.” Kenny covered her with the sheet and smoothed it around her body.
“ Can I see?” She couldn’t believe the words left her mouth. She was afraid to look at the damage done to her body by the accident and hadn’t looked under her gown yet, but curiosity got the better of her.
“ It’s fine, honey, you don’t need to look at it.”
“ I want to.” She got the feeling he didn’t want her to see it. Now she wanted to look.
Kenny stared at her without saying anything. She looked to Justin, but he was looking at Kenny as if they knew something she didn’t.
“ What’s wrong?” she asked.
“ Nothing,” Kenny replied, “I don’t want you to get overwhelmed, that’s all, but I’ll show you.” He carefully folded the covers down and paused before lifting her gown to expose her incisions. “Just remember, honey, it’s fresh. When it’s all healed, you’re barely gonna see it.”
She knew it was bad, but she wasn ’t expecting the road map that traveled across her body. A neat row of sutures ran single file down the center of her upper abdomen where her spleen was removed. A matching, longer incision started on her lower right side and ran over the arch of pelvic bone and down the lower right side of her back where her kidney used to reside. That, comingled with the three fractured ribs and multiple contusions, left her torso a virtual area of destruction.
She stared down at her belly and bit her lower lip. She tried to remember what Kenny said – ‘When it’s all healed, you’re barely gonna see it.’ She kept repeating it to herself over and over again. When it’s all healed, you’re barely gonna see it. When it’s all healed, you’re barely gonna see it. Her silence must have scared Justin, because he sounded frantic as he called her name to get her attention.
“ I’m OK,” she answered, but as soon as she looked into his eyes, she burst into tears.
He held her and rested his cheek on top of her head. “It’s OK, sweetie. It’s OK,” he whispered. “It’s not that bad.”
“ Oh, honey,” Kenny said. “I knew you were gonna get upset. Take it easy.”
While Justin held her, Kenny rubbed his hand up and down her arm, and she suddenly felt foolish. She could be dead right now. She should be thanking God to be alive. She should be thanking Justin for staying with her, and thanking Kenny for being kind and sympathetic. The scars were superficial and could be easily hidden under her clothing. She dried her eyes and sniffled.
“ Are you alright, sweetie?” Justin asked.
She nodded and tried to offer him a small smile, but the corners of her mouth wouldn ’t cooperate.
After she gulped down her pain medication and drank some water, she felt a little better.
“Are you OK now?” Kenny asked.
Heather furrowed her brow and her eyes filled with tears again. “No. My back still hurts. I wanna lie on my side.”
“ Are you sure?” Kenny asked. He sounded hesitant.
She nodded, and a tear slipped out of the corner of her eye and into her hairline.
Kenny let out a deep breath, and smiled at Justin. “It’s Justin, right?”
Justin nodded and smiled back.
“Can you give me a hand again? Same as before?”
They repeated the previous maneuver to turn her on to her side, and Kenny adjusted some pillows around her. “Is that any better?”
She paused before answering to make sure she didn ’t need to be moved again. ”Yes.” Her voice started to quiver. “Thank you.” Then she wept into the pillow.
“ What’s wrong now?” Justin asked.
“ Why did this happen to me? What did I do to deserve this?” Thoughts of her affair with Dominick haunted her. She thought the accident was inflicted upon her by some kind of cosmic karma, or the wrath of God as retribution for her sins.
“ You didn’t do anything to deserve this,” Justin said, as if he knew exactly
“ Everything looks fine.” Kenny covered her with the sheet and smoothed it around her body.
“ Can I see?” She couldn’t believe the words left her mouth. She was afraid to look at the damage done to her body by the accident and hadn’t looked under her gown yet, but curiosity got the better of her.
“ It’s fine, honey, you don’t need to look at it.”
“ I want to.” She got the feeling he didn’t want her to see it. Now she wanted to look.
Kenny stared at her without saying anything. She looked to Justin, but he was looking at Kenny as if they knew something she didn’t.
“ What’s wrong?” she asked.
“ Nothing,” Kenny replied, “I don’t want you to get overwhelmed, that’s all, but I’ll show you.” He carefully folded the covers down and paused before lifting her gown to expose her incisions. “Just remember, honey, it’s fresh. When it’s all healed, you’re barely gonna see it.”
She knew it was bad, but she wasn ’t expecting the road map that traveled across her body. A neat row of sutures ran single file down the center of her upper abdomen where her spleen was removed. A matching, longer incision started on her lower right side and ran over the arch of pelvic bone and down the lower right side of her back where her kidney used to reside. That, comingled with the three fractured ribs and multiple contusions, left her torso a virtual area of destruction.
She stared down at her belly and bit her lower lip. She tried to remember what Kenny said – ‘When it’s all healed, you’re barely gonna see it.’ She kept repeating it to herself over and over again. When it’s all healed, you’re barely gonna see it. When it’s all healed, you’re barely gonna see it. Her silence must have scared Justin, because he sounded frantic as he called her name to get her attention.
“ I’m OK,” she answered, but as soon as she looked into his eyes, she burst into tears.
He held her and rested his cheek on top of her head. “It’s OK, sweetie. It’s OK,” he whispered. “It’s not that bad.”
“ Oh, honey,” Kenny said. “I knew you were gonna get upset. Take it easy.”
While Justin held her, Kenny rubbed his hand up and down her arm, and she suddenly felt foolish. She could be dead right now. She should be thanking God to be alive. She should be thanking Justin for staying with her, and thanking Kenny for being kind and sympathetic. The scars were superficial and could be easily hidden under her clothing. She dried her eyes and sniffled.
“ Are you alright, sweetie?” Justin asked.
She nodded and tried to offer him a small smile, but the corners of her mouth wouldn ’t cooperate.
After she gulped down her pain medication and drank some water, she felt a little better.
“Are you OK now?” Kenny asked.
Heather furrowed her brow and her eyes filled with tears again. “No. My back still hurts. I wanna lie on my side.”
“ Are you sure?” Kenny asked. He sounded hesitant.
She nodded, and a tear slipped out of the corner of her eye and into her hairline.
Kenny let out a deep breath, and smiled at Justin. “It’s Justin, right?”
Justin nodded and smiled back.
“Can you give me a hand again? Same as before?”
They repeated the previous maneuver to turn her on to her side, and Kenny adjusted some pillows around her. “Is that any better?”
She paused before answering to make sure she didn ’t need to be moved again. ”Yes.” Her voice started to quiver. “Thank you.” Then she wept into the pillow.
“ What’s wrong now?” Justin asked.
“ Why did this happen to me? What did I do to deserve this?” Thoughts of her affair with Dominick haunted her. She thought the accident was inflicted upon her by some kind of cosmic karma, or the wrath of God as retribution for her sins.
“ You didn’t do anything to deserve this,” Justin said, as if he knew exactly
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