Valerie, I'll be home soon

chapter 4

After finally convincing Marie that we don’t have time to go look at the teddy bears in the gift shop, we go back to Ty’s room. The doctor is only a few feet behind us, and right as we sit down, a man in a white coat and boring, grey tie walked in. he has grey, thinning hair and sad eyes, but he is smiling. He would be nice to draw. I always decide that about people; if they would be nice to draw or not.  Anyway, after introducing himself as Dr. salt (and making a lame joke about how Doctor Pepper was sick today, so he had to fill in), he said, “I don’t think your condition is too severe. Your spinal cord has been damaged, causing all of your nerves to be unable to produce a response from your brain in your lower body, meaning you have paraplegia. But with some therapy-well a lot of therapy- you can be back on your feet again.” Ty gives him a glazed look that clearly meant he had no idea what the doctor was talking about. Apparently he realized this too, because after glancing around the room to acknowledge that no one else is clueless, he looks at Ty and says slowly, “you hurt your spine, but you can do therapy so you will get better.”

Ty smiles. “Now you’re speaking my language! So when do we start?”

I release the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Ty will be okay. Ty will be okay, and get better, and play football and soccer again. Everything is going to be okay.

When the doctor does finally leave, Ty says, “Where were you? It took a long time, wherever you were.” I freeze. I realize that I don’t want to tell anyone about Meghan. I don’t want to share. I am afraid that Marie will say something, but she is absorbed in her dolls. The moment passes, and Ty continues, “Anyway, so that means I’ll be out of here in a week or two? I mean, I can’t miss my last game of football next Friday, that’s only nine days away.”

I look down. I'm no doctor, and I definitely don’t know anything about paralysis, but from readers digest and common knowledge, there’s no way that Ty can get out of here in two weeks. But I can’t say it out loud.

Abby breaks the silence, saying “Ty…there’s no way. You’re going to be here for a while, until you can full function again. That could take months.”

“Wait, so…I guess you’re saying that I'm going to miss my next football game?” Ty looks fine, but in his eyes, I can tell; he is terrified. No moving? No sports? For Ty, there really is nothing worse. He would rather die than be stuck never walking again. I can’t tell if he is trying to look strong for us or trying to convince himself it is okay. I don’t even know if anyone else realizes that he is, inside, flipping out.

Maybe I understand Ty better than I thought.

Abby and Ty’s mother both give a nervous laugh at the same time, trying to fill the silence of the room.

“yeah.” Abby replies, casting her gaze downward at her shoes.

“well.” Ty says in a small voice, then swallows and smiles. “if I'm stuck like this forever, that means everybody’s going to feel sorry for me, so…who’s going to go get me some food? I’m starving!”

His only mistake in announcing that was that everyone wanted to leave, so everyone volunteered. They all decided to go down to get some food and fill out some paperwork about Ty’s stay at the hospital, because it wouldn’t be quite as temporary as everyone was hoping. I don’t know where to go, so I start to walk out with everyone else, but Ty grabs at my arm. I turn back around. He gives me a look.

Sadness?

No.

Pity.

“I’m sorry Ty. It’s just that we were goofing off and I was just kidding and I didn’t think about the ice until after I had shoved you and I didn’t know and-”