Love in the Falls by Rachel Hanna Read Free Book Online Page B

he might not be my fiance anymore after that conversation,” she said looking down.
     
    “Sorry.”
     
    “It’s not your fault.”
     
    “Isn’t it?” Sam asked softly. She had never seen such a sad look in someone’s eyes before.
     
    “No, it’s not. Things happen. And I wanted to be here for you. You needed me, and that was nice. No one has really needed me before,” Camden said.
     
    “Still do,” he said smiling.
     
    “Good. Right now, I need a distraction.”
     
    “You can go home,” he said softly.
     
    “I don’t want to.”
     
    “Okay.”
     
    Before the conversation could progress any further, a woman walked into the room. She was petite with red hair down to her shoulders and wearing a brown pantsuit.
     
    “Mr. Steele?” she said as she approached the bed. “I’m Valerie Jameson. I’m a stroke specialist, and I will be coming to see you everyday just to monitor your progress.” The woman reached down and touched Sam’s hand and he nodded without speaking.
     
    “Hi, I’m Camden,” she said reaching out to shake Valerie’s hand.
     
    “Are you Mr. Steele’s wife? Or girlfriend?”
     
    “Um… no. Neither, actually. I’m the person who helped him up at the falls. But, we have become fast friends,” Camden said smiling down at Sam. He smiled back.
     
    “I see. Well, I am looking forward to working with you, Mr. Steele. I have heard great things about your progress, and that you will be getting into a room today.”
     
    “Yes,” Sam said.
     
    She stood by the bed and looked down at him. His eyes were emotionless, almost as if the gravity of the situation was just hitting him.
     
    “I need to do a daily assessment of you, Mr. Steele, okay?”
     
    “Sam.”
     
    “Alright. Sam. Can you tell me your full name?”
     
    “Samuel Jack Steele,” he said slowly and quietly. His voice was nowhere near normal in volume or speed, but he was clear. Camden knew that was a good sign as she stood at the foot of the bed watching the assessment.
     
    “Good, Sam. Now, do you know what day of the week it is?”
     
    “No.”
     
    “That’s okay. It’s easy to lose track of time when something like this happens. We will work on that,” she said. “Are you able to squeeze my hand with your right hand?”
     
    Sam squeezed her hand. It was not the strength of a normal man who ran a farm, but it was enough to be usable to him. She moved to the other side of the bed and reached for his left hand.
     
    “How about this one?” she asked. His hand did not move. Camden wasn’t surprised because she had not seen him move it yet.
     
    “No,” Sam said with a sad look on his face. His eyes searched for Camden’s and she smiled at him to let him know it was okay.
     
    “That’s okay, Sam. We will work on that,” Valerie said.
     
    Valerie started to move toward the door, and turned around to look at Sam.
     
    “Once you are in your room, we will visit daily and work on some tasks. You will also see a physical therapist a few times each week to work on gaining some strength back. I think your outlook is good, Sam.” With that, she turned and left the room. Camden could tell she was all about business, and didn’t have a lot of friendliness in her personality.
     
    “See? You are going to do great. Everyone thinks so,” Camden said smiling as she sat back down next to him in the chair.
     
    “Hope so.”
     
    ***
     
    Rebecca and Drake arrived around lunch time. They brought clothes for Sam as well as some of his most cherished items. There was a picture of his late father, who was also a very handsome man. They even brought a picture of his dog, a black lab named Gruff.
     
    Camden was getting to learn more and more about Sam through his sister, his friend and even his belongings. She wondered why she had this strange attraction to a man she hardly knew. She only knew that she wanted to continue knowing him and helping him.
     
     

Chapter 11
     
    That afternoon, Sam was