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Brendan sits silently, listening to his sister as she loses her mind. “Answer me, Brendan,” Elle demands. “I’m not sending myself broke for you to fuck around like this. I love you and I want nothing more than to see you walk again but if you’re not going to take this seriously then why the fuck have I busted my ass for you for the past eight years?”
I walk up behind Elle, place my hands on her shoulders and give them a gentle squeeze. She instantly calms down and takes a deep breath. “Sorry,” she says to her brother who looks as though he’s about to break.
“No, I’m sorry,” he says. “I shouldn’t have been so stupid. It’s just so frustrating not being able to just do it. I should be stronger than this. I know I can do it,” he insists.
“No, Brendan. You can’t,” she says, giving him the tough-love he desperately needs. “What part of spinal cord injury do you not understand? You can’t just get up and walk. If it’s ever going to happen, it’s going to be from a shit load of hard work, not from stupidity.”
A doctor makes his presence known at the door. “Is now a bad time?” he asks.
“No, come on in,” Elle says as she lets out a calming breath. “Logan, this is Brendan’s doctor, Dr. Ellis.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say, offering my hand. He gives it a firm shake and I excuse myself to let them talk.
“What’s the damage?” I hear Elle ask as I close the door behind me.
I head over to the reception desk and do the one thing I can do to help.
Chapter 16
Elle
It’s been a week since Brendan’s fall and I’ve spent every spare minute with him. He has been stuck in this little ball of depression but I don’t blame him after the ass-whooping I gave him after the fall. To say he feels like shit is a major understatement but I don’t regret it. He needed a little reality check an I’m pretty sure it worked.
The fall set him back a few weeks and he has had to have more therapy sessions added into his rehabilitation which not to mention is going to cost me a bomb and I’ve not been blind to realise that the nurses are spending a lot more time with him, probably to make sure he doesn’t try a stunt like standing again, but I don’t believe he will, he completely understands what’s at risk and I don’t blame him. It must be incredibly frustrating being so close to something but not being able to grasp it.
But… I’ve been lucky enough to attend a few of his sessions this past week and it’s been amazing watching his progress before my very eyes. He was lucky enough not to cause any extra damage after the fall and I think having me in the room during his therapy motivates him just that bit more, either that or he’s terrified of letting me down again in case I lose my shit.
The cost of all this added therapy has been weighing on my mind a lot this week. I know things have been easier with this new job so I’ve been able to slowly start catching up but I’m just so far behind that the thought of getting further into debt makes me sick. I mean, I’m only twenty-five, I’m not supposed to be in so much debt. I’m pretty damn lucky I’ve been able to feed myself the past few years.
I wait until Doctor Ellis has left the room before also excusing myself. I head down to the reception desk and press the little bell letting the nurses know I’m here. I wait a few moments and give nurse Kelly a bright smile as she appears from down the hallway.
“Hi, Elle. How can I help you?” she asks as she makes her way behind the desk.
“I just wanted to pay off some of Brendan’s therapy and check how much the extra sessions are costing,” I tell her.
“Ok, no problem,” she says as she takes a seat at the computer and goes about bringing up Brendan’s file. A crease appears between her eyebrows and she leans closer to the screen. “Hmm, that couldn’t be right,” she murmurs to herself as she continues clicking.
“What’s wrong?” I ask as I rest my elbows on the desk.
“It’s showing that there’s nothing owing on your account,” she tells me as she turns the screen to face me. “You’re actually in credit.”
“Huh,” I grunt, leaning in and getting a closer look. “Yeah… nah. That’s definitely not right,” I mumble before looking up. “Don’t get me wrong, I like the way that looks but this isn’t right.”
This is the last thing I want to be dealing with right now.
Kelly turns the computer back to investigate a little further. Her eyebrows remain creased as the sound of her keypad and mouse become extremely loud. “Let me look into it,” she says.
