_____________________Chapter One: Paralized for Life?______________________

Paralyzed. The word struck the families like a lightening bolt.
"I can't tell you if it's permanent or not," Dr. Corinthia said. Mrs. Titan, better known as Terri, burst into tears.
"What do you mean, 'permanent or not'?" Mike Titan, asked, comforting his wife.
"Just what I say," the young doctor ran his hands though his already thinning hair. "How did you say it happened?"
"Melinda's friend had driven her out to Sunrise Morgan Farm, and had dropped her off at the driveway. Somewhere along the quarter-mile driveway, Melinda stopped by the bridge. From what I gather, someone--" Mrs. Titan broke into tears.
"Someone came down the driveway incredibly fast and plowed right through her," MR. Titan sighed, wiping a tear away.
"Was she supposed to be walking on the road?" Dr. Corinthia asked, curiously.
"Ordinarily, Melinda takes the bike path up to the barn, but since it was early in the morning, she didn't think that anyone would be driving on the road. In fact, it was 6:30am! The road is 2-laned, and she was walking with the traffic...Since the driver was driving towards her, we think that he deliberately hit her!" Thomas Titan said, defensively.
"Back to the subject, what do you mean by 'permanent or not'? IS she or is she not paralyzed?" Grandmaw Titan asked.
"Well, she moves just fine in her sleep, but when she's awake, she can't move anything. It's very...curious," the doctor said, slowly.
"So this means..." Thomas prompted.
"This means that she may~~let me stress that MAY~~be able to re-gain at least some control of her limbs. Don't get your hopes up, though," The Doctor warned.
"She moves in her sleep? How's that work?" Granpaw Titan asked.
"Well, last time I saw her, about ten minutes ago, she had just fallen asleep lying on her back with her arms folded~~she prefers her arms to be folded, don't ask why!~~and legs straight. If she has a dream, she will change her position. So far, she can only sort of whisper. When she's asleep, she will say things out loud. It's the weirdest thing~~kinda creepy, actually! I've never---" at that moment, Dr. Jake Corinthia got cut off by a scream.
"NO!!!" The scream echoed down the halls. The group looked at each other.
"W-w-w-what was that?" Thomas asked. Just then a nurse came flying down the hall.
"Doctor! It's Melinda! She-she-she--" The doctor took off at a run before the nurse could say anything more.
"Sorry about this, folks," the nurse said, apologetically. "We've got a strange case on our hands here," the nurse began.
"We know," Grandmaw said, quietly.
"You do?"
"She, Melinda, is my sister..." Thomas began.
"Our granddaughter..." the grandparents continued.
"And our daughter!" finished up Mr. and Mrs. Titan.
"Oh! Well...I"m Nurse Buldale. I've been assigned to room 329--Melinda's room. How old is she?"
"18!" everyone said at once.
"OH, wow! She's beautiful! Is she engaged? i saw a pretty ring on her hand," Nurse Buldale asked polightly, as she ushered the group towards room 329.
"Nope! I gave her that ring for being my faithful companion. That was...gosh...9 years ago! I never dreamed that she'd wear it this long! Why are we--" Mr. Titan gasped. He had walked into the room. Melinda sat in the bed, her unbroken leg bent. Her face was a ghostly gray, not the color it usually was. Nurse Buldale left the group and hurried over to Melinda. Together the doctor and the nurse straightened the girl out. Melinda's eyes asked a question, since she couldn't really talk.
"You were having a dream and you seemed distressed. Usually you calm down after a minute or two, so I sat down to wait it out. I began to get worried about you because you have several broken ribs. As you began to get more and more restless, I wondered if I should get the doctor. When you sat up like that, I ran to get the doctor. I was afraid that one of your broken ribs had punctured something" As she was telling Melinda this, the doctor gently poked and prodded.
"Well, doctor?" Melinda managed to get out. Everyone started. It seemed to Mike that the words came out of a ninety-six year old lady who was on her death bed~~not his 18 year old daughter. Even the doctor seemed surprised that she had spoken up.
"Uh, Dr. Corinthia? Could I have a moment with you?" Mike asked, wanting to know if Melinda had been told.
"Mr. Titan, Melinda knows fully well that she is paralyzed. She also knows the possibility of regaining some control of her limbs. Until then, though...Melinda?" The doctor grinned at his patient.
"I----can----do all-----things--" she paused to catch her breath, as she was very weak. Melinda looked around at everyone. "Through Christ---who strengthens me!!" Everyone joined in on the last part of the verse. The family was a bit surprised to see that the doctor had joined in.
"You know it?" Thomas asked.
"Oh, gosh yes! That was one of the first verses I learned as a Christian!"
Melinda beamed.
"that makes you a friend in--" Several popping noises echoed across the room. Everyone looked around to see what they had come from. "In her book!" Thomas said cautiously, nodding towards his sister. Melinda blushed and nodded. "Hey! I thought you were, like, paralyzed! What's up with your head?" Thomas asked. Melinda shrugged. "And your shoulders! You moved them! How'd you do that?" Thomas exclaimed.

"What? You moved your head? And your shoulders?" The doctor asked. Melinda nodded again. The next few minutes were spent in a frenzy of commotion. The nurse shooed them out saying, "Let us do what we're good at! You all will just confuse us!" Through the door, the family heard, "Can you do this?....What about this?...MELINDA, are you really trying as hard as you can?...hmm...well, let's try...no, that won't work...Make a note of that, Buldale...NO NO, not that, Melinda!...What about..." the doctor asked question after question. Finally the nurse let them back in.
"Do you want the good news or the bad news?" the doctor asked, cheerfully.
"I think we could do with some good news right about now, please!" Mrs. Titan said.
"OK, here goes: The good news is that I just saved a bunch of money by switching to GIECO!" The doctor grinned. Everyone stared at him like he was crazy. "It's a joke..you know, it's supposed to be FUNNY!? OK, here's the REAL good news (although I though that was pretty good to me!}: the good news it that she might, Lord wiling, be able to regain control of her entire body!" The doctor paused.
"Wow!! I think I'm ready for the bad news now..." Terri said happily.
"The bad news is that this could take many years. I don't know how many "many" is, but...best case scenario, in a year of perhaps less, she could be totally better...worst case scenario, 20-30 years...I don't know for sure."
"Wow! That's still good news! I wasn't expecting that she would ever be cured!" By now, Mrs. Titan was almost jumping with joy.
"As soon as she re-gains control of her arms, I"d like to try something new with her, if it's OK with you...?" Dr. Corinthia asked, looking hopeful.
"Well, how about you tell me what us what "it" is BEFORE we consent, Sir!" Thomas said, acting the part of Big Brother to it's fullest.
"Well, its' called, you're probably going to laugh at this..It's Called Therapeutic Riding. The lady who runs this program is Rose Durango. She owns...oh, shoot! I forgot the name of the barn, but anyway, what she does is---" Dr. Corinthia couldn't get any farther in his speech.
"Dr. Corinthia..Melinda WORKS with the Therapeutic Riding Program! In fact, when she got rammed into, she was going to go get the horses in for an early lesson with a partially paralyzed person who was also blind! She worked with this young man every week!" Thomas exclaimed.
"Well, then, I guess I don't need to get down on my knees and grovel for you all to send her there?" he asked.
"You most certainly do not have to, Sir! We'd be glad to have her go there~~and I think she'd be glad to see her horse too!" Mike Titan rejoiced as Melinda nodded weakly.
"Well, then i guess that we should probably let Melinda be, she's pretty tired!" Dr. Corinthia grinned.
"And........." Melinda's parents thought that she had fallen asleep. They started to turn away. "SORE!!!" Melinda fairly thundered.
"OK, for the next three weeks, I want you to concentrate on your right arm. I want you do whatever you have to do to make your arm move. Think "Arm, MOVE!", send the signal to the brain, then see what happens. Try!" Susie Canterbury, Melinda's physical therapist commanded. Someone quietly knocked on the door. Nurse Buldale opened it. Her face brightened.
"Ursula! Come in! Melinda's trying to move her arm--and with a drill sergeant like Susie around, I'm sure that she'll move it in a few minutes! Anyway, she's trying to move her arm, finger, wrist...anything, really. Come in, Come in!" the nurse urged.
"Nurse, you know, sometimes it TAKES a drill sergeant to get things done around here!" Susie defended herself. Melinda smiled cheerfully at Ursula. "Concentrate!" Came the command. Three days after Thomas had discovered that Melinda could move her head, and her shoulders some, the Doctor had called up a physical therapist. Three days later, in walked--no, tromped--Susie Canterbury. She had promptly taken over Melinda's life. "Keep trying! Ursula, keep an eye on her, make sure that she keeps trying. I'll be back in a minute. Nurse? Would you come with me?" Nurse Buldale obediently followed the physical therapist out to the hall.
"Susie, don't you think you're a bit hard on Melinda? I know I may treat her too well, but still!"
"That's precisely why I"m leaving Ursula and Melinda together for a while. They both want 'Linda to be better soon! Have you had lunch?" Susie asked.
"Yes, but I"m starving!"
"OK," Susie cracked the door into the room. "Girls? The Nurse and I are going to go get something g to eat. We'll be back in thirty minutes or so, OK?" Both girls nodded. "Ursula? No chit-chatting! Work-Work-WORK!!!" She closed the door and headed off to a late lunch. "By the way, what's your first name? Everyone calls you Nurse Buldale or Nurse or Buldale."
"Katrina."
"Katrina? That's a pretty name!" Susie exclaimed.
"Katrina Mg-on Buldale. What a horrible name--that's why I go by Buldale," she confessed. "I'd love to have a nickname or something so I wouldn't have to hear ANY of my name!"
"What about going by Cady? You know, like Cady Woodlawn?" Susie suggested after thinking for a minute.
"Cady. Hmmm...Hmmm....Cady. Nurse Cady. Yes, I think I like that name. But it's gonna be hard to get people to remember to call me by that! Thanks, Susie! Thanks!"
"Well, why don't you start with Melinda? Insist that she call you Cady! Speaking of Melinda, she'd better be working hard!"


Twenty minutes later...


"Susie! She did it!" Ursula ran into the cafeteria, breathless with excitement.
"Did what? Did WHAT?" Susie asked quickly.
"She closed her hand then opened it! Three times! Come see!"
"You don't have to tell me again!" Susie said as she and Nurse left their lunch un-finished and raced down the hall.


A little while later...


Susie and Ursula walked down the hall of the hospital together, after Susie's leaving Melinda with some instructions on what ot work on nest.]
"It's hard to believe how far she's come in jsust one and a half months, isnt' it, Miss Canterbury?" Ursula asked.
"Has it really been that long? IT seems like it's been a year! To answer your question, yes. She has come a long way in such a short time. How long have you two been friends?" Susie asked.
"Hmm.....It seems like forever. Um, let's see. It must be six years now. Or is it seven? OH, well. It doesn't really matter. Is that? Could it be?" Ursula was startled.
"What? Where? Who?" Susie asked, hurriedly.
"Um, just a guy I know. It's weird that he would come alone..." Ursula's voice trailed off.
"Do you like him? Are you jealous that he's coming to see someone other than you? How long have you know him? What's his name?" Susie demanded.
"Nosy, aren't we?"
"That's me, Busy Body Susie!" She grinned.
"No, I don't have a crush on him, so, no, I'm not jealous that he's coming hjere to see someone~~probably Melinda. I've known him for 4-5 years, his name is Daniel Owen Bishop, and he is 19 years old. Does that satisfy you, Miss Busy-Body-Susie?" Ursula shook her head in amusement. Suddenly, Daniel spotted Ursula. He jogged over with a concerned look on his face.
"Ursula, are you OK?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
"Oh, good. Where is she?"]
"Where is who?"
"Where is Melinda, for Heaven's Sake!" Daniel looked at Ursula like she was from Mars.
"Ehm. pardon me for interrupting, but MY patient is in Room 329. In the room, you will find Nurse Cady Buldale. She is taking care of Melinda," Susie interrupted.
"And who are you?" Timothy asked.
"My name's Susie--"
"Canterbury. She's the best Physical Therapist I've ever known. Hello, my name's Dr. Corinthia. Jake Corinthia. What's your name, son?" The doctor had come up just in time to hear the last part of Timothy and Ursula's "discussion". Then, a second later, he realized what Susie had said. "Cady Buldale?"
"Yes, sir, she didn't like her name, so she's decided to have everyone call her Cady," Susie said.
"My name is Daniel. Daniel Bishop. I'm a close friend of Melinda's. I take it that you're her doctor?" Timothy asked.
"I am."
"How's she doing? I've heard rumors that she might be able to walk again! Is that true?"
"It's possible. Susie? Did you make any headway today?"
"Yes, sir. She opened and closed her right hand three times for me and three times for Ursula. you see, I can't take much-if any- credit for that. Ursula, here, got Melinda to do it. You need to thank her not me. I've left Melinda with instructions for the rest of the week. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get to another appointment--" Susie glanced at her watch. "Thirty minutes! See y'all in four days!" With that, Susie made a dash for the door, leaping over an elderly woman in a wheelchair before slamming into the door and stumbling outside.
"My, my! That's quite the physical therapist! Well, I'm going to go say hello to Melinda. I guess I'll see you on Saturday, Ursula. Nice to meet you, Sir," Timothy waved to Ursula and Dr. Corinthia.
"And I've got to preform surgery in twenty minutes! Actually, I need to be there right now! Bye Ursala! Keep up the goos work!" Dr. Corinthia galloped off to the surgery room.
"Daniel's visiting Melinda. Humph! I wonder what they're doing?" Ursula mused as she left the hospital.


***********************************


"I'm coming! I'M COMMING!" Nurse Buldale--now known as Nurse Cady--grumbled, getting out of her chair and going to the door. She peeked out from the shade on the window in the door. "It's a boy!" she said.
"Huh? What's he look like?" Melinda whispered.
"JUST A MINUTE!" Nurse Cady yelled at the door as it was rapped upon again. "He's tall, looks about ...19 or 20--"
"Let him in!" Melinda whispered forcefully. Sullenly, Nurse Cady obeyed.
"Hello," the nurse said coldly.
"Umm....May I come in?" the "Boy" asked, cautiously.
"Sure," Icicles flew.
"Is this a bad time, Ma'am?" to himself, he thought, "Man, trying to be polight and dodge ice balls certainly is hard!"
"You could say that again."
"Katrina Buldale!" Melinda almost yelled. "Daniel Bishop is welcome any time!" Then in a quieter voice: "Come in, Daniel. How's Paul? IS his cold any better?"
"Well, we found out he had a combination of bronchitis and a new strain of the flu. He's on antibiotics right now, and he's almost better. If he had gotten better sooner, I would have been here sooner~~I didn't want to get you sic on top of all this! As for Paul, he's milking it as much as he can. How are you?"
"Oh, i"m plugging along. Actually, I"m mad at my parents. they are refusing to go on the cruise to Thailand. My mom has wanted to go on that cruise for the past four years! And now I have to go and ruin that. I'm thinking of starting a petition. I"ll get everyone i know to sign, then maybe i can blackmail them into going! What do you think?" Melinda asked, only half serious.
"Sounds reasonable to me. Besides, they can always call you. You'll always have someone with you. Do you want me to stop by Wal-Mart and get you a notebook to start the petition in? I'd be happy to! How long do you have? Timothy asked, dead serious.
"I've got seven weeks. Do you think I can do it?" Melinda worried.
"I'm sure of it! I'll me back in fifteen to twenty minutes. Can I get you anything else?"
"A milkshake and a Diet Pepsi, please."
"Something hi-fat and then something diet? I always thought you were weird!"
"And now you know it, right?" Melinda giggled. When Timothy had left, Nurse Cady busied herself about the room, grumbling to herself.
"Hmph! How come you get asked if you want something, and I don't?"
Melinda just grinned.


************************************


"Here you go, Melinda. One chocolate milkshake, one diet Pepsi, and one notebook. By the way, I will gladly sign!" Timothy had some in "laden down."
"Nurse?" Melinda called. Nurse Cady came out of the bathroom, still grumbling.
"What now, Your Royal Highness?"
"I hope that you're thirsty?" Melinda began cheerfully.
"Yeah, come to think of it, I am!"
"And you like chocolate, right?"
"Duh!" Nurse Cady was getting a might curious, in spite of herself.
"Well, I thought that you were having a bad day..." Melinda glanced up at Daniel. He, realizing what she was getting at, grinned, and put the milkshake in Melinda's hand.
"You could say that again!" Nurse Cady sighed.
"Well, I thought that you were having a bad day..." Melinda said, mischievously.
"You goof-ball! you take me too seriously! I didn't mean....oh, well, get on with what you were saying. I haven't got all day!
"OH, OK. I thought that you could use a Route 44 size milkshake," Melinda held onto the cup with three of her fingers, and managed to use the other two to weakly drag the milkshake a few inches toward the nurse. "On one condition!"
"What's that?"
"That: (a) you always welcome people into MY room; and (b) that you stop being grumpy today, PLEASE? Oh, and one more thing...please, please, PLEASE! Enjoy your milkshake? Do you accept?"
"I AGREE!" Nurse Cady said. "I would also like to make two rules: 1) No friends before 7:30 MA or after 10:00pm," she began.
Melinda nodded. "And?"
"and 2) PLEASE don't call me 'Nurse,' 'Nurse Cady,' 'Nurse Buldale,' or anything with 'Nurse' in it. OK?"
"OK. But what AM I supposed to call you? 'it?'" Melinda asked.
"Call me just plain old Cady, please," She asked.
"Alright, just plain old Cady, Here's your milkshake. Ill probably need some help drinking my Pepsi. Oh, um, thank you, Daniel. Diet, caffeine free, carb free, sugar free, taste free, color free, everything free Pepsi, ehh? I didn't ask for carbonated water!"
"Here's your Pepsi, and yes, I did get you caffeine free. After all, it's" He glanced at his watch. "Yikes! It's 22:03! I've got to go--and you've got a promise to keep, Titan! I'll see 'ya soon, girl!" He nodded to the Nurse, and then squeezes Melinda's hand.
"Bye, Daniel!" Melinda sighed as he exited.
"Do you like him?"
"Man, you don't beat around the bush do you? You take a herd of wild longhorn cattle and trample the poor bush!" Melinda grinned.
"Yippers! Now, how about answering my question...!" Cady grinned.
"Yes, I do. Unfortunately for me, I don't think that he likes me back."
"How long have you liked him? three. four months?"
"Make that years, and add four more, and that's how long I've liked him. Any hints on how to get him to like me back?"
"Just be yourself. If he cant' like you for who you really are, then he's a lost cause! Why do you like him?" Cady asked as she began to get the room ready for going to bed.
"He's handsome--inside and out! He's kind to me, even though he's not used to being around girls. He's the oldest of 7 kids, with the youngest being two. He cares about me, and until recently, my brothers haven't really. If I say that my knees are hurting, then he remembers it and offers me a hand when I"m unsteady. He's a good cook...actually, I could go on forever about him!" Melinda said, dreamily.
""My, my! you certainly like him 'good,' don't' you? From the sounds of it, he likes you too! But no more of the subject. Let's go to bed. I"m finished with my milkshake, and we can put your Pepsi in the refrigerator, then go to sleep," Cady turned the two fans on, as well as the ceiling fan, and helped Melinda to lie down.
"Good-night, Cady!"
"Good night, Melinda!



Back Home Again!
Stargate's Song Page
Whittling Page
My Drawings
Main Story Page