Lured into Love (Blossom in Winter #2) - Melanie Martins Page 0,6
the person to come in, we are welcomed by a bunch of new faces. Accompanied by Dr. Nel, my nurse Cynthia, and Alex, my new physiotherapist and her assistant are introduced to me.
“Petra, this is Dr. Jade, your new physiotherapist, and her technical assistant, Kylie,” Nel explains.
“You may just call me Jade. How are you? Nel told me you are suffering from atrophy, especially in your legs. Have you tried to stand up yet?”
“Hi, Jade. No, not yet,” I reply. “My lower body feels like stone.”
“Let’s take a closer look. May I?” Dr. Jade pulls down the sheet and starts pressing her fingers into my legs. “Do you feel anything?”
“Yes.” And I’m quite relieved I do.
She then moves to my knees and does the same. “And here?”
“Yep.”
Then she moves to my feet and squeezes them. “And here?”
“I do.”
Afterward, she takes my right leg and bends it. “If I bend your leg like this, does it hurt?”
“Nope.”
With a smile on her face, she says, “Good. It seems your muscles are just very weak. We’ll start today with electrical stimulation on your legs so you can at least bend your knees and do some basic movements. It’s fundamental that you do daily workouts and trainings to develop your muscles. I also recommend you do aquatic rehabilitation at least three times a week and eat a diet rich in protein.” Dr. Nel nods and adds everything to her notebook. “If you follow everything, you should be able to walk within a week or two. Not run, not jump, but at least walk.”
“Do you think I can start back at Columbia this fall?” I ask her. “It’d be great if I could get back to a normal life as soon as possible.”
Dad, Alex, and everyone else in the room fall into a weird silence, as if I said the craziest thing in the world. They even look at each other without saying a word.
“Did I say something wrong?” I ask, my gaze landing on Dad.
“Petra,” Alex starts. “Um, did anyone tell her?”
“Tell me what?” My question goes to everyone, but no one seems to want to answer.
“I didn’t,” Dr. Nel says.
“Neither did I,” Dad replies.
My heart starts thundering as I observe everyone remaining mute, their faces grave like at a funeral. “What’s going on?” Yet no one answers. “I got expelled from Columbia?”
“No, of course not,” Dad blurts out instantly. “They are aware of your situation.”
“So what’s going on?”
“Normal life will be a bit different this year,” Alex says.
“I know I’m gonna have to work harder, but I can do an intensive program and pass last spring’s exams this year,” I tell them. The last thing I need is to be treated like a fragile little girl. Since no one seems convinced, I add, “I’ll spend more time at the library, and I’m sure my friends will help me out.”
“I don’t think you can go back to Columbia this year,” Dr. Nel says. “Given your current state, you should remain at home and do online learning.”
“No,” I snap back. “I want to have a normal life. I don’t want to stay here alone. I want to go back on campus and meet my friends. And have lunch with them, and…”
“You can’t do that anymore,” Alex interposes. “Even if you wanted to.”
My heart freezes, and my brows furrow instantly. What are they planning against me? “Why? Why not?”
“The world has changed,” Alex says. And my brows continue to crease, wondering if they are playing some prank on me. “And not for the better.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s a global pandemic out there,” Dad finally announces. I can’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of it, but they remain just as serious.
“What kind of pandemic?” I ask.
“Let me show you.” Dad pulls out his iPhone, types something on it, and gives it to me. It’s a PDF file from the Rockefeller Foundation—aka one of his go-to sources of info to know which stocks and securities to buy next—with the title “National COVID-19 Testing & Tracing Action Plan.”
I start reading it, and the more I read of the report, the more the words pandemic, economic losses, social distancing, and facial coverings become regular vocabulary. “Is this some sort of prank?”
“No,” Dad snaps as he takes his iPhone back. “And we’ve made three times more than in a normal year, our best year yet, actually. We switched most of our investments into pharmaceuticals and consumer tech. It was challenging, but a great strategy for the coming years.”