Dancing in the stars

Answers

Silence hung over the ICU room. Selin had her eyes closed and an expression of pain spread across her face. She wanted to cover her ears and completely ignore the words that came out of Demir's mouth. She wanted to go back to sleep. As bad as the coma experience was, Selin believed that it was still better than having to spend the rest of her life in bed without being able to move.

— Selin... — Demir called her patiently.

Selin shook her head. No. She didn't want him to speak. She didn't need medical terms or scientific explanations. She wanted him to disappear and take all the diagnoses and treatments with him. She wanted to sleep and if possible never to wake up again.

— How does this test work, doctor? — Selin heard her father ask Demir.

Allah knew how much she wanted to put her hands over her ears and prevent Demir's words from reaching her brain. Why didn't anyone understand that if she wanted to know about tests and results she would ask by herself? Was it so hard to understand that she didn't want to know anything else? That all she wanted to do was send Demir away and hope he never came back?

— Well, Semih Bey, we usually use to stick a small needle in specific points of the patient's limbs so that he can tell us whether he feels it or not...

Selin held her breath when she heard Demir's words. Wasn't he the one who said he knew she was terrified of those pointed things? Had he forgotten that she didn't want any kind of contact with any kind of needle?

— ..., but as our patient doesn't get along very well with sharp things, we will test her with a small brush.

Selin opened her eyes and looked at Demir in surprise and a little ashamed. There was very bad thoughts about him in her mind, it was obvious that he just wanted to help her.

Demir took the small, long object out of his coat pocket and showed it to Selin, who watched it carefully.

— Selin, now I'm going to slide the bristles of that brush down your arms and then down your legs. — He explained, looking her straight in the eye. — When I do that I need you to tell me if you feel something or not.

— Tamam. — Selin agreed.

Without taking his eyes off Selin's dark eyes, Demir took the brush to the girl's neck and calmly slid the bristles around the area. He saw her close her eyes and suppress a small laugh.

— Do you feel it? — He asked to be sure.

— Evet. — She answered quickly, for some reason she couldn't say, she was starting to get anxious.

Demir brought the brush back to Selin's skin, sliding it from the shoulder to just before the elbow. His eyes, fixed on her face, did not want to miss any sign, no matter how small.

— Selin? — He called her when he noticed the confused expression on her face.

— I'm not sure ... — Selin replied uncertainly.

— Let's do it one more time, then. — Demir said and repeated the brush movement.

— It's like I feel something. — Selin tried to explain. — But very, very little.

Demir nodded silently and slid the brush back over Selin's arm. This time, going down the inside of the forearm. Noting that she had not reacted, he repeated the movement.

— Same, little, very little.

Demir took Selin's hand and placed it open over the palm of his own. Selin immediately felt her torso quiver, as if electrical currents were entering her skin from her hand.