Ava's Blessing In Disguise: Short Story (The Blushing Brides Book 7)

by Lorana Hoopes

  Ava wanted to thank him. There was no way she could have driven back to the clinic.

  “Ava? Come with me?”

  Ava stood and followed Virginia down the hallway once again. “I’m so sorry about this.”

  “I’m just glad you have the option to do them in house. I don’t think I could have driven back.”

  Virginia rolled her eyes. “No, and it’s ridiculous that that’s what they wanted you to do. We’ll just get these taken quickly and get you some relief.”

  “Thank you.” Ava followed Virginia’s directions and stood still while the x-rays were taken again.

  “All right, Ava, all done. Dr. Gibson should be in soon.”

  Ava sank down in the chair and rested her head once again. She hoped Chris would be able to provide her relief. The pain was getting more intense.

  The door opened and Chris entered. “Hey Ava. I’m sorry to see you’re in so much pain. You have no idea what you did, huh?”

  “No, I just woke up with a slight pain in my neck, but now I can’t move it.”

  “It’s probably a pinched nerve, but let me take a look at your x-rays.”

  Ava used her fingers to tilt her head up slightly so she could see the screen. She had no idea how to read the pictures, but even she could tell that the top vertebrate in her neck didn’t look right.

  “Yep, right there.” Chris pointed at the twisted vertebrate. “Your C1-C4 are very clearly out of alignment. The good news is we can treat you and get you some relief. The bad news is that it’s going to take a few days.”

  The weight that sat on Ava’s shoulders grew heavier. “Days?”

  “Yeah, I mean I would bet that you’ll be about ten percent better tomorrow and another twenty percent the day after. Then when we have you moving again, we can look at why this happened. Okay?”

  “Okay.” Ten percent wasn’t much, but Ava’s pain was so bad now that she would take whatever relief he could give. Even if it was only ten percent.

  “Now this is going to hurt today, but it should feel a little better after this adjustment.” He held out a hand to help her stand and led her over to the adjustment table. “Let’s have you lie down on your back.”

  “I’m not sure I can,” Ava said in a small voice.

  “I’ll help. Just wrap your arms around my neck.”

  Ava did as Chris instructed, and he placed a hand behind her neck. The pain hit when she was still a foot from the table and by the time he got her prone, tears filled her eyes.

  “I know this hurts and what I’m about to do will hurt even more, but then you should feel better.” His hands twisted and pulled at her neck and Ava bit back the scream that wanted to emerge. “Wiggle your left foot,” he said and then yanked on her neck.

  Pain like she had never felt before flooded her body, and Ava couldn’t stop the whimper that escaped her lips. Nor could she stop the tear that trickled out of the corner of her eye.

  “I know. One more.”

  Ava wasn’t sure she could take one more, but before she had time to think about it, he had probed and yanked the right side of her neck. The pain burned through her body blacking out her vision for a moment. More tears joined the first cascading down her cheeks.

  “I know it hurts, and it’s okay to cry. I’ll be right back with an ice pack, and I just want you to lay here for twenty minutes or so.”

  Ava wasn’t sure she could stay in this position another five minutes much less twenty, but she would try. As Chris left the room to get the ice pack, Ava let the tears stream down her face. “Please, Lord, take the pain away.”

  Chris returned a moment later with the ice pack and slid it under her neck before exiting again, but the pain didn’t lessen. Ava felt trapped. She couldn’t sit up due to the pain, but she couldn’t lay here much longer. Should she scream out? Could they hear her crying? Surely, he would come back in a few minutes. She could last another few minutes.

  “How are you doing?” Chris asked a few minutes later as he entered the room again.

  “Can I sit up and put the ice on my neck that way?” Ava managed through her tears.

  “It’s not quite as effective. Is this position bothering you?”

  “It hurts so much.”

  “Okay, let’s get you up then.”

  Ava had no strength to even help push; she was completely reliant on Chris as he put an arm around her and pulled her up. Again, the pain blacked out her vision for a moment.

  “There you go. Think you’re okay to drive home?”

  “Maybe in a minute. The room is still spinning.”

  “Of course. When you get home, I want you to sit with this ice pack on. Twenty minutes on and then chill it for forty. Then ice again. Okay?”

  Ava agreed but she was beginning to wonder if she would make it home. And if she did, how she would venture out again to get Kelsie. She was going to have to call in more favors.

  Chapter 3

  Justin’s face was etched with concern when he entered the house that night. “Ava? What’s going on?”

  She put her fingers to her lips and pointed to Kylie who was curled up on the couch. With a much softer voice she answered his question. “I’m not sure. I woke up a little stiff today and now I can’t move my neck.”

  “Have you been to the doctor?”

  “I went and saw Chris. He thinks it’s just a pinched nerve.”

  Justin folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow. “No offense to Chris, but I think you need to see a doctor. What if it’s something more serious?”

  “I have another adjustment with him tomorrow, but if it’s not better, I promise I’ll go to the doctor. Now, do you think you can take this little one upstairs to her bed? I’m probably going to sleep here tonight.” The painful memory of trying to lay flat at the chiropractor’s was still fresh in her mind and Ava had no desire to repeat that. Plus, Justin left earlier in the morning than she did. What if she could lay down but then couldn’t get up the next morning? No, it was better to sleep in the recliner and not bother Justin. Besides, the pain was manageable as long as she sat just perfectly in the recliner.

  “Yes, I’ll get Kylie, and then I’m coming back to check on you.”

  Ava appreciated his concern, but there was nothing he could do for her. She’d spent the last several hours icing her neck, then sleeping while it chilled again, then icing it again. Afraid to drive more than she had to, she’d asked Gen to pick up Kylie and grab her some food on the way home. Thankfully, Kylie had been willing to spend the evening watching TV on the couch – something Ava rarely let her do most days.

  True to his word, Justin returned after scooping Kylie up and dropping her off upstairs. “Is there anything I can do for you?” His eyes roamed over Ava as if unsure where or how to help.

  “Can you put this back in the freezer for me?” She handed him the ice pack and grimaced only slightly as her neck readjusted to the slight difference in space with the pack gone.

  He took it from her and walked to the kitchen. She heard the freezer door open and close, and then he was in front of her again. “Anything else?”

  “Pray with me?” Though Ava had been praying throughout the day herself, hearing her husband pray over her sounded like exactly the healing she needed.

  With a smile, Justin placed his hand on her head. “Lord, we thank you for this day. We thank you for the many blessings you have given us, but tonight we come to you with a request. Please heal Ava’s neck – whatever is going on – and give her rest. We know that you are the divine healer and we ask that you would place that healing hand on her. Give her comfort and healing so that she can return to her normal life. In your name we pray, Amen.”

  “Amen,” Ava echoed and she squeezed his hand. “Thank you. I’m sorry I won’t be in bed tonight.”

  Justin leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. “You just worry about you and getting the rest you need. Besides if I get too lonely, there’s a couch right there I can come clai
m.”

  “I love you, Justin Miller.”

  “And I love you, Ava.” He placed another kiss on her cheek and then headed upstairs.

  Ava was left in the dark empty living room. Justin often fell asleep down here when he got off work late, but Ava never did, and the eerie quiet pressed in on her. She flicked on the TV and surfed through the channels until she found something she wouldn’t mind watching.

  At some point her eyes closed, and when she opened them again, the show was over. The clock showed an hour had passed and as Ava’s neck was throbbing again, she decided to get the ice pack again. And maybe some Tylenol. Chris had suggested she go light on the pain killers so that she didn’t assume she was better and tweak her neck even more, but at this point Ava doubted two Tylenol would do that for her. She wasn’t even sure how much it would dull the pain, but she needed something.

  She shuffled into the kitchen and retrieved the ice pack wrapping it in a paper towel to keep it from burning her neck. Then she grabbed the Tylenol from the upper cabinet. Kylie wasn’t the type of kid to get into cabinets, but Ava still liked keeping the medicine out of her reach.

  Ava flicked the lid off easily but as she stared down at the two white pills in her palm, she wondered how she was going to swallow them. Taking pills was not her specialty and the only way she could generally do it was to fill her mouth with water, tilt her head back, and drop the pills in. But there was no way she could do that in her current condition. She’d have to try something different.

  Ava filled her mouth with water and then as carefully as possible, she slid the pills into her mouth. When they were both in, she swallowed, hoping the water would wash them down her throat. She hated the bitter taste of pills in her mouth if they didn’t make it down the first time. Thankfully, luck was with her and she felt both pills make it down her throat. After replacing the pill bottle, she grabbed the ice pack and headed back to the recliner.

  It took her another few minutes, but finally she was situated just right so that the pain was manageable and she was as comfortable as possible.

  * * *

  “Mommy, can I have cereal?”

  Ava opened her eyes and turned as much as she could to see her daughter standing next to the recliner. “Yeah Baby. Just give Mommy a second to wake up.” A second wouldn’t really cut it. Nor would a pot of black coffee. Ava had tossed and turned most of the night either waking up due to the pain or some unknown creak and groan of the house. She would definitely be napping today after getting Kylie dropped off.

  Her neck screamed in agony as she righted the recliner and stood. Ava had thought that maybe it was getting a little better yesterday with all the icing, but this morning it seemed even stiffer if that was possible, and a funny pressure in her ears along with a fire when she swallowed had joined the pain in her neck. But she put on a brave face for her daughter.

  “Did you sleep good Pumpkin?” She ruffled her daughter’s blond curls as she crossed to the kitchen.

  “Yeah, I didn’t dream though.”

  “Well, we don’t always dream, so that’s not always a bad thing. Did you want cereal this morning?”

  “Uh huh, the cinnamon kind.”

  Ava retrieved a bowl and then grabbed the cereal from the pantry. With her daughter taken care of, she turned her attention to the coffee pot. She had never drunk coffee until she met Justin, but his pot a day habit had started to slowly rub off on her, and now she found she craved a cup or two in the morning. Thankfully, her stomach seemed to hit its coffee limit at two cups which was usually fine with Ava. Today though she wished it would tolerate more because she wasn’t sure how she would function on just two cups.

  “Are you going to take a shower today, Mommy?” Kylie asked before shoveling in a large spoonful of cereal.

  Ava grimaced at the thought. It had been hard enough washing her hair yesterday morning and she’d had limited movement then. She had none today and couldn’t imagine how challenging it would prove this morning. “I think I’ll skip it today. Mommy has to take off work today and rest anyway.”

  Kylie’s face lit up. “Can I stay home with you Mommy?”

  “Oh, baby, I’d love that, but Mommy has to go see the doctor again to see if he can fix my neck. Then I’ll probably sleep most of the day. I wouldn’t be much fun today.”

  Kylie’s lips pushed out in a pout. “Okay, Mommy, but we’ll have a playday soon, right?”

  “Of course we will.” Ava hoped she wasn’t lying to her daughter. The thought of anything more than sitting in her chair all day sent her stomach curling in on itself, but surely another adjustment today would have her neck feeling better.

  After a quick breakfast for herself and a change of clothes for both of them, Ava herded Kylie out to the car. “Can you climb up today, baby? Because Mommy cannot lift you.”

  “Sure I can, Mommy. I’m four now, remember?” Said in her matter of fact voice, Ava couldn’t help but smile as she watched her daughter climb into the car. When had she gotten so big?

  Ava eased herself into her own seat trying not to move her neck any more than she had to. The ride to Heidi’s was slow and painful, but Ava once again thanked God when she arrived safely. Driving with limited movement was scary, but having her daughter in the car upped her anxiety. She would never forgive herself if she got in an accident with Kylie in the car.

  “Whoa, you don’t look much better,” Heidi said as Ava signed Kylie in.

  “No, I’m afraid it isn’t much better. I couldn’t even lay down last night – had to sleep in the recliner, but I have another adjustment today, so I’m hoping that helps.”

  “I’ll be praying for you.” Those five simple words were one of the main reasons Ava and Justin had followed Heidi when she started her in home center. At the other daycare, most of the workers had been believers but because it was a business, they could rarely express their faith, but Heidi worked for herself now and that meant she could be open and vocal about her beliefs. Ava was comforted by the knowledge that Heidi would not only talk to Kylie about God but taught her prayers as well.

  “Thank you.” Ava glanced down at Kylie wrapped tightly around Ava’s leg. “Kylie, honey, it’s time to stay with Heidi. She’ll take good care of you until Mommy comes back.”

  “No, I don’t want you to leave,” Kylie said shaking her head back and forth.

  “Kylie, you have to. Mommy has to get her neck fixed again, but I promise I’ll be back to get you this afternoon.”

  “You promise?” Her daughter’s wide blue eyes tugged on Ava’s heart. She’d thought she was doing a good job hiding her pain, but clearly Kylie could sense something was off. Ava would have to up her game and work on her poker face to assure her daughter.

  “I promise baby.”

  Chapter 4

  Dread filled Ava as she pulled into the parking lot of Caring Chiropractic. It wasn’t that she disliked seeing Chris or even his employees, but the thought of the adjustment and the pain it would bring again was almost unbearable. She took a deep breath and prayed for courage as she opened the front door of the office.

  “Ava, you look better today,” Chris said.

  “Really? I don’t feel any better. I still can’t move my neck and I had to sleep in a chair last night.”

  He nodded as if he’d expected that answer. “Not surprising, but after today’s adjustment, you should feel thirty percent better.”

  Ava scribbled her name on the sign in log. “Is it going to hurt as much as it did yesterday?”

  “Probably, but then it will get better. Come on, I’ll take you back before you have too long to think about it.” He motioned for her to follow him down the hallway.

  “Do we have to do it lying down again?” The fear in Ava’s voice surprised her. She didn’t normally consider herself a fearful person, but that pain yesterday had been… she didn’t even have words for what it had been.

  “We can try sitting if you’d like.” Chris pulled the chair into the cent
er of the room and patted the back. “Just make sure you put your back all the way against the back of the chair here.”

  Ava complied and tried to relax as his hands felt around her neck again, but it was impossible. Even with his help in moving her neck, the pain started before he yanked and then skyrocketed off the charts with the swift movement. Not quite as bad as yesterday but close. Oh, so close. The second yank sent tears to her eyes but they didn’t fall today.

  “Okay, more ice today and take it easy.” Chris patted her shoulder and then helped her stand.

  “I will.” Ava had no plans to do anything other than sit in her recliner, sleep, and maybe write a little if she was lucky.

  * * *

  When she woke that afternoon, the first thing she did was pop more Tylenol. She didn’t like feeling like she needed it to get through the day, but that’s exactly where she was.

  The Tylenol dulled the ache enough that she decided to try writing. She settled into the chair and opened her laptop, but before she dove into her story, she decided to check her mail. Normally an everyday activity, she hadn’t done it at all yesterday.

  Ava sighed as she read the first email. She was supposed to lead worship practice tonight. Having always loved singing, she had joined the worship team shortly after she and Justin married. And she loved it, but the thought of singing on stage this week with such pain in her neck filled her with fear. She should cancel, say she couldn’t make it, but the normal worship leader and the pianist were both out of town. The responsibility for making sure the team practiced and sounded good lay firmly on her shoulders.

  She’d have Justin drive her tonight. He’d said he’d be home earlier today. Dropping Kylie off was scary enough but Heidi’s home was close so she didn’t have to drive far. The church was across town and would require getting on the interstate – not something Ava felt comfortable doing with no movement in her neck. And surely by Sunday the pain would be gone or at least diminished enough that she could function.