The Aftermath

Aurora's parents breathed in relief. From all the blood bags and nurses rushing into the operating room, they were preparing their hearts for the worst outcome. However, knowing that the operation was successful, a sudden urge to cry came after the relief.

No matter how strong they wanted to be, they hadn't been prepared to say farewell to their charmingly lively eldest daughter. Theresa Reid covered her face with trembling hands and cried out in relief. Her husband, Andrew, gathered her in his arms, holding her tight. His own tears threatened to fall as he looked at Surgeon Ryan. "Thank you, Ryan. We don't know what we would have done without your assistance."

Ryan Damson was their longtime family friend. They had shared dinners and holidays, never imagining they would one day need his skills in such a dire way.

Surgeon Ryan stated, his voice heavy with fatigue, "It's my duty. Aurora is a lovely young lady. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her." He paused, choosing his following words with careful consideration. "Although we stabilized her spine and did everything we could to relieve the pressure on her spinal cord, I can't say for sure if she will wake up without… any significant challenges. If that happens, all we can do is to pray for her quick and full recovery."

Mrs. Theresa Reid wiped her tears with the back of her hand, her expression shifting from relief to fierce determination. "As long as my baby wakes up, we will do everything, everything, to help her."

Ryan Damson gave them a polite, weary nod and excused himself. He and his entire team were utterly exhausted. They wouldn't have the energy to perform another surgery for the rest of the day.

The Reids and Maximilian went to the ICU. Since they couldn't enter the room until she was more stable, they could only watch her through the thick glass window. She lay so still, a small figure amidst a tangle of monitors and tubes.

Mr. Andrew Reid placed a hand on Maximilian's shoulder. "Max, you stayed with us the whole day. We can't thank you enough. Why don't you go home and rest? We will head back soon ourselves. We can drop you off."

Maximilian's eyes stayed locked on the sleeping Aurora. "Mr. Reid, please head home first. I have some things I need to do before I leave."

The Reids, understanding his need for a private moment, excused themselves. He stayed in the silent corridor until their footsteps faded. Then, he turned and walked to the medical staff's resting area. Ryan Damson was finishing dressing after a quick shower. Seeing his nephew standing in the doorway, he picked up his briefcase. The two of them left the hospital together without a word.

In the car, the silence was thick. Finally, Maximilian spoke, his voice rough, "Thank you, Uncle."

Ryan kept his eyes on the road. "No need to thank me, lad. I did what any surgeon, any family friend, would do." He paused, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. "In front of you, I won't beat around the bush. You should prepare for the worst. During the fall, she must have landed on her buttocks, sending a massive shockwave up her spine. One of her vertebrae in her lower back, the first lumbar vertebra, where the spine meets the ribs, shattered from the force. This is not a good sign."

Maximilian clenched his fists in his lap until his knuckles turned white. He didn't want to admit it, but he had seen her unconscious body, had felt the wrongness of her stillness. The thought of her never walking again, of her spirit breaking under the weight of it, was driving him to a quiet, desperate madness.

"What's going to happen next?" he forced himself to ask.

"Once she wakes up, be with her," Ryan said, his tone softening. "The only thing you can do now is to be there for her. She will need immense emotional support. After that… she has to go through therapy. A lot of it. It will be a long road."

"Please help her," Maximilian whispered, the plea laid bare.

"I will," Ryan promised. "I'll take care of it."

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Three days later

The Reid family, Maximilian, and Jacob were all gathered in Aurora's private room with Ryan Damson, waiting in an anxious, breath-held silence for her to wake up.

Aurora's eyelids fluttered. The sunlight from the window hit her eyes, and she squeezed them shut with a faint groan. Slowly, she tried again. When her eyes finally opened, bleary and confused, the first thing she saw was the tearful, emotional faces of her family.

"Hi, baby," Theresa whispered, coming closer to holding her hand gently. She smiled even as fresh tears dropped from her eyes.

"Hi, Mom," Aurora said, her voice a hoarse scrape against her dry throat. "Hi, Dad." She looked at her parents with a soft, dazed smile.

"How are you feeling, dear?" Andrew asked, his heart swelling with a mixture of emotions. Even though he was devastated seeing her in this state, he was thanking every power in the universe for letting his daughter wake up.

"I feel weird…" Aurora murmured, her brow furrowing. "A dull pain… I don't know… I think… everywhere." She tried to shift, and her smile faltered. A flicker of panic entered her eyes. "Mom… I can't move my legs. I… I don't feel my legs."

The statement landed in the room like a physical blow. Theresa's breath hitched. Andrew's face went pale. Jacob looked away, unable to bear it.

It was the moment they had all feared, spoken aloud.

Aurora's confusion turned into sheer terror. She looked down at the blanket covering the lower half of her body, as if commanding it to move. Nothing happened. "Why can't I feel them?" she asked, her voice rising in pitch. "Make them move! Make them move!"

She began to thrash weakly, trying to sit up, to kick, to do anything. Alarms on the monitors beeped in protest. Ryan and a nurse moved quickly to restrain her gently.

"Aurora, sweetheart, calm down," Theresa begged, her own tears falling freely now.

But Aurora was beyond calming. The reality was crashing down, cold and monstrous. "What's wrong with me?!" she screamed, the sound raw and broken. "WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?!"

She broke down completely, sobs wracking her injured body, a torrent of despair and shock that devastated everyone in the room. Her family gathered around, crying with her, their world shattered.

Only Maximilian remained slightly apart, his own heart fracturing as he watched. He remembered his uncle's words: "The only thing you can do now is to be there for her."

Later that afternoon, once Aurora had cried herself into an exhausted, sedated sleep, the police arrived to ask questions. Aurora, when gently woken, was hazy. "I think… I slipped," she whispered, her eyes vacant. "I can't remember… It's all blurry."

Ryan explained quietly to the officers and the family. "It's likely temporary selective amnesia due to the massive shock. Her brain is trying to protect her from the traumatic memory. It may or may not return."

A week later, the police officially ruled it a tragic accident. That same day, Aurora Reid went home in a wheelchair.

Maximilian visited her every single day. He would read to her, sit in silence with her, or hold her hand while she stared out the window, a shadow of her former self. One afternoon, she looked at him, her eyes slightly red but determined. "I will get better, Max. I promise."

His tender gaze landed on her confident eyes. Her eyes hadn't lost their sparkles even after such a devastating blow. He was relieved. He believed her words.

The day after she made that promise, Maximilian returned home to find his mother waiting for him in the foyer, her expression unyielding.

"Max," she said, her voice cool and final. "Your father and I have finalized the arrangements. You are leaving for Switzerland at the end of the month. Your undergraduate studies at the business school in Zurich begin then. It's time to focus on your future."