Monthly Archives: August 2018
Broken (Chap 11) from Loving You Hurts So Good
Here is the conclusion of Broken. Please be sure to read Chap 1-10 first. Links are below:
Chapter 1 & 2: Link
Chapter 3: Link
Chapter 4: Link
Chapter 5: Link
Chapter 6 & 7: Link
Chapter 8 & 9: Link
Chapter 10: Link
Chapter Eleven
Sage sat on the outdoor swing at her home with People magazine in her hands. She couldn’t seem to look away from the picture of Jed on the front cover. It was a picture of him playing the piano, seeming to be lost in his music. She must have read the featured article about him at least a hundred times already, word for word. Titled, “Jed Dalton Rises Again,” it detailed his life since the accident and how his music saved him.
She sighed, closing her eyes. He still looked as beautiful as ever. It had been a year since she had last seen him. Jed had left the very next day after he’d found out about Tim. She had tried to plead with him again, but he told her he wanted nothing to do with her.
She couldn’t blame him, though. Wanting to control every situation, she once again had disregarded his feelings.
Jed had done well for himself during the year. He had released a brand new album called Broken, which was an instant best seller. She wasn’t surprised by the success. Not only was Jed a talented musician, but every single song from the album was intense and heartfelt. Now, touring around the country, Sage couldn’t help but be proud of him. Seeing him happy and doing what he loved the most filled her with joy.
It didn’t mean she didn’t miss him, though. Sage missed him every minute of the day and night. She had decided to move back to her hometown, unable to walk away from the memories. If that were all she had, then she’d hold onto them with all her might.
Opening her own practice in town, Sage stayed busy at work. Although she still stalked him on the Internet, she knew she had lost Jed forever.
Seeing Trina’s car pull up her driveway surprised her. What was she doing here on a weeknight?
“Hey, Sage!” Trina waved as she climbed out.
“Hey! You never come over on a weeknight. What’s up?” Sage asked, giving her a hug when Trina reached her.
“Well, so you know Jed is on a tour, right?”
Sage nodded, afraid to find out where Trina was going with this.
“He’s ending his tour in Dallas this weekend. Did you know that?” Trina asked.
Sage shrugged her shoulders. Of course, she knew that. She knew exactly which city Jed was performing on which date.
“Anyway, he had sent me two tickets to his show, saying he really wanted me to come. Of course, they’re VIP tickets. I’m going, but I want you to come with me.” Trina’s eyes danced with excitement.
“No, I can’t, Trina. I’m sure he wouldn’t want me to come,” Sage mumbled.
“Oh, whatever! He sent me two tickets, so I can bring whoever I want. Why wouldn’t I want my best friend to go with me? Come on, Sage. You have to go. It’ll be so fun. And I know you’d like to see Jed again. Don’t even try to deny it.” Trina put her hand on her hip, ready to take on the battle.
Sage had to admit, she would love to go see him. The mere thought of watching him perform live gave her goose bumps. Maybe he didn’t have to know she was there. Maybe she could slip out as soon as the concert was over.
Without giving herself time to change her mind, she quickly answered, “Okay, I’ll go. But on one condition. I don’t want you to tell Jed I’m coming with you. I honestly don’t think he would be happy with that, and I don’t want to ruin his mood while he’s performing.”
Trina rolled her eyes before answering. “Fine, I won’t say anything.”
***
A limo picked them up Saturday evening from Trina’s apartment, courtesy of Jed. He wanted to make sure his sister was well taken care of.
As they got closer to Gexa Energy Pavilion, Sage’s anxiety built. A part of her couldn’t wait to see him, but the other part was petrified of how she’d be able to hold herself together once she did see him.
Sage put up a brave front, though, and followed the security who escorted them to their front row seats. After the opening act was done, the crowd went crazy, waiting for Jed. With her heart pounding out of her chest, she was consumed by the energy around her. She was not at all surprised that the show was completely sold out.
The stage went completely dark and began filling with smoke. Suddenly, through the fog, a lonely wheelchair rolled forward. The audience were screaming for Jed as his silhouette filled the stage.
When Sage was able to see him completely, everything started spinning. Unprepared of her reaction, she had to lower herself down to her seat. Jed looked breathtaking as he dominated on that stage. It didn’t matter that he was in his wheelchair. He was confident, mesmerizing, and incredibly gorgeous.
Jed took his place behind the piano and started to sing. The crowd shouted even louder, some even crying when they heard his voice. But, he didn’t hear them. Jed was in his own world as he lost himself in his lyrics.
Sage’s entire being reacted to his singing, and her body trembled. Jed controlled every single fan that night as he pulled them into his spell.
The night came to an end much too quickly. But, before he left the stage, he grabbed his guitar. The crowd fell silent, as Jed demanded attention. “I have one last song for you guys. It’s called Broken.”
The crowd went wild.
Jed smiled and signaled his fans to quiet down. “It’s for a very special person who had stolen my heart when we were kids. The thing is, she never gave it back. This one is for you, Sage.”
Some say I was broken,
Maybe I was,
But how is it that a broken man feels whole?
‘Cuz baby, only you possess my soul.
Yes, I’ve been a fool,
Too proud to understand.
Maybe I’m just crazy
Crazy in love with you.
Broken, Broken
Will never let you go
Broken, Broken
Only you can possibly know
Broken, Broken
No, nothing can hold me down
Broken, Broken
Not when my baby is around
Silent tears slipped down Sage’s face as Jed looked straight at her while he sang. She felt Trina squeezing her hand, but Sage’s gaze remained fixed on the love of her life.
When the song ended, Jed put his guitar down. While the crowd screamed for him, he pushed himself up to standing. Sage almost fainted at the sight of him standing so tall on stage. Somebody from his crew ran to him and handed him crutches. Jed then took steps with his crutches on the stage until he came to the edge. All Sage could do was stand there with her hands covering her mouth, shocked to see Jed actually walking.
The pavilion exploded to see him up on his feet and moving around. There wasn’t a dry eye in there. Before long, Jed was rushed off of stage, and the security grabbed Trina and Sage to take them backstage.
Sage remained in a haze, as everything was happening fast around her. It was as if she was in a dream, floating toward something beautiful. To Jed.
When they were brought to a room, Jed was already waiting there, standing with a cane.
Trina squealed in delight and ran into his arms. “Why didn’t you tell me you could walk?” she cried.
“I wanted to surprise you.” Jed wiped her tears and kissed her cheek.
“Jed, oh my gosh! You have to come home. You have to show Mom and Dad,” Trina continued to stare at her brother, astonished at his strong will.
Jed looked over Trina’s head and caught Sage’s eyes. She was frozen on the spot, shocked at seeing him up with only a cane for support.
“Your brother is a stubborn guy. Of course he was going to beat the odds and walk again.” Nick strolled in, his eyes dancing. “You killed it out there, man. The crowd is still screaming for you.”
Jed didn’t respond but continued to stare at Sage.
Clearing his throat, Nick said, “Come on, Trina, let’s leave these two alone.”
Neither Sage nor Jed noticed them leaving the room and closing the door. Finally, Jed said, “You came.”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Come here.”
As if in a trance, Sage reached him. He pulled her in his arms and brought his lips down, incapable of holding back. His passion rose as Sage’s body molded to his, and she deepened the kiss. Unable to control his breathing, he lowered himself down to his chair, pulling her down onto his lap.
Sage clung on with dear life, afraid to let him go…afraid to lose him again. Interlocking her fingers to the back of his hair, she brought his face into the nape of her neck, trying to fight the tears.
“This year…” she started.
“I had to leave, Sage. I had to find myself. Do you understand?” He looked up at her and cradled her face with his hands. “I had to find me again.”
Sage nodded, her eyes moist with unshed tears.
“I needed to believe in myself again. I knew that would be the only way I could finally love you with my whole being.” Jed pulled her hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ears.
“And you’re walking.” Sage’s voice trembled.
“I can even take a few steps with my cane. I’m diligent with my workouts. I have all my sensations back now, so I know it’s just a matter of time before I won’t even need the cane.”
Sage buried her face in his hair, unable to stop the tears.
“Hey! None of that now! You’re my badass girl, remember? Tough love and all that?” Jed teased.
She looked up at him and tenderly kissed his lips with all the love she possessed for him. “Now what?” she asked, caressing his cheek.
“Hmm, I’ve been having this same dream every night. This crazy girl keeps showing up in it.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, some girl with long dark hair and light brown eyes. I kid you not, she follows me everywhere.”
“Huh, strange dream.” Sage smiled.
“Sure is. Finally, I accepted that she had no plans on leaving me alone.”
“So what did you do?”
“I married her and had lots of kids with her.” Jed laughed. “And, that’s exactly what I’m planning on doing. Hope you’re ready for feisty, brown-haired girls running around.”
Elated, Sage closed her eyes, cherishing this moment in time. “Or stubborn, blond haired boys,” she whispered.
***
“When Life pushes you down, show that bitch you can get back up again.”–Flavia Weedn
The End
Hope you all enjoyed Broken. As a physical therapist, I’ve had many patients with spinal cord injuries. This story is dedicated to these courageous people! Thank you for showing me what perseverance truly means.
There’s a part of my heart and soul in every story I write. All of my books can be found on Amazon (and they’re all free on Kindle Unlimited). LINK
As always, thank you for your support!
Broken (Chap 10) from Loving You Hurts So Good
Jed and Sage’s story continues in Broken. Things are not going well with these two…so much pain, so much anger.
Here is Chapter 10. Please be sure to read Chap 1-9 first. Links are below:
Chapter 1 & 2: Link
Chapter 3: Link
Chapter 4: Link
Chapter 5: Link
Chapter 6 & 7: Link
Chapter 8 & 9: Link
Chapter Ten
That weekend, both headed to Dallas to meet with Dr. Tim Johnson. They were having lunch with him at the hotel restaurant. Jed was looking forward to meeting him, hoping the doctor could provide some insight. He had already made significant gains and was even able to take some steps in the underwater treadmill with assistance.
When they reached the hotel, Sage led them to a corner table.
“Hey, gorgeous,” Dr. Johnson pulled Sage into his arms and kissed her cheek.
Jed took an instant dislike to the man. He was a young doctor, probably in his thirties. With nicely groomed dark hair and blue eyes, the guy looked more like a model than a physician.
“Hey, Tim. This is Jed. I’ve told you about him,” Sage said, slipping out of his arms.
“Hello, Jed. Nice to meet you.” He shook Jed’s hand and sat back down once Sage took her seat.
“Likewise,” Jed mumbled, already in a bad mood.
While eating lunch, Sage filled the doctor in on Jed’s diagnosis and his progress. She also told him how quickly he’s making gains.
“The fact that you have an incomplete spinal cord injury and your body continues to show improvement are all good signs. If you keep improving at this rate, who knows? The key is repetitive movement. Studies show that repetition of the same movement patterns—let’s say walking—helps to retrain your muscles.”
Jed nodded politely, but all he really wanted to do was to get out of there.
“And as far as your bowel and bladder program, I’m happy to hear it’s going well for you. With your sensations returning as fast as they are, you may be able to reach your prior level of function.”
“That’s great to hear,” Sage exclaimed, smiling at Jed.
Jed threw her a tight grin and quickly finished his meal.
“I’m going to go use the ladies’ room,” Sage announced after she completed her plate.
Once she was gone, Tim Johnson abruptly pushed his chair back and announced, “I’ve got to use the bathroom as well. Be right back.”
Jed did not like the feeling of unease that had lingered with him during the entire meal. Unable to resist, he decided to head toward the bathrooms as well. When he reached the hallway, he could hear Sage and Tim’s voices. He couldn’t see them because he hadn’t turned the corner yet, but he could clearly make out their conversation.
“Baby, I’ve missed you so much,” Tim said.
“Tim, please, don’t.” Sage sounded distraught.
“I just don’t understand anything. Are you coming back to Boston? It’s been too long.”
“No, I told you, I have to stay here. I’m going to help Jed as long as it takes.”
“He seems to be doing fine. I’m sure he has plenty of money; he can hire help. What does he need you for?”
“Tim, please stop asking me the same questions.”
“Who is he anyway? Why do you feel obligated to help him?”
“He is a good friend. We grew up together. I already told you all this. Of course, I’m going to help him.”
“Sage, I know you always like to help people, but you know he’s not one of your patients, right? You can’t blame me for wanting my fiancé back. I miss you and want you back home—where you belong.”
Jed’s heart stopped beating. Had he heard that right? As if needing to torture himself some more, Jed scooted forward to get a visual of what was happening. While Sage was leaning with her back against the wall, Tim was very close to her. Jed saw him reach and caress her face. When Tim leaned forward for a kiss, pain like no other pierced his heart, and he couldn’t watch any longer.
Swiftly turning his wheelchair, he hustled back to the table. He didn’t want to wait here anymore, but he was stuck. With his pride at stake, Jed decided he quickly needed to take control and calm himself down. He didn’t want them to know he had witnessed their interaction, and he certainly didn’t want Sage to see his pain.
Taking deep breaths, he willed his heart to slow down. He chugged his whisky, desperately needing something to help him get through this. What a fool he had been. He broke his number one rule by letting his guard down and trusting her. Why would he possibly think she would want somebody like him anyway? She didn’t even want him when he was whole…when he could satisfy her every need…when he wasn’t a burden to her. And now? He had nothing to offer her. Could he even blame her?
He watched the two of them walking back to the table together. He wasn’t surprised to see Sage’s blushed face, and how she was avoiding eye contact with him.
“You ready to leave, Jed?” she asked, grabbing her purse.
Without answering, he wheeled himself out of the restaurant and into the parking lot. Both were silent in the car until Sage asked, “Is everything okay?”
“How do you know Tim?” Jed asked, his voice dangerously soft.
“Oh, he’s just a friend,” she replied, almost too quickly.
He always knew what a terrible liar she was. “Okay.”
“Why?” she asked, glancing toward him while driving.
“Just wondering.” Jed turned away to stare out of the window. Lost in his thoughts, he remained quiet for the rest of the trip.
Once they reached the cabin, he went straight to the bathroom. He splashed cold water to his face, hoping it would help the agonizing ache in his heart.
When he returned to his bedroom, Sage was waiting for him. “I know something is bothering you. What’s up?”
Jed clenched his jaw and took a deep breath. “I’ve decided to leave for LA as soon as possible. I’ll be contacting my agent, Nick, to get it all set for me.”
“Why are you leaving? I thought you liked your therapists here.”
“I can get therapy there as well. I have a home there, and I need to get my life in order.” Jed kept his voice indifferent, not wanting her to see how much he was hurting.
“I don’t understand,” Sage whispered, confused.
“There’s nothing to understand, really. You have your life to live, and I have mine. I need to go back to it. Can’t hang around here forever.”
“What’s this about? I know you, Jed. I know you’re upset about something.”
Jed tried to wheel away from her, unable to look at her. But, Sage dashed in front of him and halted his progress.
“Get out of my way, Sage.”
“No! Not until you tell me what’s going on.”
Losing his temper, Jed yelled, “Fine! You wanna know? You’re nothing but a liar. All this time, you’ve been lying to me. You think I’m that stupid? And I specifically asked you about Tim. I gave you the opportunity to come clean, but you continued to lie.”
Sage blinked a few times, shocked at hearing his words. “I…what?”
“Yeah, you got nothing to say now? I saw you guys, Sage. I know he’s your fiancé.”
“No! He’s not, I swear. I broke up with him. We were engaged, yes, I admit. But as soon as I saw you with Trina that first day, I flew back to Boston the very next day and broke it off with him.”
“Yet, you lied to me. You’ve been lying. And when I just asked, you said he was only your friend. Why?”
“Fine, I should have told you right from the start. I just didn’t know what to say. I took the easy way out by not saying anything. I didn’t want that to stop you from seeing him to get a second opinion. I’m sorry, Jed, but I swear, I’m not with him.”
“Why aren’t you with him?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Tears tumbled down her cheeks, but Jed had hardened his heart by then. “I’m in love with you, Jed. I’ve never stopped loving you. I realized that as soon as I saw you again. You have to believe me.”
“You’re in love with me? Really? Yet, when Tim asked you who I was to you, you told him I was just a friend. Why wouldn’t you tell him straight up that you’re in love with me?” I paused, trying to catch my breath. “You know, I’d rather be with somebody like Bonnie. At least I know exactly what I’m getting with her.”
A look of pain flashed before Sage’s eyes. “I…Jed, please.” Her voice trembled as she hid her face in her hands.
“Leave my room now. I don’t want you near me.”
Ahh, Jed and Sage…sigh. Chapter 11 (the conclusion) coming soon. Thank you, amazing readers, for your support. All of my books and stories can be found on Amazon (and they’re all free on Kindle Unlimited). LINK
Jalpa Williby 