The Boy I'd Always Love ***A Short Story****

Chapter Seven

“SON OF A BITCH!” I yelled as I had to do my stretching exercises for my back. Bastian stood at my side rubbing my arm.

“Come on Lola, two more weeks of this and you can go home!” he said excitedly. I was hoping that by this time in my rehabilitation my back wouldn’t hurt as bad. Too bad my hoping was not becoming reality. My reality is that I was going to be in pain for a long time. Even though I was much more mobile, I was still very stiff and back spasms plagued me.

“Shut….the…hell…up!” I growled in between exercises.

“You have turned into a potty mouth!” Bastian teased. I glared at him as the nurse finished moving my legs up and down.

“Lola…you have to stand now…” the nurse encouraged. I groaned. Standing was still hard for me to do without a lot of pain. Bastian stood behind me for support as I pulled myself up on the walker. My screams hard turned into soft moans, but it still hurt. I took a step forward. I groaned. I willed my other leg forward, another groan. Bastian stayed silent. He wanted to be supporting, but I know it was killing him inside to not call me a big baby.

“Go ahead and say it!” I growled at him again.

“Say what?” he asked.

“You know you want to call me a wimp…just do it!” I snarled between steps.

“Lola…I would never…” he stopped. I stopped. He looked at me lovingly. “I would never make you feel bad like that. You are being really strong right now!” he said seriously.

“Bast…I…I….” I didn’t know what to say. A wicked smile came over his lips.

“Quit sputtering you big baby and keep moving!” he joked. If I could have reached over and hit him I would have. Even the nurse laughed. I blushed.  If anything Bastian was right there, giving me words of encouragement, egging me on, making me get up when I didn’t want to.

During our conversations I was finally strong enough to hear all the gory details before I came to, that first day I saw him again. He told me that the doctor explained when I came in, my body was crumpled. I had not only broke my back, my pelvis was cracked and I had shattered my left collarbone. There was some internal bleeding, but they stopped it.

The doctor purposefully kept me in coma for a week before the three days that I came to and heard them speaking. He was there that night the EMT brought me in. My mom had called him. He saw me all broken and didn’t leave me. I was so grateful for his companionship. Oliver hadn’t returned since I had shut him out. I obviously wasn’t as important to him as he said I was.

My rehab session was over. I sat back in the wheelchair and Bastian wheeled me to the cafeteria. It was our place to eat. Every nurse in the cafeteria would take a second glance at him. Guys and girls! Now I had to worry about all of them. Not that Bast was interested, but he did tell me once in college he did some orgying.

We hadn’t kissed since that first day I opened my eyes and saw him again. I’m pretty sure he hadn’t sworn off women completely because of me. I mean he still had to work. He was there though every waking moment he had. In fact, I hadn’t even heard about him being “on the prowl”.

He pushed me into the table so my arms rested on it and sat down across from me. I stared intently at him

“What?” he asked curiously.

“You know, Bast, you don’t always have to be here with me. I know you miss your “night life!” I teased. I was still hoping I was going to hear what I think he would say. I did.

“Lola, I’m here with you, that makes me happy. Believe the “night life” you tease me about, is not such a big deal….” He trailed off as he took a sip of his soda.

“Whatever, I know you miss your panty chasing…” I teased again. I was trying to get him to be honest with me. Maybe he was being honest.

“As appealing as that may sound…” he joked. I scoffed. “It’s not what I want. I want to be with my favorite girl and that’s you.” He smiled and reached for my hand. Holding hands was as intimate as we had been since our kiss. I rolled my eyes and looked away, but was secretly happy that he wanted to be with me.

“Wow…I should have broke my back years ago!” I teased.

“Don’t be stupid Lola..” he said sharply.

“Well…it’s true…” I said quietly.

“Why would you say that?” he questioned and squeezed my hand. I sighed and looked at him.

“Because Bastian, I’ve never been your first priority up until now. You never came back to me…” I trailed off and looked away.

“Lola, I hurt you such a long time ago. All the baggage that I carry..it’s not for you to hold. Do you honestly think I wanted to put you through all of my issues. You’re too good for me.”

“Too good to let some other man almost take me away…” I said harshly.

“Yes.” He said honestly. I looked back over at him.

“So why did my accident change that?” I asked stupidly.

“Lola, when I saw you all broken and crumpled and possibly near death, I realized that my heart always belonged to you. What I was doing was just destroying us, me, my family. I needed to stop and be serious about you.” He changed seats and sat next to me. He put an arm around me and looked into my eyes.

“I was never more regretful, remorseful and any other  heart wrenching  word you could think of, the night I saw you in that hospital bed and I wasn’t about to lose you again….” His face was so close to mine. His breathing was slow and steady.

“Lola Daniels…I will never leave your side again!” he said so passionately that it took my breath away. It was then that I realized the whole cafeteria had become quiet and were staring at Bastian and I. It was then that I knew the boy I’d always loved had come back to me again and I was never ever going to lose him like before!

I wrapped my arms around his neck, even though it made me wince and I looked into his beautiful hazel eyes.

“We’re being watched...” I whispered.

“And…” he whispered back.

“You don’t like scenes…” I whispered again and squeezed him tighter and caught my breath from the pain in my back, but I didn’t care.

“The only scene I don’t like now, would be the one you’re not in…” he said cornily and smiled. I giggled. “Liked that one did you!” he smiled and his eyes lit up. “Here’s another…” he pulled away from me slowly and put my arms down gently and stood on top of our table and shouted.

“I LOVE LOLA DANIELS!!” He then looked down at me. I was in complete blush mode. Bastian definitely was one thing, passionate about what he believed in. I looked around and everyone was smiling at him.

“Bastian!” I squeaked. “Get down! Okay, I get it!” I laughed. He jumped off the table and sat back down next to me.

“Now do you believe me?” he asked hopefully. I looked around the room and looked back at Bastian and saw all of his love.

I once again wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pulled him towards me despite the pain and said,

“Yes…” as I smiled and pulled him towards me in a kiss.

The entire cafeteria erupted in cheers  as Bastian my love kissed me and showed the whole world that he was finally mine.