Page 25 of The Restoration Program
Carlos ducked toward him conspiratorially, jerking his thumb towards the red-haired woman taking her seat. “You see what I walked in here with? I live and breathe with high-maintenance bullshit.”
Ryan smirked. “I guess I’m in good hands then.”
Carlos looked like he might toss another zinger their way, but the quiet settling over the spacious room prickled. The group was nearly ready. Carlos hooked his arm around Holly’s shoulders.
“C’mon, sit with us.”
There was an open seat for Ryan next to Carlos’ partner. Holly appeared to have a seat saved for her; the teenage boy was watching her raptly from a seat on the other side of the table, looking very much like he wanted the floor to swallow him. But when she wandered over to him, he complied when she waved him down for a peck on the lips.
Nicole found a chair in the center platform in front of Ryan and tried to follow the other NüPrints’ lead in sitting comfortably. Easier said than done when she was surrounded by more giants than she’d seen since waking up in that awful, staged hospital room. She stared at her lap to avoid the kind, curious eyes. Her mouth was dry no matter how often she sipped her water. She was barely able to croak her own name out when Carlos’ girlfriend introduced herself as Rebecca.
Dr. Burman called attention. Her insides clenched when she saw his eyes were fixed warmly on her and Ryan.
“Thanks for coming out today, everyone,” he said. “For those of you who haven’t already had the pleasure, our first order of business is welcoming our two newest members, Nicole and Ryan. They’re a little over a week post-Restoration”
On cue, the table erupted with more polite applause. Nicole squirmed and managed a tight-lipped smile. Ryan waved and thanked everyone for the both of them. To her chagrin, Burman kept her locked in his sights meaningfully. Then, sure enough— “Would either of you like to say a few words to get us started?”
When neither Nicole or Ryan said anything for a few seconds, Holly cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “Speech! Speech!” Her companion rolled his eyes.
Something loosened in Nicole’s chest as she gave a small laugh and exchanged a sheepish look over her shoulder with Ryan. “I… I guess I don’t really know what to say,” she admitted. “This is a lot to take in.”
“Sometimes it still doesn’t feel real,” Ryan said.
Burman nodded, slipping his hands into his pockets. “It was jarring for all of us, the first few weeks. Your life has undergone a massive upheaval. You should both be very proud of your grace under pressure.”
Nicole jolted when Ryan’s hand slipped up by her chair unannounced. Her face flushed.This is what grace under pressure looks like, people. Drink it in.One massive finger uncurled along her arm with a comforting rub.
“Her, more than me,” Ryan said affectionately.
She steadied her breathing and injected tenderness into her tone to match his. “He’s being modest.” It was easy to soften herself, thinking about the state he’d been in when they reunited. He started to look better over the past week, but the dark circles under his eyes weren’t leaving in a hurry. “It couldn’t have been easy,” she added, “waiting to see if the procedure would work on me. And now, well… We both have a lot of adjusting to do.”
Burman nodded sympathetically. “And your need for the procedure came unexpectedly, didn’t it? Would you like to share what happened?”
Her mouth snapped shut. Was he really asking her to share what it felt like todieto a group of strangers? She petted Ryan’s finger, finding the contact strangely calming.
“I was in a car accident,” she said. “My spine didn’t agree with it.”
A few chuckles came from around the circle. She thought Burman might disapprove of her dark humor, but he seemed unfazed. “What about post-procedure? Is there anything you want to share about that?”
She squeezed Ryan’s finger harder. “Watching the roof fly off my hospital room is certainly one for the books. I mean, we didn’t even know about the Restoration Program before the accident, so you can imagine…”
“Of course. You were frightened.”
“Terrified.”
“Many of us here don’t have to simply imagine it,” Burman said, turning to face the others. “Would anyone like to share an experience similar to Nicole’s?”
Holly’s hand shot up like a rocket. “I already introduced myself to Ryan and Nicole, but they haven’t met my boyfriend, Alex. He is… incredible. We’ve had classes together since freshman year and we’ve been dating for—”
“You’re not answering the question, Hol,” Alex said, avoiding the gazes that were suddenly pointed at him. “Maybe you should start with the lake.”
“Oh, right,” Holly said. “Well, during last Christmas break, me and Alex were ice-skating with our friends on a lake in our neighborhood. There was a patch of thin ice and I fell through.” Her smile faltered, and she looked right at Nicole. “I went into shock. I couldn’t move. The water pulled me away from the broken ice, so I don’t think I would’ve made it out myself even if I could move. Everything went dark. I don’t remember being pulled out or being taken into the ambulance.
“Next thing I knew, I was waking up in a freaky, empty hospital room and a bunch of jumbo-sized doctors were telling me that my body had shut down and would never recover. My parents were desperate and wanted me to live because I’m the light of their lives, and so… Here I am.” She made jazz hands. “Ta-da.”
Nicole weighed the potential awkwardness of asking if Holly had required a spear-like needle jabbed in her arm to settle her down.
“Looks like it was well worth it,” Nicole said instead. “The, er, procedure I mean. Not the… other part.”
