*Rina POV*
I suck in a breath, sitting up. I watch my phone's screen. Should I? I have a text. It's ready to send. But fear sinks in my stomach.
Danny: Rina, answer me, please!! Just-Just one word. Please. I'm begging you.
I stare at my text.
Me: Danny, I'm sorry. I love you and I didn't mean to say all of that. Please come back. I love you.
"Hey, Miss Rina."
I shove my phone under the covers on reflex, courtesy of being a teenager with overprotective parents.
"Hi," I say.
"I'm Kaitlyn," she says. Kaitlyn is a middle-aged woman, with that golden blonde hair every brunette (including moi) envies. She has the classic sky blue eyes that just sparkle in the lighting. Her tone is warm and inviting as she smiles at me. She's like that classic popular girl in movies.
"I'm-well, you obviously know who I am," I say. "So what are you here for?"
Kaitlyn laughs. Her laugh is light-sort of like a tinkling sound. "What makes you think I'm here for something? I can't just be here to talk to you?"
"Well," I say. "That would be a tad bit creepy, as I've never met you in my life."
Kaitlyn laughs again. "I suppose it would be." She smiles. "You know, I like your spunk." She bends down next to my bed. "I'm here to help with physical therapy."
Sharply, I suck in a breath. "Physical therapy?"
Kaitlyn nods solemnly. "I apologize for the misfortune of having me as a physical therapist, but this is a necessity."
I sigh again. "What torture are you going to put me through? Should I call my nurse?"
Kaitlyn laughs again. "I like your sense of humor," she says. "We're not going to be doing anything strenuous. To start out, I'm just going to move your legs, alright?"
I arch an eyebrow. "Hm," I say. "Alright."
Kaitlyn gives me a smile and uncovers me, careful to keep any parts covered. She begins moving my legs in different ways.
I shrug, pulling out my phone from under the covers. It's not like I can feel anything she's doing anyways.
My eyes go wide as I see the text. I must've accidentally pressed send in my haste, because Danny read my message.
I suck in a breath. Oh well. That's over with. I look over my phone at Kaitlyn, who's still moving my legs gently.
Kaitlyn glances up at me, and flashes a quick smile. She smiles a lot. And her teeth are really white, as if she goes thousands of whitening strips per month.
"So this is just to keep your legs from getting stiff," Kaitlyn explains. "Because if you don't use it, you lose it."
I give a slightly coherent nod. "Right."
Kaitlyn looks up at me slowly. "Rina."
I blink. "What?"
Kaitlyn's brow furrows. "You have a complete spinal cord injury, right?"
I nod. "Yeah."
Kaitlyn grins at me. "Your toe just moved!"
I know most people wouldn't be that excited about watching their toe flick, but me- I was overjoyed. I could move my leg, even if only a part.
"Are you sure?" I ask anxiously. "It wasn't just shifting?"
"Try," Kaitlyn prompts me. "Move. Just a little."
I press my lips tightly together, determination balled in my stomach. Come on. Move again. MOVE!
"Good!" Kaitlyn grins at me, bright and happy. "It moved! Rina, there's still hope! There's a chance you could walk again!"
My face lights up. "Yes!"
Kaitlyn gets up, shooting me a quick look. "I'm going to go tell your doctors," she says, her tone full of genuine excitement. "Congratulations!"
Minutes later, I have doctors swarming my hospital room, rushing around checking monitors and machines, poking at my legs.
Dr. Twain kneels down next to my bed again with a syringe in his hand.
I close my eyes.
"Feel anything?" he asks after a couple seconds.
I shake my head, my eyes pressed tightly close. "No."
"Hm," Dr. Twain says. "How about now?"
A slight prick of pain-tiny, tiny, but nonetheless, existent takes shape. My nerves work. Yes!
I nod, my eyes popping open excitedly. "I can feel that!" My voice rises in excitement. "I can feel that!"
Dr. Twain grins at me. "Awesome!" He glances behind him at Hazel. "I need her down for an MRI as soon as you can."
"Hello?"
My brother's voice. I watch where it had come from as he fights his way through the crowd of doctors and nurses crowded in my hospital room.
His eyes find me, wild with worry. "Rina! Are you okay? What's going on?"
"Danny," I say, breathless with elation. "Danny, I..." I grin up at him as wide as I can. "Danny, I can feel my legs."
Danny's eyes go wide-wide and excited. "Wait, really? You can? That's amazing!"
"Yes!" I smile. I'm thrilled. "Come here, come here!" I point to the foot of the bed. "Stand there. Watch this."
I wiggle my toe.
Danny's eyes go wide, and he looks at me, a sparkle in his eyes like a six-year-old on Christmas morning. He sits beside my bed, and, since the railing is down, lays his head over the side in my lap.
His broad, football-player shoulders span the length of my slender, runner's lap as he looks up at me, a grin on his face, watching me like when we were kids.
We'd be in the car, headed to Georgia for Christmas, ready to conk and he'd lay his head in my lap and drift off. Then I'd lay my body on top of his and drift off right along with him. I hope we get to do that again.
"I love you," he says.
"I love you too," I say. I lean down very carefully and plant a kiss on his forehead. "And I'm so sorry."
"Me too," Danny says, burying his face in my lap, despite the fact I'm wearing a hospital gown.
"Rina," Hazel says, touching my shoulder. "We've got to get you down for an MRI. Do you want-" she glances at her watch "-I can give you a couple minutes, alright?"
I nod vigorously. "Thank you."
Hazel nods. "Of course."
"Did you mean everything you said?" Danny asks. "In the text?"
"Of course," I say earnestly.
Danny stands up and smiles. "I'm so sorry, Rina," he says. "I... I haven't had the best history with Zeke."
"What..." my voice trails off. "You don't have to tell me."
"No," Danny shakes his head. "I want to tell you." He sits down on the edge of my bed, next to my thighs. "Zeke... may have been nice, but when I was a freshman, he was cruel. He would torment us from dusk till dawn for an entire year with his buddies. All year. It never stopped."
"Danny, I'm so sorry," I say. "How did I miss that?"
"He never did it around you," Danny says. "Zaria might've known, but I don't know. It's just... he's nice to you. I know you like him. I'm trying Rina, I am. He's gotten better now that I'm a sophomore. It's not just the girls that get bullied."
"Right," I say, nodding. "I'm sorry. I didn't know-"
"No you didn't," Danny says. "And that's why I can't blame you. But when I saw him in here, alone with you, I freaked. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have. You can't help your feelings. And I... I should've told you. I'll keep trying to come to terms with it. You shouldn't have to bury your feelings just because of my past with the dude."
"Daniel Gabriel Michaels," I say. "Growing up with a girl has made you soft."
"Nah," Danny grins at me. "I just value her opinions too much."
I smile faintly. "Well. That too."
Danny smirks. "Yeah, I've got to stop listening to you."
I roll my eyes. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have Gemma."
"I would've done it on my own!" Danny protests. He hesitates. "Eventually," he says slowly.
I sigh. "You, sir, are a strange being."
"Don't forget," Danny says. "No matter how much influence you have on me, I'm still a guy."
I groan jokingly. "Ugh. If only you were a girl."
"And if only you weren't so bossy," Danny says, giving me a grin.
"Time's up," Hazel says, closing the door behind her. "Rina, we need that MRI. Apologies to both of you."
"No, no," Danny says. "I was just leaving. Sorry."
I smile as I watch my brother leave. We did it. We came back to each other.