The Amendment (The Contract 2)

I wasn’t sure if it was me or themselves they were trying to convince.

All around me were families, like me, waiting for news. I watched relieved parents being led to the recovery room. Devastated spouses collapsing onto the hard chairs, overcome with grief.

Which person would I be? My chest constricted, pain lancing through me.

How would I cope without Richard?

I could hardly remember life before him. Briefly, I recalled working as his assistant and despising him, but then agreeing to his insane plan of a fake marriage to land a job with Graham. Slowly, we discovered each other, and I saw the real person he kept hidden. The one so capable of love that he surrounded me with it. He surrounded me with him. Despite our rocky start and the circumstances of our beginning, Richard had become the nucleus of my world. The center of the family we had created together.

Without him, we didn’t work.

An anguished sob from across the room caused fear to ripple down my back at the sound of the woman’s pain.

That can’t be me.

Fight, Richard. Fight, my darling.

I bowed my head and prayed more.Dr. Fletcher walked through the door, exhaustion written on his face. He pulled off his surgical cap and ran a hand through his hair. Graham, Laura, Jenna, and I all stood as a unit when he approached. Laura wrapped her hand around mine, her grip tight. She had been a rock for me the entire time, refusing to be anything except positive.

I tried to read Dr. Fletcher’s face. I had no clue what he was going to tell me, but his expression was grave. My stomach clenched, and I had to reach for Graham’s hand as well to stop from falling.

Dr. Fletcher stopped in front of me. “He pulled through,” he stated simply.

Hot tears spilled down my face.

“He isn’t out of the woods yet,” he cautioned. “There was a lot of damage. He took a substantial blow to his spine and his head.”

I could only nod, unable to speak. Richard was still alive. He was still here—fighting.

“He’ll be in a special ICU and closely monitored once he leaves recovery. In the best-case scenario, he has a long road to recovery. After ICU, there will be acute care at first, then once he is stable, he will be moved to rehab. And all this depends on how his brain is affected. We won’t know anything until he wakes up.”

“Is he still paralyzed?” Graham asked quietly.

“Yes. It will take time for his spine to heal. The progression will be very slow.”

“But he will recover?” I asked.

Dr. Fletcher met my eyes. His gaze was kind, and his tone was frank. “I won’t sugarcoat this, Mrs. VanRyan. I don’t know if he’ll walk again. It will depend on how he heals and the effort he puts into recovery. Your husband suffered a massive thoracolumbar spine injury. It impacts all sensory and motor function of the lower back and spine. Surgically, we’ve done all we could. Now we have to wait and hope for the best.”

I cleared my throat, swallowing the lump that kept forming. “You said the best-case scenario…” My voice trailed off, unable to complete the sentence.

Dr. Fletcher was blunt. “Your husband may not wake up. Or he might wake up but never recover the use of his legs.”

A violent tremor went through me.

“Or he may recover some use, but never walk without some form of assistance. There could be lingering aftereffects on his brain.” Dr. Fletcher explained. “As I said, until he wakes, there are a lot of unanswered questions.”

“He will wake up,” I insisted. “I know he will.”

He allowed a smile to cross his serious countenance. “Keep up the positive thoughts. He’s going to need them.”

“Can I see him?”

“Once he’s moved from recovery, and only for a brief time. It may be a while before you can get in. I must insist on one person at a time and limit the number of people. Family only.”

“These people are our family.”

“Fine. There’s a quieter waiting room closer to the unit you can go to. I’ll have someone escort you,” he stated. “I’ll be checking on him frequently. If there’s any change, I’ll let you know.”

He turned and walked away, pausing when Graham followed him and spoke in a low voice. The doctor listened, his gaze flickering to mine before he replied to Graham. Laura led me back to the chairs and sat beside me, while Jenna flanked my other side.

Graham and Dr. Fletcher shook hands, and Graham returned to us.

“Richard will have the best care. Anything he needs will be made available to him. Once he is out of recovery and ICU, I’ll make sure he has a private room.”

“Thank you.”

He hunched down, close to eye level. “Richard has a long road of recovery ahead of him, Katy. He is going to need you more than he has ever needed you before. You have to take care of yourself.” He paused, looking at Laura, who tilted her chin imperceptibly. “We will take the girls to our house and look after them tomorrow. I spoke with Mrs. Thomas and arranged for her to help. We’ll figure out a schedule, but the girls need to see you as well. You are important too.”