Page 127 of Urgent Vows
"Thank you." I hate the thought of disappointing Aria, but not as much as I hate the idea of spending the rest of my life in an unending social whirl.
The doctor I met at the hospital on my wedding day arrives. He asks tons of questions about the pain, what causes it, when it is most acute, how long I've been dealing with it and when he finds out about the fall down the stairs fifteen years before wants to know all about follow-up care.
There wasn't any.
"I thought Francesco had hired a physical therapist under the table. I should have known better," Severu says, sounding guilty.
Severu is so upset about the pain I'm in, he doesn't complain when the doctor says he'd like to do a physical examination. However, he does make sure every part of my body other than my hip area is covered.
"I'd like to have X-rays taken of this area as well as an MRI," the doctor says when he's done.
"Set it up for tomorrow at our hospital," my husband demands.
The doctor nods and then looks at me. "Do you use a chiropractor?"
"No. I do Yoga."
"That is probably why you are as mobile as you are, but either a chiropractor or a physical therapist would be beneficial. You might try acupuncture as an alternative to taking pain meds every day."
"I don't take them every day." Only when the pain gets too bad to manage. "And I rarely take a prescription level dose of ibuprofen either."
The doctor nods.
Severu pulls the blankets back up, covering my nudity. "Would an acupuncturist help her tonight?" he asks.
"It would be worth trying."
I'm kind of shocked that a traditional doctor would suggest alternative medicine and say so.
He grimaces. "I see a lot of patients with recurring injuries. Prescribing opiates every time is a recipe for addiction."
And made men cannot be controlled by anything that would make them a risk to the organization.
"That's why you had that cream on hand at the hospital."
"Yes." He looks at my husband and then back to me. "Bruises are a common ramification of certain jobs within your husband's organization. As are broken bones."
"Call an acupuncturist," my husband instructs the doctor, who nods.
Then he gets up and goes into the other room to make the call.
"You want me to let someone stick needles into my hip?" I ask.
He looks at me like I'm precious to him. "Whatever it takes to diminish your pain."
I'm surprised to discover that mitigating the pain in my hip requires needles in several parts of my body. Even more shocking is how it relaxes me. I fall asleep before the needles are removed.
Chapter 42
CATALINA
When I wake, it is morning and I'm almost entirely pain free.
I turn to find Severu watching me. He's still in bed. Wow.
"How are you feeling?" he asks.
"Much better."
