“My legs are broken.”
I looked down at the casts as I spoke, almost believing that if he saw them clearly enough, something human might return to his expression.
“I know what the doctors said.”
He leaned over the bedrail, mint sharp on his breath.
“I also heard the billing department talking about another payment. I’m done throwing money away on this performance.”
Performance.
For a moment, that word hurt more than my ribs.
The casts were not a performance.
Neither were the fractures, the stitches, the swollen wrist, the bruising beneath my hospital gown, or the medical chart hanging outside my room with my name printed clearly across the top.
The nurses had seen me cry when pain medication wore off too early.
They had watched two staff members work together just to reposition my legs safely.
They had reminded me that asking for help was not weakness.
