Private Property: a Contemporary Romance Novella by T. Michelle

scans of your upper arm show that Sam’s teeth chipped the outer edge of your humer u s bone and the bone fragments are now buried into the muscle.  Normally, I’d have no problem leaving them to be absorbed by the body, however, these two pieces,” he held an x-ray film up towards the window so she could see where he was pointing, “are far enough away to cause a justifiable concern and should be positioned back at the break.  Do you understand what that means?”
    Tabitha had a sinking feeling she knew but couldn’t get her mouth to form the words.
    Jared continued.  “It means you need to go to surgery.”  He clasped her clammy hand in his large, warm one, trying to reassure her.  It didn’t work – her heart began to pound, her breathing became shallow and rapid.  “I’ll be there with you; Dr. Moore will be assisting me.  I’ll do all the work and put you back together in no time.  But if we le ave the fragments in the muscle that far away from the bone, chances are it will become infected and that is ten times worse than going to surgery now.”
    Tears had started rolling down her face.  Tabitha sucked up her waning courage and nodded.  “Call Kristen for me.”
    “What about your parents?”
    “No, don’t call them yet.  I’ll do it later.”  She rattled off Kristen’s number and tried to swallow some water.  “When do you want to operate?”  She no longer sounded like herself.  Her voice sounded distant, not of her own body.
    “ First thing in the morning. I need to wait until your body is free from food and water.  S o , after midnight, no more to eat or drink for you.”  He held her hand a few more seconds after standing, then leaned in close r to her face.  “You need to calm down.  You’ve never been through surgery before have you?”
    “I’ve never been admitted to a hospital before.”  She couldn’t stop shaking her head.
    Jared spoke to Dr. Moore over his shoulder in a hushed tone, and then returned his attention to her.  “I’m going to get the nurse to administer some medicine to calm you and allow you some sleep.  I’ll be back to check on you in a bit.  Someone will call Kristen for you as soon as possible.”
    And with that, he was gone.  She was abandoned in her little white room, isolated in her fears.  Her mind began reeling through surgical images she’d seen on the Discovery channel, recalling medical horror stories she’d heard about, and delving into her own mortality.  She felt as though her heart would come out of her chest at any given moment.
    The slight, quiet nurse appeared a gain, wheeling in an IV contraption with bags of liquid swinging from curved hooks on either side of a long pole.  “Ms. McLean , I’m Sheila.  Dr. Larsen ordered an IV for you.”  She produced a large syringe of sorts and tapped its belly.  Have you ever had an IV before?”
    Tabitha shook her head weakly.
    “ Well, it’s just a way to administer medicine in a continual, but adjustable dose .”  She thumped the plastic shunt to demonstrate its flexibility.  “There will be a sharp, quick pinch in the back of your hand and then it won’t hurt a bit, okay?”  She didn’t wait for Tabitha’s consent, but picked up her right hand and began swabbing it with a cold alcohol pad .  There was an uncomfortable sting and then Tabitha felt a cold climb up her arm.  She watched Sheila stick the needle of a smaller syringe into a branch off the main tube and empty its contents.
    “You should feel rather sleepy here in a moment or two.”  Sheila went about checking Tabitha’s vital signs before fluffing the pillows up behind her.  “Try to get some rest, Ms. McLean .  I’ve made the call you asked for and your friend Kristen will be here as soon as she can.”
    Tabitha didn’t fight the tiredness that overcame her and was thankful to drift off to sleep.  She barely remembered bits and pieces of the afternoon from that moment on.  Kristen had