because of just plain stupidity—driving drunk, or diving into shallow water. That’s what makes it so hard to accept what happened to Josh. He wasn’t doing anything wrong. He was trying to help somebody. It isn’t fair he should be hurt this way.”
“True,” Lacey said. “Those two boys he set out to rescue are really upset. Both of them are nuts about Josh. They realize that if they hadn’t been doing something wrong, he wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”
“They should have thought of that before they sneaked off,” Katie said, feeling bitter.
“No one can foresee the future, Katie,” Meg said. “The boys meant no harm. It was just a terrible accident.”
Katie knew that what Meg said was true, but still she wanted to blame somebody. It had to be
somebody’s
fault. She grabbed up her purse and Lacey’s car keys. “I’m going back to the hospital. The least I can do is keep Josh company. He’s just miserable lying there all day long without being able to move.”
Later that afternoon, she sat in Josh’s room as he drifted in and out of drug-induced sleep. It was after dark and visiting hours were over when she kissed his forehead and promised to return the next morning.
“Thank you, Katie,” Josh whispered. “Thank you for being here for me.”
A fine red stubble grew on his face and felt rough against her hand when she stroked his cheek. “You were there for me,” she reminded him. “I won’t desert you, Josh.”
Out in the hall, she ran into Mr. Holloway. He invited her down to the coffee shop and bought her a cup of coffee, getting coffee and a slice of pie for himself. When he’d settled into a chair across from her in the brightly lit room, he said, “I talked to Dr. Benson this afternoon.”
The coffee turned bitter in Katie’s mouth, and she set down the cup. “Are you going to give me bad news?”
“Actually, there’s a little bit of encouragingnews,” Mr. Holloway said. “Josh’s score is rising on the motor function index.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a testing method for measuring how well a patient’s motor skills are doing. A healthy person scores a hundred percent—there’s no impairment of his motor skills. When Josh was brought in, his was at zero, which meant he couldn’t even breathe on his own, but over the past two days his scores have risen.”
“That’s wonderful.” She felt encouraged.
“Yes, but he’s not out of the woods yet. According to Dr. Benson, the treatment they’re giving Josh includes some experimental drugs, which, although they’ve proved effective in the lab, have a so-so track record with people. You see, the problem with the spinal cord is that after a severe trauma the nerve cells begin to die. Scientists have discovered that if they can stop this process, if they can keep the nerve cells alive, the victim has a better chance of avoiding paralysis. Or at least limiting it to perhaps only the lower part of his body.”
Katie’s eyes misted as the reality of Josh’s situation sank in. “I just can’t imagine Josh having to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.”
“While it’s true that half of these injuries lead toparalysis, half of them don’t. That’s what you have to focus on. You’re his encouragement, Katie. You help him keep a positive attitude, and no matter what the outcome, he’s going to look to you to help him through this ordeal.”
Katie dropped her gaze and stared into the cream-colored depths of her coffee cup. “We—We were closer once. I should have never cut myself off from him. Especially after all he did for me. If it weren’t for his brother’s heart, I wouldn’t even be alive.”
“You have a right to explore the possibilities for your own life. You have a right to discover who you are and what you want, Katie.”
She looked up into Mr. Holloway’s kind blue eyes. “I feel bad about the way I’ve treated him during the past year. I should have been nicer. Going away to
“True,” Lacey said. “Those two boys he set out to rescue are really upset. Both of them are nuts about Josh. They realize that if they hadn’t been doing something wrong, he wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”
“They should have thought of that before they sneaked off,” Katie said, feeling bitter.
“No one can foresee the future, Katie,” Meg said. “The boys meant no harm. It was just a terrible accident.”
Katie knew that what Meg said was true, but still she wanted to blame somebody. It had to be
somebody’s
fault. She grabbed up her purse and Lacey’s car keys. “I’m going back to the hospital. The least I can do is keep Josh company. He’s just miserable lying there all day long without being able to move.”
Later that afternoon, she sat in Josh’s room as he drifted in and out of drug-induced sleep. It was after dark and visiting hours were over when she kissed his forehead and promised to return the next morning.
“Thank you, Katie,” Josh whispered. “Thank you for being here for me.”
A fine red stubble grew on his face and felt rough against her hand when she stroked his cheek. “You were there for me,” she reminded him. “I won’t desert you, Josh.”
Out in the hall, she ran into Mr. Holloway. He invited her down to the coffee shop and bought her a cup of coffee, getting coffee and a slice of pie for himself. When he’d settled into a chair across from her in the brightly lit room, he said, “I talked to Dr. Benson this afternoon.”
The coffee turned bitter in Katie’s mouth, and she set down the cup. “Are you going to give me bad news?”
“Actually, there’s a little bit of encouragingnews,” Mr. Holloway said. “Josh’s score is rising on the motor function index.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a testing method for measuring how well a patient’s motor skills are doing. A healthy person scores a hundred percent—there’s no impairment of his motor skills. When Josh was brought in, his was at zero, which meant he couldn’t even breathe on his own, but over the past two days his scores have risen.”
“That’s wonderful.” She felt encouraged.
“Yes, but he’s not out of the woods yet. According to Dr. Benson, the treatment they’re giving Josh includes some experimental drugs, which, although they’ve proved effective in the lab, have a so-so track record with people. You see, the problem with the spinal cord is that after a severe trauma the nerve cells begin to die. Scientists have discovered that if they can stop this process, if they can keep the nerve cells alive, the victim has a better chance of avoiding paralysis. Or at least limiting it to perhaps only the lower part of his body.”
Katie’s eyes misted as the reality of Josh’s situation sank in. “I just can’t imagine Josh having to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.”
“While it’s true that half of these injuries lead toparalysis, half of them don’t. That’s what you have to focus on. You’re his encouragement, Katie. You help him keep a positive attitude, and no matter what the outcome, he’s going to look to you to help him through this ordeal.”
Katie dropped her gaze and stared into the cream-colored depths of her coffee cup. “We—We were closer once. I should have never cut myself off from him. Especially after all he did for me. If it weren’t for his brother’s heart, I wouldn’t even be alive.”
“You have a right to explore the possibilities for your own life. You have a right to discover who you are and what you want, Katie.”
She looked up into Mr. Holloway’s kind blue eyes. “I feel bad about the way I’ve treated him during the past year. I should have been nicer. Going away to
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