I would have lost my sanity if it wasn't for these Powderpuff girls in my life, who came to my rescue and held regular and timely interventions to make my parents and Jake step back in their overwhelming urge of helping me recover.
"Hi, Bestie. How are you?"
"Hey, Niki. I am better, much better."
"I heard you dispatched your boyfriend to his office today. Good move." She winked and chuckled as she hugged me.
"Yes. I just could not stand him babysitting me for another day now. I even banned my parents from visiting me for a week at the minimum, maybe two, if need be. They are so grounded."
"Oh. That bad, huh? I know how dramatic all of them can get. I have seen it at the hospital, they have a funny ongoing war, on who can help you better." She rolled her eyes.
"Dramatic is a kindergarten description of their mighty potentials. You have no idea what they do to me." My words dripped sarcasm as I took baby steps back to my bed.
"Congratulations! You have left one daddy's house to land in the laps of another one. Jake is just like your dad. Eeww does it give you a shitty vibe too?"
I chuckled at her choice of words, " I think it was they who suffered trauma in that attack, not me."
"Have you considered starting work? It will help to keep you busy."
"Yes. I got my workstation set at Jake's study. I just took a shower and was heading straight there."
"You want some help down the stairs?" Niki extended her hand to me.
"Yes, please."
It took us thirty minutes at my turtle speed to reach the study, but it was worth it. I settled in one of the office chairs and took a deep breath.
Niki hung out with me for a while; afterwards, she left for a work meeting. She had finally signed with a marketing firm, and they were helping her commercialize her work. It was a significant advancement in her career; she would one day make a brand for herself. I was sure about it.
I opened my laptop and started checking my mailbox. After a month-long absence, I had a lot to catch up on. As soon as I got online, I saw a skype message from Mark.
"I never felt happier seeing a green status appear in front of any professional's name here at Richmond's, as I feel for you today, Emma. Welcome Back. How are you feeling?" He typed.
"Thank you, Mark. I am better and happy to be back!" I typed back.
Mark visited me a couple of times in the past month, both at the hospital and home. Surprisingly, Jake was very courteous and welcoming towards him whenever he visited me here at home. As I was scrolling through my emails, another message popped up.
"Take it easy, though. I can arrange for a zoom call later today to give you a walkthrough of the latest updates. Just take your time."
"That would be great, Mark. Four pm sounds good. What say?"
"Four pm it is. I will send an invite."
The next couple of hours went in a blink. I didn't realise I had been sitting in the same posture ever since I got here. This was against the doctor's advice. I had to keep moving my left leg to ensure constant and healthy blood flow to my damaged muscles. I removed the laptop from my laps and placed it on the table.
I held the corner of the table as a support to get up from my chair. The moment I stood up, I felt my left leg was numb, and it could not bear my weight, making me lose balance and fall. The table that I held as support was of no help either, as, in an attempt to grip it, I ended up dragging the desk blotter along with me, making several items that were otherwise neatly placed, fall and crash on the floor along with me.
The casualties included me, my laptop, a glass photo frame and several work files along with some stationery items.
Right next to my arm fell the cracked photo frame with a picture of Jake and his father.
I remember how fond Jake was of this picture. Jake told me it was from their last fishing trip together. His father got it framed and displayed in the study by himself, as this was his favorites place in the entire house, where he spent the majority of his time.
Suddenly, Aunt Olivia, with a team of staff members, came rushing inside.
They helped me up from the ground and immediately dashed to clean the floor and remove the small yet sharp glass particles splattered around.
"Oh, Dear! Are you alright?" Aunt Olivia scanned me for any potential injuries from top to bottom.
"I am fine Aunt. I think I broke my laptop and this photo frame." I lifted the frame in my hand again.
"Don't worry about all that, Emma. I am glad you didn't get hurt."
"Can you please not inform Jake about this? He will worry unnecessarily. I will tell him when he gets back home. Please?"
She sighed, "Ok, I promise I won't call him myself, but if he calls to check on you, then I won't lie to him either."
"Okay..."
"Also, Aunt Olivia, can you please send someone to arrange for a similar frame, exact size?" I said as a couple of nurses helped me stand up and made me sit on a wheelchair. They were now taking me to my room.
I wanted to fix the frame before Jake got home; he had a high emotional value attached to this picture.
An hour later, I was resting in my room, when both my phone and the door rang simultaneously.
"Come In" I screamed a little, while I simultaneously picked my
