This chapter was the direct result of a prompt I received from Carissa. (So, thank you!) She asked for a Mary point of view chapter that had Matthew's physio with Asad. I threw Lucy into the mix for good measure too.
Enjoy!
Mary took her first sip of her vanilla chai latte and the hot liquid burned the inside of her mouth. She set the drink down with disgust, frustrated by her impatience. Mary looked across the table in the hospital cafeteria to her companion.
"Too hot to handle?" Lucy asked her playfully. She smiled, but Mary did not return the expression. The stack of fashion magazines available on the table couldn't even entice her. Mary sighed with dramatic forlornness.
"Did you see the comment on your blog that it reminded the reader of Interview magazine?" Lucy asked as she sipped her own drink. "You should really cash in on that, maybe do a blog on Andy Warhol and how he started Interview."
Mary hated thinking of her neglected blog. She hadn't been able to write anything since Matthew's car accident. The picture of their wedding had been her only recent contribution, and she hadn't read any of the subsequent commentary. Mary knew Lucy meant well, and she appreciated her friend's efforts, but she hated being nagged. It was true that, in some ways, they were closer now, than they had been in years. And yet in this moment she wanted to scream at the distractions all around her. Mary did not respond, and the silence continued between them.
"I can't believe you cut your hair," Lucy finally said. "You look like Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday," she paused. "Only you're not having any fun."
Mary nodded at that astute observation. She took a sip of her latté and sighed. Mary was certain she was bound to go mad if she could not be allowed some involvement in Matthew's therapy. And she couldn't help but wonder what was happening to her. Recently she had slapped Reggie Swire when he had returned for an unexpected visit, which had turned nasty. Apparently she couldn't stand men these days. But then a smile pierced through her agitation, actually that was not true. There was one man constantly on her mind; he was the reason she was ruined for all others.
"Ugh," Lucy said in amusement. "You're doing it again!" She rolled her eyes playfully.
"What?" Mary said defensively.
"You're thinking about it him, it's obvious. Your expression is sweeter than my caramel macchiato."
Mary's sour mood finally broke; the smile on her face was spontaneous and spread as she nodded.
"Why can't I see him?" Mary whined. "It's not fair."
"It's only one hour!" Lucy said in exasperation.
"Actually fifty-four minutes," Mary said as she sipped her latte.
"Okay, that's it," Lucy said, and she stood up from their table in the cafeteria. "Let's go find him."
Mary looked up at her friend filled with juvenile glee. She felt twelve years old and ready to sneak Gauloises cigarettes from Lucy's parent's humidor. If Mary considered herself bold, her friend was covert. Her actions reminded her of the kind of clock and dagger that would be used for her majesty's secret service. When Lucy set her mind on something, she achieved it. Mary stood and hugged her despite the fact her friend loathed such contact.
"So," Lucy said. "What do we know?" She asked as they walked out of the cafeteria.
"That I am not supposed to interrupt."
Lucy only smiled, "Beyond that?"
"Well," Mary said, "Hydrotherapy is located on the west wing of the second floor. It's not that far from Matthew's room, only a short wheelchair ride."
"Okay," Lucy said she pressed the lift button with military like efficiency. "What's his therapist like?"
"We haven't been formally introduced yet," Mary said with agitation. "Isobel hired him without consulting me."
"That seems unfair," Lucy said as she stared at her nails.
Mary turned to look at her friend. Although she appreciated the sympathy, her friend didn't quite understand why she was agitated. Still she would be lost without Lucy's spontaneity, which was causing, this energizing and defiant quest they were currently on.
"I trust Isobel, and Matthew does like him," Mary said reluctantly.
Lucy rolled her eyes, her interest in the subject obviously waning.
"Is he attractive?" Lucy asked as they stepped off the lift and walked down the corridor.
"You have a one track mind," Mary said with a smile.
"Said the pot," Lucy shot back.
Mary didn't have a retort for that.
Since she had spent so much time in the hospital recently, several nurses recognized her as she walked by. It made Mary feel uneasy. Lucy, however, kept walking without any hesitation. It reminded her of how she had sneaked behind a gated area at the Santa Maria delle Grazie museum, in Milan. For a few seconds, Lucy was out of her sight, and Mary had been nervous until she reappeared. Lucy declared nonchalantly that they should look for Da Vinci's portrait of The Last Supper elsewhere; it wasn't behind that curtain. Mary looked at her friend's expression of demure and almost had to laugh.
As they went through a set of double doors at the end of the corridor, there was a reception desk. However, the nurse occupying it had stepped away, her back was turned temporarily. Beyond that Mary could see a locker room. That was her goal.
"Go," Lucy said as Mary hesitated. She wasn't supposed to be here; she didn't belong here. And yet her friend gave her a push and she started walking. Once Mary was in the locker room, she had multiple choices for different rooms. It was rather a maze, and she had absolutely no idea in which direction to turn. However, she presumed that Asad would be working privately with Matthew, in a smaller area, which would have a smaller pool.
After only a few wrong corridors, Mary found her heart's desire. She put her hand over her mouth as she stared through the circular window of the door. In the small therapy pool, she could see Matthew walking. She had not seen him do this simple feat since the car accident. Asad of course supported him, but it was her husband who was performing the task. Mary's keen eyes also noticed he was wearing a different kind of back brace in the water. Without a shirt, she was able to ogle her husband's physic. But, what was most significant was that Matthew was smiling. It was only a few slow careful steps; however, it was a miraculous sight.
Mary was so lost in thought she jumped when she heard a loud whistle. Through the window, she saw Asad cupping his fingers in his mouth; he was the source of the loud sensation that had broken her reverie. He pointed at her and motioned that she should come forward. Asad did not look pleased at her snooping. Mary gulped with apprehension. She found Matthew now sitting on a lift chair that was lowered into the water. He was laughing and talking with Asad. The physical therapist's hard stare beckoned and she pushed the door open, squaring her shoulders defiantly. Asad said something to Matthew she couldn't hear as she approached, and he nodded. Mary watched the way Matthew splashed the water playfully with his hands.
"I suppose it's time I introduced myself," The physical therapist said as Mary crouched over, and her small dry hand was lost in his large wet hand.
"Asadullah Waubay," he said respectfully.
"Mary Crawley," she returned quietly, trying not to stare at his scared hand.
"A courteous and eloquent greeting should be a way of life," he said while releasing her hand.
"Please address me as Asad," he said his stern gaze faltered and what was left behind was a polite dignity.
Mary looked at Matthew, feeling unease at such a reception, but her husband only silently smirked. In fact, he had been smiling more in the last few minutes then she had seen all week. Since pain management had often been an issue, she had to wonder how doped up her husband was. However, when she looked at him again, this was her Matthew. This was exactly why she felt she shouldn't be barred from seeing him during his therapy. It was the elixir to her own sometimes unsteady moods.
"In my hometown of Freetown," Asad said breaking the silence, "There is a very large cotton tree. Many believe that it possesses mystical magnetism that draws people to the heart of the city, allowing everyone to feel connected."
Asad looked between Mary and his patient. "I am reminded of the cotton tree, when I see the two of you interact."
Mary smiled and was about to thank Asad for his understanding when he held up his hand to interrupt.
"However," he said and his voice was once again stern. "I will teach you an expression in my native language. In Sierra Leone we speak Krio," he explained.
Mary watched the way Matthew listened to his therapist, he was fully engaged and so she followed his lead. She trusted her husband.
"When I tell you except otherwise," Asad said looking directly at Mary. "You will not interrupt in the future."
"I don't understand," Mary asked suddenly. She could never agree to anything without knowing its connotation.
Asad turned to his patient and the warm water sloshed with his movement. "Matthew," he said, "How would you define my expression?"
Mary turned her head to her husband. Asad was using his native language to get through to him. Now she was very impressed.
"Mary," Matthew said tenderly. His voice was soft-spoken but eager, "In Krio; it means that you can't always get the answer you want." He glanced towards Asad for confirmation.
"Look at," Asad said proudly with a smile. "All tell good." He put his scared hand on Matthew's shoulder fondly.
Mary looked confused at this exchange; presumably he was still speaking Krio, for her husband seemed to understand his therapist's strange words.
"Don't worry," Asad said, "I will not always use the phrase. Sometimes you can be included. Yes, will happen as much as No."
Mary felt rather sheepish suddenly about her disruptive actions. However, her husband's face showed nothing but infatuation for her having caused such an interruption. As she looked at Matthew, and he used sign language for I love you. After Vienna, he had told her about this way he had communicated as a small child, and they had used it together ever since then. Mary returned the sign language words and her equilibrium returned. Just like with her new haircut she knew that Matthew understood the point she was trying to make. Mary, however, also felt the penetrating stare from Asad and their eyes met as he once again spoke.
"Matthew will still belong to you, even when he is with me," Asad said with his first smile. "But you can't have him yet," Asad finished while waving his hands in a dismissive gesture.
"Shoo!" He continued with his somber expression. "Except otherwise."
Mary stood up form her crouched position and blew her husband a kiss. Without looking back, she turned to leave making her escape. Mary smiled as she heard the door click shut. Especially pleased that there were now only twenty-nine minutes until she could see her husband again.
Mary went back to Matthew's hospital room to wait. She saw her laptop and suddenly was inspired with an idea for her long neglected blog. The words fell from her mind, traveling through her fingers, and she typed them out rapidly, barely able to keep up with the surge of sentiments she needed to express. When Matthew returned with Asad, she realized that she didn't want to stop writing. Mary looked up her fingers frozen over the keyboard. The two men said, "A de go," which she assumed was goodbye, and she smiled at the exchange. She nodded at Asad's slight bow in her direction.
"It's good to see you," Matthew said with a smirk.
"It's good to be seen," Mary countered. They stared at each other for a moment until Matthew yawned as his eyes closed.
"Finish what you're doing," he said sleepily. "And then come see me."
Mary smiled at his understanding. "It's a date darling," she said coyly and returned to her blog.
As a special bonus – check out tumblr (wdedalus) to find what Mary wrote on her blog.
In the next chapter, "Matthew's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day", it's the first anniversary of the night Mary and Matthew unexpectedly slept together. And therefore Mary has planned a surprise for her husband. (Fyi- expect smut!)