“Good God, man! That’s brilliant news, Rex!”
“I think so, but is it normal to just feel numb like that?”
“Yes! Oh, good God, what wonderful news. We need to get you in to see the doctor first thing.” He glanced at the doorway and then back, waving in the direction of the hallway. “Let me just get dressed. I can be ready in…in twenty minutes.”
“You sure you have time?”
“Of course. Oh, Rex, this is rather marvelous news! Let me go and get dressed. I’ll be ready in a jiffy.”
“Okay, buddy…and, Alain…thanks.”
“My pleasure, brother. My pleasure.” He quickly left the room, and I glanced over at Lola, smiling widely as she wiggled, dragging herself over to me. I scooped her into my lap and bent my head, burying my fac in her soft curls as I laughed with happiness.
Chapter Twenty
REX
Alain drove me to the VA and my doctor was excited to hear the news that some feeling had come back. He brought me into an exam room almost immediately and conducted a thorough neurological examination, something I’d endured many times by this point. He determined that I had about 50 percent of the function I’d had prior to the shooting, but promised that my recovery would only improve with each passing day as long as I did my exercises and went to physical therapy. He increased my PT visits to five times a week and charted additional exercises for me to do both at home and with Theo in the VA’s physical therapy studio.
When he asked what had happened to my cheek, I explained—as I had to Alain—how I’d fallen out of the chair in a freak accident and hit my face. He gently prodded the cut on my cheekbone and the Steri-Strips I’d put on after cleaning my face, applauding my efforts.
He also assured me that my fall out of the wheelchair probably hadn’t caused the feeling to come back when I asked him if that could explain my spontaneous recovery. The possibility existed in some fractionally small way, but these things usually happened on their own, once the body had healed enough. And he confirmed that the numbness would most likely remain for some time—the tingling sensation an unfortunate painful side effect of the feeling coming back.
But best of all, he gave me an old man walker; it made me feel like a spring chicken. Who knew!
When I got stronger and my legs could take more weight without giving out on me, I’d progress to arm sticks and could probably abandon the wheelchair if I practiced every day at home in relative safety. He didn’t want me to have another fall.
By the time we finished up at the VA, it was late morning. Alain called Candy to tell him he was going to be half an hour late and why. He hung up and turned to grin at me. “Candy is bloody over the moon with happiness, Rex. Your terrific news will surely help the morale of the entire team tonight.”
I nodded, trying desperately to hide my deep disappointment at not being able to offer sniper cover during the Op. “I only wish I could be there with you guys, Alain. To be honest, I guess I’m sufferin’ from a huge case of fear of missin’ out.”
He laughed. “I know, it’s a bore. I’d have FOMO too.” He patted me on the shoulder in sympathy. “Let’s get you home, old man.”
He drove me home and left me in my living room with a huge hug. I spent the day trying to move my limbs again, played with Lola in the backyard by tossing the ball until she was exhausted, and then fed us both.
I tried the walker several times, managing to finally lift myself to a fully standing position and move my feet slowly to the sides, widening my stance. My legs tingled and burned, but I ignored the feeling of pain, instead reveling in the fact that I could feel anything at all.
I didn’t try to take a step, knowing I’d have to get stronger in my legs again, and I wasn’t confident to try it alone yet. Lord knew if I did fall, Judy wouldn’t be able to lift my bulk back into the chair. And now that I could feel things, my whole body achedfrom the fall and was getting stiff, so heaving myself upright into the chair was probably out of the question.
Walking would just have to wait until Theo was available to supervise my efforts on the parallel bars in PT. I puttered aimlessly around the house, making sure to dust since it had been a long time since the house had been closed up. At seven, I took a shower—grateful as hell for the addition of the grab bars—and had just gotten myself dressed and back in the chair, before Judy showed up.
“Oh, Rex! Alain told us the wonderful news,” she said as she hugged me with great enthusiasm. “You should see how happy the team is. You have to know that they’re beside themselves with joy.”
“Thanks, Judy. Now, if they can put an end to them cartel bastards who done this to me tonight, that’d be icin’ on the cake, and all I can hope for.” I knew it was a lie before I even finished uttering the words. And in typical Judy fashion, she called me out on it.
She looked at me thoughtfully. “But that’s not entirely true now, is it?” When I didn’t immediately reply, she squeezed my shoulder. “Rex…have you called Cachi to tell him?”
I shook my head. “I thought about it a lot, Judy…almost picked up the phone to call him a few times today but just couldn’t. It’s not fair. He’s so young and—”
“Rex, don’t be an idiot,” she said, cutting me off. “That man loves you and no matter how many different ways you can think to deny you love him and you shouldn’t be with him, it’s not going to work. Least of all with me. I have teenagers which pretty much makes me a human lie detector.” She paused, looking determined. “You need to call him.”
I was quiet, pondering what she said because I knew in my heart she was probably right. “We should get set up so you can check the Internet connection,” I said, changing the topic. I didn’t want to talk about the way I’d treated Cachi the last time I’d seen him. Not with Judy, and certainly not my team.
“Fine,” she singsonged, “don’t talk about it, but you know I’m right.” She huffed, stomping her booted foot. She waggled her finger in my face. “I will never understand why men are so stubborn. You all need a good kick where the sun don’t shine, and if you weren’t sitting in that chair, Rex, I’d put my size five boot right up your ass!”
I chuckled, shrugging. “You’re such a delicate flower, ain’t you?” The expression on her face morphed into something quite lethal, so I threw up both hands to block any blows she had planned. “Sorry, sorry…I know you’re just bein’ a mom, Judy. Trust me, I get it. You need to fix things.”
“Condescending shithead,” she grumbled. “You should thank God I’m not your mom. I’m being serious when I say I would’ve kicked your ass by now if I was.”