For Better, For Worse

Part One
Chapter One



25th July 2009
The sun shone in through the windows and I had to move the mirror in front of me out of the way of the sun’s rays. I stared into the mirror trying to make out if it was actually me underneath the inch of makeup on my face. My eyelashes were curled to the extreme and covered in thick black mascara, my skin was flawless and my cheeks were rouged to perfection. My usually wild curly hair had been tamed and pinned back. I looked most unlike myself but after all it was my wedding day and what girl would not want to look her best on her wedding day?



A high-pitched shout interrupted my inspection of my face, “Lex!” it was Shaz. “Lexi! Are you ready to go?” A stampede of footsteps sounded up the stairs following her words and suddenly Shaz burst into the room. Shaz was tiny with platinum blonde cropped hair and these huge brown eyes. Right now she was widening these eyes at me and beckoning that I had to go.
“Yeah Shaz I’m just about done,” I replied smiling at her.



I had known Shaz since primary school where we’d played together on thEe swings and we’d stuck together ever since.



I gathered everything up around me that I needed for the wedding. I was sure I was forgetting something...
“Oh crap! Shaz I have to get a bottle of whiskey!” I smacked a hand against my forehead. How could I have forgotten?




Shaz looked up. “Lexi not now! You don’t need a bottle of whiskey now! You have to get to the church in five minutes!” she looked deeply shocked that I could even have thought of such an idea.
“No honestly Shaz, I need to! It’s for my dad,” I explained. “I know it’s weird but the tradition in my family is that the father of the bride always has a glass of whiskey to toast the bride on the way to the church. And you don’t know how long my dad has been going on about it now that it’s his turn to be the father of the bride!”
Getting back to her feet, Shaz sighed. Her eyes read the expression on my face and she realised I wasn’t going to give in. “Fine! Fine. You need whiskey. Right, me or Nat will pop out and get a bottle,” she said preparing to leave the room.




But at that moment there was another stampede of footsteps and my other best friend Nat flew into my room. Standing together, my two best friends were such a contrast. Nat was tall with long caramel coloured hair and intensely bright blue eyes with these amazing cheekbones that, next to Shaz made Shaz look even tinier and made her hair seem brighter still.




I had met Nat during my second year of University whilst she was in her first. Having just had an awful exam during my Creative Writing course I was in floods of tears in the bathroom. Nat had swanned in and put an arm around me with no qualms as to the fact that we didn’t know each other. She took me for coffee and the rest is history. On an impulse I had introduced Shaz and Nat and totally unexpectedly they got on like a house on fire.



Lexi, you look absolutely gorgeous!” Nat breathed, looking awestruck. This was a compliment coming from Nat, as I’m sure I would still be out-shone by her as we walked down the aisle.
“Nat, she’s trying to nip over to the off licence when we need to go to the church now!” frowned Shaz looking to Nat for support.
“What!” exclaimed Nat her eyes wide. “Lexi, you must be kidding! We’re late as it is!”




I licked my lips nervously. “Please, I am shaking and I feel sick, all I want is some fresh air and I may as well combine that with getting Dad’s whiskey, I’ll literally be two minutes.” I said stubbornly. Shaz opened her mouth. “And I’ll be careful with my dress!” I added quickly



Shaz closed her mouth and looked at Nat; they both looked at me and nodded. They’d known me long enough to know when I wasn’t going to give up. I hugged Shaz gratefully.



I ran past them and headed down the stairs before they could protest or stop me. I ran past the other members of the wedding party who were putting the finishing touches to their dresses, hair and makeup and was just about out the door when someone grabbed hold of me.



I whipped around to see who it was and groaned when I saw it was her, there was no getting out of this one. My mother was a tall woman with an aura of power around her. I knew I’d never be able to get the whisky now. However I was surprised to see that as she took in me in my wedding dress, her eyes had welled up. She was dressed impeccably in a lilac dress and her makeup was perfect. But now the makeup round the edges of her eyes was beginning to smudge with the early warning signs of tears.
“Oh mum! Come here!” I held out my arms to her and she fell into them.
“But Alexia, you look so beautiful, you’re my little baby and now you’re getting married!” she sobbed. I rolled my eyes.




“Mum honestly, we’re not even at the church yet! Save the tears for later! Now come on let’s find someone to fix your makeup for you.” I took her by the hand and led her into the kitchen where my Auntie Nina was running round after various small children. She looked relieved to see me, but her eyebrows rose when she saw my mother in tears.
“Auntie Nina, please...” but I didn’t need to say anymore, Nina bustled over and took my mother from me, her soothing voice calming my mother down.



Nina sat her on the small sofa, took out a makeup compact from her bag, and started reapplying mascara and powder. I left the room to tales of my first steps as a baby, my first word and how could I have grown up so quickly as Nina listened patiently.



I finally made it out of the front door and hastened down the drive towards the busy street. Immediately people stared, it was not a usual thing to see a bride wandering around. It was a gorgeous day, the sun was beating day and the sky was blue and cloudless. It truly was the perfect day for a wedding.



Suddenly, I remembered that I needed to tell Shaz to pick up my blue earrings that I’d left behind that had belonged to my grandmother on the dressing table and were my ‘something blue’.




I hastily dialled Shaz's number.



I stepped off the pavement with the phone pressed to my ear. There was a squeal of brakes, screams and pain like nothing before consumed me, the phone dropped from my hand and my world faded out to black.

Part One, Chapter Two

Part One, Chapter Two


White light seeped under my eyelids and I struggled to open them as they felt heavy and swollen. When I finally managed,
all I could see was fuzzy white. Slowly the mist cleared and my surroundings swam into focus. I was lying in a hospital bed connected to many bleeping machines, the smell of various disinfectants stinging my nose - I felt like death.



I thought I could hear talking but it felt very distant and muffled - I realised that people must be talking behind the door that I could see. But as the talking grew louder and louder, I realised it was coming from beside me.



With great effort, I turned my stiff neck to the right to be faced with a thin, clean-shaven man wearing scrubs.
“Alexia?”
Something about the word seemed familiar and my brain took a few more fuzzy moments than usual to register it before it finally sank in that ‘Alexia’ was my name. I tried to talk but my throat felt like it was contracting around sandpaper. Instead I coughed and focused on the man who had walked round to the side of me.
“..suffered extensive injuries. You’ve been in a coma for two weeks. But after such a horrific accident that is not totally unexpected.” I couldn’t take in everything that this man was saying, words like ‘extensive injuries’, ‘coma’ and ‘horrific accident’ sounded alien as they whirled round my head and the blood pounded in my ears.



I turned away not wanting to hear more.
“I’m afraid you were hit by a bus on the 25th July, two weeks ago,” as the doctor patted me on the shoulder. Something about the 25th July struck a chord within me.
“The wedding!” I murmured.
“Yes, your fiancé is very concerned about you,” said Dr Campbell quickly. “But unfortunately I have some more bad news for you Alexia; you suffered a lot of damage to your legs from the accident. We cannot be definite at this moment in time, but it is possible that you might never walk again. I’m so sorry.”



The room started to swirl, I couldn’t deal with this. I might not be able to walk again? Automatically I tried to sit up in bed but realised that the Doctor was right, my legs felt like lead and I was unable to move them.



Defeated, I slumped back against my pillows. Silent tears began to run down my face and I did nothing to stop them. Dr Campbell looked on somewhat awkwardly.
“There are some options which you have in terms of physiotherapy however, that may help you regain at least the feeling back into your legs. But I’m afraid at the moment your chances of walking again are fairly limited due to a narrow range of treatments.” The doctor ended quietly.



At that moment, the door opened and in entered my fiance Ethan. He was dressed in a suit, his brown hair looking ruffled.



Forgetting my legs, I tried to get up as soon as I caught sight of Ethan but frustrated, I had to give up and lie back down again.



At the sight of me awake and trying to sit up, Ethan's mouth dropped open in shock.



This time when I sank back against the pillows, I smiled because now that Ethan was here, everything was sure to be alright...