Chapter 37 – Alice
+25 BONUS
“I know my own body.” Massimo replied “I don’t need anyone for that. Especially someone who will treat me like I’ll never walk again and need to live the rest of my life that way.”
“Very good.” Alice crossed her arms over her chest, very serious “That’s a choice that’s up to you, anyway. No one will stop you from continuing as you are or from improving, so you can be more independent and play with Millie every day, whether you are in a wheelchair or not.” He leaned back as if she had slapped him “However, I hope you know that every day you go without the definitive cure you seek, your body will become more weakened, you will be able to do even fewer things, for yourself, until the time comes when someone actually needs to put food in your mouth and wipe your ass.” She pinned him where she knew it would bother him the most and, as expected, Massimo’s pride didn’t disappoint her.
“This is never going to happen…!” He looked like he was trying to be firm, but looking at himself made him hesitate “Is this physical therapy thing really going to help me get my legs back or is this just a way for you and Lewis to drag me into another doctor’s office?”
“It will help you, your legs and your whole life, I guarantee it.” Alice smiled bigger than she intended “Once you get out of that bed without pain, you’ll be mad at yourself for not getting in sooner,”
“I doubt it.” Clearly irritated, Massimo seemed to give up going downstairs, letting his back rest against the headboard of the bed “But since you seem so interested in getting me into the hands of as many doctors as possible, I’ll let you tell Lewis that I’ve left him make an appointment with his physical therapist colleague.” He rolled his eyes, looking at himself again, this time with pure contempt “If it wasn’t for that fucking truck, I wouldn’t be going through this. That drunk piece of shit can spend the rest of his life in prison and give me every penny he has, but none of that will make my life go back to the way it was.”
“A truck?” Alice swallowed hard, horrified “My mother just told me it was a collision and, whenever I heard someone talking about you, everyone was more focused on your recovery…
“Yes, it was a fucking truck.” He confirmed, his dark eyes staring into space “I was leaving a meeting and heading straight to another the next day, traveling from New York to Boston. I think I had spent more than 30 hours without sleeping that day, but I was still trying to organize my documents before arriving at the hotel. I think I fell asleep at some point… And what woke me up were that son of a bitch’s headlights, coming straight towards me. Josiah tried to dodge, but it was too sudden and too fast. Neither he nor I could react, scream or despair. The truck hit the back of the car, where I was. The next thing I remember is waking up again to bright lights, but this time in the hospital room. At first I thought they had ripped my legs off because I couldn’t feel them… To this day I don’t know if that would have been better than how I am now or not.”
“Do not say that.” Alice sat next to him on the bed “Medicine may not work miracles, but that’s not why you should lose hope. Use your stubbornness the right way, Massimo. Show that that truck didn’t end your life, whether you’re in a wheelchair or not.” She leaned toward
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+25 BONUS
hapter 37 Alice
him and they stared at each other for a silent moment, in which she had the distinct impression that Massimo was trying hard to believe her, until something in her chest seemed to distract him.
And only then, with her face burning with embarrassment, did Alice realize that she had leaned over too much, which made the square neckline of the nightgown appear larger than it really was, almost revealing her breasts, in addition to the fact that her bare legs were more exposed than she would have liked.
“Sorry…” Massimo was the first to react, pulling one of the blankets onto his lap “I mean… Sorry for what happened earlier. I lost my mind because I truly believed that even though I still had a little control over my hips, everything else was… Lost. I’ve been trying to get excited since the day I came home, but… I just couldn’t. And, when you were on my lap like that and made me imagine all kinds of things.” His eyes slid towards her cleavage again, even though now Alice had already stood up “I… I was too much amazed to know that this part of me still works. I doubt I’ll be able to have kids one day, but… It’s still good news.” z
“Who knows, you might be able to be a father one day…” she cleared her throat, trying to hide her reaction “It’s a good sign, after all. Anyway, I’ll stop bothering you now. Clearly we both need rest. So… Good night, Massimo. See you tomorrow.”
“Good night, Alice.” His adam’s apple moved stiffly “And… Thank you, for still bothering to come here when you realize I’m in trouble.”
“Well, I already told you that once.” Alice forced herself to smile, turning to him “You were lucky enough to have a nurse wife, and a nurse never refuses to take care of someone in need.”
