Craved by the Wrong Volkov-Chapter 238: Recovery

Braelyn’s POV

A few days passed after I woke up, and in all that time I didn’t catch a single glimpse of Lucien or Raphael. Genny and Alora came every day, sometimes in the morning, sometimes in the evening, but always with the same careful smiles and gentle voices.

.

There was a hidden agreement between us not to mention either man. I spent the past few days rehabilitating since I have been bedridden for weeks. Although there was nothing physically wrong with me my muscles needed a few days to recover

Being in bed for weeks had done more damage than I expected. My muscles felt like they didn’t belong to me anymore. The first time the physiotherapist helped me sit up properly, black spots had danced in my vision and my heart had raced like I’d run a marathon.

"Your body just needs reminding," she’d said kindly. "You’ll get there."

So every day, I worked.

It was nice having Alora around; some days, Genny even let Alora stay with me while she went to work. She accompanied me for my treatment, chattering all the way.

Slow walks down the corridor with a therapist beside me. Gentle stretches that made my limbs tremble. Breathing exercises when dizziness crept in. It was frustrating knowing nothing had been physically broken, yet feeling like even standing was a battle.

Alora loved coming with me. She would trail beside my wheelchair or walk slowly next to me when I practised short distances on my feet. She talked the entire time about nursery school, about a cartoon she liked, about a boy who cried because someone took his crayons.

Her little chatter accompanied those days, it felt like the world was moving without me.

As the days passed, I grew curious about what was happening. Both men were avoiding me. The flowers changed everything at night while I was asleep with new cards. I knew someone was coming at night. I wondered if it was Lucien...

It was someone influential since the person came past visiting hours every night. I tried asking the night shift nurses but they always avoid the question. It was obvious the person paid them to stay tight-lipped.

I have tried staying up some nights but it was hopeless the person was really sneaky, and it felt like misery

The days passed in a blur of effort and exhaustion. And through it all, a quiet curiosity gnawed at me. Who was visiting me? One night, when I noticed some peony flowers along with the normal primroses, I couldn’t help but ask the nurses as she was doing her routine massages every night before I slept.

"The flowers changed again." She looked startled but didn’t look away from her work. "I didn’t notice.." she laughed and avoided the question.

The nurses were terrible liars.

********

By the end of the week, they moved my sessions to the physiotherapy room downstairs.

The place smelled faintly of rubber mats, sweat and disinfectant, sunlight pouring in through wide windows. Other patients were there too, some older, some using walkers, all fighting their own quiet battles.

Today, they had me doing balance work.

Sweat clung to my skin as I stepped carefully over low foam blocks, my legs trembling with the effort of simply lifting and placing my feet where I wanted them to go. The physiotherapist stayed close but didn’t touch me unless I wobbled too hard.

"You’re doing really well, Braelyn," she said. "Postural control is much better today."

I didn’t feel "well." I felt like jelly. But I kept going.

At the side of the room, Alora sat on a plastic chair swinging her legs, acting like I was performing on a stage just for her.

"Go, Aunty Lynn!" she cheered, clapping loudly. "You didn’t even fall that time!" Her cheers were funny at times, and other patients laughed too. Alora became a frequent face here; she even started making friends with some patients during my session.

A breathless laugh escaped me.

I finished the last step and grabbed the railing, chest rising and falling hard, hair damp against my neck.

The physiotherapist smiled as she handed me a towel. "Honestly, I’m impressed. You’ve recovered remarkably well considering how long you were inactive."

I wiped my face, still trying to catch my breath. "So... that’s good, right?"

"That’s very good," she said warmly. "At this rate, you’ll be discharged in a few days. We’ll just keep building your strength and endurance."

A few days.

The words should’ve comforted me.

Instead, as Alora ran over and hugged my waist, nearly knocking me off balance, a strange unease settled in my chest.

Leaving meant going back.

Back to everything I’d been running from. That left a strange nut in my chest.

******

"I feel like mummy is avoiding someone..." Alora said like a little detective as she led me back to my room after my psychologist’s therapy session. I had to attend that too because of the reason for my coma.

I was walking with a cane to support me since the distance was a bit far from my room. My physiotherapist advised me to get used to moving without the wheelchair.

I glanced down at the little girl who was holding my hand. "Why do you think so?" I asked.

Alora looked like she was in deep thought. "She is always busy, and I heard her talking to herself yesterday about not wanting to see Joey," Alora stated her observations. I nodded understanding the situation. Genny was avoiding the Joey situation. Since I woke up she hasn’t mentioned a word about Joey.

I wondered if Alora suspected that Joey was her father. She seemed like a smart girl.

Alora stopped then stared at me. Her curious blue eyes stared at me. "Did bad Joey do something to mummy?" She asked and my smile faltered

I squatted to ruffle her hair. "You shouldn’t be stressing yourself about adult matters." I brushed her off. It wasn’t my place to speak. Alora wasn’t satisfied with my answer but she nodded.

We went back to my room. Genny came to pick her up later that night. She was in a hurry, and we didn’t speak much, but before she left she dropped something I requested. A large cup of coffee.

Still curious about my night visitor. I secretly drank the coffee without my nurse’s knowledge. That night I lay on the bed closing my eyes for what felt like hours but no one came

I was getting disappointed but there was no sign of sleep in my eyes. Pretty late past midnight, I heard the door open. I was certain it wasn’t my nurse.

My heart started racing as the person came in. The strong cologne wrapped around me as the person sat beside me quietly. It took everything in me not to open my eyes

I was curious what the person did in my room every day.