Chapter 8: Nora

Nora brings me books and magazines. I doubt that I could muster enough concentration to read. Despite that I thank her and decide to try later. The nurse sits beside me.

"Do you remember anything?" she asks.

"What?"

"I mean... after you fell into the well."

"Most of the time I was unconscious but I tried to make an assessment of the extent of my injuries."

"And?"

"I decided that I should not move. I knew that my body was crushed."

"So you didn't move all the time?"

"No. I had to take off my boot. My foot was so swollen that..."

"You did it?"

"Yes."

"Was it painful?"

"It was horrible. I cried like a baby all the time."

"Where did it hurt most?"

"My bottom."

"I'm not surprised. When we took your clothes off, I noticed that your flanks were somehow... somehow distorted. No wonder that Dr. Conners had problems fixing you," Nora says.

"Did you help him fix my pelvis?"

"Yes, but at first we took care of your right leg. The thighbone was angled and a bone fragment had nearly pierced the skin. As the doctor tugged at your leg, I heard a crunching sound. The broken bones were moving. How horrible! Don't you remember anything at all? "

"Nora, why do you ask all these questions?"

Nora blushes.

"I... I just... wonder how it feels to be injured so badly," she stammers.

"What exactly are you interested in?"

"Never mind. I should not have asked you."

"What's wrong with you, Nora?"

She hesitates for a moment, then looks down at the floor and starts talking.

"I had a boyfriend. His name was Tim. We loved each other very much. He promised to marry me. That was five years ago. I was only 18 then. The accident changed everything. My sister Connie is one year younger than me. She fell off a ladder and broke both her legs just above the ankles. She stayed at the hospital one night. Then, daddy brought her back home, carrying her in his strong hands. Connie's legs were casted from the base of her toes all the way up to her hips. She was sniffing plaintively. The nightmare began. Mom and dad were pampering her all the time. They were fulfilling all her whims. Connie was complaining incessantly. She alleged that the pain was horrible. My parents were so obsessed with her that they forgot my birthday. This drove me crazy. No one was paying attention to me. At one point, I wondered if they really knew that I still existed. Tim was the only light in my life. Then, the worst happened. One day, Tim dropped in to see me. My parents were gone somewhere. We talked for a while, and then Tim proposed going to the cinema. I refused. I had to take care of Connie. Moreover, mom would have scolded me if I had left "the poor girl" alone. Meanwhile, in the inner courtyard "the poor girl" was watching a TV show, giggling from time to time. She was slouched into her wheelchair; her casted legs were jutting out, propped on the footrests. A parasol was protecting her from the sun. As she saw me, she immediately asked me for some ice cream. I didn't see any ice-cream in the fridge so I went to buy some. I had to walk at least half an hour in the sweltering heat. Tim stayed to keep her company. I started up the street. Mad with rage, I had forgotten to take money with me so I returned home. To my great surprise, Connie was lying on the grass. Tim had spread her casted legs wide apart and was fucking her. "The poor girl" was moaning passionately. Her toes were curling up and down as my boyfriend was screwing her fiercely. From time to time, Tim was emitting grunting noises. Rooted to the spot, I just watched. They were so occupied with each other that I remained unnoticed. A huge orgasm shook their bodies. I hid and watched some more. Tears were streaming down my face. I was sobbing. My agony became unbearable as Tim hugged her tenderly and started kissing her. He had never kissed me like that. When he brought his lips down on her casted toes and licked them, I turned and left. And never came back."

An awkward silence ensues. Nora's eyes are moist.

"I am so sorry," I say.

Nora bursts into tears and stumbles out of the room. Her clogs are clicking noisily as she is running down the corridor.