CHAPTER 97
Fun Day (1)
Elena
The past couple of weeks have been hell.
Not majorly for me, though, but for Cornell.
The car accident hurt him in more ways than one.
For one, he has to spend weeks in the hospital, half of which he was in a coma.
When he woke up, we were given the horrible news that the accident had affected his legs and it would take time, lots of rest, and a trip to a physiotherapist to help him get mobile.
When I heard the news, I nearly flew into a depression.
After all, he was in this state because of me.
If he hadn't pushed me out of the way in time….
Each night I go to bed, that horrific scene replays in my mind and I wake up drenched in sweat and fear.
Thankfully, he began to improve and was discharged from the hospital.
I stayed close by, practically sleeping in his house for days, so I could help and be around if he needed anything.
It was quite depressing, to me anyway, being able to walk on your own two feet and cater to your needs, and suddenly, unable to do things like before, but Cornell took it in stride.
If anything, he only allowed it to spur him on.
His zeal for the business tripled, and most of the time he was busy making calls, reaching out to clients, and hopping on new projects.
I can't lie…a part of me felt happy to see him so energized and not depressed.
It's been roughly three weeks of hospital visits, daily sessions with the physiotherapist, and several conference calls with the company, and I think we deserve a break.
I'm exhausted mentally and I think it would be good for Cornell to do something different.
Which was why I planned an outing today.
Our trip here was almost over and I didn't want it to be tainted with the accident and work, so I hired a tour guide and booked a reservation in a very fancy restaurant.
It would be tricky to enjoy a tour with Cornell in a wheelchair, but I paid the guide double so we could get the best experience.
"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked for the third time in under two minutes as I wheeled Cornell to the designated spot where we were supposed to meet up with the tour guide. "If you need anything…water, a protein bar, for me to adjust the wheels, just tell me."
With a chuckle, he just shook his head. "Elena, I'm fine, stop worrying so much."
His words fell on deaf ears as I twisted around, searching for the tour guide.
He should have been here five minutes ago!
While we were waiting and I was trying not to get pissed off, fate chose to sling another obstacle next to us.
The familiar figure of Cassandra and her boy toy was moving in our direction.
I turned around to admire a potted plant in hopes that she wouldn't see me and go the other way but I was fresh outta luck.
"Elena?" She called out in that annoyingly high-pitched voice, shoving her sunglasses up her head. "Yeah, I thought that was you!"
"Eh-ahem!" I coughed into my fist. "Yeah, I didn't see you there."
Her eyes dipped lower, noticing Cornell and the obvious difference. Her eyes started to glitter and I knew we wouldn't like the next words that came out of her mouth.
"Wow, that looks pretty bad, don't you agree honey?" She dragged Lucas who was busy staring at the section next to where we stood.
Apparently, they sold antiques.
"Uh-huh, yeah…I guess so…" Lucas replied distractedly, much to Cassandra's disappointment.
"I mean, it's quite sad. Lucas has always been my top choice compared to your man but now, it's just sad." She did a fake pout that didn't reach her eyes. "My darling has been crushing it at work and at the company. What about you?"
I picked up on what she was trying to do immediately.
Make Cornell feel even less of a man now that he was stuck in the wheelchair it I wouldn't let that happen.
"You know what? Cornell surprised all of us!" I say with a big grin. "He's doing even better than I thought and-"
"It won't matter though." Cassandra puffed out her chest in pride, tugging on Lucas' arm so he paid attention to us. "With how fast his company is growing, it'll overtake the Grey easily…. especially now that your guy is…impaired."
The last word ended with a look at Cornell's wheelchair.
Again.
At this point, I was seething and about to give Cassandra a taste of my mind when surprisingly, Lucas steered her away.
He darted weird, anxious looks our way. "Cassie honey, let's go. We have much better things to do than talk to them."
Before Cassie could utter a word, he dragged her off in the opposite direction, walking so fast they disappeared in seconds.
Stunned speechless by the whole interaction, I turned to face Cornell, who was as bewildered as I was. "What the hell was that?"
He shrugged. "Beats me, but for once, I'll be taking a page out of their book. Let's forget about them… I believe you had some really exciting things to show me…?"
That sparked a smile back on my face.
I shook off the interaction with Cassandra, remembering why I dragged him out today.
Moving behind his wheelchair, I grabbed the handles and began to steer him gently. "You're right. Come on, let's go have fun!"