Free Dark Mountains by Amanda Meredith Page B

feel her very carefully touching my cheek. “A plastic surgeon is going to take them out when you’re better.” I looked at her for a moment. I must not look too horrible. I’d be able to tell from her eyes if it was too bad.
    “Your leg was pretty banged up,” she murmured and I would’ve sucked in a breath if I could have.
    Was. I closed my eyes. I had a feeling this would be coming. So many times, I had seen my brothers being carried out of harm’s way with mangled and missing limbs.
    “A piece of concrete landed on your right leg and snapped your femur,” Libby continued. “The bone went through your leg and pierced your femoral.”
    I didn’t have a leg anymore. I couldn’t fathom it. It still felt like it was there; pain and all.
    My mind went back to when I’d helped the medic in my unit work on a guy that had been shot in the leg. The bullet had hit his femoral. He’d bled out before we could find the artery and clamp it. His name had been Michael. I opened my eyes slowly, tears leaking out of them again.
    “It won’t be that bad, Cole,” Libby tried to reassure me. “The rod will have to stay in for life and you ended up getting a bad infection so they had to remove some of the muscle but the doctor said that with physical therapy your leg will learn how to function with less muscle mass. She has no doubt you’ll be up and walking soon.”
    I blinked furiously. I still had my leg? My hand tried to reach out to touch it but the restraints held me back. I got angry then. So angry I couldn’t stand it. I wanted to scream and kick but I couldn’t do either. Libby’s voice was the only thing that kept my sanity.
    “It’s going to be alright, Cole.” Her voice settled onto me like a warm blanket and I forced my wide eyes to look into hers. Her face could never lie to me and I saw that she was telling the truth. It was going to be okay. I was going to be okay.
    “You need to stay still, Cole. You aren’t healed yet, honey, and moving might cause more damage.” I blinked once as she reached down to hold my hand again. I would’ve sighed if I could have. It felt so good to feel her touching me.
    “I love you so much, Cole,” she murmured. I blinked once and tried to smile, but the tape around the ventilator pulled at my skin.
    I scrunched my eyebrows in frustration. Libby must’ve understood because she reached down and grabbed the bed’s controls. She pushed the nurse’s button and smiled at me.
    “It’s about time we got all this stuff off of you, huh?” She winked at me as the nurse came into the room. “Corporal Andrews is awake and would like these restraints removed now.” I tried to smile again, even though it was pointless to try. The tape pulled at my face again but I kept smiling. I had one hell of a woman.

Chapter 13
     
     
    “All I remember was being assigned the covert op. I don’t even remember leaving for it.” I was sitting up in bed, slurping down the red Jell-O Libby was feeding me. It tasted horrible but it was better than nothing, so I didn’t complain. “I’m sorry I couldn’t call before it… didn’t mean to scare you.”
    It had been two weeks since I’d woken up. The new skin on my arms and neck were healing nicely, though I now had to wear a tight neoprene vest and sleeves. I tried to talk in small sentences, only having to use small breaths. It hurt to breathe deeply and it would take at least another three months for my ribs to completely heal.
    “Cole,” she scolded. “I understood. You’re a soldier and we’re at war.” She smiled and set the Jell-O down. “I was a little upset that no one notified me for a week after you were hurt though. It took a while to understand that they didn’t find you for two days after it happened. And the DNA identification took a few more but I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that you’d been alone for a week.”
    “Bet you got here fast when they called,” I murmured. I knew better than to try and