Broken Wings (Contemporary Romance) (21 page)

As they turned down the back of the Brass House, they walked past the Slug and Lettuce and the Pitcher and Piano and took a
left turn. There was a beautiful water feature in front of them, standing majestically outside a rather impressive white building with beautiful archways.

“
See that building there? As well as being home to several businesses, the reception area became quite popular with tourists and fans of the series Doctors that is shown in the afternoons. If you look through the oversized windows, you will see a rather impressive atrium. Some pretty fabulous architecture, wouldn't you agree? Well, that atrium was used as the reception area for Doctors,” Angelina said.

“
Wow, you know an awful lot about Birmingham, those are some pretty impressive stats.”

Angelina continued.
“Well, like I said earlier, I used to go to college here in the city and I spent a lot of time around Brindley Place during my lunch hours. I used to sit over there with my Starbucks coffee, or pop over there to Baguette World for some lunch! I had a friend at college who was obsessed with the series Doctors and she is the reason I know so much about the filming that took place in that building! There was nothing she didn't know about that programme. The Central news team was often around this area too, asking the public questions on newsworthy topics or asking their opinions on government policies and so on for one news item or another.”

“
Ah, here we are, this is my favourite part of Brindley Place. It's a lovely perfect square with a few beautiful classy restaurants on either side. There's Cielo, and directly opposite is Piccolinos which also serves delicious food. The best time to come here is in the summer as all the restaurants in the square lay out their tables and chairs and you can eat outside. And just down there a bit further are the famous Birmingham canals. Lovely if you want to take a long walk or hop on a barge for a breeze down the canal.”

They walked into Cielos where the maître d took their names and then seated them at a table for two by the window overlooking the square. Angelina wondered how a young man in the prime of his life coped with an amputation.

Sean felt her curiosity. “It's not so bad, you know. I'm not saying it's easy but you either get on with it or allow it to be an obstacle for the rest of your life. It does get me down a great deal some days I can't deny that; however, I'm taking it one day at a time right now and I have a great family behind me.”

“
I'm sorry, Sean, I didn't mean to… I mean… oh God, this isn't coming out right at all. I just can't imagine what it must be like for you or any other soldier in the same position. It really brings it home to me just how much you all do for our country, and everyone else's for that matter. I have so much respect for all you soldiers, Sean. You're a very brave man and on the surface you seem to be coping very well. What does your appointment entail tomorrow?”

“
It's a check-up more than anything, they want to be sure my arm, or what's left of it, is healing properly, the way it should be. They will also be talking to me about fitting a prosthetic; there are some pretty remarkable prosthetics today which help you to function almost as well as you did before. Of course it will be a few months before I receive mine. I will need to be fitted with the right one for me and my needs but that's way off yet, I just need to concentrate on healing right now.”

“
So how are we going to play tomorrow, Sean?”

“
My appointment is at eleven o'clock. I think it would be best and quicker if we caught a cab to the QE, I will probably have a short wait before I am seen which gives you the opportunity to go and find Joshua. At least I know roughly where he will be as I was in one of those wards so I will be able to point you in the right direction. I will wait for you in reception until you’re done; I suggest we swap mobile numbers too.”

“
That sounds perfect, Sean. I can't thank you enough for doing this for me. I really appreciate it.”

After they finished their meal and wine, they took a short walk along the
Birmingham canals through Brindley Place up towards the mail box and then back again before heading back to the hotel.

Angelina couldn't sleep for most of the night, tossing and turning, going over everything in her mind and almost talking herself out of going to the hospital the following day. Eventually, she fell asleep just after four o'clock in the morning.

Chapter Twenty Four

The following morning, Angelina was rudely awakened by a loud intrusive knocking at her door. She climbed out of bed, tired and feeling as if she hadn't slept at all, and opened the door.

“Hello miss, room service,” said a young maid standing in front of her.

“
Room service, what time is it?” she asked, confused.

“
It's almost ten in the morning, miss.” Angelina apologised, realising she'd over slept. She was supposed to meet Sean in reception at 10.15 a.m. “Please could you come back in ten minutes? I'm sorry, I appear to have overslept,” she pleaded.

The young girl smiled and moved on to the next room. Angelina quickly jumped into the shower before getting dressed and dashing down to reception to meet Sean. The hotel were kind enough to grant them an extension on their rooms for a few hours at no extra charge when they were informed that Sean was a soldier and had an appointment to keep.

Angelina hailed down a black taxi and they jumped in, after deciding it would be far quicker and easier for a taxi to take them through the busy streets of Birmingham. Directing the cabby to the QE. They rode the distance in relative silence, each with their own concerns about the day. On arrival, Sean insisted on paying for the cab fare. They climbed out and stood outside the impressive, brand new building for a few moments before heading in.

“
Wow, this is some hospital, Sean. I've heard so much about it but I’ve never actually seen it.”

Sean looked around before answering.
“Yes and it's just as impressive inside too. It opened in 2010 apparently. It also has the largest single-floor critical care unit in the world, with 100 beds. The armed forces personnel are treated in single rooms or four-bed bays in a 32-bed trauma and orthopaedics ward. The great thing about this military wing in my opinion is they have created a military environment and cater for the specific requirements of the wounded soldiers. There's both military and civilian staff, more than you would find in an ordinary NHS hospital. Come on, let's go in. Take a deep breath and remember, Joshua may reject you, Angelina, so please be prepared for the worst, okay,” urged Sean.

Angelina nodded her head as she walked alongside Sean into the Royal Centre for Defence and Medicine (RCDM), the main receiving unit for all military patients injured overseas. Once Sean handed over his appointment details to reception, they were asked to be seated for a few minutes.

“Okay, you need to go through those doors over there, then you will see two more sets of double doors, you need to go through the set of doors to your right. Once through, you will pass a physiotherapy suite sporting oversized windows. You need to continue past those and then you will come to another set of double doors; go through them and then follow the direction for the bays. I would assume he is in a four-bed bay but it's just an educated guess. Good luck and be quick. Don't be surprised if you get stopped on route. There is security everywhere so you will need to use your charm and say you’re visiting and you just popped to the toilet or something. Whatever you say, just be convincing or you will be outside this building quicker than you can raise your eyebrow,” Sean said, smiling.

Angelina followed Sean's directions as soon as he was led away by a doctor. She went through two sets of double doors before stopping and holding her stomach. Suddenly she was feeling very sick. She took several deep breaths before continuing. She finally made it to the bays and popped her head around several before asking a young soldier for help.

There was a young man staring right at her. “Hello miss, can I help you?” he asked.

“
Yes, I'm looking for Joshua Allen. Could you tell me where I might find him?”

Angelina was feeling sick with nerves, wondering if her spur of the moment trip was the right thing to do after all.
“Joshua's in physiotherapy right now; if you turn the corner, go through the double doors then it's your first door on the left just before the large windows.”

“
Thank you so much.” Angelina followed the young man's instructions until she reached the door to the physiotherapy unit. On the other side of the door were three very large windows. She took a few steps and peered through one of them into the large room which was full of equipment. She looked on in shock as she saw Joshua struggling to walk between two bars. There was a man standing next to him, seemingly urging him on and acting as his crutch from time to time. The sweat was pouring from Joshua's red strained face. Angelina slipped out of sight and leaned against the door, taking large, deep breaths. She hardly recognized him; he was much thinner and looked so tired. She paused for a few moments before entering the room; she knew if she didn't do this now, she never would.

She pushed the doors wide open and stood there, waiting for a reaction from Joshua and having no idea what that would be.

Both Joshua and the doctor stood still in their tracks. A look of pure surprise appeared across Joshua's face as a tear escaped from the corner of his eye

“
Do you know this woman, Joshua?” asked the doctor in a concerned tone.

“
Yes, yes I do,” replied Joshua. “Look, can you leave us alone for few minutes, doc?” The doctor left Joshua and walked passed Angelina, giving her a quizzical look as he passed by.

“
You've always been stubborn,” said Joshua with tear-filled eyes.

Angelina said nothing; she immediately took the place of the therapist and acted as a crutch for Joshua, helping him along the bars.

“How the hell did you get in the building and past reception? This place is all sewn up, well so I thought.”

“
With a little help from a friend of yours! Sean is here, Joshua. He lost an arm in the explosion and miraculously survived it. For a long time, he was thought to be the only survivor. If it wasn't for him, I would never have gotten inside this building.”

Joshua stopped and turned to her.
“I'm so sorry I put you through hell, I just didn't want to burden you. Look at me, Angelina. Do you really want to be tied to this for the rest of your life?”

Angelina looked at what was left of Joshua's leg and wiped the tears cascading down his face. The stump was bandaged up and Angelina placed her hand on it gently.

“May I remind you, Joshua Allen, you have a promise to keep and I have come to collect! That is all the answer you need from me.”

THE END

About the Author

D.G. Torrens lives in Birmingham, UK, with her husband and four-year-old daughter. She is currently penning her fifth book, a romance novel, “
Tears of Endurance
” due for release in Autumn 2013.

D.G. Torrens loves to connect with her readers; you can find her at the following:

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