Page 3 of The Lord who Seduced Me
Nathaniel held a glass of water out to him and helped him drink a little of it. “Do you not remember the rescue?”
Cabe nodded, “I-I remember the rescue, b-but not much after that point.”
Nathaniel sighed, “The fighting was horrible. We lost more men of our crew, and a lot of the navy men. We thought we had won when the Renegade and his crew left, but he turned his cannons on us. And blew up your ship. It could not be saved. It sank. I am sorry.”
Cabe sighed, “It isn’t y-your fault. No one could have predicted any of this, and to me? Knowing I don’t have to go back on that ship where we lived through hell? I am more than all right with it.”
Nathaniel grimaced, “I feel the same. But there is more,” he looked down and then back into Cabe’s eyes. “You were right in the middle of cannon fire and were caught in a blast.”
Cabe looked down at his leg. Or what was left of it. He lifted the blanket to see his leg bandaged up his thigh, and down to the stump below his knee.
He put the blanket down and looked over at Nathaniel. “What happened?”
Nathaniel sighed, “After you were thrown off the ship, and pulled up to this one, we saw that your leg had been ripped to shreds. It was barely hanging on below your knee. Your foot was gone. And it was not salvageable. Not in the least. So, the ship’s doctor cut it off.”
Cabe shut his eyes. What was he going to do now? Nathaniel cleared his throat and Cabe looked over at his closest friend.
“I know you must be upset. But there are things we can do with your leg. They have new prosthetics all the time.”
Cabe shook his head. “I will figure it out. I just need time to process that not only have I lost my ship, but also my leg. My life won’t be the same from this point forward.”
Nathaniel sighed, “At least you are alive Cabe. That is all that matters really. Be grateful for that small mercy.”
Cabe shook his head again, “Should I be grateful? I don’t have a goddamn leg Nathaniel!”
Nathaniel took a step back from him. His face was a mask of calm. Cabe could see his eye twitch and the anger in them though.
He sighed, “I apologize. It’s a lot to take in a few minutes. What am I supposed to do now?”
Nathaniel shrugged. “I don’t know. I honestly do not. But if anyone can get through this and come out the other side a better man, it's you.”
* * *
Those words proved prophetic. When they got back to England, Cabe immediately retired to his country estate after getting out of the hospital.
The hospital was a blur, and he could hardly remember it. He was still getting over his fever and trying to figure out life without his leg.
He did remember Cole coming to visit and how he was so glad to see him. Aside from his crew, Cole St. Andrew was the only friend Cabe had.
Getting to the country, one of the very first things Cabe did was take the prosthetic apart. The one he was given that is.
It was a thick slab of solid wood, and it didn’t allow free range of motion, and that’s what he needed. So, he and his steward, Reginald made a few new ones.
Ones where the ankle joint moved like a real ankle. Ones that were light, but still strong enough to hold his weight and let him move about freely.
And Cabe worked hard. He worked out every day, for hours and hours on end.
Learning to walk with and without his prosthetic on. He taught himself how to use his cane so he could walk without the prosthetic all the time.
It wasn’t always comfortable; it was heavy and cumbersome when they first started out. It was hard to use at first and he needed to be able to be confident in doing things without it.
He also taught himself to ride a horse again. With and without his leg. He got quite good. And he was strong. His body was thickly muscled, and he was confident in himself again.
He could move with his new leg seamlessly. He walked with barely a limp, and if you didn’t know about his injury, you would have no idea he had it.
His scars healed and though you could still see them, they were not as noticeable. His hair had grown long, as had his beard, so he shaved the beard off, and cut his shoulder length hair off.
It was now short on the sides, and a little longer on the top. Cabe could hardly recognize himself when he looked in the mirror.
