The infection was backing off. The days in that Berlin Hospital had turned into weeks. The physical therapy hurt only second to the pain of knowing Karim was dead.
She would scream in her sleep seeing him bloody and sometimes dead. Other times he wasn't so dead in her dreams. But it wasn't just Karim, it was the memories she had suppressed over the years. Memories that were dreams haunted her. But the dreams were not pleasant. They were nightmares she was forced to relive because she refused to let anyone in.
Abigail would wake up, forgetting some times that she was in a military hosptial in Berlin Germany. She hated to sleep for fear of seeing the little boy, the dead little boy call out to her.
"Abby, please," his bloody hands were held out to her in that mangled wreckage of a stronghold. He had a bullet hole in the center of his head, no matter how many times she told herself that he'd been shot in the back.
That would result in her sitting up and scream Karim's name out, late at night, early morning or even during a midday nap. It didn't matter when she fell asleep, she'd dream just the same.
After a while Abigail refused to sleep. Nurses and her doctors told her that she needed to sleep, to regain her strength after waging war with an infection. But she didn't, she didn't want to suffer those nightmarish memories, and seeing an innocent little boy dead.
With Larry gone she had no one to talk to. Well, sort of at least. He left her a cell phone, since hers had probably either been destroyed, made into an IED or lost in the rocky Iraq desert. Nevertheless she spent hours when she could reconnecting with lost family members, even some that hadn't been born yet when she was taken hostage five years ago. And then there were two who she had never met before, unless it was through the Skype option.
"Hi, Cousin Abby." One of Larry's twin daughters said, her face taking up the entire screen on the phone.
In the dim light of her hospital room, Abigail smiled. It was Cadyn, she had the shade darker hair than her sister Kendyl. That was the most that Abigail could tell of her little cousins.
"I know it's late over there, but I wanted to tell you that Daddy and Uncle Taylor took Kendyl and me to a Raw show here in Florida. Mommy wasn't too happy with that. I got to meet Roman Reigns, you know the guy that Daddy is fighting with in the show."
Actually Abigail didn't know who Roman Reigns was. It wasn't like she could easily watch the wrestling shows she had once devoted herself to know. Slowly she was getting an idea, but she didn't know the here and now of the WWE. Even with her phone that her cousin had given her, she didn't have internet access.
"Guess what, Mr. Stu was teaching Cadyn and me how to box. Daddy said it was okay because Mr. Stu lives near Daddy. Mommy doesn't like Mr. Stu, she likes Mr. Stu's girlfriend Tori."
"Honey, sweetie, I um…" Abigail tried to stop the little girl who loved to talk when Abigail didn't. She frowned and then smiled. "I'm sure you'll be the best in the class once you start real lessons."
"That's cool because I want to be a fighter, just like you." She turned her head away and then smiled. "Mr. Stu is here. He asked how you were doing."
"I'm doing fine." Abigail answered.
Mr. Stu was Stu Bennett the man that she later learned she attacked, accusing him of being a terrorist or something like that. Her face burned any time she was reminded of that episode.
That's what happened when Cadyn said Stu's name.
"Here, Mr. Stu. Cousin Abby is awake."
"Oh, uh, just for a moment I suppose." She heard the Englishman say.
The image shifted from the phone as it was handed to the very man that Abigail didn't really trust. Maybe it was the beard, his voice made her tense up especially if he were to yell. But she knew instantly the beige color of Larry's front room, and she wondered what he was doing there at all.
"How are you doing, Abigail?" Stu asked as he sat down it seemed like. "You look peekish."
He wore a black t-shirt of some sort. She could see his rose tattoo resting under the sleeve. He smiled, a kind of smile that was hard not to return.
"I'm okay." She lied.
"Then why would you have circles under your eyes?"
She bit the inside of her lip, frowning at the same time.
"If it's insomnia, I can relate." He quickly added. "My girlfriend Tori says it's because I snore."
Abigail chuckled through her nose, a tweak of her mouth showed a smirk that she was trying to hide. At least she was starting to get used to him.
Maybe a little.
She stayed quiet. Abigail just looked at Stu, unsure of how to pick up the conversation. She looked at the crows feet at the corners of his eyes that blended with his beard. He seemed relaxed, leaning back in what Abigail thought was the living room couch. The little that she remembered of this man was that he was so big. He easily could stand taller than a doorway. He owned the entire place that he stood in.
"Tori also says that I think too much. I do enjoy a good book and a football game before bed but she could care less about that stuff."
"I used to play football, the American kind, when I was in high school with Larry." She said, biting the inside of her lip.
"American football, as complicated as my football to understand." He chuckled. "How are you doing? When will you be back?"
"I don't know. I'm being fitted for a prosthetic but I'm going through some physical therapy to help me walk with some crutches. My infection has gone down quite a bit and I'm able to do more things than sleep. I'm feeling better. What are you doing at Larry's house?"
"Oh, just a get together. Hey! Blasted dog!"
Suddenly there was an all too familiar head of a big dog, one that she had remembered, one that she missed just as much as she did the rest of her family.
"Koda." She murmured as the dog's tongue licked at Stu's face.
The pitbull was huge, as he had been when he was a puppy.
"Get off me, you Hell Hound," Stu shoved the dog away. "He's been like this ever since I've started coming over."
Abigail wasn't listening, she was silently crying. There was her boy, her child. At six years old he was borderline old guy. Koda was the sweetest thing she had ever owned as a pitbull. To see him loving on someone other than herself was horrible. She felt horrible that he wasn't there for her, to keep her from crying.
"Abigail, are you crying?" She heard Stu ask.
He had his arm around Koda's neck as if the dog and man were buddies looking at the screen. She choked when seeing the picture.
"You two look so cute together." She couldn't help gushing.
She watched Stu laugh, heard Cadyn giggle in the background.
"That's what your Aunt Stephanie says when I'm around. He won't leave me alone."
"Aunt Steph loves cute things like that. It's not a far fetched thing of her. As for my boy, dogs have a way of knowing who to trust and who not to."
"Your aunt also seems to love it when people come on over. She loves it actually. I've gain five pounds with the sweets she's cooked up."
"She does, it gives her a chance to make her famous peach cobbler. I miss it." She moaned while licking her lips.
"Who are you talking to, Stu?" Abigail heard an unfamiliar female voice ask from in the background.
Stu and Koda looked behind the couch and that's when Abigail saw a pretty black woman standing there with her arms crossed.
"It's my Cousin Abby, Tori." Cadyn said.
"Here, sweetheart, talk to your Cousin Abby while I speak to Tori, outside." Outside was directed to the woman. "Talk to you later Abigail."
After the two adults left, Cadyn addressed her cousin. "Sorry, I don't think Ms. Tori likes you."
"Why?"
Cadyn shrugged before continuing with telling Abigail about life in Florida.
"Who is she to you, Stu?" Tori Crawford asked her boyfriend.
Tori was five foot eight in height, a lovely chocolate skinned diva that Stu enjoyed seeing every day. He always liked her legs. They were great leg. But the thing that Stu didn't like was that Tori was always jealous of any female getting close to him. She was easily jealous.
"A friend, maybe. I was there when Larry visited her. He needed a friend there for him. You know that. I told you."
"You left in the middle of the night, Stu. You didn't even tell me you were leaving. I was out having a fun time and you just left with no word."
"Are we going to fight about this now?"
"Yes, Stu, we are. You just left like it wasn't a big deal." Her voice started to rise, her hands started to raise in the air.
This was the fights that Stu hated the most when it came to his girlfriend. He watched as she crossed her arms and waited for him to answer.
"So?" She pressed.
"What do you want me to say? I was helping out a mate, he was having issues and didn't want to be alone. Not only does she not trust me, at all, she's not you. I love you!"
"You have a funny way of showing it."
Just then Stephanie Rotunda walked out the front door. "Food's done. Why don't you two come on in and join us."
"Actually ma'am, I've got things to do." Tori said. "You should stay, Stu. Have some fun." She waved her hand and then headed towards her car that was parked on the curb.
Scratching his scalp, Stu looked at Larry's mother. "Well…"
"You don't have to stay, Stu." She said. "I'm sure Larry will understand."
"Seems Tori needs to cool down. Besides, Larry invited me and it seems that everyone keeps boasting about your peach cobbler. I wouldn't mind trying that." He smiled and then followed Mrs. Rotunda into the house.
Stephen Farrelly was already at a table talking to Larry's Uncle Kendall. They talked about Kendall's days with the WWE and how it is different now than it was in the past. Now a wrestling teacher out of the wrestling school the WWE owned he was around more often with the rest of Larry's family.
Cousins and Larry's kids were sitting at a picnic table talking and having a good time. Cadyn was there, minus the Ipad she was using to skype with Abigail. But the big dog Koda was there, using the shade of the table to lay in. He was always near Kendyl and Cadyn, watching out for them and the other kids that were there.
"I can't wait for Abby to get back." Larry's father said, bringing Stu's attention back to the patio table he was sitting at. "Larry's setting up a room just for her."
"Would she have her own place?" Stu asked.
"We want her to live here, with family and close to Larry's girls." Mrs. Rotunda said.
"She lived on the army base but with her missing and presumed dead the just got rid of her stuff." Larry said.
"Why?"
"If she was dead then she wouldn't need them." He said rolling his eyes.
"Windham Laurence, no eye rolls at my table." His mother chided.
Taylor grinned into his hand only to have his sister Mika jab him with her elbow. The brother and sister glared at each other but went right back to eating.
Much of the Rotunda family reminded Stu of his own family. His mum cooking, Dad cracking jokes and Mara getting onto Martin and Lizzie for being childish. Those were the times that he missed most about not being back in the UK, seeing his family. Not to mention the Welsh country side where he grew up. Stu promised his Mum that he'd take some time off to visit them in Wales, but he hadn't had much time to even be a good boyfriend.
One thing was for sure, by the end of his time with the Rotunda and Windham family gathering it was a proven fact that Mrs. Rotunda's peach cobbler was to die for.