But you… The doctor waited a moment, pouring over some papers, then quickly looked at Lauren and sighed. All in all, the situation with you is extremely complicated. He began in a quiet and sad voice.
When you were brought to us, you were in the other world. In scientific terms, survived clinical death. Fortunately, we managed to get you out of there, but your spine had to be reassembled piece by piece, like a construction set, and… Lauren grabbed the doctor’s arm and dug her eyes into his serious face.
So, will I be able to walk or not? She impatiently interrupted the doctor. Will I be able to stand on my feet? The doctor wiped his face with his bandage and squeezed his eyes shut. Theoretically, yes, he confirmed, after a pause.
But it is very difficult to say when it will happen. I’m not a soothsayer, you know. First, you need a course of rehabilitation, massages, exercises, and much more.
But in the meantime, you’ll have to accept it and fight very hard and for a long time. Here’s your vehicle for the next few years. He nodded toward the wheelchair standing by the door and quickly walked away.
When the door behind him slammed shut, Lauren pulled the blanket over her face and cried. Not long ago, she could not have imagined that she would find herself in a similar situation. And now, she could not even get up and go to the window to get a breath of fresh air.
The only thing that kept her from completely despairing was the thought that her son was okay. Thus, the difficult, almost unbearable days of her new life began for Lauren. After spending almost two months in the hospital, she returned home, where her mother-in-law, Sophia, began to take care of her.
She was a short, hunched-over woman who looked a little older than her 60s. Ten years of loneliness after her husband’s death had left a mark of sadness and grief on her face. Sophia never looked Lauren in the eye and rarely spoke to her, preferring to do everything in silence.
The girl felt as if her presence in the house depressed her mother-in-law, and Lauren asked to hire a nurse for her, but Norman flatly refused. Come on, he brushed her off. Mom will take care of you herself.
She likes you, she just doesn’t show it. But Lauren didn’t feel that way. Her mother-in-law grew gloomier by the day, and she tried to get everything done for her wheelchair-bound daughter-in-law as quickly as possible.
And to get away as quickly as possible. Sometimes, lying in her bed, Lauren would hear her mother-in-law arguing about her and her son, and these arguments cut her ears like sharp blades. Sophia was urging Norman to divorce Lauren, to take away her son, and forget everything that had happened.
He said that he would think about what to do, although he did not need a wife in a wheelchair, but his conscience did not allow him to drive a sick woman out of the house. The girl cried in her room, realizing that in this condition her husband did not need her, but she had to endure all the humiliation at least for the sake of her son, whom she loved very much. And one day, Lauren overheard some very strange conversation.
Sophia was talking to someone on the phone while standing outside the door, and Lauren struggled to get into her wheelchair and drove closer and listened. Alright, I’ll meet you tonight and we’ll discuss everything. Her mother-in-law smirked, and Lauren waited a little longer and went back to bed.
The conversation she had overheard made her anxious. The conversation was obviously about Lauren, but what was Sophia up to? Trying to solve this riddle, the girl did not sleep all night. And the next day, it all became clear by itself.
In the morning, when Norman came to work, Sophia came into Lauren’s room. She was unusually cheerful and friendly. She helped Lauren to get into the stroller and asked, Shall we have some tea? I made an apple pie, and I think it’s pretty good, she suggested to Lauren.
The kitchen did indeed smell deliciously of pastry. Lauren nodded with a smile, gave no sign, and her mother-in-law wheeled the stroller out of the room. Once in the kitchen, Sophia began to pour the tea and did it very long and noisily, as if she were distracting her attention from something important.
When the cup of tea was in front of Lauren, the girl squinted at her and picked out the hot pie with her fork. Why aren’t you drinking? Her mother-in-law asked warily. It’s a delicious tea.
A friend bought it in India. Lauren sighed understandingly and squinted. I have no doubt at all about its amazing taste.
It’s just too hot. She lied without blinking an eye. Let it cool a little.
Sophia changed her face and wanted to say something. But at that moment, her phone rang. When she got up to answer it, Lauren swapped cups and finally slipped her tea.
Lauren waited breathlessly for her mother-in-law to bring the cup to her lips. Without suspecting anything, Sophia took a sip and grimaced. As soon as she put the cup of tea on the plate, she clutched at her throat and shook, her eyes popping out of her orbits.
Lauren was really scared and approached her and shouted. Why did you want to poison me? She shouted, keeping her mother-in-law from passing out. Why? What have I done to you? Sophia’s face turned as red as a tomato, and she looked at her daughter-in-law with a fearful look.