Tears of Endurance (Romantic Drama) Book #1 (8 page)

Chapter fourteen

Ben pulled up inside the hospital car park and parked his car. After fumbling for his recent letter in his glove compartment, he climbed out and locked up. He was feeling very positive about his appointment mainly due to the lack of headaches and back pain he’d felt of late.
This has to be a good thing
, he mumbled to himself as he walked up to the reception desk. “Good morning, Mary, how are you today?” Ben asked.

“
Lovely to see you again, Ben, you’re looking extremely well,” replied Mary, sporting a huge smile.

“
Thank you, Mary. I have an outpatient’s appointment with Dr Shepherd this morning at eleven o’clock.”

Mary started tapping away at the keys on her computer.
“Ah yes, there you are, he is running 10 minutes late I’m afraid, Ben. Just take a seat and help yourself to a tea or coffee, he will be with you as soon as he is finished.” Ben nodded and headed over to the coffee machine for a latte.

Several weeks had passed by since he was at Westview and sitting there in the waiting room watching nurses and doctors meandering around and patients coming and going brought back memories of those painful hard couple of months he
’d spent there. He realised once again what a close shave he’d had and was dead set on making the most of his future from now on. Fifteen minutes passed by before Ben was called into Dr Shepherd’s office. Ben stood up and followed the nurse who pointed him in the right direction.

“
Hello, Ben, please, take a seat.” Ben sat down and waited for Dr Shepherd to speak. He looked around his office while the doctor was looking through his notes. “Okay Ben, tell me, how have you been over the last few weeks? Any pain that’s given you cause for concern at all?”

Ben shifted in his seat.
“Well, during the first week back home, I was suffering the most debilitating headaches and found I had to take the pain killers quite often. The pain was incredible and vice-like, bringing me to a virtual standstill, and for a while during that week, I was very concerned. However, since then I have experienced virtually no head pain whatsoever. My back was also very painful, again this seems to have subsided. I am still getting the odd twinge, which I am guessing is to be expected after such a fall. My legs still feel weak at times; I still find it hard to climb up all the stairs to my apartment, again this is getting easier. And, as you can see, my hair has made a full recovery.” Ben laughed.

“
These are all good signs, Ben, that you are on the road to recovery. However, you must remember, no matter how good you are feeling right now you must still take it easy as it’s only been three months. We are all different. We all have different family situations, different jobs, different strengths, and different weaknesses. Despite all these differences, there are a number of very common emotional stages that people with a head injury go through. This is based upon my own experience treating patients, and many researchers note similar findings. So please don’t be alarmed by my next few questions, it’s just a way for me to determine how you are coping emotionally, okay.”

Ben looked at Dr Shepherd quizzically.
“Okay, fire away.”

“
There are several stages of emotional recovery following a head injury such as yours; some people cope very well and some don’t. The first phase that I see people going through is the confusion/agitation phase. This can last minutes or it can last for months. I’ve had people get in a car accident and be somewhat dazed for a few minutes, but then direct traffic around their car. Others are brought into the hospital in a coma and require intensive medical efforts. When they wake up, they may go through the confusion/agitation phase. In the hospital setting, this is very difficult for family members. Someone who is very meek and mild, for example, can be physically aggressive. They may punch the nurses, or swear and curse at family members. It’s very frightening for family members, and it feels like it is going to last forever. For 99% of the patients that I’ve worked with, this confusion/agitation phase goes away. It may take a while, but people eventually come out of it. Have you experienced anything like this at all?”

“
To be honest, yes I have. During the first couple of weeks from awakening from my coma, I felt great confusion and I was extremely agitated. My moods were very erratic and my patience was low. However, I am feeling more like my old self as the days and weeks pass by.”

Dr Shepherd wrote down some notes before asking his next question. “I see in your notes that you were struggling with your dreams in the early stages of being released from your coma. It states here you felt like they were real memories of yours and not dreams. You were confused as to what was real and what wasn’t. Please can you tell me if this is still the case and expand on this for me?”

“
I still have night terrors unlike anything I have ever experienced before and yes, they seem so real. The most common one, which has me waking up in a cold sweat quite often, is seeing my own death. It’s always the same nightmare, same vision, same everything. The bizarre thing is, it seems so real, like it’s more of a vision than a dream. I know how crazy that must sound but until the accident, I had never experienced anything like it in my entire life. Sure, I would have the odd bad dream like everyone else, but this is something different entirely.”

“
Well, Ben, this is not uncommon at all, and can be a side effect from the drug- induced coma. This should improve over time; unfortunately, I cannot give you a time limit. In contrast to the short time it takes to injure the brain, recovery is measured in weeks, months and even years. Recovery is most rapid shortly after the injury and slows down with the passage of time. Many people with severe head injuries end up with almost no noticeable problems, but others require constant care for the rest of their lives. I am pleased to say you don’t appear to fall into the latter category. Keep monitoring anything you feel is out of the ordinary, Ben, and make a note of it. On your next visit, we can go through any concerns you have and I will do my best to alleviate you of any pressing worries and concern. And if I feel there is any need for further scans then that’s an avenue we can explore at that time.”

After Dr Shepherd did his usual physical checks, he made a new appointment for Ben to return in a few weeks.
“If anything changes, Ben, like the return of your headaches, for instance, then please call the hospital and I will see you sooner.”

Ben shook Dr Shepherd
’s hand and made his way to the car park. He wasn’t sure why, but this visit had really shaken him. Reminding him of his recurring night terror sent chills down his spine. He failed to mention to the doctor that he still couldn’t remember the events leading up to the fall that day. It’s as if that part of his memory had been wiped clean. He also failed to mention his forgetfulness, and his inability to remember whole conversations. He remembered most of what was said, but not everything. This was a concern he’d pushed to the back of his mind, one he was hoping would rectify itself. He had no wish to spend any more time in a hospital bed.

Ben took out his mobile and punched in Tristan
’s number. “Hey, it’s me. Yes, it’s all good. Still have to take it easy for a while but other than that, I am on a great road to recovery I think. My next appointment is in a few weeks.”

Tristan was ecstatic. He was not sure what he had been expecting, but he
’d had a weird feeling recently about Ben, which he’d kept to himself. He had noticed Ben’s memory was not as it should be, that he forgot recent conversations and arrangements. This was something he would keep an eye on, as he knew Ben well enough to know he wouldn’t talk about it willingly. He always kept things close to his chest so as not to worry anyone. “That’s great, Ben. I wouldn’t have expected anything less from you, of course. You always were a fighter.”

“
You know me too well, Tristan. Look, I’m going now as I am just about to pull out of the hospital car park; I shall see you on Saturday at Lisa’s.” Ben rung off and headed home; he knew he should be swinging from the treetops but he was plagued by a negative strange feeling he couldn’t explain. He pushed those thoughts to the back of his head and headed for the city.

Chapter fifteen

As Arianna opened the curtains, she looked up towards the beautiful clear blue sky. There wasn’t a cloud in sight and the sun was smiling down on the world, sharing its warmth. Arianna took a deep breath and stretched her arms.
A perfect day
, she thought as she headed for the shower. As the warm water flowed over her lithe, toned body, Arianna opened her lungs and bellowed out the words, “What a wonderful day!”

Thoughts of the night ahead made her feel dizzy with excitement
; she couldn’t wait to see Ben once again. She shaved to within an inch of her life, ensuring she was smooth all over, especially as she was wearing a tea dress which came to just above her knees. She stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel securely around her body. Suddenly she was startled by the ringing of her doorbell. She wondered who it could possibly be as she wasn’t expecting anyone.

She made her way down the winding staircase and along the stone floor hallway
; she opened the door and stood there with her mouth agape.

“
Hello, I have a delivery for a Miss Arianna Ferria.”

“
Yes, that’s me.”

“
Great, could you sign here please?”

Arianna signed for the large bouquet of flowers and closed the door behind her. Totally puzzled, she tore the card from the cellophane wrapper around the flowers and opened it.

May these flowers keep you smiling all day. I shall pick you up at six o
’clock. Ben x

Arianna headed upstairs slowly, holding the bouquet of flowers with one hand and securing her sliding towel with the other. Just when she thought her day could not possibly get any better, it does. She placed the arrangement of lilies into a tall lily vase and stood admiring them for the longest time. Then it struck her. How on earth did he know where she lived? Her address was not on her business card. There was nothing lying around in the gallery with her address on? And how could he have possibly known lilies were her favourite flowers? She glanced at her mobile phone as it was vibrating on the table indicating she had received a message. Clicking on the icon and opening the message, she smiled as she read Ben’s message.

Good morning beautiful,

I hope the flowers made you smile, and just in case you
’re wondering, I sweet-talked your assistant at the gallery for your address and, of course, your favourite flowers! See you at six. x

Arianna could barely contain herself, jumping from one room to another in disbelief. All the time she had been with Justin, he had never made her feel the way Ben had in such a short space of time, not once. When she thought back to the time spent with Justin, over the four years they were together she realised he’d made very few romantic gestures. He always seemed so pragmatic and never threw caution to the wind, always preferring to take the sensible option. Which, for the most part, she had always thought was a good thing, not knowing he was preparing to set up a new life with another woman and steal all her money. She felt her blood rise at the mere thought of his cruel deception.
I will not let thoughts of Justin ruin my day
, she mumbled to herself as she slipped into a pair of skinny jeans and a fitted white t-shirt. She bent down to smell the beautiful aroma of the lilies permeating the room and then turned on her heel, headed out of the door and up the high street to the hairdressers for a trim. She wanted to look her best for the party and she was going to spend the day making sure she did.

With a bounce in her step, she walked into Cutz Hair and Nail salon and took a seat while she waited for Sarah to finish up with another client. The salon was always especially busy on Saturdays.
“Can I get you a tea or coffee, Arianna?” offered the salon junior.

“
A tea would be lovely, Tracy. How is your training coming along?”

“
I think I am doing okay. I just need to build up my confidence but Sarah said it will come with time.”

“
And it will, Tracy. Just remember, we all started at the beginning at whatever our chosen profession is and we were all lacking in confidence at the start. Sarah is right, confidence comes with time and experience. I know you will make a great hairdresser one day.”

Tracy
smiled shyly and walked off to prepare Arianna’s tea.

“
Okay, Arianna, I am ready for you now, take a seat over here. Is it the usual hair wash, trim, and blow dry?”

“
Please, Sarah, you know me. I am not very adventurous when it comes to my hair.”

“
Well, you have no need to be, your hair is lovely as it is so why change it?”

Arianna spent the next two hours being pampered in the salon
; she opted to have a French manicure too, which completed her polished look perfectly. She stopped off at the florist and ordered a spring flower arrangement for Lisa, as she felt this would be a welcome gesture on her arrival at the party.

Ben was due to pick her up at six o
’clock, so she had four hours to prepare herself. She ran herself a long hot bath and tied her hair in a loose knot on top of her head so not to get it wet. She stepped in and allowed her body to slip gently under the bubbled-filled bath. She closed her eyes and listened to Heart FM playing subtly in the background.

A couple of hours later, Arianna made a quick call to Casey. A few words of wisdom from Casey were always needed when she was feeling nervous.

“Hey, I can’t tell you how nervous I’m feeling. I had my hair and nails done this morning and have not long climbed out of the bath. I can’t believe he will be here in less than two hours. God, Casey, do you think I am rushing in to this too soon after Justin?”

“
Of course not, now stop it, Arianna. You are feeling nervous and now you’re doing that thing you always do. Just remember how he makes you feel and after all, it’s a date at his secretary’s garden party. He clearly likes you as much as you like him so just go with the flow and stop analysing things too much, okay.”

“
Okay, I hear you; you always know the right thing to say to me when I am nervous. What would I do without you? Hey, you’ll never guess what, he sent me a bouquet of flowers today. Oh Casey, they are so beautiful.”

“
Wow, flowers already, he really does like you a lot it seems. Just enjoy it, Arianna, he sounds wonderful. I can’t wait to meet him myself.”

“
Thanks, Casey, look I have to go finish getting ready. I want to take my time putting on my make-up and I have to paint my toenails yet. I will call you tomorrow and fill you in on the events of my night.”

Arianna put her phone on charge and spent the next 90 minutes grooming until Ben was due. She was pacing up and down her kitchen looking out of the window eagerly waiting for him to arrive. Then suddenly she saw a large BMW pulling up on to the curb and watched as Ben stepped out of the car.
God he looks handsome
, she thought as he made his way to her door. She waited for him to ring the bell and then took her time answering the door, not wanting to appear over eager.

“
Wow, you look beautiful.” Ben planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Are you ready for a night of fun? I promise you have nothing to fear, my secretary and her husband are quite laid back and I think it will be more of a barbeque than a typical garden party, with plenty of help yourself food and copious amount of wine. They are great hosts.”

“
Sounds like fun, I’m really looking forward to it. I love a good barbeque!”

Arianna locked up the house and walked with Ben to his car. She glanced over to Ben as he climbed into the driver
’s side and noticed how well put together he was in a crisp white shirt with the top button open and a pair of faded jeans and black leather Timberland walking boots. She liked the way he looked in jeans and couldn’t help but notice how well they fit his firm bum.

“
It’s about a 25-minute journey, depending on the traffic, of course. Lisa and her husband live in a four-bed detached house with a ridiculously huge garden. I have known them for a little over 10 years now, since Lisa came to work for me. She has been a rock to me since my accident and a very loyal P.A too. I fast became great friends with her husband, mainly due to the fact he loves fishing as much as I do and in the early days we did a fair bit of fishing together, and my brother Tristan came along too. Oh, by the way, you will meet my brother tonight as he has been invited.”

“
I can’t remember the last time I went out. I’ve been so busy with work of late I just have not found the time.”

“
Ah, well then, we shall have to change that, won’t we?” said Ben with a mischievous smile.

Arianna could feel the tingling sensation on the back of her neck once more
; she felt the delicate hairs rising as they did the first time they’d met. She turned and glanced at him and Ben threw her an affectionate smile. She wanted nothing more than to kiss him right there and then.

“Okay, we’re here now. It’s the second house on the right, oh, and there is Lisa, ready to greet us.” Arianna saw Lisa waving frantically at them from the porch as they pulled onto her driveway. She was petite in every way and had a very kind face, which was sporting a beautiful welcoming smile.

As they climbed out of the car and made their way towards a very excited Lisa, she came bounding over and threw her arms around Ben.
“Thank you so much for coming. Quite a few people have arrived already and are in the garden, you better get there quick if you want to sample my famous banoffee pie. It’s being devoured as we speak, and there won’t be anything left soon! And this must be the beautiful Arianna. I have heard so much about you and don’t worry, it’s all good. Very pleased to meet you.” Arianna smiled and handed over the flowers to Lisa as she linked arms with her and whisked her off into the kitchen while Ben headed straight for the garden. “You really shouldn’t have, Arianna, but they are very beautiful, thank you.”

“
Tristan, you came then, I wasn’t sure if you would come or not. Look, there is someone I really want you to meet. She is in the kitchen, being held hostage by Lisa.”

Tristan grabbed a glass of wine off the table on the way and followed Ben
’s lead. He was very curious to meet the woman who had clearly captured his brother’s heart.

“
Arianna, this is my brother Tristan and the better looking one of the two of us.”

“
Hello Tristan, it’s lovely to meet you. Ben has spoken fondly of you.”

“
Likewise, Arianna, and may I say, the pleasure is all mine.”

Tristan was enamoured by her, and could totally understand why Ben was swept away by the beautiful Arianna. If he had met her first, he would have asked her out on a date for sure. Pushing that thought to the very back of his mind, feeling a little guilty for even thinking it, he made his excuses and hurried back into the garden before he made a fool out of himself. He could not stop staring at her.

Lisa carried on talking to Arianna but Ben’s eyes followed Tristan. He wasn’t sure if he was just imagining it but he could have sworn Tristan was slightly off with Arianna. Not that she would have noticed as he was polite, but Ben knew his brother. He wasn’t his usual over-the-top charming self, and he found that extremely odd.

“
Lisa, could I steal my date from you for a few moments and show her your beautiful garden?” asked Ben jovially as he smiled towards Arianna.

“
Of course, we can finish chatting later,” replied Lisa as she scurried around the kitchen, plating up more nibbles for her guests.

“So, what do you think? She’s great, isn’t she?”

“
Lisa is lovely and so hospitable, the perfect host I’d say. And you’re right, Tristan is the better looking of the two,” teased Arianna.

“
Ah, I knew it; I’ve lost before I have even begun.” Taking it in the manner in which it was intended.

“
Luckily for you, I have always supported the underdog so all is not lost!”

Ben laughed out loud and wiped his forehead in a mocking manner, indicating he was very relieved.
“So, what is the lady drinking this evening? There is red or white wine, or if you prefer, there is beer.”

“
Most definitely wine, please, red.” Arianna stood alone for a few seconds observing the garden and the people who had filled it. Everyone seemed to be having a great time.

Then Tristan came up behind her.
“Hey, so it seems you have caught the attention of my brother’s heart. He’s a good man and a very genuine one, Arianna. He tells me you own your own gallery in North Warwickshire.”

“
Yes, it’s only a small gallery, but it’s paying for itself right now and I am doing what I love.”

“
I know what you mean. I have my own studio too. I’m a freelance photographer and it’s great to be doing your dream job. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like work at all. I’ve always said I would do it for free and, to be honest, in the early days, I practically did.”