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.