I open my eyes as the nurse brings me dinner. I slept for almost four hours, probably the longest time since I was brought to the hospital.

"Hey baby, how are you feeling?" Tom asks me while I eat my tastless chicken. "I'm OK. I'm ready to go home, that's for sure. It's a relief to know I'll be sleeping in my own bed tomorrow night, with you by my side. I've missed that very much..." I tell him. Tom caresses my cheek and smiles at me. God, I love this man so much!

At this moment, Doctor Anderson and the nurse startle us by coming into the room with a wheelchair. I wonder where I'm going now. "Since you'll be leaving us in the morning, I thought it would be a good idea for you to go down to the PT Department to get fitted with your crutches. Are you up for the ride?" he asks.

"I guess this is a good time as ever" I say, a bit scared to get up with my long leg cast. I watch the nurse lowering my leg from the sling very slowly but every little movement is so painful.

Doctor Anderson is standing by my side and he instructs me to place my arm around his shoulder for support. Shackily, I put my good foot on the floor and with the nurse's help, I bring my casted leg down. Right away, a sharp pain explodes in my lower leg and I let out a faint scream.

"Baby, are you all right? Doctor Anderson, maybe this isn't a good idea" I hear Tom say. "Nothing to worry about Tom. The pain comes from the blood rushing to the broken bones. Unfortunatelly, it will happen every time she gets up, at least for the first weeks. After a while, the pain will subside as the fractures heal" the Doctor explains.

Carefully, I sit down in the wheelchair and the nurse elevates my cast on the leg rest. She also slips a pillow under my leg. The doctor offers to Tom to bring me to the PT department. This is my first time out of the room in two days and my spirit lifts up as soon as we reach the hall.

I take this time to take a good look at my leg. It is so strange not to be able to flex my ankle and knee. Carefully, I wiggle my toes, the only part of my leg I'm still able to move and see. My nails are painted a soft shade of pink, Tom's favorite color.

As Tom is about to wheel me in the Physical Therapy Department, I almost collide with a young policewoman coming out of the door. She is walking with the aid of crutches and her right ankle is bandaged.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! We..." I stop right there as I recognize Officer Julia Baker and her partner Officer Mike Chandler. I have worked with them in the past on a few cases. They are both very professionnal and nice mannered.

Julia looks at me and her eyes widen. "Oh my God, Miss Bailey! What happened to you?" she asks staring at my plastered leg. "I had a little run-in with the stairs at home and I'm afraid the stairs got the best of me... I broke my leg and ankle and now I'm stuck in this cast for months. What's your excuse?" I say, glancing down at her injured ankle. Her foot is also swollen and I can see some bruising around her bare heel.

"I hurt my ankle arresting a burglar. The doctor said it was a second degree sprain and he ordered me on crutches for the next month. I guess you're here to get your crutches as well" she replies. "Yeah, what a joy. Oh, please forgive me! Julia, Mike, I'd like you to meet my husband Tom" I say.

The threesome exchanges words. "Well, I better let you go. It was nice seeing you Miss Bailey and good luck with your leg. I'll be thinking of you" Julia says in a sweet voice. "Thanks, that's very kind of you. And take care of that ankle" I reply. The two police officers smile to Tom and me and I watch them leave, wishing I only had a sprained ankle.

I tell the secretary I'm here for crutches and she gives me a look that says she'd already guessed that part. We only wait for a few minutes before a young woman comes to meet me.

"Hi, Miss Bailey. My name is Sharon and I'll be the one helping you with your crutches" she says while we follow her in a small room full of orthopedics devices. "Have you ever been on crutches before?" she asks.

"No, and hopefully, this will be the only time" I reply. "Can't blame you there. I've never had a patient who seemed very happy to take these things home" she explains as she works on one wooden crutch so it fits my height. "Let's see if this one's OK".

I put my left arm around Sharon's shoulder and very painfully, I get up on my good foot. Tom's holding me for balance. Sharon places the crutch under my arm. "Got it just right the first time" she says. I give her the crutch back and Tom helps me sit down again.

Sharon works on the second crutch for a few minutes. "Here we go. All done! I'm afraid you'll have to stand up again" Sharon tells me. I stand up on my good foot and the pain comes back as bad as ever. I clench my teeth, trying to be strong. Finally, I lean on the crutches as Sharon retrieves another pair and use them to show me some crutching tips.

"All right, the first thing you should know is that you must support your weight on the handgrips, like that. Now, move your crutches ahead and swing your right leg, along with your injured leg" she demands.

Gingerly, I take my first step. Walking with crutches is far from easy, especially when you're wearing a long leg cast. The cast on my leg is quite heavy and I have to concentrate if I don't want to lose my balance.

"I know it seems really tough right now but believe me, you'll get around much easier once you start using them every day". Sharon is really good at what she does and after my crutching lesson, I almost feel I can master those two sticks, with a lot of practice of course!

Half an hour later, Tom takes me, and my new crutches, back to my room. The nurse follows us inside and helps Tom put me back in bed. He then leans the crutches against the nightstand and strokes my hair.

"How are you doing baby?" he asks. "I'm exhausted. It'll take time before I'm comfortable on these crutches" I answer. This whole thing has taking a toll on my leg and the pain returns in full force. A shot of Morphine takes care of it and I fall asleep again.

"Wake up baby, it's time to go home" Tom whispers in my ear. I must be dreaming. Surely my last night in the hospital couldn't have flown by so quickly. But when I open my eyes, Doctor Anderson is standing next to me. My casted leg is no longer in traction but rather propped up on two pillows.

"Well, young lady, do you feel like going home?" he asks. "I can't wait to get out of here. No offense Doctor..." I reply still a bit sleepy. "None taken, I assure you. But before I let you go, I want to remind you to take it easy for the next two weeks. Complete bed rest and no crutching around the house. And even before you start using your crutches, you should come back for X-rays to make sure the bones are knitting right" he warns me. "OK, I'll let you get dress now. A nurse will be in shortly with a wheelchair. Good luck to you Jennifer" Doctor Anderson says while gently patting my casted knee.

"Thanks again for everything Doctor" Tom and I say at the same time. Tom grabs the bag he brought from home and gives me my clothes. I quickly put on my bra and sweater but for the rest, I realize that it won't be so easy. I turn to my husband. "Well, honey, I believe your new duties have just begun" I tell him.