Star Pupil
Chapter 17
Hannah had brought Katelyn a huge basket full of magazines, lotions, socks, candies and gum. Katelyn knew her dad had contributed. The twins had brought her homemade cards and her dad had brought a vase full of her favorite flowers, along with a big teddy bear. What surprised her was that Aaron and Abby didn't have much of a reaction to her injuries. They were just glad she was alright. With Hannah and Abby's help, she picked out a short bob haircut and the kids stayed with her while her mom and dad went to the cafeteria to eat, talk, and give Christine a break.
After they left, Katelyn and Christine watched a little TV and Katelyn fell back asleep after dinner and a pain medication. A cot had been brought in and Christine would be able to spend the night in the room with her. As much as Katelyn loved her parents, she had really been hoping for some privacy. She needed time to think. She remembered telling her dad about quitting the Academy, but she couldn't remember if he was disappointed or not. She didn't want to bring it up in case he was and she hated the idea of him being disappointed in her.
The next morning, the counselor came in and Christine left for breakfast. It gave her a chance to talk about her concerns regarding school. Probably not the topic the counselor had anticipated talking about, but Katelyn was trying to not think about being raped and beaten so badly. All she really wanted was to go home but everyone kept saying that she needed to recover. Just as her counselor was getting ready to leave, Katelyn decided to bring back up.
"When can I go home?" Katelyn asked.
"Once your surgeons agree. You've got a long road in front of you and your parents said that you don't have to worry about a job or house. Just rest and relax." Grace, the therapist said.
"I just think I would recover and rest better at home." Katelyn argued.
"Make your case with the doctors. I agree to a point, but you went through quite the ordeal." Grace answered.
"Supposedly, the plastic surgeon is supposed to be coming in about fixing my face today." Katelyn told her.
"Yes? How do you feel about that?" Grace asked.
"I don't know. I honestly thought about not letting them do it. Its one thing to fix my shoulder and collarbone. Make sure there's not any internal bleeding, but my face is…not that big of a deal. I hate to cost my parents more money and I heard my dad say that he wasn't sure the insurance would cover elective surgery." Katelyn answered.
"Have you seen your face?" Grace asked.
"No. I asked my mom to show me a mirror yesterday and she kept putting me off." Katelyn answered.
"Would you like to?" Grace questioned.
"Is it bad?" Katelyn asked.
"You are swollen. There's a lot of bruising that will go away. The slash mark is jagged, even with the stitches." Grace explained. Katelyn was hesitating, but she appreciated Grace's honesty.
"I think I would like to." Katelyn told her.
"I'll get a mirror." Grace said before leaving the room. She was back within a moment, this time with a mirror and Sandy.
"Are you sure, Katelyn?" Sandy asked.
"Yeah. I have to see it at some point." Katelyn said. Grace and Sandy exchanged a look and Grace held the mirror to where Katelyn could see her reflection. It was shocking.
"Katelyn; I want you to remember that this scar will tell your story. If you don't want people to know what you survived, have the surgery. But, if you want to use it to help people, I can understand why you wouldn't have the surgery. The decision is yours. You're eighteen. Don't let people pressure you." Grace said. Katelyn wasn't even bothering to not cry.
"You are still a beautiful girl and a lot of people love you. The people that matter. You can use this or you can see what the surgeon can do. Just think about it." Sandy said as she patted her arm. Katelyn heard someone else come in the room and immediately realized it was her mom.
"We were putting off her seeing herself!" Christine exclaimed in a harsh voice as she rushed towards Katelyn.
"I asked to." Katelyn said between sobs.
"She needs to do this. She needs to have this reaction. She's been through far too much not to have some sort of reaction and she was never going to with you or your husband here. She is afraid of disappointing him and upsetting you. Let her cry." Grace told Christine.
"I just want to go home." Katelyn said.
"You have several more surgeries." Christine pointed out.
"On my shoulder and collarbone. I'm not having the surgery on my face." Katelyn argued.
"Why not? I know you heard your dad say that insurance wasn't going to cover it, but we'll manage. Don't worry about the money." Christine asked.
"I…already told Dad but I want to quit Academy and I want to go to nursing school when I can. I want this to help someone. He doesn't know that part." Katelyn answered.
"And she is afraid he's disappointed about leaving the Academy and doing something else. She remembers telling him but doesn't remember his reaction." Grace explained.
"Oh." Christine said as she lowered the bed rail and sat down next to Katelyn. She wrapped her arms around her and Katelyn began crying into her chest.
"We'll leave you on that note, but if she starts having trouble breathing due to the crying, let me know." Sandy told Christine.
"Thanks." Christine said. Katelyn heard Grace and Sandy leave, but she was done talking. She kept her face into her mom's shoulder and felt herself being rocked to sleep. She could smell her perfume and could hear her mom humming softly while she continued crying. .