Disclaimer: None of this mine, nor will it ever be. The characters belong to Stephenie Meyer and I just like to play with Edward and Bella.
Also, thank you so much for your support for my writing. It means to me more than words can say.
"You need to be content with small steps. That's all life is. Small steps that you take every day so when you look back down the road it all adds up and you know covered some distance."
Katie Kacvinsky
Chapter Two
Six months went by and Isabella Biers was divorced, reverting back to her maiden name, Swan. Riley held true to his word and didn't fight her on the house. He paid her child support and alimony, requesting that he get shared custody of their children. Seth missed his father and was eager to spend time with him. Jake, who had seen how horrifically he treated his mother, adamantly refused to spend any time with him.
Riley hated that.
Jake did not want to spend time with the man who'd said vows in front of their friends and family, promising to stay by his mother's side in sickness and in health, only to walk away when the going got tough. Instead, Jake focused his attention on his studies in high school and sports, playing baseball, football and basketball.
Riley tried to get Jake to come over to his condo in downtown Seattle, even going so far as contacting his attorney. After discussing it with his lawyer and the judge, Riley dropped the case. Jake was old enough to make his choice. He could not be forced into a decision, making his son resent him any more than he already did.
Instead, Jake chose to ignore his father. As far as Jake was concerned, he didn't have a father. Riley was nothing to him. Jake even asked if he could change his last name from Biers to Swan, in deference to his mother's pain. Bella refused the change because for better or worse, Riley was still Jake's father.
In addition to the divorce, Bella met up with her new neurologist, Dr. Jasper Whitlock. He looked over her case and ordered a slew of new tests. She'd stagnated in her physical therapy and her previous neurologist was a cold-hearted, uncaring man. He essentially said that Bella was stuck in that chair and that she needed to accept that reality.
Her doctor never realized that Bella was stubborn. She wouldn't just roll over and accept his prognosis. She was going to walk again.
Damn it.
Her ex-husband, the initial prick-of-a-doctor nor her frayed spinal cord were not going to stop her.
Sitting in Dr. Whitlock's office, Bella twisted her hands anxiously. Her mother, Renee, was with her, praying that her daughter would get some good news. Her father, Charlie, was with her boys, taking them fishing in order to keep their minds off Bella's appointment.
"Breathe, baby girl," Renee Swan said, taking Bella's hand. "I have a good feeling about Dr. Whitlock. And he's cute!" She thrust a pamphlet into Bella's hand, showing her a photo of a handsome blonde man with sparkling cornflower blue eyes, in his late thirties, early forties.
"Mom, I'm not looking for any sort of relationship," Bella grumbled. "Plus, I believe he's married." She pointed to a photo on his desk. Dr. Jasper Whitlock was wearing a handsome tuxedo, standing next to a beautiful, petite woman with spikey black hair and violet eyes.
The door burst open and a tall man with sandy blonde hair and warm hazel eyes walked inside. "Mrs. Biers?"
"Recently divorced, Dr. Whitlock," Bella said, turning and holding out her hand. "Please call me Bella Swan."
"A pleasure, Ms. Swan. And, call me Jasper. Most doctors love the title, but I think it's pretentious," he chuckled, sitting down on the couch. He held a thick file. "I looked over your results, from your initial diagnosis over a year ago to your most recent tests a month ago." He smiled at her. "We've got some good news."
"Good news?" Bella asked, shifting in her chair.
He placed his hand on her knee. "Can you feel this?"
Bella nodded. His hand was warm and heavy on her knee. "I never lost feeling in my legs. They just don't work anymore. I try to move them, but they won't move."
"Close your eyes, Ms. Swan," Dr. Whitlock commanded gently.
"Bella, please," she encouraged. Dr. Whitlock smiled and pointed to his eyes. With a sigh, Bella complied, sliding her lids closed and he reached out, moving Bella's pant leg up. He used a Wartenberg wheel along her shin. Bella's leg jerked back. Her eyes flew open. "Did I just move my leg?"
"You did," Dr. Whitlock smiled. "Bella, your original neurologist was correct in that your connection from your brain to your legs is frayed, but there is still a connection. I think with the proper physical therapy and support; you will be able to walk again. The fact that you can still feel sensations in your limbs indicates that you still have a nerve connection to your legs."
"So, you think I can walk again?" Bella whispered.
"With time, patience and a kick-ass physical therapist, you will be doing more than just walking, Bella. My wife, Alice, is a physical therapist and she's got the best in the business. I think if you work with her and her team, you will be able to regain most of your mobility," Dr. Whitlock said quietly. He handed Bella a card, along with a script for physical therapy. "I want you to start a medication regimen of aspirin. It's a blood thinner."
"I've been taking a daily aspirin since this was diagnosed," Bella shrugged. "Do you know the cause?"
"From your history, I do not. You were the picture of health prior to your stroke," Dr. Whitlock said, flipping through the paperwork. "You ran daily, ate a healthy diet and aren't obese or suffering from diabetes. Did you drink?"
"Occasionally, but I never really ever got drunk," Bella answered. "I usually was the designated driver, to be honest."
"We do have a history of heart disease and high blood pressure in our family, Bella," Renee said. "Your grandfather on your father's side died of a heart attack and your maternal grandmother had a stroke. Your father is on medication for blood pressure and has been since you were in college."
"That could be the reason, but your tests indicate you're normal," Dr. Whitlock said. "Low blood pressure and stellar cholesterol readings. It could be just a fluke, Bella. Your body just protested and the result was the ischemic stroke in your spine. I'm just hopeful that with the right therapy, you can fully recover from this."
"I hope so," Bella breathed. "I've coped with being in this chair, but I hate not living my life. I miss running. I miss sex! Not that I'm having any … fucking ex-husband."
"He is an asshole," Renee spat. "Vows meant nothing to him, Dr. Whitlock. He left her high and dry."
"His loss," Dr. Whitlock growled. "I hate partners like that."
"He was never a partner. Not after what he did to my daughter. He wasn't there when I wiped her tears, feeling inadequate over everything," Renee said, tucking a curl behind Bella's ear. Renee saw tears shimmering in Bella's chocolate eyes. When she came over to see her daughter and grandsons, she noticed Bella just giving up. Her once dark hair was limp, with gray hair littered along her scalp. Her pale skin was translucent and drawn. Her eyes lost their sparkle. "Riley deserves a special place in hell for what he did to my baby girl and her babies."
"Mom! I'm certain that Dr. Whitlock doesn't want to hear about my marital issues," Bella sighed. "My apologies."
"Don't apologize, but I think you may want to meet with a therapist to discuss your diagnosis and your issues with your ex-husband. You suffered a loss with your stroke and I'm certain you never really worked through that loss," Dr. Whitlock murmured, arching a brow over his chic glasses. He handed her a card. "Rosalie McCarty is one of the best therapists for patients like you. She gets what you're experiencing."
"How so?" Renee asked.
"Car accident," Dr. Whitlock answered. "She had a spinal injury and is paralyzed from the waist down. She was not as lucky as you. Her entire spinal cord was transected by a piece of shrapnel. Her husband, Emmett, is one of the physical therapists in my wife's practice."
"At least her husband stuck around," Bella said bitterly.
"She met him while she was learning to cope with her new body. Emmett saw her for who she was and not her injury," Dr. Whitlock smiled. "They are happy and disgustingly in love. The last I heard was they were having a baby via a surrogate, or at least trying."
"See? Not all men are like your asshole ex," Renee sneered.
"No, they're not," Dr. Whitlock said. "I'm sorry that you had to deal with that. I think that with my wife, her team and Rosalie, you'll be able to start your life again."
Bella held out her hand, shaking Dr. Whitlock's. "Thank you, doctor."
"I'm not going to lie, Bella. It will be hard, arduous work," he said, enfolding her hand with his. "You'll probably want to kick my ass, but you will be able to, in time. I'm certain of it. Meet with Alice and I'll see you in a month. Perhaps you'll be walking by then. You never know."
A/N: Thank you for reading. I'm blown away by your support. Pictures of Bella's home, Dr. Jasper Whitlock and Renee Swan are on my blog. You can access that from a link on my profile. I'm also on Facebook: Tufano79's Twilight Fanfiction Appreciation. Twitter, too: tufano79.
See you on Monday for your teaser!