by Leigh Bale
Kristen nodded, pulling her skirt up to a modest inch just above her skinny knees. Or rather knee.
Setting the clipboard aside on the counter by the sink, Cade studied the mechanisms of the prosthesis. Pink and white scars crisscrossed the thighs of her amputated leg and also her good leg. “Were both your legs injured?”
She nodded, but Lyn answered. “After the accident, they were only able to save her left leg.”
Thank heaven they were able to save that much.
Cade reached for the socket of the prosthesis, his fingers pressing and pulling gently as he tested the fit around Kristen’s stump.
“I don’t think it fits properly,” Lyn said. “She’s had a recent growth spurt, which may have changed the fitting. It’s hurting her. She isn’t able to walk very well.” She stepped near, hovering close by Kristen’s side.
Cade liked the genuine concern he heard in Lyn’s voice. The tenderness as she brushed a protective hand over the girl’s arm. It made her seem more human.
“We’ll see.” He bowed his head low, his attention on Kristen, but his words for Lyn. “How’d you hear about my office?”
“Dr. Fletcher said you’d recently completed an internship with the Craig Stratich Group. I’m aware that they’re leading specialists in prosthetics and research. I accepted my job in Stokely, knowing there’d be a qualified doctor here to work with Kristen.”
He grunted his acknowledgment, betraying his nervousness. The tribal leaders wouldn’t want him treating the forest ranger’s daughter, but he had very little choice. He certainly would never turn the little girl away. Above all, he felt compassion for the child. She needed his help and he couldn’t refuse.
He sat back and released a quick sigh. “You should know I’m not really a physical therapist. I’m not even a true prosthetist. I’m just a general practitioner who’s worked a lot with prosthetics. Unfortunately, my office isn’t currently set up to provide physical therapy for an amputee.”
Lyn’s brow crinkled and her voice filled with apprehension. “Are you saying you can’t treat Kristen?”
“No, I can work with your specialists in Reno. I’m sure we can come up with something to allow me to help you out, but I wanted you to know up-front what I’m able to do.” He made some mental notes of how he might install support bars for Kristen to hold onto as she learned to walk better. A floor mat and some practice stairs would help out, too. It wouldn’t take much to create a therapy room for the little girl, yet it could make a big difference in the quality of her life.
“I understand,” Lyn continued. “Dr. Fletcher said if anyone could help us, it was you.”
Cade chuckled, unable to resist feeling pleased by the flattery. “I’ll do my best. I wouldn’t want to disappoint my old teacher.”
“He also said you’d served several tours of duty as a marine in Afghanistan. When you got home, you finished medical school and focused on prosthetics because you had a good friend who lost his leg in the war.”
Cade stiffened, taken off guard by how much she knew about him. She’d touched a raw nerve buried deep inside. Dallin had saved his life, putting himself in harm’s way. Cade owed everything to Dal and much more. “Good ol’ Dr. Fletcher. He always did have a wagging tongue.”
“I didn’t mean to be nosey,” Lyn said. “It’s just that Kristen’s father was also a marine.”
“I see. Semper fi.” Cade nodded in understanding. Just one more thing he didn’t want to like about this woman.
“Always faithful,” she said.
“I’m sure your husband was a good man.” Cade almost groaned. Now, he was making small talk with her.
“My daddy was the best,” Kristen said.
Cade looked away, the knowledge of their loss impacting him more than he liked. He patted Kristen on her good knee before rolling his stool backward. He didn’t want to know about Lyn’s dead husband. Or anything else about her, for that matter. “Why don’t you stand and walk a few steps for me, sweetheart?”
The girl tossed a hesitant glance at her mother, then did as asked. Bracing her hands against the armrests of her chair, she lurched to her feet. She bit her bottom lip, obviously concentrating. Trying hard not to show her clumsiness. Lyn stood close by. Too close. Her hands open and ready to catch the girl if she fell.
Kristen walked forward, bending slightly at the waist and sticking her bottom out before jerking the prosthetic leg forward. The end result was that she walked with a pronounced limp.
Cade stood and stepped over to give Kristen some guidance. He had to brush past Lyn, catching the tantalizing scent of some kind of fruity shampoo. Sweet and feminine. “Excuse me.”
Lyn stepped back, but not far enough. Her gaze centered on Kristen like a mother eagle watching her young. And that’s when Cade wondered if she were a bit overprotective.
“You definitely need a new prosthesis,” Cade said. “We can get one fitted for you. I’ve got some good contacts for that. In the meantime, I’d like you to work on a few things for me. Can you do that?”
Kristen nodded, her blue eyes wide as she gazed up at him with a mixture of gratitude or doubt, he wasn’t sure which.
“First, I don’t think you’re trusting your prosthesis enough. It won’t collapse under you, so let it do the work for you. It’s strong and can bear your weight. As you walk, you need to make sure your hip is over the foot.”
He modeled the posture with his own hip and leg. “Set your weight down on the foot of your prosthesis before you take another step. Trust that it’ll be there for you. Brace your hand on the wall, if you need to support yourself. Then, bring through your good leg. This will pull you up onto the toe of your prosthesis. Keep your hip over your foot. That will load the springs in the prosthetic foot so that it’ll help propel you forward on your next step.”
Cade directed Kristen through the motions. When her hip and leg moved out of position, he gently pressed them back into proper order and Kristen was soon taking less awkward steps.
Then he moved away. Without his aid, utter panic filled Kristen’s eyes. “But what if I fall?”
Lyn took a step toward her daughter, but Cade held out his hand to stop her from interfering. “Then you fall. What’s the worst that’ll happen?”
He waited, letting both daughter and mother digest this comment. Hoping Kristen realized that falling wasn’t the worst thing she should fear.
“People will laugh,” Kristen said.
“So, let them. And what will you do?”
He hoped she didn’t say she’d cry. He couldn’t restore her leg, but he could help her toughen up so she could cope with her life.
“I get back up?” she asked.
A question, not a statement.
“Of course! Have you ever seen someone else fall down?” he asked.
The little girl nodded. Her mother looked tense and wary. Apprehensive.
“And did you laugh?” he asked.
“No.” A vague response. She didn’t understand what he was getting at. Not yet, anyway.
“Why not?”
“Because they fell down and might be hurt. I don’t laugh because I know how it feels.”
“Of course. But they don’t just lay there. They get back up, right?”
Another nod.
He bent slightly at the waist so he could look her in the eyes. “Kids fall all the time, Kristen. You just gotta quit being afraid of it. I can teach you how to land on your bottom so it won’t hurt as much. If you fall down, do you already know how to stand back up without help?”
She nodded, her eyes filled with a bit more trust, but not enough. Not yet. This poor girl had a lot of issues she needed to resolve if she was ever going to walk well and lead a normal, happy life.
“Then, there’s nothing to be afraid of, is there? You can get back up and walk on your merry way,” he reiterated.
She looked down, her chin quivering. A strand of golden hair swept past her cheek. She looked so sweet and vulnerable
.
Just like her mom.
“But kids laugh when I fall,” she said.
His heart gave a powerful squeeze. “Then let them laugh. Show them it doesn’t bother you one bit. And pretty soon, they won’t laugh anymore.”
Cade couldn’t help wondering if Lyn had discussed this topic with Kristen. From the profound concern in the mother’s eyes, he knew the ranger cared deeply about her daughter. But maybe Kristen needed to hear this dialogue from someone besides her mom.
Maybe Lyn needed to hear it, too.
Taking a deep breath, Kristen took another step and another. She pressed her tongue against her upper lip, seeming to concentrate on doing what he’d shown her. Learning to trust her prosthesis. Lyn tightened her hands into fists, as though she fought the urge not to assist her child.
“Hey! I’m doing it better.” Kristen smiled at her mom.
“You sure are, honey,” Lyn agreed, her voice thick with emotion.
Cade’s gaze darted to Lyn’s face. Against his better judgment, he sympathized with the ranger and her cute daughter. How could he resist? He’d thought about telling Lyn he couldn’t treat Kristen, but that went right out the window. Only an unfeeling ogre would turn their back on this woman and her child. They needed him. Maybe even more than Dal had needed him after he’d lost his leg.
“When you feel the resistance of the prosthetic toe, you tend to want to avoid it rather than learning to work with it. Believe in your prosthesis. Make it work for you. Trust it to be there,” Cade advised.
“But it hurts.” Kristen cringed.
“That’s a different matter. You need a better fitting socket. I can give you some extra thick socks to wear over your stump, but I think this socket is too loose. You have a bony prominence that needs a flexible area around it so it won’t cause you pain.”
“I knew something was wrong,” Lyn sighed.
“We’re gonna take care of that for you,” Cade promised. “We’ll get you fitted for a new prosthesis. I also want to give you some new exercises I think will strengthen your balance, abdomen and thighs.”
He continued working with the child, learning her range of motion, strength and coordination. “You’re quite limber and strong. I don’t want you to lose that, so exercise every day. You just need more confidence.”
A bit of hope filled Kristen’s eyes. “Maybe when I get my new socket, I can play soccer with the other kids.”
Lyn shook her head hard. “No, honey. You could get hurt doing that.”
“Ahh,” the girl groaned. “Dad would want me to try.”
“Well, Dad isn’t here.” An unyielding edge of sternness laced Lyn’s voice.
Definitely overprotective.
Cade stood silently listening to this exchange. What had happened to Kristen’s father? Why wasn’t the guy here with his family?
“Kristen’s father was killed in the accident when she lost her leg,” Lyn explained.
From the sadness filling her eyes, Cade realized she’d divulged something very personal. Right now, she didn’t look like the proficient forest ranger he’d met last week in Secret Valley. Now, she just looked like a worried mom. Vulnerable and exposed. And that made him feel strangely protective of her.
No! He shook his head. The last thing he wanted was to feel sentimental toward this woman and her child. He was Kristen’s doctor, nothing more. He must remain neutral. With all his patients.
Cade cleared his voice. “I’m sorry to hear that. But with a running prosthesis, I don’t see why Kristen couldn’t play soccer. Staying active will help her retain her range of motion.”
He looked at Lyn, keeping his gaze insistent and unwavering.
Lyn’s mouth tightened. “A running prosthesis won’t be necessary. I doubt I can afford it anyway.”
“We can talk about the cost later, but don’t worry. We can find a way to make it happen.”
Now, why did he say that? Getting Kristen a running prosthesis at little or no cost would mean that he had to call in some huge favors. But if it meant she could run and play with the other children, he didn’t mind going out of his way for this little girl.
Lyn tilted her head and gave him a stern look as she enunciated her next words. “No. I don’t want Kristen hurt again.”
Okay, he got it. In a way, Cade couldn’t blame Lyn. Her husband had been killed and her daughter lost her leg in a bad accident. No doubt Lyn didn’t want to lose anymore. He didn’t argue the point, but their situation troubled him. Kristen’s psychological needs were just as important as her physical needs. Being overprotective wasn’t good if Kristen was to ever develop enough self-confidence and autonomy to lead a fairly independent life.
Cade would treat Kristen the best he could and keep his distance from them otherwise. He and Lyn would never be friends. Nothing more than acquaintances. And for some odd reason, that made Cade feel strangely sad inside.
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Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Dear Reader Letter
Excerpt from The Heart’s Warrior
Excerpt from Healing the Forest Ranger