The Silken Cord (37 page)

He sat back and released a quick sigh. “You
should know I’m not really a physical therapist. I’m not even a
true prosthetist. I’m just a general practitioner who’s worked a
lot with prosthetics. Unfortunately, my office isn’t currently set
up to provide physical therapy for an amputee.”

Lyn’s brow crinkled and her voice filled
with apprehension. “Are you saying you can’t treat Kristen?”

“No, I can work with your specialists in
Reno. I’m sure we can come up with something to allow me to help
you out, but I wanted you to know up-front what I’m able to do.” He
made some mental notes of how he might install support bars for
Kristen to hold onto as she learned to walk better. A floor mat and
some practice stairs would help out, too. It wouldn’t take much to
create a therapy room for the little girl, yet it could make a big
difference in the quality of her life.

“I understand,” Lyn continued. “Dr. Fletcher
said if anyone could help us, it was you.”

Cade chuckled, unable to resist feeling
pleased by the flattery. “I’ll do my best. I wouldn’t want to
disappoint my old teacher.”

“He also said you’d served several tours of
duty as a marine in Afghanistan. When you got home, you finished
medical school and focused on prosthetics because you had a good
friend who lost his leg in the war.”

Cade stiffened, taken off guard by how much
she knew about him. She’d touched a raw nerve buried deep inside.
Dallin had saved his life, putting himself in harm’s way. Cade owed
everything to Dal and much more. “Good ol’ Dr. Fletcher. He always
did have a wagging tongue.”

“I didn’t mean to be nosey,” Lyn said. “It’s
just that Kristen’s father was also a marine.”

“I see. Semper fi.” Cade nodded in
understanding. Just one more thing he didn’t want to like about
this woman.

“Always faithful,” she said.

“I’m sure your husband was a good man.” Cade
almost groaned. Now, he was making small talk with her.

“My daddy was the best,” Kristen said.

Cade looked away, the knowledge of their
loss impacting him more than he liked. He patted Kristen on her
good knee before rolling his stool backward. He didn’t want to know
about Lyn’s dead husband. Or anything else about her, for that
matter. “Why don’t you stand and walk a few steps for me,
sweetheart?”

The girl tossed a hesitant glance at her
mother, then did as asked. Bracing her hands against the armrests
of her chair, she lurched to her feet. She bit her bottom lip,
obviously concentrating. Trying hard not to show her clumsiness.
Lyn stood close by. Too close. Her hands open and ready to catch
the girl if she fell.

Kristen walked forward, bending slightly at
the waist and sticking her bottom out before jerking the prosthetic
leg forward. The end result was that she walked with a pronounced
limp.

Cade stood and stepped over to give Kristen
some guidance. He had to brush past Lyn, catching the tantalizing
scent of some kind of fruity shampoo. Sweet and feminine. “Excuse
me.”

Lyn stepped back, but not far enough. Her
gaze centered on Kristen like a mother eagle watching her young.
And that’s when Cade wondered if she were a bit overprotective.

“You definitely need a new prosthesis,” Cade
said. “We can get one fitted for you. I’ve got some good contacts
for that. In the meantime, I’d like you to work on a few things for
me. Can you do that?”

Kristen nodded, her blue eyes wide as she
gazed up at him with a mixture of gratitude or doubt, he wasn’t
sure which.

“First, I don’t think you’re trusting your
prosthesis enough. It won’t collapse under you, so let it do the
work for you. It’s strong and can bear your weight. As you walk,
you need to make sure your hip is over the foot.”

He modeled the posture with his own hip and
leg. “Set your weight down on the foot of your prosthesis before
you take another step. Trust that it’ll be there for you. Brace
your hand on the wall, if you need to support yourself. Then, bring
through your good leg. This will pull you up onto the toe of your
prosthesis. Keep your hip over your foot. That will load the
springs in the prosthetic foot so that it’ll help propel you
forward on your next step.”

Cade directed Kristen through the motions.
When her hip and leg moved out of position, he gently pressed them
back into proper order and Kristen was soon taking less awkward
steps.

Then he moved away. Without his aid, utter
panic filled Kristen’s eyes. “But what if I fall?”

Lyn took a step toward her daughter, but
Cade held out his hand to stop her from interfering. “Then you
fall. What’s the worst that’ll happen?”

He waited, letting both daughter and mother
digest this comment. Hoping Kristen realized that falling wasn’t
the worst thing she should fear.

“People will laugh,” Kristen said.

“So, let them. And what will you do?”

He hoped she didn’t say she’d cry. He
couldn’t restore her leg, but he could help her toughen up so she
could cope with her life.

“I get back up?” she asked.

A question, not a statement.

“Of course! Have you ever seen someone else
fall down?” he asked.

The little girl nodded. Her mother looked
tense and wary. Apprehensive.

“And did you laugh?” he asked.

“No.” A vague response. She didn’t
understand what he was getting at. Not yet, anyway.

“Why not?”

“Because they fell down and might be hurt. I
don’t laugh because I know how it feels.”

“Of course. But they don’t just lay there.
They get back up, right?”

Another nod.

He bent slightly at the waist so he could
look her in the eyes. “Kids fall all the time, Kristen. You just
gotta quit being afraid of it. I can teach you how to land on your
bottom so it won’t hurt as much. If you fall down, do you already
know how to stand back up without help?”

She nodded, her eyes filled with a bit more
trust, but not enough. Not yet. This poor girl had a lot of issues
she needed to resolve if she was ever going to walk well and lead a
normal, happy life.

“Then, there’s nothing to be afraid of, is
there? You can get back up and walk on your merry way,” he
reiterated.

She looked down, her chin quivering. A
strand of golden hair swept past her cheek. She looked so sweet and
vulnerable.

Just like her mom.

“But kids laugh when I fall,” she said.

His heart gave a powerful squeeze. “Then let
them laugh. Show them it doesn’t bother you one bit. And pretty
soon, they won’t laugh anymore.”

Cade couldn’t help wondering if Lyn had
discussed this topic with Kristen. From the profound concern in the
mother’s eyes, he knew the ranger cared deeply about her daughter.
But maybe Kristen needed to hear this dialogue from someone besides
her mom.

Maybe Lyn needed to hear it, too.

Taking a deep breath, Kristen took another
step and another. She pressed her tongue against her upper lip,
seeming to concentrate on doing what he’d shown her. Learning to
trust her prosthesis. Lyn tightened her hands into fists, as though
she fought the urge not to assist her child.

“Hey! I’m doing it better.” Kristen smiled
at her mom.

“You sure are, honey,” Lyn agreed, her voice
thick with emotion.

Cade’s gaze darted to Lyn’s face. Against
his better judgment, he sympathized with the ranger and her cute
daughter. How could he resist? He’d thought about telling Lyn he
couldn’t treat Kristen, but that went right out the window. Only an
unfeeling ogre would turn their back on this woman and her child.
They needed him. Maybe even more than Dal had needed him after he’d
lost his leg.

“When you feel the resistance of the
prosthetic toe, you tend to want to avoid it rather than learning
to work with it. Believe in your prosthesis. Make it work for you.
Trust it to be there,” Cade advised.

“But it hurts.” Kristen cringed.

“That’s a different matter. You need a
better fitting socket. I can give you some extra thick socks to
wear over your stump, but I think this socket is too loose. You
have a bony prominence that needs a flexible area around it so it
won’t cause you pain.”

“I knew something was wrong,” Lyn
sighed.

“We’re gonna take care of that for you,”
Cade promised. “We’ll get you fitted for a new prosthesis. I also
want to give you some new exercises I think will strengthen your
balance, abdomen and thighs.”

He continued working with the child,
learning her range of motion, strength and coordination. “You’re
quite limber and strong. I don’t want you to lose that, so exercise
every day. You just need more confidence.”

A bit of hope filled Kristen’s eyes. “Maybe
when I get my new socket, I can play soccer with the other
kids.”

Lyn shook her head hard. “No, honey. You
could get hurt doing that.”

“Ahh,” the girl groaned. “Dad would want me
to try.”

“Well, Dad isn’t here.” An unyielding edge
of sternness laced Lyn’s voice.

Definitely overprotective.

Cade stood silently listening to this
exchange. What had happened to Kristen’s father? Why wasn’t the guy
here with his family?

“Kristen’s father was killed in the accident
when she lost her leg,” Lyn explained.

From the sadness filling her eyes, Cade
realized she’d divulged something very personal. Right now, she
didn’t look like the proficient forest ranger he’d met last week in
Secret Valley. Now, she just looked like a worried mom. Vulnerable
and exposed. And that made him feel strangely protective of
her.

No! He shook his head. The last thing he
wanted was to feel sentimental toward this woman and her child. He
was Kristen’s doctor, nothing more. He must remain neutral. With
all his patients.

Cade cleared his voice. “I’m sorry to hear
that. But with a running prosthesis, I don’t see why Kristen
couldn’t play soccer. Staying active will help her retain her range
of motion.”

He looked at Lyn, keeping his gaze insistent
and unwavering.

Lyn’s mouth tightened. “A running prosthesis
won’t be necessary. I doubt I can afford it anyway.”

“We can talk about the cost later, but don’t
worry. We can find a way to make it happen.”

Now, why did he say that? Getting Kristen a
running prosthesis at little or no cost would mean that he had to
call in some huge favors. But if it meant she could run and play
with the other children, he didn’t mind going out of his way for
this little girl.

Lyn tilted her head and gave him a stern
look as she enunciated her next words. “No. I don’t want Kristen
hurt again.”

Okay, he got it. In a way, Cade couldn’t
blame Lyn. Her husband had been killed and her daughter lost her
leg in a bad accident. No doubt Lyn didn’t want to lose anymore. He
didn’t argue the point, but their situation troubled him. Kristen’s
psychological needs were just as important as her physical needs.
Being overprotective wasn’t good if Kristen was to ever develop
enough self-confidence and autonomy to lead a fairly independent
life.

Cade would treat Kristen the best he could
and keep his distance from them otherwise. He and Lyn would never
be friends. Nothing more than acquaintances. And for some odd
reason, that made Cade feel strangely sad inside.

###

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