The Bruised Heart
    By Storybird
    Created on 04 Sep, 2023
    The Bruised Heart cover image
    Cesar laid in the sterile hospital bed, his arm in a cast. The faint hum of machinery formed the backdrop for his tears.
    He winced as the nurse cleaned his cuts, her expressions soft with sympathy. She silently promised to help him, her eyes meeting his.
    "Can I get you anything?" she asked Cesar but he just shook his head. His deep brown eyes hardly left the window.
    The sun was setting beyond the hospital window. Cesar wondered if he would ever feel its warm touch again without pain.
    "Tell me about yourself, Cesar," the nurse suggested gently. She hoped to distract him from his gloomy thoughts.
    He turned towards her, his face a mask of despair. "There's nothing to tell," he whispered, lost in his world of pain.
    "There's always something to tell, Cesar. You're a fighter. You're here, after all." Her words were full of genuine encouragement.
    Cesar picked at the edge of his cast. He sighed, hesitating. "I'm here because my stepdad broke my arm, remember?"
    The nurse frowned, her heart heavy. "I mean you're a survivor, Cesar. You've endured far more than any child should have."
    "Survivor?" Cesar looked at her, his brown eyes wide. It was as if the idea was entirely alien to him.
    "Yes. You've survived all the hardship and you're still standing. That's being brave." She tried to instill some hope in him.
    Cesar considered her words, his gaze drifting back to the window. Was he really a survivor? Could he be brave?
    Days turned to weeks. While his physical wounds healed gradually, Cesar's emotional pain was a tougher adversary.
    The nurse read him stories, brought him toys, and even arranged for a therapy dog to visit him. Cesar began to smile again.
    Cesar learnt to laugh. The sound was hesitant at first, but it soon echoed in the hospital room. There was hope yet.
    His stepdad was charged for child abuse and his mother was undergoing therapy. Cesar wouldn't be going back to them. He was safe.
    The nurse became Cesar's constant companion, her presence soothing and comforting. She was his pillar of support in the hospital.
    Cesar's arm healed completely. His physical scars were fading but his emotional scars still haunted him. Healing was a slow process.
    He learnt to trust again. The nurse's guidance and support helped him regain his faith in the world. He started to hope.
    A lovely couple, both therapists, were found to foster Cesar. They promised to provide a loving and supportive home for him.
    On his final day at the hospital, Cesar looked out of the window again. This time, the sun shone brighter, the sky seemed bluer.
    "You're a survivor, Cesar," the nurse reminded him, her eyes moist. "Remember that always. You're brave."
    Cesar nodded, his small face determined. "I'll remember," he promised. He was ready to embrace his new life.
    His heart was bruised but not defeated. There was much healing to be done, but Cesar was a survivor. He had hope.
    And so, with a brave heart and the promise of a brighter tomorrow, Cesar left the hospital. His journey of healing had just begun.

    The Bruised Heart

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