The instant my eyes settled on the delicate gold bracelet encircling Stephanie’s wrist, my breath hitched. I recognized it immediately. It was my bracelet. I’d searched high and low for it over the past few weeks, finally accepting it was gone for good. Yet here it was — being worn by the very nurse assigned to my care.
Everything had been going well before I landed in the hospital.
Toby and I had been married for three years, and life felt solid. We weren’t wealthy, but between my job as a fashion consultant and his stable position in finance, we were living comfortably.
Toby often came home from work looking worn out. He rarely had time to ask about my day — but I never brought it up. I knew he was doing it all for us.
One evening, while we were cuddled up on the couch, I gently took his hand in mine.
“I can’t wait until we have a home of our own,” I whispered.
“Me too,” he exhaled. “I just need a little more time to build up our savings. Housing prices are insane right now.”
“I know,” I said with a small smile. “But once we do get one, I want a big kitchen. And a backyard.”
“For a dog?” he asked, grinning.
“For a baby,” I replied, smiling wider.
His face softened with affection. He kissed my forehead. “We’ll make it happen.”
And I truly believed him.
So when he packed for a business trip that Friday, I didn’t think twice. Business travel was just part of his routine — I was used to it.
I decided to use the weekend to do a deep clean of the apartment.
But that choice turned out to be a huge mistake.
While dusting the high shelf in the hallway closet, the ladder beneath me began to wobble.
In that fleeting second, I felt weightless. Then everything crashed down — literally.
The pain was instant and excruciating. It shot through my right leg like fire, knocking the breath from my lungs. My vision blurred as I tried — and failed — to shift my body.
Fighting through the pain, I somehow reached for my phone. My hands were shaking so badly I barely managed to unlock it, but I finally dialed 911.
The paramedics arrived quickly. Every jostle as they lifted me onto the stretcher made me want to scream. I was only half-conscious as they got me into the ambulance.
Once I was in the hospital, X-rays confirmed what I already feared — my leg was broken.
“You’ll need to stay a couple of days,” the doctor explained as he wrapped my leg in a cast. “We have to monitor the swelling before we can safely discharge you.”
As soon as he left the room, I reached for my phone and called Toby.