The world was fuzzy, and everything seemed out of place. Bree opened her eyes slowly, the beeps and whizzing sounds of machines letting her know she was still in the hospital, but she couldn’t remember why.
She tried to move her hand and part of it came back to her. She remembered the fire, the surgery, and waking up worried about her hand. Nothing after that made much sense.
Trent had put off going to the police station for a few days while he was waiting for Bree to come out of her coma. When the officer he’d been in contact with, a sympathetic man a few years older than him named Det. Jessie Duke, had called him earlier that morning and said they needed him to identify the woman he’d seen in the hallway so that they’d have more evidence to keep her locked up for the time being, he’d had no choice.Now, he was sitting in a chair next to Det. Duke’s desk, waiting for him to come back and get him for the lineu
Bree’s eyes were glued on the door as she impatiently waited for Trent’s arrival. Since she’d woken up, they’d transferred her out of the ICU and given her a larger, private room, which she was thankful for because the intensive care units were so small and scary. She wasn’t sure how long she’d have to stay in the hospital, but if she was going to be there, she wanted it to be with her family in such a way that they would be comfortable. This new room had a couch and a few cozy chairs, as well as a wide window she could see out of from her bed. It was a hundred times better than her ICU room, but until Trent got there, none of that would matter.
Sitting in the bed in her very own apartment, Bree looked out the window at the bright blue sky, thankful to be home. After four days in the hospital, having tests run and undergoing all kinds of other evasive exams to make sure she was all right, Bree had come home a few hours ago and immediately fallen asleep. Now, awake and ready to get on with her life, she could hear the sound of her parents’ voices filtering through the door. Occasionally, she’d hear Trent’s voice as well, which made her smile. Her parents had insisted on making sure she got home okay. It seemed as if they were also insisting on making sure she woke up okay.
The strings felt odd in her hand. The familiar feel of them, like an extension of herself as her fingers glided along them, was gone, replaced with numbness, a constant dull ache, and the occasional sharp pain that radiated from a few inches below her elbow all the way to the tips of her fingers. Determined to get her fingers in the right position to play a C chord, one of the easiest, Bree Matthews gritted her teeth and tried again. This time, her first finger screamed at her while her second finger may as well have been detached from her body. It just wasn’t working.Frustrated, Bree let out a sigh and set her guitar down on the floor next to her, it’s neck resting
Having a spectacular view of Nashville was distracting at times, especially when Trent Walker had so much on his mind. He had a stack of clients he needed to approve in front of him, but instead, his eyes kept wandering to the skyline as he thought of Bree and hoped she was doing better today.She hadn’t seemed to be doing well at all lately. He knew she was struggling with getting her hand to cooperate, and it was like a knife in his chest every time he saw her cry. He desperately wished he could take her pain away, could fix everything for her, could go back in time and stop Cat from ever hurting her to begin with.
Her fingers were sore from practicing so long, the strings cutting into the tender flesh of her fingertips, but that didn’t prevent Bree from making dinner. Most of the time since the fire, they ordered out, or Trent would make something when he got home, but since she’d done so well practicing earlier, her spirits had lifted. It wasn’t anything fancy, but her mother had taught her to make a mean eggplant parmesan. She’d just popped it in the oven to bake when she heard Trent’s keys in the lock.Setting the timer, Bree went off to greet him, a smile on her face. “Hey, babe!” she called, anticipation of showing him later how well she&rsqu
Concentrating was easier now that Trent was assured that Bree’s hand was on the mend. Hearing her play the guitar again was music to his ears, even if it wasn’t quite the way that it used to be. She made more mistakes. The music wasn’t always smooth. But it was still wonderful to hear her getting better all the time, and after a few weeks of practice, she’d decided today was the day she was going to get the band back together.It was a bit of a distraction waiting for her to call to let him know how practice had gone, but he knew she wouldn’t be done for another few hours, which let him focus on his work. It seemed the firm was acquiring new custome
Sitting in one of her favorite restaurants, sipping a glass of wine, Bree waited for Trent to meet her. He’d texted a few minutes ago to let her know he was running just a few minutes behind, thanks to traffic, but she was so glad they’d decided to meet right after work, rather than having him go all the way home and then come back downtown. She was so excited to tell him about the tour, she couldn’t help but smile. After rehearsal, she’d gone home and put on one of her favorite dresses, a red number Trent really liked. Her hair was up in a twist with loose curls framing her face, and she’d put on some diamond earrings Trent had gotten her a few months ago. She knew she looked great, and with everything finally going her way again, she felt great, too.