New hope
BRIANNA’S POV
My lips fell open and my heart split in my chest. Three hundred and sixty-five days weren’t enough for me to get through the shock he just put me through. This was the shock of my life.
I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry. Or do both. I couldn’t believe he’ll propose to me in the state I was, all immobilized and crippled with bandages and plasters all over me. I couldn’t believe he’d propose after all my efforts to push him away and make him fall out of love with me.
He was a strong and patient man for not giving up on me. For having kept up with all my bullshit over these months.
That was why he called me his fiancee at the dinner table when he tried to defend me from his uncle. Did he plan on proposing to me yesterday at the dinner table…in front of his uncle?
Oh my goodness! The thought of that made my head want to blow. Surely, he wanted to.
My eyes flicked from the ring to his face which had a dreamy smile etched on it. His eyes screamed, “Please say yes…please say yes…” And that only made my breath quicken as if I was on a hot seat.
I gulped. This was the biggest decision of my life. This moment will determine my future and happiness forever.
Moments ago, I wanted to call off our relationship. I didn’t want us to be together anymore. But being faced with this kind of situation, with him kneeling before me and his eyes wooing me to my very core. I was starting to reconsider. Maybe calling off our relationship wasn’t the best thing to do. Every relationship has its ups and downs, its trials and tribulations, its thorns and roses. It was left for the partners to navigate through them.
If he could protect me from his crazy wife, save my life several times, help me forget my dark past, cut ties with his uncle for the cruel things he said to me and spend the night here in the hospital with me just to make sure I woke up and was okay, then he was the one for me. He was the right man for me. I can trust him to protect and keep me safe for the rest of my life.
His knee must be hurting by now. I didn’t want that happening so I answered. As fast as I can.
“Yes…yes…I will marry you, Sebastian Stan.”
I wanted to raise my hand so he could put the ring in my finger but then I remembered I was impaired. Fuck…. I’m always forgetting.
As if he noticed, he quickly got up and inserted the ring into my finger, careful enough not to tamper with the IV drip attached to that hand. He lowered and placed a warm kiss on the top of my hand.
He said only the thing keeping us from being together was my doubts and fears but together we can overcome them. Now we are together, forever and we will surely overcome them. I will learn to love him like he deserves.
“It fits your finger perfectly,” he said with that dreamy smile, looking at my hand. “It’s beautiful,” then looked at me. “You’re beautiful.”
I wanted to lift my hand so I could get a better view of the ring. But then I remembered I was impaired again! Being in this state made everything so difficult! It made my life so fucking hard and if could, I will rip everything off my body.
How will Sebastian and I plan and have our wedding with me like this? How will I make love to him in this condition?
The thought of all that made me sad.
“Hey, what’s the problem?” He lowered and asked in concern, seeing the frown on my face. He rubbed my hair away from my face.
“It’s…it’s just…. how will we plan and have our wedding with me like this?” I stuttered, my worry getting the best of me.
“That’s not a problem,” he replied casually, seeming unbothered. “I’m not in a hurry. We are not in a hurry. We’ll wait till you get better.”
“Really?” I asked unbelievably, my eyes widening.
“Yeah,” he nodded.
“What if it takes me months…or even years to get better?”
“Then we will wait as long as it takes to have the wedding,” he answered, still unbothered to my surprise.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.
“Hey, don’t let that bother you. We can have the wedding whenever you want, okay?” He lowered and kissed me on the forehead, his familiar yesterday scent of fresh cologne and warm spices enveloping me. I liked it so much I could breathe in it all day long. And the fact he hadn’t removed the clothes he wore for his uncle’s visit or showered to wash off the scent, made it more intoxicating…more appealing to my senses.
I wished I could nod. But I couldn’t. I had to mutter. “Okay, I won’t let it bother me.”
He stood straight and was still smiling at me when the doctor walked in. Funny how I almost forgot we were still in a hospital.
The doctor was wearing a white coat and a stethoscope around his neck. Sebastian stepped aside and turned to face him.
His kind eyes which were a subtle shade of blue and green met mine as he approached the bedside.
“Good to see you’re awake,” he said gently. “You took quite a tumble down those stairs.”
I sighed, not wanting to remember even a bit of it.
He paused, flipping through his chart. “You sustained a mild concussion, a fractured right arm, and a sprained ankle. We did a CT scan to check for any internal injuries and an X-ray of your arm and ankle. Luckily, there were no signs of internal bleeding or more severe injuries only a small cut in the top of your head but it’s been taken care of.”
All that seemed like a whole lot but I was grateful I didn’t sustain any internal bleeding. As far as I knew, it could lead to death without the person even knowing.
The doctor placed the chart down on a small table nearby and gave me a reassuring smile. “We’ve set your broken arm on a cast,” he directed at the plaster of Paris that was on my arm as I looked at it. It seemed heavy and kind of uncomfortable. I just hope I won’t wear it for long. “You’ll need to keep weight off your ankle for a few weeks. We’ll also keep you here for observation for the next 24 hours due to the concussion. Pain management will be handled with some medication, and we’ll provide crutches for you to use once you’re ready to move around.”
“Crutches!…” I blurted out in shock.
“Yes,” he replied with a small supportive smile. “For now, you will be using them till your ankle gets better and you can walk perfectly on your own again.”
This wasn’t good at all. I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t use my arm. The thought of that made my heart sink in my stomach. What if I wasn’t getting better anytime soon? What if it takes longer than expected?
My eyes met Sebastian’s. He smiled at me reassuringly. The look on his face told me not to worry. And that helped to make me feel less worried and alone in this. His support meant a lot to me than words could express.
As the doctor continued saying some other things I wasn’t really paying attention to, a nurse entered. She adjusted the IV and checked my vitals. I couldn’t wait to leave this place and get better so Sebastian and I could have our wedding.