The substitute bride

Chapter 6

Rebekah approached her son and touched his face, gently caressing him before leaning down and giving him a kiss on the forehead.

— Do you remember Mommy, sweetie? — Rebekah asks, stroking her son's face.

— I remember... I'm still a little confused. — Bryan replies, shifting in bed and rubbing his face, showing that he is puzzled by the whole situation.

— And the accident, do you remember that? — Rebekah asks.

— I only remember being at the bar... the rest is not very clear. — he says. — My head hurts.

Bryan tells his mother, who quickly says she will call a doctor to attend to him. Rebekah leaves, leaving Petra there alone under Bryan's curious gaze.

She walked slowly to the bed, and Bryan continued to look at her intently. Petra was starting to get very nervous.

— So, you are my wife? — the man asked with a hoarse voice.

Petra nodded, unsure of what to say. She felt a tightness in her chest as she looked at him. He was tall with dark, shiny brown hair and deep blue eyes. Petra couldn’t deny that he was very handsome.

However, Petra felt strange. She couldn’t deny the physical attraction she felt for him, but still, she didn’t know anything about the man lying in that hospital bed.

She sat beside him, wrapping her fingers in the sheets as she tried to find the words to say.

— How did you become my wife? — he asked. — I had a fiancée, but it wasn't you.

— You were going to marry my sister. — Petra said honestly. — Emma didn't want to marry, so I kind of became the substitute bride; my father didn’t want to break your contract, the merger of the companies had to happen one way or another.

She was honest with her words; Petra was not one to beat around the bush, so she got straight to the point and laid it all out.

Bryan inadvertently smiled; he liked sincere people who always got straight to the point without beating around the bush.

— Why are you laughing? — Petra asked, looking at him curiously, but a smile formed on her lips.

— You are sincere, I like that. — he said.

The girl's cheeks flushed, and she looked away, trying to disguise her smile, but her attention returned to the man when he held her hand and looked deeply into her eyes; Petra was mesmerized.

— Why did your sister back out of the marriage? — the man asked, looking at her; his gaze was so intense that Petra simply couldn't hide anything from him.

— She said she didn’t want to marry a disabled man and that she didn’t want to spend the rest of her life pushing a wheelchair... — when Petra realized what she was saying, she quickly stopped and looked at Bryan with an apologetic expression.

Bryan let out a deep sigh, and when he finally decided to say something, the door was opened by his mother, behind her was a doctor and a nurse.

The nurse gave Bryan medication for his headache, and after that, she left, and the doctor approached.

— What are you feeling? — the doctor asked Bryan.

— Nothing, just my head hurts. — he replied while looking at the doctor.

— The headache is due to your effort to remember what happened; I ask that you not force your memory; let it come back gradually and naturally. — said the doctor, and Bryan nodded. — Do you feel your legs?

Bryan shook his head.

Petra watched him from afar; he didn’t seem too scared about the whole situation; his face merely showed confusion regarding everything that had happened.

— Alright, this is normal due to the surgery and the two months in a coma. — the doctor said. Bryan closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them and glanced at Petra. — You will need a physiotherapist, but it would be even better and more productive if you did massages on your legs constantly to stimulate the muscles. This will yield better results with the physiotherapy.

— I’m sure my wife will help me with the massages. — Bryan said, looking at Petra, a sideways smile on his face as he gazed at his wife, who quickly turned crimson.

Would she touch him? Would she help him?... but how would she do that?

— How... how can I help with the massage? — Petra asked, still blushing. — I don’t know how to give a massage; I don't know what the right massage would be to stimulate your muscles.

— I will give you some books where you will read and learn about the muscles, how they work, and where they are located. — the doctor said. — That way, it will be easier for you to massage the right spot.

— Alright. — Petra said, smiling gratefully.

— And when can I go home? — Bryan asked.

— First, you will need to undergo some tests, and you will also be kept under observation. — the doctor replied. — The hospital's physiotherapist will start some exercise sessions with you; if you like her services, you can hire her as your regular physiotherapist until you recover. And regarding going home, I believe you will be able to go next week, but with all possible precautions.

— Alright, I will take all the necessary precautions. — Bryan said. — My wife will take good care of me.

Petra, who had not taken her eyes off her husband since she entered that room, blushed again; she must have looked silly for acting this way. But the truth was, she wasn’t used to the fact that she was now married and that Bryan had a certain power over her. Petra had never dated, never gotten intimately involved with anyone, she had only shared a few kisses, if she could even call them kisses. So the whole situation was new to her, and it made her very embarrassed.

— That's good. — the doctor said. — Having the care of someone you love is wonderful and will help in recovery. I just ask that you don’t overdo it with s*x; Bryan is still recovering.

The doctor’s directness was enough to mortify Petra; looking at Bryan, he was smiling as he watched Petra embarrassed. She looked away while the doctor explained some more about the precautions Bryan should take.