by Newbiel
"Please keep in mind, he just woke up and he's very tired. Don't ask him to talk or move. His memories seem good but if you notice something that he doesn't remember please warn us immediately." Nancy advised.
Chapter 6: :
The first thing they saw was the familiarity of the room. They always tried to come see him at least once a week but sometimes, with work, that was complicated. Karine stopped trying to count the number of hours she spent at her office these days. For Mary it was the same issue plus the country trip she was forced to make for the company.
The second and most important thing they saw was their son wide awake, smiling slightly at them, which made their hearts beat with joy. Approaching each side of the bed, they barely managed to restrain themselves from jumping onto the bed and hugging him. They settled on taking both of his hands and caressing his hair.
"Welcome back sweetie" Mary said with a loving tone.
"We missed you so much" Added Karine with emotion in her voice. Tears streaming down her face.
Hearing that Nathaniel almost said he missed them too, but that would give rise to more questions that he wasn't willing to answer as of yet. For the moment everyone thought that he was in a coma, unconscious, and it was better if everyone kept thinking that for the time being. His moms suffered enough, nobody needed to know what really happened to him. Something else was happening to him that he wasn't willing to discuss or even think about right now in the fear to be overwhelmed.
"I …. love… you.." He said finally, looking at both of them.
Mary and Karine exchanged a delighted look, their worry turning into nothing. They knew that there were risks of permanent brain damage after his coma and the hemorrhage but looking at his smile and gentle beautiful eyes they were beside themself with happiness. Their son was still their son after all this time.
"Mom… what… happened .. in.. the… last … 4 years…" Asked Nathaniel with difficulty.
Upon seeing his moms entering the room he noticed that the clothes they were wearing were much more expensive than what they could afford before. Adding the medical costs for him something was not right. Karine was an appointed lawyer while Mary was a musician. There was no way they could afford all of these things with their salary.
"Hush honey, don't talk you need to rest. We are going to tell you everything." Said Karine.
Then they began to explain what happened in the last 4 years. After the accident they were both startled when Mary's mom and dad appeared in the emergency department. Her parents were both conservative and never approved of their relationship. Since that time they stopped talking to each other, something that Mary always felt sorry for. In fact, except for some passing remark he wasn't supposed to hear, Nathaniel never heard his mother talk about her parents, his grandparents.
After the accident and the grim expectations for Nathaniel, Mary couldn't continue playing music anymore. It was as if something broke inside of her and a part of her was missing. She then accepted the proposition of her father to work in their family company. The father of Mary was the founder of Universal Lyndon Records, one of the best labels in the country that signed artists like Dido, Timbaland, Cristina Aguilera, Katy Perry and many more.
Karine began working like a maniac as a means to fight the sorrow in her heart. All the people she met in court were crushed by her, saving the lives of countless innocent people in the process. Until last year when she was recruited to the DA office as a prosecutor. She specialised herself in criminal law and started putting murderers, drug dealers and crime lords behind bars.
Pride shone in the eyes of Nathaniel as he listened to their story.
"Your grandfather is in Europe, he's coming back right now. Having a personal jet is useful sometime I guess." Said Mary in a wry tone. "Your Grandmother is coming, she was in the Hampton so in a few hours she will be here."
Nathaniel was thrilled. He had never met his grandparents so he looked forward to it. Smiling and surrounded by love, he fell back asleep. For the first time in years, he felt at peace.
*****
Two days later, Nathaniel woke up to the sound of people arguing in his bedroom. He was still inside the hospital despite the fact that he was relatively in good shape because his doctors continued to have him pass test after test. He could still not move despite getting medication against the pain but that was expected and didn't seem to worry anyone. He would need physical rehab which also was the subject of arguing if he could trust his hearing.
He could hear that his moms were here together with his grandparents and two doctors. He had met his grandparents and they were lovely people even if Nathaniel could tell they were not like that is their day to day life. They were kind to him which could be a result of him being hospitalized or the fact that he was their only grandson, that remains to be seen.
He made two huges discoveries these last few days. The first was that he could see the soul of people around him. He was startled at first as he was trying to read the name of the new nurse on her name badge when something clicked in his mind. Second later, he could see a blue ball of light in the center of her chest. It was looking a lot like the form he was trapped in for the last four years except that it was tinier and weaker. Looking at his own chest, he could see his own soul nested in here. Contrary to the soul he had seen so far, his own was vastly different as it was composed of two colors and in the form of a Ying Yang where the others were simply in a ball form.
He didn't know why it was the case but could tell that was relevant. Blinking his eyes, he canceled the 'sight' like he was calling it and was immediately assaulted with a huge feeling of fatigue. His body was so weak right now that he couldn't activate this sight more than twice a day and he would always feel tired after using it.
The second discovery that he made in the last couple of days was that there was something wrong with his memories. He was remembering things that he never did, places where he never went. At first, he thought that there was something wrong with his head and then he understood what he was. It was Marc's last gift before passing away. He had given him everything he knew and everything that he experienced in his life. Unfortunately, everything was coming to him in flashes without context and was giving him huge headaches.
For the moment, he chose to block those foreign memories. It wasn't really the time to try to incorporate memories while you were in a hospital bed getting every test known to man to judge your mental health and cerebral fonction. Shaking his head, he try to overcome his fatigue and focus on the people talking around him.
According to what he was hearing his grandpa insisted for him to go to the best rehab center in the EU, in Switzerland to be precise.. His moms and grandma wanted to send him to a private rehab clinic in the state while the doctors insisted he was doing rehab in the hospital. He decided to open his eyes when the arguing began spiralling out of control.
"I would like to say what I want if it's okay with you guys." Said Nathaniel in a tired voice, cutting through the conversation.
Getting the attention of everyone present, Karine walked next to him and started patting his hair.
"Sorry for waking you up dear" Said his grandma, smiling apologetically.
"That's alright grandma" He said with a smile.
"First of all, I would like to thank you doctor, without you and the care I received from this hospital I would never have woken up." He said nodding to the two doctors. "But I spent the last 4 years in a hospital and to be completely honest, I'm starting to suffocate here. So no, I don't want to stay here, nor do I want to go to a private clinic."
Seeing people wanting to argue, he continued before they could interrupt him.
"Grandpa, you said that you had a fitness room in your home in Hampton, right?"
"Yes, I have but it's not adapted for your condition." He said in a stern voice.
"I know but we could rent the missing equipment and hire a specialist to help me for the time I need to get better. Like that, I could be away from the hospital
with grandma. You and my moms could come visit for the weekend and see me." Said Nathaniel with a little smile.
"I like it!" Said his grandmother almost instantly.
"Me too!" Said Marry followed by Karine a second later. Only his grandfather was not convinced by the idea.
"Young man, you are not understanding your current situation. Let me explain it to you. You will need extensive reeducation and treatment if you want to be able to walk in the future and even then there is a risk that you will not be able to. It's possible that complications arise and this is why you need to be in a controlled facility where you can be taken care of quickly."
Nathaniel trusted their advice but he had another idea in mind. He was in a situation where he couldn't afford to be around specialists or controlled in a hospital or clinic. He had seen it in the last couple of days by looking inside his own body. He was healing fast, faster than he should be possible and too fast for any doctor to not find something abnormal was happening. This was why he had offered this idea.
"I respect your opinion doctors, I really do but I just passed four years in this bed. I'm convinced that I will not improve if I'm not allowed to leave this place. I need fresh air and more importantly I need my family to be with me. I know the odds are stacked against me but I believe I will make it. I'm a Lyndon after all." He said, looking at his grandfather.
To the surprise of everyone in the room his grandfather exploded into a raucous laughter. If people who worked with him could see him at this moment, they would never believe their eyes.
"Alright grandson, show me what you got. I will be watching. Doctors, I believe we are done here, thanks again for your care." Said his grandpa, turning to the door and exiting the room.
"Mister Lyndon, I urge you to reconsider. Your grandson is in a serious state that needs constant care." One of the doctors pleaded.
"Don't worry about it Doctor, I will hire the best that money can buy. Now, I need to make some phone calls, excuse me." His grandfather said before exiting the room.
Seeing there was no room to argue, the two Doctors sighed before leaving as well.
"Excellent closing argument sweetie." Karine praised.
"I learned from the best," He said with a proud smile.
His mother kissed him on the cheek for saying that.
Chapter 7: :
Nathaniel realised that he and his grandfather were not on the same page since the start of the day. When he said that he would leave the hospital today he did not expect to leave his room on daybreak. He did not understand right away why the male nurse pushed his wheelchair into the elevator and why his grandma pressed the up button. He realized it when the door of the elevator opened and he was welcomed by the turning rotors of an helicoptere.
"Surprised?" Asked his granny with mirth.
"Yes! But why? We could have gone by car or train!" He exclaimed.
"And risking the life of my only grandson in another accident? Not in this lifetime, not ever" She replied fiercely.
"Grandma, you know that choppers are more dangerous than cars right?" He asked, looking at her.
"Try to convince me of that when you didn't almost died because of a car."
And that was the end of the conversation because the rotor was too loud to hear the other. Once strapped to the seat by the co-pilot he enjoyed the view. He could see buildings that weren't there four years ago. Luckily, his grandmother kept explaining to him what happened in the last four years, pointing at diverse new buildings and explaining what they were and who owned them. It was a very interesting time learning about what he missed all of this time. After they left the city, they kept talking about different things until they finally arrived a couple of hours later.
That place was screaming "money". He could see huge houses and sport cars everywhere. Finally he sensed the helicopter slowing down and landing. When the same co-pilot helped him get off and return to his wheelchair he could finally see his grandparents home. It was huge! That wasn't even a house, that was a frigging mansion! It was a two story tall victorian type mansion with a huge pool in the backyard. Their old apartment could fit twice in that pool and there would still be enough place to swim.
Seeing the shocked look on her grandson's face, his grandma giggled happily, drawing a little smile from Nathaniel which quickly disappeared. Exiting the chopper with difficulty, a man immediately appeared steering a wheelchair near him and helping him in it. Looking at his grandmother curiously, she seemed to understand what he was asking.
"This is Amal, It's one of the personal bodyguards of your grandfather, is here to take care of you."
"Hello Amal, thank you for your help." Nathaniel expressed his gratitude.
"Don't worry about it sir, I'm here to help." He answers in a deadpanned voice.
Looking at him for a second, Nathaniel decided to let it go. That man was giving a sense of familiarity that wasn't coming from him but from Marc memories so he decided to block it for now. Instead, he looked to his grandmother who was walking next to him while Amal was pushing his wheelchair in the direction of the mansion.
"Grandma, are you always alone in this big house?"
"No, of course not dear. Your grandfather is here often and I have a friend who lives nearby. Not to mention the maids, gardeners and security agents who work here." She replied in a soothing voice.
"I'm sorry grandma, I should have come to see you guys when I was younger." He said with regret which immediately startled her, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"No! No dearest! That was our own fault. We are the only ones to blame." She said with sadness..
Choosing not to continue this topic, they advanced down the pathway leading to the back of the house. She led him to the porch where one man was seemingly waiting for them. He had brown hair, was approximately 5"10" and close to forty years old. Beside him on a table stood a doctor bag.
"Oh you are already here, good. Nathaniel meets Dr Evan. He's one of the best physiotherapists in the country and he works habitually for the best super bowl team. He's going to be your doctor for the next few months. We are lucky to have him." His grandmother introduced.
"Nice to meet you Madam." He said before turning to Nathaniel. " Hello young man, it seems we will see each other quite a lot in the foreseeable future". He said in a kind voice. That was good, he didn't seem to be full of himself. Nathaniel could work with that, he had met way too many doctors with a god complex to endure another one.
Searching in his bag, he removed a piece of paper that he passed along to his grandma.
"This is the forecast plan that we extrapolated from the test results that we got from the hospital. His condition is quite serious but we think in 6 month he could walk and perhaps run again. However, he will need to abide by this guideline on what to eat and drink. I will, of course, be here for the physical exercise."
Taking the list, his grandma began to read it before frowning, Something that didn't escape the eyes of the doctor.
"Something the matter Madam? I assure you my team made that plan and it's one of the best in the country." The Doctor said.
"It's not that, it's just that my grandson believes he can walk again in three months."
"What!?" He cried out uncontrollably before remembering to whom he was talking to. "Madam without any lack of respect, it's very unlikely that he would be able to walk again in three months considering the state of his body." He said with tact.
"Yes, grandma he is right. I believe that three months would not do too." Said Nathaniel. Seeing the relief spread on the doctors face, he added almost belatedly. "I think I can do it in two months in fact."
"That's impossible!" The doctor almost screamed, his eyes popping out. "Young man, I know that you want to be brave in front of your grandmother and this is commendable but there are things that are not achievable. This is one of those things"
Seeing that his grandma was going to reprimand the doctor, Nathaniel shaked his head to stop her.
"
Care to bet doctor? How does one thousand dollars sound?" Said Nathaniel with his crafty smile.
"Young man, don't throw your grandparents money on hubris!"
"It's not, this is my personal money. So bet or no bet? I'm not saying I don't respect your work or your qualifications, Doctor. I just do that because I work the best when I'm challenged and this is a challenge."
"Oh, I understand but I'm still taking that bet." He answers in a more mellow tone but Nathaniel could clearly see the smile on the corner of his lips.
The only answer Nathaniel gave was a joyous laugh.
Chapter 8: :
Hamptons. 25/04/2012. 16:25
Robert and Diane Lyndon were standing in the living room of their house. A cup of tea in hands, they were looking through the window at their garden. Near the pool was their grandson sitting cross legged, eyes closed and hands on his knee. He appeared peaceful and serene, the only things that were moving was his chest at each breath that he took.
"When did he start doing that you say?" Ask Robert, his cup of tea all but forgotten in his hands, entirely focused on his grandson.
"Two weeks ago give or take. Since he could walk again." Said Diane before laughing out loud. "You should have seen the look on the face of the doctor Evan when he saw him walk, that was priceless."
"I would have liked to see that. Did he pay the thousand dollars from the bet?"
"No he did not, he paid ten thousand. They double down on the bet a few times." She responded with humor still present in her voice.
"That's my grandson!" Said Robert with pride evident in his eyes. "What did he do with the money?"
"He gave them to an orphanage in NY near their ancient apartment. He said that since this was not money he earned with hard work, he didn't deserve it so as well giving it to someone who needed it." She said warmly.
"Well, pity, that was stupid." He said in a harsh voice.
"Hush you, he's still young. Did the doctor find out how he could walk that fast?"