Here is the next chapter.
Anna
Today April and Celeste are coming to visit. They are arriving around 12, so I complete my morning routine of getting checked making sure everything is going smoothly. 12:00pm comes around and I hear a pair of footsteps walking in the direction of my room. I sit up a little and they walk in. "Hi." I greet smiling.
"Hey cripple." April teases.
I send her a playful glare. "Don't joke."
"How you feeling?" Celeste asks hugging me gently.
"Little sore, I haven't been sleeping well the last couple days and I feel really uncomfortable." I respond.
"You look well considering." April comments.
"I don't feel it."
"Well you do." Celeste assures.
"So champ again congrats." I praise April.
"Thanks, I hate how I got it but they have some interesting feuds coming up for me." April responds.
"Well things happen and unfortunately that fuckwit Adam ruined it for me but he's rotting in jail so I'm fine."
"We can't believe what happened, we were watching it from the back and it happened so quickly we were all shocked." Celeste informs me.
"It felt like it went really slow in my head but I'm glad it's over now."
"We are too you can now focus on getting better and coming back." April responds.
"I will and when I get back you better watch out I will get my title back." I warn playfully.
"You're going to have to pry it from my dead body."
"So what's new with you girls?" I ask.
"Nothing, it's very quiet in the locker room." April answers
"I was the loud one wasn't I?" I comment and they laugh.
"Yes you were, we all miss you though." Celeste mentions.
"I miss everyone too. Where you travelling to next?"
"Richmond." They answer in unison.
We catch up and gossip and soon they have to leave. "Well we better leave we have a flight to catch but we will speak to you soon." April announces standing up.
"I'll be here." I joke and we hug goodbye.
The following week flies by and I start to move my neck a little more each day. Dr Andrews shows me my new scans and informs me that the repairs he did in my neck are working well. "Does this mean no more surgeries?" I ask.
"Yes, no more surgerys we still want to keep you in here for a couple more weeks then you'll head to the rehab centre after."
"When do I start Physio on the arm?"
"Not until the break in the shoulder blade is healed enough that also depends on how well the rod is. We don't want you pushing it. Same as the neck and shoulder, you'll start with basic and easy drills until you are given the all clear." He explains. "Now how does your neck feel?"
"A little stiff but I'm starting to have less pain."
"Good to hear and your shoulder?"
"Still painful where the surgery was but I'm doing better."
"Good. I will come in and check on you in a couple weeks and see how your progress is." He announces.
"Sounds good doc." I respond.
"Now get some rest." He orders and leaves.
Two weeks after my check up with Dr Andrews I have started gaining more movement in my neck. Dr Andrews came in and told me that I will be ready to leave the hospital in a few days for rehab and from there I will make small steps in getting stronger and getting healthy until the end of the year.
Finally three days later I am leaving the hospital. "It's been a blast caring for you." Lucy my nurse says.
"I'm glad I've kept you busy." I joke.
"It was great meeting you Serena."
"I couldn't have asked for a better nurse."
"You were a great patient, when you wanted to be."
"Just admit it, you're glad you don't have to see me any more."
She laughs. "You're not that bad."
I say goodbye to all the hospital staff who have cared for me over the past two months and I leave through the hospital doors and wave as they shut the door and the siren starts up and we drive off.
I arrive at the rehab place and am taken to my room where I will make myself feel at home. I walk inside and take in my surroundings. My room has a double bed in the middle of the room against the main wall with equipment and wires if I need medical attention. To the left of the bed is a door that leads to a small bathroom and on the wall is a flat screen.
The first thing I do when I am settled is go to the bathroom and have a shower. A carer assists me as she helps me into my robe and turns on the shower. "Just shout out if you need help." Jess directs.
After my shower I dry myself with the assistance from Jess. I get changed into some comfy sweats and sit on my bed. I turn on the TV to find the wrestling on. I laugh. "Perfect timing."
From what I can see a lot has happened on screen. Stephanie and Paul are now apart of the roster and are known as The Authority who are followed around by The Shield and Randy Oton as the new champion. At Summerslam it was John Cena Vs Daniel Brian and Daniel won. Triple H turned heel and Randy cashed in his suitcase and from there it became The Authority and it's been rather entertaining.
After I turn the TV off I quickly snap a photo of my new home. I quickly upload it to twitter and Instagram: This will be my new home for the next few months, I love you all and I appreciate all the well wishes. I will be back better than ever in no time. #rehab #recovery #illbeback
For the rest of the day I meet my physiotherapist, counsellor and other employees that will be helping me make a full recovery. Staff take me on a tour of the centre which is rather fancy so I think I will like it here. For dinner you can either eat in the main dining area where everyone can eat or you can get it sent to your room. I decide to just eat in my room tonight and watch an episode of Total Divas.
Later that night I'm woken up by carers who give me some medication and they brief me on what I will be doing tomorrow. I am seeing my counsellor tomorrow and I don't know how that is going to go, but I hope it will help, I have had so much happen to me the last in the last year I need to talk about it.
The next day I am woken up at 8am to get showered, changed and have breakfast. I have my first session with my therapist Dr Adams at 10:30am. After I am ready, dressed in baggy pants and a shirt I am escorted to Dr Adams office and I sit down inside.
When she opens her door and enters I see a woman in her 30s, brunette and very pretty. I glance around her office and observe the awards and diplomas she's received.
"Hi Serena, I'm Dr Adams or you can call me Julie." She introduces.
"Nice to meet you Julie." I respond.
"So from the looks of things you've been through quite a rough time the past couple months?"
"Yes." I confirm. "It's been a difficult time, a lot has happened but I just hope I can make a full recovery."
"I think you will. I think you have a big heart and a great mind and will be back better than ever. So Serena why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?" She asks.
"I was born in Seattle, I lived there until I was 18 and then moved to Tampa Florida."
"Why did you move to Tampa?"
"For my profession, I wanted to be a wrestler, and in Tampa it's where the best companies and training facilities are."
"Was it hard?"
"Very hard. I was young and didn't have a lot of experience but I did it."
"And what was it like in your childhood?" She asks.
"I'm an only child so I don't have siblings but I have cousins."
"What about your parents?"
"Up until I was 14 I had two loving parents."
"What happened?"
"My father died in a car crash." I announce.
"What happened after he died?"
"My mother turned to alcohol and substance abuse, I couldn't live with it so when I was 16 I had moved out of home, left school and worked very hard."
"Sounds like you had it rough."
"I did. I wish I could've had my mother around but I didn't and I had to learn things on my own."
"And what did you do when you left home?"
"I moved in with a friend and when I had enough money saved up and I moved to Tampa at the age of 18 and I worked my butt off." .
"When did you start in the WWE?" She wonders.
"April of this year."
"How much do you enjoy it?"
"I love every minute of it." I answer.
"And now that you can't do what you love how do you feel?"
"Shattered, bored, useless."
"It won't always be like that."
"I know but I don't know how I can do this you know, I've had to fight for everything in my life, and this is the hardest thing I've had to do. Two major surgeries and many months of rehab I don't know if I can cope."
"That's why you are here talking to me." she reminds me. "You're here to let yourself go and to tell me how you really feel." she explains and I look at her shyly nodding slowly. "So tell me about your injury, what happened?"
I take a deep breath. "I was in a match and I was climbing the top rope."
"Take your time." she guides sensing me getting emotional.
"I heard this commotion from behind me so I turned my head and I saw a figure running and they jumped up onto the ring apron, they pushed me off so fast I couldn't stop my fall. I landed face first and I broke my neck and dislocated my shoulder."
"Do you know who did it do you?"
I nod. "Yes."
"Who?"
"His name was Adam I went to high school with him."
"Keep going." She encourages.
"He was a couple years older than me and his sister was my best friend, and she let me stay with her after I moved out of home." I explain and take a breath. "One night there was a house party and we were drinking and what I tell everyone is that one thing lead to another and I had sex."
"What actually happened?"
"That night I was really drunk and I didn't know what was happening, but I was starting to sober up when I could feel someone kissing me and I didn't know what was happening I had no control over what was happening I said stop but he just continued and I passed out." I whisper.
"You were raped?"
I nod. "I always told everyone the other story because no one would have believed me, I was 16 I was completely waisted and from what it looks like I could have consented."
"Why didn't you tell any of your close friends?"
"I was embarrassed, I just wanted to forget about it." I admit.
"Was that your first time?
"It was."
"Looking back on it, do you feel like it wasn't?"
"I wanted to forget about it, so I put the rape behind me. I preteneded like nothing happened but it only got worse."
"What happened?" She asks.
"Adam made up a rumour and told everyone that it was easy for me to give it up and that I was good at what I was doing." I answer. "And when I walked down the street and I saw someone I knew I would receive head turns and be called names. My friend didn't want to be living with someone that was a slut so she kicked me out. I left and lived on the streets for a while, I then got saved by my friend Isabella and I turned my life around."
"How is Adam in the picture now?"
"I don't know, I forgot all about him. I left that in my past and got over it and I moved on. But all of a sudden I become famous and maybe he just wanted to tell me that he could still control me." I guess. "At first I had no clue that it was him but he kept hinting things and leaving photos of me, stalking me until we caught him on tape, it was quiet for a while but then he tried to blow up me and my friends in my car."
"Were you hurt?" She asks wide eyed.
"No, just stressed."
"And then he pushed you off a rope."
"Yes he went quiet for a while and then all of a sudden he pushes me off the rope and I break my neck, he's in jail now where he belongs."
"That's a whole lot of stuff happening how did you cope?" She wonders.
"I had a great support network, my bosses, my work friends, but that all changed a few weeks ago." I announce.
"What happened?"
"I started to like someone I shouldn't have because he has a girlfriend, I saw his girlfriend heading into a closet with someone that I can't stand."
"The girlfriend was cheating on this person you like?"
"Yes, so I ended up telling him."
"I'm guessing he didn't take it well." Julie assumes.
"He didn't and now thinking about it sober and reflecting, he was lashing out because he didn't want to believe it."
"What did he say to you?"
"He called me out on trying to brake up his relationship." I answer.
"How did you cope with that?"
"That was the final straw and I just lost it. I flipped out got completely drunk and from then I ended up taking the easy way out with confronting my emotions."
"How?"
"I turned to drugs."
"How long did that last?"
"Just before my match at Battleground, my friends confronted me and they told me that I had to stop and get help or they would tell my bosses."
"That's a lot you have put on your body, did you realise that?"
"At the time no I just didn't want to feel anything." I admit.
She nods and right's some stuff down. "Now that I know some stuff about you we have things that we can work on."
"Am I that bad?"
"You're not bad it's just you've bottled up so much in your life you haven't been able to talk about it."
"Will I be able to get through this?" I ask.
"If you speak truthfully with me and take your time with your recovery then yes you can." she responds. "Now that's enough for today, I am going to build a case for you and we will start next week."
"That soon?"
"The sooner you start the better it is for your recovery." she answers. "Now last thing before you go, how did you feel telling me about all of this?"
"I felt fine. I was nervous but I get it now I can't just bottle up everything." I respond.
"Good, I will see you next week same time and same day ok."
"Alright, see you next week."
