A Stallion's Touch by Deborah Fletcher Mello Page B

the surgical floor. You’ll be more comfortable there, and if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”
    As Tarah turned, she overheard chatter in the close distance.
    â€œWow!” Kamaya exclaimed. “Was that doctor our baby sister?”
    â€œOur baby has really grown up,” Maitlyn said. “And she’s a doctor! I can’t wait to tell Mom!”

Chapter 7
    N icholas had gotten proficient at pretending to be asleep when the team of doctors came into the room. The drugs also helped. He let them talk among themselves as if he weren’t even there. They debated treatment, argued tactics and were all genuinely concerned with his recovery. His family had come and gone a few times, always praying over him at least once each time. Sometimes Naomi cried and his sister rarely, if ever, let anyone see her do that. Natalie, on the other hand, bawled like a baby, reminding him of when they were younger and she was always crying about something. Noah was keeping them grounded, though, always taking his role as big brother seriously.
    Since arriving at the hospital, they’d had to get his blood pressure stable, and for a brief time, he had needed assistance breathing. He’d been given steroid medications to reduce the swelling of his spinal cord, and there had been a host of other tests done including X-rays, MRIs, CT scans and an ultrasound of his kidneys. They’d stuck him with pins to see how he responded to the pricks. He’d been made to try to move different parts of his body to test the strength of his muscles. After that, he’d closed his eyes and had pretended not to know they were in the room. He’d lost count of how many times every test, comment and gesture had been repeated.
    Since that first day, he and Tarah had only one full conversation. He’d woken to find her by his bedside, eyeing him intently. Worry had creased her brow with the faintest line. As his eyes had adjusted, she’d smiled sweetly at him.
    â€œYou made quite an entrance,” she’d said teasingly. “How are you feeling?”
    He’d shrugged his shoulders. “It’s all good, right? This is nothing but a fluke?” He gestured down to his legs.
    Tarah had taken a deep breath, her expression shifting into business mode. Her tone had been controlled and even. “Let me give you my doctor spiel,” she said.
    His mouth had turned into a deep frown as he listened.
    â€œYou suffered an injury to your spinal cord. Your upper body is unaffected. You should have good trunk and abdominal muscle control. It helps that you were in great physical condition.”
    â€œI heard one of the doctors say it’s paraplegia? That means I’m going to be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life, right?”
    â€œTechnically, what you have is a lumbar and sacral injury to your lower spinal nerves called cauda equina syndrome. That means you’ll have decreased control of your hip flexors and legs. You may never walk or feel anything below your belly button again. That’s correct.”
    â€œSo is there a chance that I may feel something?”
    â€œI can’t say with any certainty. I’m just hoping you’ll prove us all wrong. But that’s going to require a lot of effort on your part. Most of your recovery will occur in the next six months. And as soon as we feel you’re stable enough, we’ll start rehabilitation.”
    â€œWhat good is that going to do?”
    â€œThe goal of rehab is to help prepare you for life after you leave the facility so that you can be as independent as possible.”
    He had pondered her comment for a moment, and then he’d turned his head away, sinking deep into a depression like he’d never known before. Angry at the world, Nicholas had taken his frustration out on Tarah. He’d been curt and distant, his sullen behavior bad at best. He’d found her bubbly personality off-putting