AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She uprighted her seat and cinched her seatbelt as snug as it would go, exclaiming when the plane hit another pocket of turbulence.
“I don’t like bumps in the air.” She folded her arms. “How do you look so calm?”
“I refuse to worry about things I can’t control. And this is definitely one of them.”
The plane dropped what felt like a mile in freefall, leaving Carly’s stomach behind. By the time it bounced back upward, it felt like they were inches from the ground.
Just to be safe, Carly located a barf bag in the seat pocket. Then she braced herself for the next big dip.
She didn’t protest when Liam peeled her hand off the armrest and tucked it between his. In fact, the next big bump had her interlocking their fingers and gripping so hard she probably cut off the blood in his hand.
She found no comfort in hearing the man behind her fervently recite the Lord’s Prayer more times than she could count.
“Talk to me,” she demanded. “Tell me a story or something. Anything, so I won’t have to think about this turbulence.”
“Okay...” His free hand patted her arm. “The wheelchair I have with me is the prototype of our newest standing wheelchair. It will convert from sitting to standing, all the way to an eighty-five-degree angle. It locks the knees straight and has padding to prevent bruising.”
Curious, she tried to imagine it. “What keeps you from tipping over on your face?”
“Good question.” His fingers stroked her skin, sending tingles up her arm that were quite effective at distracting her from both the bumpy air and his description. “It has a belt that straps me to it and the mass behind provides counterbalance. But there are also wheel extensions that brace forward, so it’s impossible to tip.”
“Is it motorized?” She was proud to have produced an intelligent question from her muddled mind.
“We make both. Mine is manual. I don’t like the idea that I could ever be stranded, not able to move. It’s ingenious how you can roll it from a sitting or standing position.” The plane took another long dip, but her brain paid more attention to the electric sensations on her arm than her stomach. “I had an adapted car shipped to Branson. The chair locks right into the vehicle, either in the driver’s seat or a rear passenger position.”
His description was interesting, but not as fascinating as the delicious sparks that traveled up her arm all the way to her brain, like flickering lights. A sigh escaped her lips.
I can’t let him know how good this feels or he’ll ask me out again!
Resigned that it was for the best, she nonchalantly laid her other hand atop his to still it. “How do you drive using your hands?”
“My car has a regular steering wheel with a turning knob on it and a joystick for my right hand that operates the gas and brakes. But the joystick on our motorized chair can operate the car, if the system is compatible.”
As the plane hopped up and down again, she concentrated on Liam’s enthusiastic explanations. Maybe their meeting had been providential. She might have less guilt now, picturing him living a full and happy life without a trace of the bitterness she’d expected.
“The really exciting part is our research into biofeedback operation of the chair.” He gestured with his hand, his face animated. “A lot of folks with spinal cord injuries aren’t as lucky as I am. Some have hardly any arm mobility and lack the strength to move a joystick consistently. But we’re developing a joystick that responds directly to the nerve impulses. It’s the same technology we’re using to develop prosthetic arms with operational fingers.”
“That’s incredible!” As impressed as she was with his work in medical prosthetics, she was even more awestruck by his attitude.
Can’t believe I felt sorry for myself just because I lost my hair.
His hand dropped back to her arm, his fingers at work again, and little shivers rippled down her spine. “You never told me about your research.”
She opened her mouth, prepared to drop a well-practiced summary of their new injectable therapy that formed nanofibers with bioactive signals to initiate repair of an injured spinal cord. She’d chosen the program hoping to be a part of the breakthrough research on spinal cord regeneration, largely because she’d never stopped thinking about Liam.
But that’s exactly why I can’t tell him about my research!
Though in early stages, this nanotechnology could be life-changing for Liam. If he knew about it, he would assuredly follow up. He might discover her obscure lecture, entitled “BioNanotechnology - Dancing Molecules and Axon Regeneration,” and her cover would be blown. Even if he didn’t figure it out during the convention, he might find their work in an internet search and learn her true identity.
“It’s uhm...” What could she say to throw him off? “You know... basic tissue engineering. I refuse to talk about it while I’m on a break.”
“Fair enough.”
She let out the breath she’d been holding.
An announcement came on. “We’ve been cleared to land in Chicago.”
Cheers went up all over the plane, though Carly was just praying they’d make it safely to the ground.
