I wake up disoriented. I don't recognize my surroundings. Where am I? Then it hits me all at once... I'm laying in a hospital bed, and my poor broken leg is hanging from some kind of sling. The pain is not as bad as before, but it still hurts like hell. Where's the nurse so I can have more pain killers?

My lower leg feels so strange. I can't move my ankle. I now remember a nurse splinting my leg to keep it immobile before they cast it. For how long again? With all the medication they gave me, I forgot... Or maybe it's because I don't want to remember!

I lift my head and even in the darkness, I can see the outline of my toes. I wiggle them carefully. I'm relieve to see that this part still works. Where is Tom? I look around but my husband is obviously not in the room. He promised he would stay with me and now he's gone!

"Tom?" I shout, hoping he's in the bathroom. I hear the door of the room opening and Tom is standing there, with a cup of coffee in his hand. He rushes to my side.

"Baby, you're awake! I'm so sorry if I scared you but I couldn't sleep, so I went down to the cafetaria. How are you feeling? How's your leg?" he asks with concern.

"Like somebody is hitting it with a hammer. What time is it?".

"It's a quarter to three. You need your rest Jen, go back to sleep. I'm not going anywhere this time and I'll be here when you wake up in the morning" Tom says.

"Did you call my mom?" I want to know.

"Yeah, I did after they moved you in here. She wanted to take the first flight out of Miami but I told her that I would take good care of you. She wants you to call her as soon as you can".

Knowing my mom, she must be waiting by the phone as we speak, even if this was the middle of the night. After my dad died, it was only the two of us and she became even more protective of me. I was only suffering from a broken leg, but to her, this was serious business. At that moment, the nurse comes into my room. I'm so glad to see her that I could hug her if I only had the strength to lift myself.

"I have your medication, Mrs. Bailey" she says, showing me the small cup in her hand.

"Thank you so much. You have no idea the pain I'm in right now!" I say.

"I can sympathize with you Mrs Bailey because I broke my ankle last year slipping on some ice. It was a simple break, if I can call it that, but it hurt like crazy. I looked at your chart and I can't imagine what you're going through" she tells me with a gentle smile.

I swallow the pills and wash them down with a glass of water. The nurse rearrange my pillow and wish me a good night sleep, or what's left of it. The pills don't do much for the pain, but they're making me drousy. Tom's holding my hand and encourages me to go to sleep. Without realizing it, Mr. Sandman pays me a visit.

The second time I wake up, the sun is piercing through the blinds. Tom is asleep in a chair next to my bed. Poor baby! I should have told him to go back to our house. I'm a grown woman, for God's sake, I can certainly stay in the hospital without having someone holding my hand...

I'm thirsty but I don't want to wake him up. I take this time to think about my situation. One look at my busted leg and I feel like crying. The pain has come back in full force and I wonder where the nurse is. I still can't believe I'll have to spend almost five months in a plaster prison. I'll have to depend on Tom for a lot of things. Simple things like cleaning the house or preparing dinner. The next months ahead wouldn't be difficult only for me, but for him as well. I turn around to see if he's awake. Tom's now looking at me with a faint smile on his face.

"Hi beautiful. Did you sleep well?".

"Yeah but I can't wait to be in my own bed again. Did the doctor say when I can go back home?" I ask grimacing in pain.

"He told me tomorrow night. Your leg needs to be in traction until then. He'll sign your discharge after putting your leg in a cast. In the meantime, the nurse left you this" he says showing me two pills.

Thank you God for small favor! Tom gets up and sits next to me. He gives me the pills and watch me swallow them like they were candy. With his left hand, he gently strokes my thigh, a gesture I'm so familiar with. Tears swells up in my eyes. I realize that after tomorow night, he won't be able to do this for a while. At least, not with this leg. My thigh will disappear behind a big hard cast for months!

"What were you thinking about just now? You seemed so far away" he wants to know.

"I was thinking how much of a burden I will be for the next weeks. You'll have to take care of me more than you ever have. What if you get tired of it all? This is our very first test since we've been married. I'm a bit scared Tom...".

He leans over and kisses me tenderly on the lips. He takes my hand and puts it against his cheek. "How can you say that? I love you more than anything in the world, Jen and nothing will change that. I'll be happy to take care of you. Actually, I bet you'll get tired of all my attention after a week! You're a strong person, baby, and once you get used to the cast, you'll be able to do anything" Tom replies.

"Why don't you go home to shower and change? I can stay here by myself for a couple hours".

"What did I just tell you? You're already trying to get rid of me!" Tom said laughing.

I smile and make a goofy face "It's good to see you smile again, sweetie. I love you, Jen" he adds, kissing my forehead. With that, he leaves and and I'm all alone with my thoughts. I should have ask him for the phone before he left. I have to call my mom and reassure her on my condition. But I feel so tired that I just close my eyes and go back to sleep.