***Note***

I've changed the cover photo to show the breaks to Rhi's hand and arm. In case you're curious. Oh, and I can't forget Charlie

Chapter 65

X-rays

Rhi POV

Sitting in the empty room, there's soft music coming through speakers in the ceiling and I can't help thinking it's there to calm the nerves of patients who visit. I try my best to control my nerves but I can't sit still. I start fiddling with everything I can see. There are all kinds of models of organs and body parts scattered on various surfaces. I'm like a kid in a candy store having to touch everything. I spy a full skeleton hanging on a rolling stand in the corner and my mind starts to wander.

"Hm… He's about the right height." Stepping over to him I touch his torso and give him a push. He sways and back and forth and his pelvis swivels. "Not bad. I bet he's an amazing dance partner." Picking up his right arm, I place it on my left hip, tucking his fingers into my pocket so it stays. Gently, I hold his left hand in my right one grasping it between my thumb and index finger. Then I place my left hand on his pelvis.

"Why yes, Charlie, I'd love to dance. Thank you for asking." I smile and a giggle escapes when I start to waltz with my bony partner.

His legs start to sway as I nudge his pelvis to a slow beat, holding his hand I pull him with me in a circle, the wheels on the stand gliding smoothly across the floor.

I hear the door open but don't stop when Dr. W walks in and chuckles in the doorway. I look over my shoulder at him and smile. "Oops. Sorry Charlie, we've been caught. We'll continue this later."

"Charlie? I do apologize for interrupting your moment." He smiles. "Next time we'll make sure you have a little more time to finish."

I shrug and smile back. "He's got some moves locked up, a little handsy, but I don't mind."

Dr. W and I laugh briefly, "Why don't you have a seat and we can get this started." He motions to the chair.

"Not the table?" I'm curious.

Shaking his head, he clarifies. "Not yet. We should talk first. If you don't mind."

When I get comfortable in the chair he asks, "How are you feeling, Rhi?"

Fidgeting with my hands I respond, honestly. "I'm OK. Nervous, but otherwise OK."

I watch as Dr. W gets up suddenly and picks up the smaller model of a brain and hands it to me. "It's not as good as a fidget spinner but I think it'll do in a pinch." He chuckles and winks.

"Thank you." I laugh, taking the brain and running my hands across the complex surface. "This is much more interesting than something that simply spins in a circle."

"How is the pain in your hand now?" He inquires. "Did the drink earlier help any?"

I should've known that he'd remember that. After all, it was only a little while ago. "It did, a little. By the way, thank you for allowing Ana to give it to me. It helps with the pain and helps calm my nerves."

"You're welcome. I could tell you needed a little something." He pauses before continuing. "You've got good friends to take care of you like that. They seem to know you well."

I smile, thinking about Ana and Kate and how long we've been friends. Everything we've done together. "Yes, we're like sisters. We grew up together. They've been there through… everything." I pause briefly before continuing. "Which is why they could fill out the paperwork for me."

"Speaking of paperwork, shall we go over yours?" He asks, raising one of his eyebrows.

I've decided to be as honest as I can with him. There's no point in lying to cover things up. Taking a deep breath I answer. "Yes."

He's silent for a moment, eyes searching my face. "You seem nervous about this whole thing. Can you tell me why?" He pauses. "It's just you and me in here. I have sworn the Hippocratic Oath and will keep any and all information I obtain private and confidential." He smiles,
"Why do you think I brought you in here alone? I figured you would be more comfortable by yourself."

I watch him silently for a few minutes before answering. "I have a history that no one here knows about. Well, other than Ana and Kate." Taking a deep breath, "When you see the x-rays it will be blatantly obvious. Alex seems like a smart man. I'm sure he'll figure it out."

His eyes soften, "Rhi, I'm fairly certain he has already figured it out. Otherwise, he wouldn't have called me so quickly." Before continuing, he holds my gaze, "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, but I do need to know the basics and anything major that happened, so I can provide the proper treatment."

When I don't respond right away he adds, "Unless you want to get the x-rays done first, to help with a starting point? Then you can tell me what you feel is necessary. I leave it up to you."

His voice is so calming and, to be honest, I'm surprised at his words. "Wow. You've done this before, unfortunately, haven't you? Giving the victim the freedom to choose. Thank you. I appreciate it." After a brief moment I answer, "Can we do the x-rays first, please?"

Sadness is present with his next words. "Unfortunately, yes. I've had too many opportunities to give that much needed and deserved freedom to too many people." Standing up heads to the door, "I'll be right back to get you so we can get the x-rays done. Then we can go from there." He smiles before leaving the room.

Wow. This is different. I'm surprised that he gave me the choice. Not many doctors will do that. In fact, most of them have an ego power trip and make you do things their way. It's infuriating.

The door opens and a different nurse comes in and leads me back to the x-ray room. "Hi. I'm Susie, the x-ray tech." She smiles, "I will apologize now for this because it's going to hurt a little because I have to manipulate the fingers." She chuckles, "Actually, it's going to hurt a lot. The first images we'll take are different angles as the hand is now. From there, we will determine what images to take next. Are you ready?" She asks, after explaining the process and while preparing the machine.

Smiling, I answer, "I've had about four shots worth of tequila so hopefully that helps with the pain." Laughing a little I tell her, "Besides, I forgive you for torturing me."

She laughs, her eyes wide, "After four shots I'd be passed out on the floor!" I can't help but laugh with her.

We go through the process of getting the images needed. Yep, she was 100% correct too. That shit hurt! She had to flatten my hand and spread my fingers, something I haven't been able to do since I punched him. Unfortunately, I can't do it now either, without assistance or pain. When we're done she takes me back to the exam room and I wait for Dr. W to return. At least the x-rays are done. Now we just need to see the results. I'm so nervous.

I spy Charlie in the corner and walk over. My hand is throbbing and I use my left hand to wrap his bony arm around my shoulder and lay my head on his exposed ribcage. "I could really use a hug right about now." A few tears escape my eyes and travel down my cheeks.

I hear the door open and assume it's Dr. W. When his footsteps pause I let Charlie's arm drop and turn around. His eyes are apologetic, despite the smile on his face, as he takes in the sight before him. Picking up a box of tissues he hands it to me and I gratefully take one and wipe my eyes.

I smile, "Thank you." I say, laughing about getting caught again. I note the stack of x-ray images he has in his hand. I didn't realize they took that many images.

Chuckling, he shakes his head as he walks over to the light box and starts placing as many as he can on it. The light allows the images to be seen clearly.

"Holy fuck." I'm shocked.

I can't believe what I'm seeing. I mean I know what happened, just never thought it looked that bad. Even the old injuries look bad. Between the old ones and the new ones it looks like my hand has been smashed with a sledgehammer. Almost every large bone in my hand has been broken at some time. The metacarpals of fingers two thru five show where they were broken before and you can see where my thumb is just a little off because of the dislocation.

What shocks me the most is how apparent both of the spiral fractures to my radius and ulna show up plain as day. What makes that easier is seeing the plates and pins in place holding them together.

Those are just the old injuries. The new ones are on a whole new level. From the looks of it, most of the damage is to the ring finger and the pinky. The metacarpals of fingers four and five have clean breaks. Thankfully, the heads of the metacarpals weren't damaged, probably because the pressure of the impact put stress on the shafts when it came into contact with the brute's face.

Finger four, the ring finger, has the most damage; a broken shaft of the metacarpal, leaving an angle of about 45 degrees.

Finger five, the pinky, the metacarpal shaft mimics the damage to the ring finger; the difference is the degree of the angle.

Huh. That explains the pain and swelling. Imagine that. My anger starts to surge through my veins and I clench my left hand into a fist. "That fucker."

Dr. W looks at me, concern in his eyes, as he glances down at my fisted left hand. "Are you OK? Judging from the look on your face I would guess you're a little shocked."

I turn my head toward him but I'm unable to take my eyes away from the images. "Um, just a little. I didn't realize it was that bad."

Looking back at the images, he says, "Well, it gives us a rather good picture of what's going on. You did mention that the guy you hit was big. Are we talking tall or muscular?"

"He was both. Actually, he reminded me of King Kong. Compared to me he was huge." I chuckle, "Then again anyone is huge compared to me."

He laughs along with me, "Well, you certainly did a number on his face, if that truly was the gentleman from yesterday. Unfortunately, you're paying for it with your hand."

"I was defending myself from a stalker who tried to grab me. For the second time. I don't care what his intentions were. You don't grab a woman. EVER." I snort, "Though I suppose my temper didn't help the situation either." I smile, remembering the look on his face when I hit him.

He laughs, "No, I don't suppose that helped the situation at all. However, it DID get your point across. I'm pretty sure he will think twice before doing that again." He's silent for a moment, then continues, "The new injuries you have are called a Boxer's Break, from hitting him with the side of your fist. Considering the size difference between the two of you it doesn't surprise me where the damage is at. I will, however, commend you on the power behind your punch. Remind me not to get on your bad side." He gives me a big smile and laughs.

"I'm harmless unless threatened. Like most animals, I guess." I reply, shrugging and smiling.

There's a comfortable silence in the room before he breaks it. "With that being said, we know what the new injuries are. We need to get your hand straightened out so we can put a temporary cast on to get you on the mend." With a look of seriousness on his face, he continues, "It is still my recommendation and, as you can see, absolutely necessary, for you to have surgery when you get home. I will contact your doctor and send him the information along with copies of the x-rays."

I'm silent for a moment, trying to wrap my head around what he's just said. I know I need to say something but all I can come up with is, "Thank you."

Dr. W cocks his head to the side, confused, "For what?"

"For telling me what needs to happen and sending the information to my doctor back home. What do I need to do? Do I call now to schedule? We head home the day after tomorrow." I don't know what I should be doing. I hope he can tell me.

He shakes his head, "No. I'll take care of contacting your doctor. Is it OK if I have him call you to schedule? I'm pretty sure he'll want to schedule as soon as possible, considering the damage that was done. Especially when he sees the x-rays."

Relieved I don't have to initiate things, I nod, "Yes, that's fine to have them contact me. Again, thank you for doing that." I smile in appreciation. "When we're done here I'll go back to the hotel and figure out my calendar." Looking down at my hand, I close my eyes. "It's obvious that the whole thing is going to take some time, according to the images we've seen. My other surgeries we're pretty simple…" I can't believe the state of the bones in my hand.

With an understanding smile, he tells me what he's planning. "I'll have Susie send you some information on it. I'm sure your doctor will send some, as well as the scheduling center and surgery facility. There's a lot to coordinate and, unfortunately, it's long distance but we'll get it done." He stands up, removes all the x-ray images and moves to the door. "I'm going to have her get started on this right away. I'll be right back. Sit tight."

I simply nod as he leaves the room. I'm stunned. It's not just a simple break. It's a lot worse than I imagined. Thank god no one was in here with me.