Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
Serena hadn’t expected him to name it something connected to her.
“From now on, you rest here and recover. I’ll be with you for the holiday. You’re used to lively celebrations, but a quiet one this year might not be so bad,” Martin said with a gentle gaze.
Serena nodded in agreement.
“Alright, take a break for now,” Martin suggested, hoping to coax her into rest. But all of a sudden, Serena chimed in, “Martin, will this gash on my forehead leave a scar? What did the doctor say?”
She had banged her head on shards of broken glass, and the cut was undoubtedly deep.
Martin’s gaze fell upon her forehead, which was usually smooth and fair but now appeared swollen, rough, and fierce. Still, his eyes softened as he spoke, “No matter what it takes, I’ll make sure your forehead heals.”
“Hand me the mirror,” Serena said, sensing something was amiss and wanting to see for herself.
“It’s late. We’ll check it tomorrow.”
Martin tried to sidestep her request, but that made Serena even more eager to see her own face. She remembered the coffee table that Kenneth had flipped in anger, the glass splinters that flew everywhere, even nicking her chin.
Now she could feel a slight pain in her chin.
“Please, just bring it to me!” Serena urged.
Reluctantly, Martin fetched a mirror for her.
With just one glance, Serena saw her forehead, rough and red with numerous uneven cuts – an ugly and ferocious sight that made her hand tremble, and the mirror dropped onto the blanket.
“Serena.” Martin began, trying to offer comfort.
But Serena panicked, “My forehead, my face.”What had happened to her?
How could she, of all people, end up looking like this?
In the mirror, she had seen not only her horrifying forehead but also her unattended, coarse face, and a prominent red scar on her chin.
“My face.”
She couldn’t believe it. Her once-prized beauty had turned into something so dreadful.
Was her face ruined?
“It’s just temporary, don’t be afraid.” Martin had anticipated her shock upon seeing her reflection and hurried to reassure her.
Seeing the worry in Martin’s eyes, Serena couldn’t understand. She was a mess, and yet he wasn’t repulsed. He had spoken to her so gently, held her.
She felt like she would vomit!
“It’s okay, Serena, I don’t mind.” Martin feared she might lose all hope, his voice even more tender, “The doctor mentioned your forehead wound is deep, so it’ll take some time to heal, but it’s not beyond recovery.”
“No, that’s not it.” Serena suddenly turned her attention to her hands, which were heavily bandaged and resembled a pair of bear paws.
When she had picked up the mirror, she distinctly felt a lack of strength in her hands, and her fingers were not as nimble as before.
She initially thought it was due to the bandages around her fingers.But now, as she moved her fingers, once slender and delicate, they were scarred and clumsy, swollen.
Indeed, not as agile as they used to be.
“Did I damage the tendons in my hands?” Serena asked fearfully, her eyes brimming with tears, “There were glass shards in my palms and on the backs of my hands, and they’ve been untreated for three days. Are my hands ruined?”
“Don’t overthink it,” Martin consoled her tenderly, “The doctor said you just can’t play the piano for a few months, and your reactions won’t be as quick. It’ll all get better in time.”
“Really? You’re not pulling my leg?” Serena clearly didn’t believe it, “Look me in the eyes and tell me, how much of my old self can I get back?”
“Seventy to eighty percent.”
Serena was gobsmacked! It was as if lightning had struck her, and she had been shot through the heart with a thousand arrows!
Seventy to eighty percent?
She could only get back to seventy or eighty percent of her former self?
How was she supposed to play the piano now? How could she paint? How could she be the talented woman she once was?
“I talked to the doctor, and he said that with some practice, playing the piano and painting won’t be an issue. It’ll just be a bit tough at the start. Like when eating, holding cutlery might be a little wobbly. but it’ll get better.”
“What did you just say?” Serena was even more shocked!
She thought not being able to play the piano or paint like before was bad enough, but now, even the simplest tasks like eating, picking up food, or sipping soup were out of reach?
How was she supposed to accept that?
“It’s just at the beginning!” Martin stressed again, “It’ll get better.”
Serena’s tears spilled over, “How long? How much longer will this process take?””Depending on how well you recover, maybe two or three weeks. In a couple of weeks, handling cutlery or a spoon for soup won’t be a problem for you anymore.”
Serena’s emotions crumbled yet again. Two or three more weeks before she could eat like a normal person? Before she could sip soup with a spoon?
What a heavy blow!
Seeing Serena break down and cry, Martin felt his heart shattered. If he’d known, he would have kept it from her, one day at a time.
Now, watching her cry her eyes out, he felt as if his heart was being torn apart.
“Serena.” Martin reached out to wipe her tears, his voice soft with comfort, “It’s okay, I’ll be with you. No matter how long this process takes, no matter how hard it gets, I’ll be there to face it with you. I’ll get you the best doctors, the finest treatments, and I’ll leave no stone unturned to find even better ways to help you.”
Serena sobbed into his chest.
She couldn’t fathom why fate had dealt her such a hand!
She had been the daughter of a rich family for eighteen glorious years, only to be cruelly cast down from her pedestal. She thought she had hit rock bottom, unaware that fate would also take her parents from her, mar her beauty, and rob her of the ability to do even the simplest things like eating or drinking soup!
She hadn’t fallen to the bottom – she was in hell!
To her, this was as agonizing and terrifying as being trapped in the depths of hell.Serena cried for a long time before finally asking with a quivering voice, “Will my hands have scars?
And my forehead.”
That was her most pressing concern!
She lifted her tearful, crystal-clear eyes to the man before her, “Tell me the truth. What did the doctor say? Tell me everything, and don’t you dare hide anything.”
Although Martin couldn’t bear it, he eventually opted for full disclosure.
“The doctor said that the shattered glass cut deep into the dermis of your skin. The scars on your forehead and on the palms and backs of your hands can’t be restored to their pre-injury state.”
“With current medical technology, we can only reduce and improve the appearance of scars, perhaps through surgery or laser treatments.”
“Surgery would require one to three months of recovery time, while laser treatments would mean going in once a month, and after about six sessions you might see a significant improvement. But this kind of result isn’t what you’re hoping for. The scars will be less visible than they are now, but if you look closely, they’ll still be apparent.”
Serena’s tears started flowing again, “And my feet?”
Martin suddenly fell silent.
Serena had a sinking feeling in her gut, “My leg, it’s not going to heal properly, is it? Right at the knee?
I need to see.”
“Don’t look.” Martin’s voice was laced with compassion, “There’s nothing to see right now, it’s all bandaged up.”
Tears streamed down Serena’s cheeks as she fumbled with the blanket, her clumsy hands struggling to do what once was second nature – hitching up her pant leg.
She was frantic and furious.
“Let me help.” Martin eventually said, slowly and reluctantly rolling up her pant legs to her knees.
Both knees were wrapped in white bandages, obscuring any detail, but Serena could feel the stiffness in her legs, especially the left one encased in plaster. What in the world had happened?
“My leg.” Serena lifted her tearful eyes to Martin, “Is it injured?”
She remembered the moment she knelt in broken glass, repeatedly bowing her head in plea to Louisa.
Tiny shards of glass had embedded themselves deep into her knees.
The damage was done.
But what about her left leg? Why the plaster?
Martin’s eyes reddened, “You just can’t walk for now.”
“What do you mean I can’t walk?””The glass in your knee was deep, it reached the bone.” Martin spoke with difficulty, “When you were crawling on the ground, the glass dug even deeper into your flesh. They’ve removed it through surgery, but you’ll need a wheelchair for now.”
Serena felt like she’d been struck by lightning.
No wonder she felt excruciating pain all over, particularly in her knees, as she lay feverish in that basement, deliriously drinking dirty water from a plastic basin.