S I G N S

Chapter 24

Jennie had never been so relieved in all her life. She could feel her toes!

Lisa rushed to the hospital as soon as Rosé called her, telling Jess to cancel the rest of her appointments for the day as she hurried out. Practically running up to the front desk, Lisa got directions to Jennie off the man behind the counter and set off searching for her.

As she walked into the ward, she saw Jennie sat on the edge of a hospital bed, her legs dangling over the edge as Rosé sat in one of the chairs, talking to her. Jennie looked up, almost as if she could sense Lisa's presence. Her face split into a smile, and Lisa's mirrored her expression as she rushed over to the bed.

Lisa sobbed as she pulled Jennie into a tight hug, kissing her on top of her head. She drew back, cupping Jennie's face as she smiled through her tears.

"I can feel my toes," Jennie smiled widely, her eyes filled with tears.

"You can feel your toes," Lisa replied, laughing in disbelief.

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It turned out the severe bruising and compressed spine that Jennie had sustained to her lower back during the accident had caused temporarily paralysis as it struggled to repair itself. There was a very high chance that she would have never regained sensation below the waist, but by some miracle, she was one of the lucky few.

It was like a huge weight had been lifted off their shoulders. This was everything Jennie had wished for since the accident. Her optimism came back full force as she vowed that she would walk again, no matter how long it took.

They upped Jennie's physical therapy sessions to three days a week, making real progress with Jennie's muscle strength and the sensation in her legs. Every morning Lisa took her to the pool, easing the pressure on Jennie's joints as Lisa held her afloat.

It was another month before Jennie wiggled her toes for the first time.

It was early on a Sunday morning, and Lisa was helping her get dressed. As she grabbed Jennie's foot to put her sock on for her, her finger touched the bottom of Jennie's big toe. It just so happened that Jennie was ticklish, and her big toe twitched in response to Lisa's touch.

"Oh my God!" Lisa gasped, smiling up at Jennie from where she was crouched in front of her, "you just moved your toe!"

"What?! No way!" Jennie exclaimed, pushing herself up onto her elbows from where she lay on the bed. She could make out her feet in Lisa's lap, one hand gripping her heel as the other held the forgotten sock.

"Can you do it again?" Lisa asked, staring at Jennie's feet in amazement.

Frowning in concentration, Jennie willed her toes to move. Ever so slightly, she managed to wiggle two of them on her right foot.

"You did it!" Lisa clapped in excitement, rising from her crouch to lean forward and give Jennie a kiss.

"You'll have to show everyone tonight!" Lisa smiled, her face filled with joy. She was so happy she felt like she could burst, Jennie was really getting better.

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They were at Jackson's favourite pizza place that night, crowded around a table as they devoured three giant pizzas between the five of them.