Page 156 of We Are Just Us

Samantha made a small sound.

“A burst fracture means the vertebra essentially shattered under the force of impact,” Dr. Reyes explained. “Fragments were compressing the spinal cord. We were able to remove the fragments, decompress the cord, and stabilize the spine with hardware. The surgery went as well as we could have hoped. But the road to recovery is going to be long. And difficult.”

“What does that mean?” Kieran asked. His voice didn’t sound like his own.

Dr. Reyes looked at him. Her expression was kind but honest. “At this level of injury, there was a significant risk of paralysis. Complete loss of function below the injury site. In Mr. Kline’s case, we got very lucky—the cord wasn’t severed. But it was severely compressed and bruised.”

“So he’s not paralyzed?” Samantha asked.

“Not permanently. But he’s going to have significant weakness and mobility issues, especially in his upper extremities. His hands, his arms. We won’t know the full extent until the swelling goes down and we can do more comprehensive testing.”

Kieran tried to process this. Tried to understand what it meant. Rory—strong, capable Rory who built things with his hands, who carried lumber like it weighed nothing, who surfed, might not have full use of his arms.

“Will he recover?” Samantha asked. “Fully?”

Dr. Reyes hesitated. “Some function, yes. With extensive physical therapy, most patients with this type of injury do regain a significant amount of mobility. But it’s unlikely he’ll return to a hundred percent of what he was before. And it’s going to take time. Months, minimum. Possibly years.”

Months. Years.

“Can we see him?” Kieran asked.

“He’s in recovery right now. Still sedated. But once he’s moved to the ICU, you’ll be able to visit. Briefly.” Dr. Reyes looked between them. “I know this is a lot to take in. And I know it’s not the news you were hoping for. But I want to emphasize, he’s lucky to be alive. The fact that he’s not permanently paralyzed is close to miraculous. A few millimeters different on impact, and we’d be having a different conversation.”

“Thank you,” Samantha said. Her voice was barely above a whisper. “Thank you for saving him.”

Dr. Reyes nodded. “A nurse will come get you when he’s ready for visitors. It’ll probably be another hour or two.”

She left. Disappeared back through the doors.

Kieran and Samantha were left standing in the middle of the waiting room.

Stable. Not paralyzed.

But months of recovery. Years, maybe. And no guarantee he’d ever be the same.

Samantha grabbed his hand again. He felt her shaking, skin cold to the touch.

Or maybe he was shaking.

“He’s alive,” Samantha said, as if reminding herself. “He’s alive.”

“Yes,” Kieran managed. “He is.”

FORTY-FOUR

The ICU was quieter than Kieran expected.

No chaos or rushing. Just the steady beep of monitors and the soft shuffle of nurses moving between rooms.

A nurse led them down the hall, Kieran and Samantha walking side by side, neither speaking. Kieran’s hands were shaking, so he shoved them in his pockets.

“He’s still pretty out of it,” the nurse said over her shoulder. “The anesthesia takes a while to wear off. And we’ve got him on pain medication, so he might be disoriented.”

“Okay,” Samantha said.

They stopped outside a room. The door was half-open. Kieran could see the edge of a bed. The glow of monitors.

“Five minutes,” the nurse said. “That’s all for now. He needs rest.”