“Have you lost your mind?” he yelled. “My daughter hasn’t walked in four years! She’s paralyzed from the waist down. I’ve spent millions on the best doctors in the world—neurologists from Switzerland, therapists from Japan, experimental treatments in Germany. Nothing worked! And you think a garden hose will fix her?”
Emily finally looked at him.
Her eyes were steady.
“All those doctors treated her body,” she said quietly. “But none of them treated her mind.”
“That’s nonsense!” Adrian snapped. “The best specialists on the planet all said the same thing—permanent spinal damage. There’s no recovery.”
Emily tilted her head slightly.
“When was the last time any of them actually examined her?”
Adrian hesitated.
“…Six years ago. Maybe five. After the last doctor said there was nothing more to do, I stopped forcing her through more tests. I didn’t want to give her false hope.”
Emily nodded slowly.
“So for years, no one has checked if anything changed.”
Adrian’s chest tightened.
“I was protecting her,” he said defensively.
“Protecting her?” Emily repeated softly. “Or giving up?”
Adrian didn’t answer.
Emily crouched beside the wheelchair.
“Lily,” she said gently, “can I ask you something?”