All Chapters of Decisions I made : Chapter 241 - Chapter 250

The next morning came far too quickly.Lela had barely slept.Every time she closed her eyes, she felt the impact all over again. The violent jolt of the collision. The cold water. The scream that had escaped her when she realized something was terribly wrong with her leg.She woke sometime before sunrise and stared at the ceiling.Her leg throbbed beneath the enormous bandage.She tried not to move.She didn't want to know what it would feel like.She didn't want to know whether she could stand.She didn't want to know whether Dr. Adelman's warning about six months would become her reality.Most of all, she didn't want anyone to tell her it was time to get out of bed.Unfortunately, someone did.The door opened.A man in military uniform walked into the room carrying a clipboard.He smiled brightly."Hello, Sunshine."Lela stared at him.She didn't know him."Who are you?"He laughed."Captain Rhoden."He pulled a chair closer."I'm here to help you learn how to walk again."Lela loo

The next morning, Lela woke before anyone else.For a few seconds, she forgot where she was.Then she felt the throbbing in her leg.The memories came rushing back.The boat.The impact.The water.The surgery.Fourteen hours.She looked toward the chair beside her bed.Jack was asleep with his head tilted against the wall, Lily's carrier sitting beside him.Lela watched him for a moment.He looked exhausted.She knew he had barely slept since the accident.She hated that she was the reason.She carefully reached for her phone, but before she could pick it up, the door opened.Captain Rhoden walked in.He looked at her and smiled."Good morning, Sunshine."Lela sighed."You're back.""I told you I would be."She looked at him suspiciously."Are we walking today?""Eventually.""That sounds like a threat."He laughed."It's therapy.""I liked you better yesterday.""You threw up on me yesterday."Lela covered her face."Please stop reminding me.""I'll let it go.""Thank you."Captain

The next morning, Lela woke up determined.Not optimistic.Not fearless.Determined.There was a difference.She had spent half the night thinking about what Captain Rhoden had told her.*You smile no matter what has happened to you.*She had replayed those words over and over.Maybe he was right.Maybe smiling didn't mean she wasn't scared.Maybe being strong didn't mean she wasn't hurting.Maybe strength was simply deciding to keep going even when every part of her wanted to stop.Lela looked toward the chair beside her bed.Jack was asleep again.Lily was in her bassinet.The room was quiet except for the soft hum of the machines.Lela smiled.Her family.That was what she was fighting for.She carefully reached for her phone and checked the time.A few minutes later, Jack stirred."Morning.""Morning."He rubbed his eyes."You've been awake long?""Yeah.""How's the pain?""Still there."Jack immediately reached for the call button."I can get your nurse.""No."He stopped."You s

Three weeks later, Lela had developed a love-hate relationship with her crutches.Mostly hate.They were everywhere.Leaning against the couch. Propped beside the bed. Sitting beside the bathroom door. Waiting next to the kitchen counter. Somehow, there was always a pair within reach, reminding her that she still couldn't simply stand up and walk wherever she wanted.Captain Rhoden had warned her that crutches would become part of her daily life for a while.He hadn't been exaggerating.Every morning, Lela practiced.Every afternoon, she practiced again.And every evening, she was exhausted.But she was improving.She could get herself from the bed to the wheelchair without assistance. She could maneuver around the house carefully. She could use the crutches for short distances, keeping her injured leg protected exactly as Dr. Adelman instructed.Toe touch.No weight.No shortcuts.The hardest part wasn't the physical pain anymore.It was the waiting.Lela wanted to know when she coul

The next morning, Lela woke feeling strangely sick.Not the kind of sickness she had become accustomed to during pregnancy. This was different. Her body felt heavy, her head hurt, and there was a strange uneasiness in her chest that she couldn't explain.Lily was curled against her, fast asleep with her tiny cheek resting on her mother's chest.Lela barely moved.She didn't want to wake her.Instead, she pulled the blanket a little higher around them and stared at the television.Jack had left for work earlier that morning.He had kissed her before he left, kissed Lily on the forehead, and promised he'd be home later.It had been an ordinary morning.At least, it was supposed to be.Then the sirens started.Lela's head snapped toward the window.The sound seemed to come from everywhere.One siren.Then another.Then another.Lela sat up as quickly as she could without disturbing Lily."What is going on?"The television suddenly interrupted the program.BREAKING NEWS.Lela stared at th