Kai lay in his bed, his mind still a foggy mess. He tried to get a sense of where he was, but the disorienting haze of his memory only made things worse. The flashing lights, the chaos, and then, silence. His body felt foreign, a strange heaviness settling over him as he tried to move. Nothing responded. His eyes felt too heavy to open, his lips too parched to speak. His throat was raw from the effort of trying.
"I think I'm just exhausted from everything," he thought, desperately trying to convince himself.
Just as he thought he might slip back into unconsciousness, the door opened with a soft click, and a figure entered the room. Kai's eyes flickered open, squinting at the silhouette standing in the doorway.
The man was dressed in the unmistakable attire of a doctor. His white coat and the clipboard in his hand told Kai everything he needed to know.
"Good afternoon, son," the doctor greeted with a warm, friendly smile.
Kai blinked a few times, his dry throat making it almost impossible to respond. He tried to croak out a greeting, but his voice came out in a rough rasp. "Good afternoon, doctor. Thank you for your help... I'm really grateful... the nurse said I was lucky to be alive."
The doctor smiled again, his eyes crinkling at the edges. "It's what I'm trained to do, son."
But then, his expression shifted. A solemn edge overtook his features, and Kai instantly felt the change in the air. The doctor stepped closer, the weight of his next words obvious.
"What's the last thing you remember?" he asked, his voice now softer, more cautious.
Kai closed his eyes briefly, the images of the robbery flashing through his mind. "The robbers," he murmured, his voice trembling slightly. "They were hurting the old man, trying to find me. I rushed to help him... I punched one of them. The other... he tried to choke me, but I managed to fight him off." He paused, his breath catching. "Then, I tried to help the old man up... and then, nothing. I couldn't feel anything. I passed out."
"Good job," the doctor nodded, his voice filled with quiet approval. "You did well."
Kai didn't feel well at all. His limbs felt numb, and a gnawing frustration built in his chest as he tried to focus on the conversation.
"The police managed to apprehend one of the robbers," the doctor continued, "but the second one escaped. They've issued a BOLO for him, though."
Kai exhaled slowly. He was relieved one of the men was in custody, but the other's escape weighed heavily on him. That loose end gnawed at his mind.
The doctor gave him a moment to process the information before speaking again. He cleared his throat, his expression shifting to one of pure professionalism. "Mr. Jones, I need you to do something for me."
Kai blinked at him, confused. He nodded slowly. "Sure, doctor. What is it?"
"I need you to try and move your arms. Slowly, if you can. Just try to make a fist for me."
Kai furrowed his brow, confused. His arms felt heavy, sluggish, as if they belonged to someone else. He did as he was told, bringing his hands together, concentrating hard. It took several seconds, but eventually, he managed to make a loose fist.
"Good," the doctor said, nodding in approval. "Now, slowly unclench it."
Kai followed the instructions, his hands shaking slightly as he repeated the motion. The doctor seemed satisfied with the results.
"Now do the same with your legs," the doctor instructed gently. "Clench your toes as tightly as you can and then try to unclench them."
Kai's brow furrowed further as he tried to comply, but no matter how hard he concentrated, his legs didn't respond. His muscles didn't tighten, his toes didn't move. They remained as still and lifeless as they had been when he first woke up.
He tried to laugh it off. "I think my legs are asleep, doctor," he said weakly, though the unease in his voice betrayed his attempt at humor.
But the look on the doctor's face told him it wasn't a simple case of sleepiness. The pit in his stomach deepened, the gnawing feeling now turning into cold dread.
"Mr. Jones," the doctor said, his tone shifting again. He was no longer speaking as a friend, but as a professional delivering grim news. "While we were performing your surgery, we discovered that the bullet struck your spine. It caused significant damage to your vertebrae." He paused, his words hanging heavily in the air. "Unfortunately, the nature of the injury means that you are currently dealing with paraplegia."
Kai's heart stopped. His breath caught in his throat, and his mind scrambled to process what the doctor was saying.
The doctor continued, "We did everything we could, but the damage is severe. You're paralyzed from the waist down."
The room seemed to tilt around him. Kai's chest tightened, and a wave of nausea hit him all at once.
His mind reeled. All his dreams—everything he had hoped for—seemed to slip through his fingers like sand. He was left with nothing but the crushing weight of his new reality.
His breath became shallow as he lay still, his thoughts racing, but unable to form coherent words.
"I—I can't…" His voice cracked, the tears he had held back now threatening to spill.
The doctor gave him a moment of silence, his expression softening just a little. "I'm sorry, Mr. Jones. I know this is hard, but we'll help you through this. One step at a time."
But Kai wasn't listening anymore. The doctor's words were muffled by the roar of his own thoughts. All he could think was one thing: Why me?