Free Fallen (Beautiful Book 1) by Iris Deorre

here any time if you want to talk.’
    She nodded. ‘Thank you.’ The doctor left.
    ‘What happened?’ asked Logan.
    ‘You’re not asleep?’ she smiled faintly.
    ‘No, how can I?’
    ‘Perhaps I’ll tell you in the morning. Now get some sleep.’
    He laughed. ‘Yes ma’am.’
    ****
    The next morning after rehab he was at her side. Faith couldn’t tell him, she’d promised Crystal, so instead they talked about other things. The more time they spent together, the more her heart yearned for him, but she wouldn’t let herself get attached. Not until she was sure she was what he really wanted.
    In a few days time, the bandages would come off, she wasn’t sure she was up to it. What would she look like? The bandages had been dressed regularly by the nurses, but now they were coming off, she dreaded it. They’d offered a counsellor, but she had declined. She wasn’t even sure she’d have the guts to look into the mirror.
    The days came faster than she would’ve liked. Mel, Ivy and Logan were all around her for moral support. She’d wanted to do it alone, but now that they were with her, she knew it had been the best move on their part. Doctor Patterson, a senior doctor and a nurse were at Faith’s bedside.
    ‘Are you ready?’
    ‘Not really, but they have to come off.’
    The moment of truth! The bandages were taken off slowly. The surrounding energy was filled with fear, her own included. It took a while and then finally it was done. She shut her eyes. She didn’t want to see their faces. She didn’t want to know what their eyes would show.
    ‘Beautiful,’ said Logan. ‘Don’t hide your eyes.’
    Slowly she opened her eyes and looked at her mother and friends.
    ‘Oh sweetie, you’re still beautiful.’
    ‘I agree,’ said Doctor Patterson. ‘You can never strip away true beauty.’
    Faith smiled mildly.
    ‘What everyone has said is true. You’re still the most beautiful girl I know. And I’m still jealous,’ said Mel.
    ‘You shouldn’t be.’
    ‘How can I not be, you still manage to bag yourself a hottie.’
    ‘I haven’t!’ She felt a little embarrassed. ‘We’re just friends.’
    ‘Are we?’ asked Logan. ‘I was hoping for more than the friendship card.’
    She looked at him a moment. There was no hesitance, he meant what he said.
    ‘Are you sure?’
    ‘Why would you ask? We connected on a much deeper level and you know it.’
    She sniffed, tears surfaced.
    ‘Do you want to have a look at yourself?’ asked the senior doctor. ‘There will still be some skin grafts to do, so this isn’t the final result. We’ll do the best we can to get you as close to normal as possible.’
    ‘I don’t know if I’m ready. I spent the whole night thinking about this moment.’
    ‘You can do this.’ Logan took her hand gently. ‘It’s still you.’
    She looked at the doctor and nodded. The nurse handed her a mirror. Faith shut her eyes and brought the mirror to her face. She took a few deep breaths and then slowly opened her eyes.
    The woman who gazed back at her wasn’t her, not the woman she used to see every morning. The left side of her face looked like eroded soil, and on the same side, her hair had been burnt. She gasped as she looked at her image. It hit her. She felt horrible looking. She’d been so used to seeing a pretty woman in the mirror, but now she saw a monster.
    ‘Oh god!’ She burst into tears.
    ‘Oh honey.’ Ivy took her into her arms.
    The doctors tried to console her with some good news that that wasn’t the final look. But that didn’t change how she felt. Faith felt physically ugly and resented it.
    ‘We’ll leave you for a bit. Our counsellor is on hand if you need her.’
    She nodded and sniffed and watched as they left.
    ‘It might be good to talk to a counsellor,’ said Ivy.
    ‘Yes, I think I might. I feel…’ She started to cry again.
    ‘Oh sweetie.’
    Logan put a little pressure on her gently to reassure her that he was serious about what he