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I nodded and took the cup. As I fished a sliver of ice free, Raina watched me from drowsy eyes. Smiling encouragingly, I brought the piece to her lips, but a melted droplet of water ran down the side of my finger and landed on a bare patch of skin at her shoulder, making her jump.
“Goodness,” Darlene cheered as she took the stethoscope from around her neck and plugged it into her ears. “Just look at those nice, sharp reflexes. That’s what I like to see.”
Raina slowly slid her gaze to the nurse and then back to me.
“Sorry,” I offered with a timid smile and then touched her lips with the ice. She watched me uneasily before opening her mouth and accepting it.
Meanwhile, Darlene listened to her heart and chest, telling Raina as she worked, “So my name is Darlene. And I’m going to take care of you, alright?”
“O-okay,” Raina rasped.
“Great,” Darlene smiled encouragingly as she kept checking Raina’s vitals. “Can you hear me alright? Am I talking too loudly or too softly?”
“I hear you,” Raina managed to answer, her voice slurring sluggishly.
“Good, good,” Darlene murmured with a nod as she took Raina’s temperature. “How’re you feeling, kiddo? Do you have any pain or discomfort?”
“I…” Raina shook her head as if confused before glancing at me as if seeking an answer. “I don’t know,” she finally mumbled.
“Alright. No worries. How about this?” Darlene carried on, undeterred. “Can you move your arms or legs?”
Raina looked up at her, and nothing happened.
A moment later, the nurse asked, “Did you try?”
Raina nodded her head once.
Heart stopping, I glanced at the nurse, worried she was paralyzed. But Darlene didn’t seem too alarmed yet.
“What about this?” she persisted. “Can you feel this?” Moving to the foot of the bed, she took her pen and poked the bottom of Raina’s foot, through her booties.
With a gasp, Raina jerked her foot away from the prod.
I drew in a deep breath, glad she could still feel.
“Great! That’s great,” Darlene praised. “How about we start smaller? Do you think you can wiggle your toes?
When her toes didn’t move, Darlene wondered, “Your fingers?”
Raina jerked her hands ungracefully and then her knee bent as if she’d just had a spasm under the sheet.
“So coordination isn’t working the best yet,” Darlene murmured to herself as she scratched out a few notes on a clipboard. “That’s nothing that can’t be relearned, which is better than the alternative.”
“What happened?” Raina finally asked, speaking up again.
I swallowed, hoping her short-term memory wasn’t shot.
But Darlene remained patient and calm. “You were in a car accident, hon, and your brain got a little damaged, but you’re okay. Everything is okay, and you’re safe now. Alright?”
Raina swallowed thickly but then nodded her compliance.
“Okay, good,” Darlene soothed. “Let’s see what you can remember. Can you tell me your name?”
“Ra…” Pausing to lick her lips, Raina glanced at me, and I shifted quickly forward, fetching another cube from the cup.
“Do you want more ice?” I asked.
She nodded gratefully, and I fed her another piece.
