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Steven gave a slight nod, as much as the brace would allow, then winced as the motion sent pain radiating through his head.
“Do you remember what happened?”
It took Steven a minute to respond. “I remember… getting in the car to drive to see Rose. My chest hurt…” As he spoke, his chest throbbed, and he rubbed a hand over it. His fingers probed the bandage over his heart. “Was I in an accident? How’s my car?”
“Yes to your first question. Unfortunately, I don’t know the answer to your second question.” After making a few notes on his chart, Dr. Myers leaned forward. “So you remember the accident. Do you remember anything that happened before the accident? How you were feeling?”
Why does “before the accident” matter? His stomach twisted into one big knot, and he gritted his teeth. But to humor the doctor, Steven closed his eyes and tried to focus. Other than the chest pain, he didn’t remember anything. Maybe if he said no, Dr. Myers would stop interrogating him and provide answers instead.
“Not really,” Steven said, opening his eyes and meeting the doctor’s gaze.
“It appears you had a mild myocardial infarction.”
A what? Steven stared at Dr. Myers, hoping his expression demonstrated his confusion. When the doctor didn’t elaborate, he risked more pain by shifting a fraction of an inch to look at the nurse.
“You had a heart attack,” she translated helpfully.
Steven blinked rapidly, trying to digest the words. Was that even possible?
“Ah yes, sorry. I should have explained in simpler terms. You had a mild heart attack before you crashed into a tree.” He stood and showed Steven a paper with a bunch of lines on it. “We’ve run an EKG and some other tests. There was a slight blockage in your artery, and I placed a stent.”
But Steven barely heard him. A heart attack? Wasn’t that something that only happened to the elderly? I’m not even thirty!
A million questions ran through his mind, but he couldn’t articulate any of them. His breathing grew shallower as he tried to organize his thoughts, but they were flying too fast to make them coherent.
The nurse put a hand on his arm. “You need to calm down. You’re going to hyperventilate.”
It took effort, but Steven forced himself to take several deep breaths. While his heart rate and breathing slowed, the deep breathing did little to quell the panic growing in his belly.
“This is a lot to take in, but there is something else you should know.”
“I broke my leg,” Steven said, lifting the sheet again to reveal his cast.
“Well, yes, though I imagine it doesn’t hurt.”
Steven frowned. “I assume that’s due to the pain medication.”
With a shake of his head, Dr. Myers sat on the stool and moved closer to the bed. “Unfortunately, it’s worse than that. You appear to have a spinal contusion, which is impacting your neurological transmitters.” When Steven frowned, Dr. Myers pursed his lips. “A bruised spine, which has caused a temporary paralysis.”
I’m paralyzed? Steven swallowed, trying to keep a brave face. The doctor had called the paralysis temporary, so perhaps there was some hope yet.
“We need to get you in for an MRI to assess the extent of the damage,” Dr. Myers continued. “But I’m hoping there are no indications of tears or permanent damage to your spinal cord.”
“What does that mean, though?” Steven tried to lift his good leg, but it wouldn’t respond. “Will I be able to walk again?”
“Assuming it’s just a bruise and not anything worse, then yes. In time,” Dr. Myers assured him. “But it will be a long, hard road to recovery.”
That brought up another question. “How long have I been here?”
The doctor stood and moved to the lone window in the room and pulled back the curtain. Steven winced as the bright morning light blinded him.
“Several hours. You were brought in last night, and you’ve been in and out of consciousness since the surgery.” Dr. Myers shook his head. “You were lucky. Although it’s rare for someone your age to suffer a heart attack.” Moving to Steven’s bedside, Dr. Myers folded his arms over his chest. “But Rose told me you’ve been under a lot of stress lately.”
Rose. She must be out of her mind with worry. Is she here? What about Lanie and Dad? After what they’d just gone through with their mother, his sister had to be freaking out as well.
“Rose?” he croaked.
“She’s here waiting to see you, but I’d like to get an X-ray and MRI of your back before I allow her to visit.”
