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“Because she’s in a private room—”
“Say one thing about money and this conversation is going to go very differently,” Steele interjected.
“Ahh, right.” The doctor swallowed nervously. “I think what she needs is some rest. Keep her stress to a minimum. Make sure she’s eating well. Do you know whether she spoke to anyone professionally after her last accident?”
“I don’t think so,” Brooks said quietly. “She was too busy taking care of me.”
“Not your fault, kid,” Steele told Brooks gruffly.
The doctor nodded, looking slightly uncomfortable. “I’ll let you go see her now if you like, but I would warn you not to add to her stress.”
“Wait, have you told her that her paralysis isn’t a physical thing?” Grady asked.
“Yes, I sat down and explained things, but I’m not sure she completely understands.”
Shit. That wasn’t good.
“You shouldn’t have told her without us there,” Grady snarled at the doctor, surprising Steele. And Brooks, who jumped.
“She has a right to know what is going on with her own body,” the doctor replied huffily.
“Yes, and if her mental state is delicate, she needs people by her side who care about her. If we get in there and she is in any way upset, you can expect to hear from our lawyers.”
The doctor left with a grumble while Brooks stared over at Grady in awe. “That was fucking awesome. You totally handed him his ass.”
“The guyisan ass,” Grady said. “Come on, we need to get to Effie.”
Yeah. They needed to go take care of their girl.
48
There’s nothing physically wrong with you.
Those words went around and around in her head. So if there was nothing wrong with her . . . then what the fuck waswrongwith her? Because, no joke, she couldn’t feel her legs.
This was . . . terrifying.
It was actually worse than having a diagnosed medical issue in a way because how did she fix her brain?
And where was Grady? Why wasn’t he here? The nurse and doctor refused to give her any information on him, citing patient privacy policies. But she just wanted to know if he was all right. What if he was hurt worse than first thought?
Her breath came in fast pants. She was on the cusp of a panic attack.
“Aunt Effie?”
She glanced over to see Brooks standing in the doorway, looking more uncertain and scared than she’d seen him look in a long, long time.
Shit. Why hadn’t she thought of Brooks? Some guardian she was.
“Hey, honey.”
He stood there, just staring at her. She held open her arms. “Come here.”
He didn’t rush at her the way he would have when he was younger, but he moved steadily toward her. Then he gently reached down to hug her.
“Effie,” he whispered.
“I’m all right. I promise.” She hugged him tight as she pushed all of her fears and uncertainties down deep. She needed to be strong for Brooks.
