Millionaire Girlfriend

Chapter 42: Chapter 42 - Everything’s going to be alright

Dylan lay awake in his hospital bed, unable to sleep despite the darkness outside.

In the bed right beside his was Lucinda, the love of his life. She lay perfectly still, unable to move even a finger because of the terrible accident they had suffered.

The doctors had explained that she had suffered a severe cervical spinal cord injury.

For now, Lucinda was quadriplegic.

She couldn’t move her arms or her legs. Even the simplest movements had become impossible.

But the doctors had still given them a small glimmer of hope.

The injury was incomplete.

That meant there was still a possibility of recovery. The problem was that no one could tell them how much function she would regain or how long it would take.

With time, intensive rehabilitation, and a great deal of patience, she might eventually recover some sensation and motor function.

But the doctors had also been clear: they couldn’t guarantee that she would ever fully regain the use of her arms and legs.

They would have to wait.

Months.

Maybe years.

Dylan slowly turned his head toward her.

Lucinda was sleeping peacefully. The calm expression on her face was a painful contrast to the reality of her condition.

She couldn’t move.

But Dylan refused to believe it would last forever.

His mind drifted back to a few days earlier, when Carl had come to the hospital.

Dylan still remembered the way he had acted.

Carl had walked around as though none of it had anything to do with him. As though he wasn’t responsible for the miserable situation they were now in.

Just thinking about it made a dull anger rise inside Dylan.

Without Carl, his life would have been completely different.

By now, he should have been the happiest man in the world.

He would probably have been preparing for his wedding to the woman he had always loved.

Instead, Lucinda was lying in a hospital bed, unable to move.

Dylan didn’t know how he was going to do it yet.

But he would make Carl pay.

He would find a way.

Dylan didn’t even realize when he finally fell asleep.

He opened his eyes when the doctors entered the room to check on Lucinda. Her condition was still concerning.

On top of her cervical spinal cord injury, she had suffered several fractures. Her right arm was broken, as was her right foot, along with several other injuries caused by the violent crash.

Lucinda was awake.

Her eyes were open, but ever since the doctors had told her that she was quadriplegic and that they couldn’t predict whether she would fully recover, she had barely spoken.

A doctor approached her bed.

"Good morning, everyone. Lucinda, we’re going to run a few more tests to check your sensation and reflexes again."

Lucinda didn’t answer.

The doctor began by examining her leg.

He stimulated different areas of her skin and carefully watched for any reaction.

"Can you feel this?" the doctor asked.

Lucinda remained silent for a few seconds.

"No."

The doctor continued.

He tested different areas of her legs before moving on to her arms and hands.

"And here?"

"No."

He continued examining different parts of her body, checking her reflexes as well.

Each time, Lucinda gave the same answer.

"No."

The doctors continued for several minutes.

Lucinda didn’t appear to have any voluntary sensation in the areas they were testing.

Dylan’s mother watched from beside the bed.

After a moment, she finally spoke.

"Doctor... I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but isn’t there someone more specialized who could treat her? I’m not questioning your ability. We just want to make sure she’s getting the best care possible."

The doctor turned to her with a gentle, reassuring smile.

"I completely understand. But believe me, Lucinda is already in one of the best hospitals in the country for this kind of injury. She’s being treated by the right specialists, and we’re doing everything we can for her."

He glanced back at Lucinda.

"For now, we need to give her body time. Some recovery can begin after several weeks or even several months. At this stage, our priority is monitoring her progress and treating her other injuries."

The doctors finished their examination and left the room.

Lucinda continued staring ahead, her eyes wide open, but she said nothing.

Dylan watched her for a few seconds.

He knew she was afraid.

He was afraid too.

But there was nothing he could do to change what had happened.

The only thing he could do was stay by her side.

After the doctors left, Dylan moved closer to Lucinda’s bed.

His mother was still sitting beside her.

Lucinda shifted her eyes toward her.

"Mom... could you get me some water, please?" Dylan asked.

His mother nodded. She understood that the two of them probably needed some privacy.

"Of course, sweetheart."

She stood and left the room.

Dylan took the chair she had been sitting in and pulled it closer to Lucinda’s bed.

He gently took her hand.

Her fingers were warm, but completely still.

Dylan ran his thumb across the back of her hand before lifting his other hand to her face. He gently caressed her cheek.

Lucinda turned her eyes toward him.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then Lucinda whispered,

"Is this... my punishment? Is God punishing me for everything wrong I’ve done?"

Her voice was broken.

"Stop saying that."

Dylan gently brushed his thumb across her cheek.

"We’ve never believed in that stuff. Karma, divine punishment... all that bullshit."

His expression hardened.

"This is Carl’s fault. He’s the one who crashed into our car and caused this accident. Not God. Not some higher power. And he’s going to pay for it. I promise you."

Lucinda said nothing.

Dylan stared at her for a moment before continuing.

"The doctors said it’s still too early to know what’s going to happen. So we’ll wait. We’ll do whatever we have to do. I’m sure you’ll recover. You’re the strongest and most resilient woman I know."

He leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

"And when you’re better, we’ll get our exciting life back. You, me, and our son. We’ll travel the world, just like you’ve always dreamed of."

Dylan remained beside her for a few seconds before standing.

He walked over to his own bed and reached behind the mattress. He pulled out a small box he’d been hiding there for the past few days.

Dylan returned to Lucinda’s side and opened it.

Inside was an engagement ring.

"I bought it online," Dylan explained.

Lucinda stared at it.

Dylan carefully took the ring out of its box.

"One day, you’ll get better. And we’ll get married like we planned."

There wasn’t the slightest hint of doubt in his voice.

He gently took her left hand and slipped the ring onto her finger.

Then he lifted her hand slightly so she could see it.

Lucinda stared at the ring.

A small laugh escaped her.

Dylan smiled.

Then tears began rolling down her cheeks.

She was crying, but she was still smiling.

Dylan gently wiped her tears away.

After a few moments, he carefully removed the ring.

"I’m going to keep it for now."

He placed it back in its box.

"You’ll wear it when you can really enjoy it."

Dylan gently placed her hand back on the bed.

Then he remained seated beside her.

A few seconds passed.

Suddenly, Dylan noticed something.

His eyes dropped to her hand.

Her index finger had moved.

"Oh my God. I think I just saw your finger move. Your finger moved."

"What? But I can’t feel anything," Lucinda said.

Before she could say anything else, her index finger moved again.

This time, Dylan saw it clearly.

"It moved."

He immediately pressed the call button.

A few minutes later, the doctor entered the room.

"What happened?"

"Her index finger moved. Twice."

The doctor immediately approached Lucinda.

"All right. Let’s check."

He asked Lucinda to try moving her finger.

She concentrated.

Nothing happened.

The doctor then tested her sensation and reflexes.

"Can you feel this?"

He gently ran the tip of a pen across Lucinda’s hand.

"Yes... I think I can feel a little tickling sensation," Lucinda answered, her voice filled with excitement and a sudden spark of hope.

The doctor continued testing her for a few moments before straightening.

Dylan immediately looked at him.

"Well?"

The doctor gave them a small smile.

"That’s very good news. It appears that some sensation is beginning to return in her left arm."

Dylan looked at Lucinda.

"Does that mean she’ll be able to move her arm again?"

"With time, it’s possible. But it’s still too early to know how much function she’ll regain. And we can’t say anything yet about her lower limbs."

The doctor stepped away from the bed.

"For now, we’ll continue monitoring her progress."

Dylan nodded.

It wasn’t the answer he’d been hoping for.

But it wasn’t bad news either.

He gently took Lucinda’s hand again.

"See? I told you everything was going to be okay."

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