Chapter 14

"What do you mean, the operating room? Aiii, it hurts."

It was throbbing. Those days, it felt like my leg weighed more than 20 kilos.

"Candy, I'm sorry. I think you'll need surgery. We're going to the operating room now."

"But what surgery, Dr. Denis?"

"It seems there is a broken bone that we didn't see before. I'll confirm it with the X-ray. Meanwhile, the nurse will take you to the operating room."

"My God. And what is going to happen in that operating room?"

"I don't know. I hope everything goes well."

"Tell me, Denis. I need to know."

"I think you'll need metal pins."

I was in shock and couldn't believe what he had said. Now, besides being fat, I was going to have a Frankenstein-like right leg.

I started crying in desperation. The nurse put me on the stretcher. This time, he didn't even need any help. He rushed with me toward the operating room.

"On the way, please get the X-ray done."

Dr. Denis gave the nurse instructions, and he continued with me through the hospital corridor.

I was crying and noticed that everyone was looking at me. But those looks weren't filled with sympathy for my pain.

Once again, everyone only saw my weight. Everywhere I went, it was easy to recognize that look.

We moved quickly, and I preferred not to pay attention to the people. I kept looking at the yellowed, grimy ceiling of that hospital.

"Everything is going to be okay."

The nurse tried to comfort me.

"How am I supposed to be okay if my leg is going to have a bunch of metal pins stuck in it?"

"You just need to rest for 30 days."

"But look at my size. Imagine if I bump into something. The pain will be unbearable."

"You're right. That's why you'll need to be very careful."

"I didn't want to go through this."

"But think about it. Isn't it better to have a leg full of metal pins than not have a leg at all?"

"Wow, I really love your perspective on deserving this."

For a moment, that nurse made me laugh at all the misery that was happening to me. At that point, I wasn't thinking about George anymore either.

When I thought about it, I started wondering: Was I forgetting about him, or was it just because I was on my way to an operating room?

It seemed as though that nurse could read my thoughts, and he started talking about relationships. The conversation made me forget the pain, which was also being numbed by the morphine as its effects grew stronger in my body.

"Don't you want to tell anyone about the surgery? Do you want to call your husband and have him come here?"

"Ah, I wish. My husband is far away, taking care of his mother. Besides, he doesn't care about me."

"Wow, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Actually, this whole accident happened because I was going after him. If I had stayed home, I'd be eating my cakes, drinking coffee, and watching a series right now."

"I love cakes. Do you make them at home?"

"I do. I have an online confectionery business."

"That's cool. What's its name?"

"It's Candy Cake."

"Wow. I know it."

Suddenly, the nurse stopped talking. I kept insisting on the subject. His mysterious silence soon turned into a complaint.

"But did you like my cakes? Which one is your favorite?"

"I can't believe you're the owner of Candy Cake. I used to order from there almost every week. My favorite is the carrot cake with chocolate ganache. But I wasn't very happy with my last order."

"My God, what happened? Was it missing frosting? Don't worry, when I get home, I'll send you a slice."

"No, it had plenty of frosting. The problem was that it was completely salty."

"Whaaaat? I can't believe it was you. I'm sorry. That day was when everything started and resulted in this broken leg. It was the first time I'd ever made a mistake with a cake since the store opened."

"It's okay. I admit that, at the time, I was really angry. It seemed like some kind of huge prank."

"I still can't believe you were the one who ordered that cake. I'm so embarrassed now. What's your name?"

"Anderson."

"I'm sorry, Anderson. When I get back, I can send you several cakes."

"It's okay. I apologize too. I think I was rude to you at the time."

"Don't worry. You were expecting a cake and ended up receiving a salty bomb. I would've been angry too."

The two of us started laughing.

"Well, we've reached the X-ray room. I'll leave you on this stretcher so we don't have to switch beds."

"Okay, that's fine."

Anderson positioned my body on the stretcher and then covered my right leg with the lead apron. The X-ray would be focused on that area.

"Now I'm just going into that room to press a button, and I'll be right back."

Anderson left, and the X-ray was done. Before I knew it, he was pushing the stretcher through the corridor again, toward the operating room.

"Do you really think I need surgery?"

"Look, Candy. From what I saw, there's a 90% chance you'll need surgery. Dr. Denis rarely makes mistakes."

"I really wish I didn't need this."

"Your recovery will definitely be different with the metal pins."

"I'm getting desperate just thinking about it. How am I going to sleep?"

"You'll probably need to keep your leg elevated."

"But that's impossible."

"Don't talk like that. Nothing is impossible for God."

We reached the operating room. There was no one inside.

Only the nurse and I were there. Suddenly, he left me alone.

"Candy, I need to attend to another patient. You can wait here for Dr. Denis. He'll be here soon with your results."

"Okay, Anderson. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I hope everything goes well."

"I just want to go home soon, that's all."

"It'll work out. Without the metal pins, you'll be able to go home tomorrow."

"I hope you're right. Oh, before you leave, could you get my phone for me, please?"

"Of course, just a moment. Which part of the bag is it in?"

"This small front pocket."

Anderson took the phone, handed it to me, and left the room. Being alone there was terrifying.

Nobody entered an operating room smiling. Some people entered and never came out again.

It felt like I could sense all the fear of the people who had been through there before.

No wolf likes going to the doctor. It seems like a wild instinct. I think that's why I was even more worried.

Imagine never being able to transform into a wolf again because you can't run through the forest anymore?

I picked up the phone and called George. It rang twice, and I hung up. I held it in my hand, waiting for my husband to call me back. But that call never came.

I decided to send Lucy a voice message.

"Friend, I'm okay. You won't believe what happened. I'm going to need surgery on my leg. You know those metal pins? I'm in the operating room to have them put in. I'll message you as soon as I get out. Sorry for the late hour, but I needed to let you know."

Lucy saw the message immediately and called me.

"Hi, Candy. Where are you?"

"Lucy, don't worry. I'm in the operating room waiting for Dr. Denis to arrive."

"What do you mean you're going to need surgery? This wasn't there before."

"I don't know. I think something happened to my face after that impact, or they discovered something while they were trying to put my leg in a cast. I started feeling an incredible amount of pain, and they stopped casting it."

"My God, Candy. I'm so sorry. Everything is going to be okay. Tomorrow morning I'll stay there with you."

"I hope so, Lucy. I'm even feeling pain in my leg, but I'm terrified of having those metal pins put in."

"Let's pray that won't be necessary. The recovery will be harder."

"Harder? It will be impossible. I'll have to keep my leg hanging for 30 days, lying in bed. It'll be the end of Candy Cake."

"Stay calm, my friend. That will never happen. Let's be patient and pray."

"I just want to run away from here, Lucy."

"Now you need to stay calm so you can have the surgery. They'll probably sedate you for it."

"I'm so scared. What if something goes wrong? What if I never walk again?"

"Don't think like that, Candy."

"Ms. Candy?"

Someone came through the door, calling my name.

"Lucy, I'll call you later. The doctor is here."

I hung up the phone. It was Dr. Denis.

"The results of your X-ray are back. We already have an answer about whether you'll need the metal pins."