Chapter 14 - THE FIRST PROMISE
The following afternoon, Maya arrived carrying a paper crown.
She had made it from yellow construction paper and decorated it with blue stars. Tommy followed her with a baseball tucked under his arm.
“This is for you,” Maya announced.
Luca looked at the crown.
“What is it for?”
“Because you're the king of the baseball field.”
Tommy snorted.
“He can't even get to the field.”
Maya turned on him.
“He can still be king.”
Luca accepted the crown and placed it on his head.
“Thank you. I accept the title.”
Maya beamed.
Elena stood near the hedge, watching them. She had become more willing to let Maya visit, but she still did not leave her daughter alone in the mansion. Luca respected that. He had no right to demand trust after a week of knowing the truth.
A physical therapist arrived that afternoon.
Dr. Miriam Shaw had been recommended by the neurologist who reviewed Luca's toxicology report. She examined his reflexes, tested sensation, and explained that any recovery would be slow.
“Your nervous system has been suppressed, not destroyed,” she said. “That is encouraging, but it doesn't mean you'll walk next week. The muscles have weakened. Your balance will need to be retrained. We have to be patient.”
Maya listened from the doorway.
“How patient?”
Dr. Shaw smiled.
“Very.”
Maya nodded.
“That's okay. I'm good at waiting.”
Luca looked at her.
After the assessment, Dr. Shaw began a simple exercise. Luca was asked to focus on moving his right foot. Nothing happened at first. He concentrated until sweat appeared along his hairline.
Then his big toe shifted.
Barely.
A movement so small that another person might have missed it.
Maya did not.
“You did it!”
Luca stared at his foot.
“I think I did.”
“You did! I saw it!”
Tommy leaned closer.
“Do it again.”
Luca tried. Nothing happened.
Maya frowned.
“Don't boss him around. It might be tired.”
Dr. Shaw laughed softly.
“She's right. We stop here for today.”
Luca looked frustrated.
“I should be able to do more.”
“You have spent twelve years without normal movement,” Dr. Shaw said. “One small response is a beginning. Don't turn it into a test you have to pass.”
After the therapist left, Maya sat beside him.
“Are you disappointed?”
“A little.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to be able to stand with you.”
Maya considered that.
“You can stand with me later. Right now, you can sit with me.”
He looked at her.
She held out the baseball.
“Can you teach me the next throw?”
He took it.
“Yes.”
They practiced until the sun began to set.
Later, Elena asked Luca to speak privately.
“I need to tell you something,” she said.
He waited.
“Maya has been asking whether you'll come to her school play next month.”
“I'd like to.”
“She doesn't want you to come because you're her father. She wants you to come because she likes you.”
“I understand.”
“And if you can't make it, tell her. Don't let someone else explain your absence.”
“I won't.”
Elena looked at him for a long moment.
“I believe you want to do better.”
“That's a start.”
“Yes. But wanting isn't the same as doing.”
He nodded.
“Then judge me by what I do.”
May you like
She gave a small, reluctant smile.
“That's all I'm asking.”
