Chapter 24

Some months passed, and I started to adjust to not being able to walk. It was a painful process, mentally and emotionally. I think the most painful part was seeing Drake’s eyes turn into a puddle whenever he looked at me, trying to get into my wheelchair. He always tried to prove strong in front of me, but I knew he wept like a baby behind me. Unknown to him, I’ve been mentally working on myself, using my mind to direct more platelets and healing properties to my spinal cord, trying and failing to sense the feeling of perfect healing. Each day, when they were away, I would try to stand and not feel anything on my feet. Each day, I would start up with much hope, fail, and encourage myself for the next day once I had felt a sharp pain when I tried standing, only to fall flat and invite the speedy arrival of the two step-brothers. Out of frustration, I yelled them both out of the room, later hated myself for being so cantankerous, called them back, and apologized. At a point, I became