Chapter 46

I gave Mhairi the thumbs-up, the picture she was hanging now straight on the wall. It was my gift from Rick, and as soon as she stepped back I grinned. It already made me feel that little bit more comfortable.

Hung above my dresser, I would be able to look at it each day before I left the room, one last reminder of the life I'd had before and what I now fought to have again. Freedom.

Sat beneath it, on the wooden dresser surface, was a box of doughnuts, some books and a martial arts gi. All gifts I'd had waiting for me when I'd woken. Benton and Rick hadn't appeared to wait a moment to send me a thank you.

Mhairi took one of the cakes before coming to sit on the bed beside me.

“How are you feeling?” she asked. I thought about the question a moment, not completely sure.

“Sore, but not as much as I'd expected,” I said a moment later, giving myself time to process the answer on a deeper level. “Nervous about tomorrow... I still can't quite believe this is my life now.”

“I felt like that f