A Stallion's Touch by Deborah Fletcher Mello Page A

weren’t too far behind, arriving some thirty minutes after life flight had departed for another trip. Everyone had flown in on one of the private planes owned by Noah’s wife, Cat Moore. A sea of Stallions and Boudreaux practically ambushed the reception area, everyone anxious for information. Tarah met them at the door, hugs and kisses sweeping around the room.
    â€œHow is he?” Naomi asked, wringing her hands nervously. “No one’s told us anything.”
    Her sister, Natalie, and Natalie’s husband, Tinjin Braddy, pressed anxiously at her elbow.
    â€œI need to see him,” Nathaniel insisted. “I want to know what’s going on. I need to be with him.”
    Tarah nodded. “The nurse will take you right on up, Nathaniel. Dr. Harper arranged for you to have full medical privileges while you’re here but wanted to remind you that treating your brother would be a conflict of interest. Dr. Mingo is the orthopedic specialist on the medical team that will be working on Nicholas, and you are welcome to shadow him. He’s waiting to talk to you when you’re ready. Dr. Harper asked that if you disagree with any decisions about Nicholas’s treatment plan, you speak with him directly.”
    Nathaniel nodded his appreciation. He lightly squeezed her elbow, then hurried behind the nurse, who gestured for him to follow. Tarah turned her attention to the Stallion siblings. “Nicholas is resting comfortably. He’s sedated, and we’ll be running a battery of tests on him for the next few hours. Once we get all the results back, I’ll come talk to you.”
    â€œHe’s going to be okay, isn’t he?” Natalie questioned. “Everyone’s been talking in circles and using big medical words that none of us understands.”
    Tarah took a deep breath. The initial prognosis didn’t look promising. Dr. Harper was still assessing Nicholas’s injuries, but the consensus was that he might never walk again. But there wasn’t enough information to tell his family that their brother was permanently paralyzed at that time. Despite all of her medical training, even she hadn’t been willing to accept that idea.
    She slowly blew out the breath she’d been holding. “Nicholas has a very long road ahead of him. He’s suffered severe trauma to his spinal cord, and it’s very serious. To explain it as simply as I can, the brain and spinal cord are made up of cells called neurons. Those neurons gather and transmit signals throughout the body. Signals that help us move, control our central nervous system, all kinds of things. Nicholas’s neurons have been severely damaged.” She paused and took a deep breath before she continued.
    â€œNow, there are two types of injured neurons, ones that are dead and ones that are only stunned. Dead neurons can’t recover. With the stunned neurons, if we can create the right environment for the spinal cord, they can return to normal and function again. Right now, we’re trying to determine if his neurons can recover so we know exactly how to make that happen.”
    Noah moved to stand by his sisters. “Be honest with us. Will he walk again? Nathaniel won’t say, but we know he’s concerned.”
    Tarah hesitated a second time. “We’re going to do everything in our power to ensure a full recovery. And whatever we can’t do, you all know God will.”
    â€œSo we need to pray for a miracle,” Naomi commented, her head waving from side to side. There was a hint of skepticism in her tone.
    Tarah reached out and squeezed Naomi’s hand. Tears misted the woman’s eyes, and she swiped them away with her forearm.
    Noah nodded his head in understanding. “Thank you, Tarah. We really appreciate everything you’ve done.”
    Tarah gave them a slight smile. “Someone will be down in a moment to take you all up to one of the family waiting rooms on