Healing

Chapter 7 - Healing

Awareness is the first step in healing - Dean Ornish

~***~

“Reign! Why are you so stubborn!” William yelled at her. “Look what you are making me do. I don’t shout or raise my voice at women but you had to bring out the worst in me, huh?”

“I just wanted to go with Dominic and Amber,” she answered, frowning. “And it was already there you just chose me to try and control.”

“You can go another time. You keep forgetting  that you can hardly walk,” William sighed. “How are you going to heal, when you keep irritating the bruise and your sprained ankle and knee?”

It has been two weeks since Reign slipped and fell in the kitchen. Each time she was about to heal, she disobeyed  William's order resulting in her being in bed longer.  It was now the first week in December and William and Reign were still at each other’s throats, not as much thorough.

He became sad when she started walking a little because he could not take care of her anymore. It puzzled him as to why he felt that way. He only started taking care of her because he felt responsible but after a while he loved helping her heal despite their still ongoing disputes. The two had several conversations that were amazing.

“Look who’s up and about the place,” Dominic smiled and hugged her. “Your overprotective doctor did not want us to bother you. He only granted Amber access to you which is unfair.”

“Well, I’m back on my feet,” she smiled and kissed his cheek. William was standing in front of her, with a neutral look on his face. She raised a questioning brow but he just shrugged past her with his hands in his pockets.

“Willy, what was that for?” she asked him.

“What was what for?” he pretended to be clueless.

“Never mind. Are we still going Christmas shopping?” she rolled her eyes.

“Yes we are, trouble. I’m waiting on two important guests first,”  he exhaled deeply.

“I hate crowds,” Reign responded and walked off.

Even though she walked normally, the pain in her knees was still there. Her ankles hurt a lot when she stood long. Reign was beyond happy to be able to move around again on her own and get her personal things done even though William did most things for her. There were still a few things she begged him not to do.

~***~

The doorbell rang but before William pulled it he turned and looked at Reign. He stared at her and she shrugged his eyes off her and pointed to the door. The door opened and two beaming females walked in. The girl with the shoulder length brunette hair dashed into William’s arm and Reign’s cheeks flushed red. The other one with tall brownish-gold hair made her way over to Elijah and the two engaged in a tight hug.

Reign returned her attention to William who was smiling foolishly at the girl he just hugged. The two chatted for a lengthy time; touching, smiling and hugging.

Reign took her time backing away from the crowd. Even Dominic was being introduced while she was left there all alone. She went and locked herself inside her room staring outside the windows. The sun was melting away the snow. She enjoyed nature so much, the simplest thing about it awed her.

A soft knock came at her door and before she could answer, Amber came running in, holding her teddy in the other hand. 

“We are ready to leave, Mommy,” Amber said, grabbing her coat from the bed. 

“I’ll be down in a few.”

Reign was beyond confused why the thought of William with that girl irritated her so much. She had only come to know him within a month’s range now and all they did was argue. So why?

Changing the bandage on her knees and casting her eyes at her ankle. It was now getting swollen once more. Changing her choice of footwear she went for a black snow-boot with soft inside. 

Making her way down the stairs she almost fell and a piece of wood chip from the wood railing got stuck inside her thumb. 

“Fuck,” she thought she hissed under her breath when her attempt to remove the splinter went deeper. When she lifted her head her eyes met with everyone’s.

“There’s something as space, you know,” she said to William who was standing directly in front of her within seconds of their eyes meeting.

William took her hands in his, gently rubbing his thumb on her hand soothing her “What happened Reign?” he asked with a worried expression.

“Nothing, let’s go,” she withdrew her hand, staring at his hazel eyes. When it became awkward she slid past him to the right, still seated on the stairs.

“Let me see your hand, Reign,” William demanded.

“It’s nothing Willy,” she sighed frustratedly.

“Stop calling me Willy and let me see your fucking hand Reign,” he grabbed her hand and gained a scream from her.

It was surprising then that she realized it was two splinters in her hand. One in her thumb and the other in her palm.

“Leave me alone!” she yelled at him.  Struggling to get up, she practically ran off the stairs trying hard not to react to the burning sensation around her ankles.

“What did I do?” William followed behind trying to keep up with her. “What did I do to make you mad at me?”

“You do not have the power or ability to make me mad,” she stopped in her tracks.

“Then tell me why you are mad at me,” William pleaded.

“I’m not mad at you William,” she leaned against the door post looking at him while resting her leg because if she took another step she knows she will face flat on the floor.

“Yes, you are. You only refer to me by my full name when I do something you hate,” he told her. “Stop lying to me. If you were not mad, you would call me ‘Willy, Grinch’ etc.

She was caught right there. It was true she only called him William, when she’s pissed at him. She discovered that herself when she was laying in his bed hardly walking and they had a feud. 

“Just leave it, will you?” She changed the subject. “We have to get going before night falls and the snow picks up again.”

William grabbed Amber and clothed her in her coat properly and a brown boot he got for her. He led his way out to the car. Reign ignored everyone’s stare. She made her way over to Dominic's car by limping and sat in it instead of William's, only adding more fury to the fire.