Page 72 of Shattering

For the first time in what felt like forever, she believed him.

She nodded once, a small, almost imperceptible motion, before turning toward the door.

Gray didn't stop her.

He just watched her go, hoping—praying—that this wasn't the last time she walked away.

Chapter 34

Cadi barely registered the drive to drop Tomos off at rugby. Her hands gripped the wheel, but her mind was elsewhere, tangled in a mess of thoughts. She and Gray needed to talk. No distractions. No dodging. No more circling around the inevitable.

And they needed to do it soon.

One thing was certain-leaving Gray to his own devices for too long wasn't safe. After everything that had happened, she wasn't about to let him spiral.

The plan was simple: finish her clinic quickly.

She parked outside the hospital, exhaled sharply, and made her way inside. First task-get through the ITU referral.

Vanessa had left the form yesterday. If Cadi was being honest, she wasn't in the mood to deal with her. She picked up the folder and scanned the details as she walked toward the unit.

Paul. 32-year-old male. High-impact RTA. Airlifted from a peripheral hospital.

She had asked Sue to inform the family that their meeting would be today instead. Yesterday had been... chaotic, to say the least. She had barely processed the DNA test results before everything else had unravelled.

Stepping into ITU, she entered Paul's bay. A tracheostomy was in place, and though he was conscious, his expression held the heavy blankness of someone still in shock. His wife sat at his bedside, barely holding herself together, her eyes swollen from tears. His brother stood stiffly beside her.

Cadi softened her tone. "Hi, I'm Dr. Hughes. Thank you for waiting."

Paul's wife nodded. "Thank you for coming."

Cadi pulled a chair beside them, bringing herself to their level. "I know this has been overwhelming. I don't want to overload you with information. What I want to do today is walk you through the next steps-what happens when Paul is stable enough to leave ITU and move to the ward."

The wife inhaled shakily. "They said his spine..."

Cadi nodded. "He has an incomplete spinal cord injury at C4-C5. That means the injury is in his neck, around the fourth and fifth vertebrae. But because the spinal cord isn't completely severed,there's still some connection between the brain and the body below the injury."

She let that sink in before continuing. "Right now, Paul has lost a lot of movement and strength, but there's a chance for some recovery. The extent depends on how much nerve function remains and how his body responds to rehab. For now, our focus is on keeping his breathing stable, since injuries this high can affect the muscles that help with respiration."

Paul's brother, who had been silent, finally spoke. "So does that mean he's never going to walk again?"

Cadi chose her words carefully. "It's too early to say for certain. With incomplete injuries, there's always a possibility of recovery, but it depends on how his body responds. What I can promise is that we'll do everything possible to maximize his function."

Paul blinked slowly, his gaze shifting toward his wife.

Cadi picked up on it. "I know this is a lot, Paul. You don't have to process everything today. I'll be back to talk again. Meanwhile, think about what we've discussed and any questions you have. For now, just focus on taking it one step at a time. Alright?"

His wife sniffled, gripping his hand. "What do we do next?"

"When he's ready, we'll move him to the ward and start intensive rehab. You'll meet with specialists-physios, occupational therapists, psychologists, rehab consultants. We'll walk through every step together."

Paul looked exhausted, but something shifted in his eyes-a flicker of acceptance.

The conversation had gone as well as it could under the circumstances. Cadi was relieved to have gotten through it without Vanessa interfering.

She had spoken too soon.

By the time she reached her clinic, the waiting area was already filling up. Some patients flipped through appointment slips, others scrolled on their phones. She barely had a moment to settle when a physiotherapist approached, likely wanting to discuss a case.

---