Chương 4
Not doctor and patient.
Just two people who had known each other through difficult years.
Then the examination began.
The room became quieter.
Questions.
Tests.
Measurements.
Small movements that meant almost nothing.
Or maybe everything.
Luca watched every expression on Dr. Bell’s face.
He searched for disappointment.
For excitement.
For anything.
But the doctor revealed nothing.
Finally, after nearly an hour, Dr. Bell removed his glasses.
“There is activity.”
Luca stopped breathing.
The doctor continued before he could react.
“Small activity.”
“How small?”
“Very small.”
“But it’s there.”
“Yes.”
Luca looked down.
His hands tightened against the armrests.
“After twelve years.”
Dr. Bell nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
The doctor leaned back.
“That is the question.”
The answer should have frustrated him.
Instead, Luca found himself listening more carefully.
“There are several possibilities,” Dr. Bell said.
“Possibilities?”
“Your injury was severe, but your original diagnosis was based on the information available at the time.”
“So?”
“So medicine changes.”
Luca stared.
“Are you saying they were wrong?”
Dr. Bell looked at him.
“I’m saying the human body is complicated.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“No.”
The doctor folded his hands.
“It’s the most honest one I have.”
The hope that entered Luca’s chest was immediately followed by something else.
Fear.
Because if there was a possibility, then there was something to lose again.
And he had spent twelve years learning how to survive loss.
Not how to risk it.
For years, Luca had wanted an answer.
Now that one was standing in front of him, and he found himself wishing for the comfort of not knowing.
Dr. Bell noticed the silence.
“That reaction is normal.”
Luca looked at him.
“Which reaction?”
“The part where you want certainty.”
“I don’t.”
The doctor raised an eyebrow.
Luca looked away.
“Fine.”
A small smile appeared on Dr. Bell’s face.
“There you are.”
“What?”
“The man who argues with every sentence.”
“I’m not arguing.”
“You are literally arguing about whether you argue.”
Luca almost smiled, but stopped himself.
The moment passed quickly.
Dr. Bell turned serious again.
“The next step is more testing.”
“How much?”
“Several appointments.”
“How long?”
“I don’t know.”
Luca’s expression changed.
That answer always bothered him.
Not because he expected doctors to control everything.
Because uncertainty meant waiting.
And waiting had become the one thing he hated most.
After the accident, everyone told him to be patient.
Patient with recovery.
Patient with therapy.
Patient with his new life.
Nobody explained what patience felt like when every day reminded you of what you had lost.
“What if it stops?” Luca asked.
Dr. Bell did not pretend not to understand.
“Then we learn what happened.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“Then we learn what happens next.”
Luca looked down.
He wanted something more.
A prediction.
A guarantee.
A number.
Something he could hold.
But the doctor only gave him reality.
And reality was usually less comforting.
When Luca returned to the apartment that afternoon, Maya was sitting at the kitchen island drawing.
She had colored pencils scattered everywhere.
Elena was nearby sorting groceries.
Neither of them looked up immediately.
That surprised him.
Before, whenever he returned from an appointment, people watched his face.
They searched for signs.
They waited for news.
Now Maya simply finished drawing a line before speaking.
“So?”
Luca removed his jacket.
“So what?”
“What did they say?”
He looked at Elena.
She gave him a small warning look.
Not because Maya asked.
Because she knew Luca might hide.
“They found something,” he said.
Maya looked up.
“Good something?”
Luca hesitated.
“I don’t know yet.”
She considered that.
Then she nodded.
“Okay.”
That was all.
No dramatic reaction.
No celebration.
No questions about whether he would walk again.
Luca found that strangely comforting.
“You’re not going to ask anything else?”
“You said you don’t know.”
“Yes.”
“So asking more won’t make you know.”
Elena laughed softly.
“That is the most Maya answer possible.”
Maya returned to her drawing.
Luca moved closer.
“What are you making?”
“A house.”
He looked at the paper.
The drawing showed a large square building with windows everywhere.
“It looks like this place.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“This has people.”
Luca looked again.
There were small figures drawn inside.
A person near a table.
Someone standing outside.
A child beside a chair.
He recognized himself.
“You drew me?”
“Yes.”
“Why am I by the window?”
Maya shrugged.
“Because you always are.”
The simple answer bothered him.
Not because it was wrong.
Because it was true.
That evening, Luca did something he had not done in years.
He ate dinner at the table.
Not beside the window.
Not in his room.
Not while watching something on television to fill the silence.
At the table.
It was a small thing.
Almost meaningless.
But Elena noticed.
She did not comment.
She simply placed his plate down and sat across from him.
The three of them ate together.
Maya talked about a book she hated because the main character “made terrible decisions.”
Elena talked about a broken cabinet hinge in the guest room.
Luca listened.
For a while, he forgot he was waiting for his life to change.
Then his phone buzzed.
The name on the screen erased the calm instantly.
Marcus Vale.
Luca stared.
Elena noticed.
“You don’t have to answer.”
Marcus had been Luca’s business partner before the accident.
At least, that was what everyone believed.
After Luca’s hospitalization, Marcus had taken over the company’s daily operations.
He had told investors Luca needed time.
He had told employees stability mattered.
He had told Luca he was protecting everything until he recovered.
Three years later, Luca discovered Marcus had quietly become the majority decision-maker.
The legal battle had exhausted him.
Eventually, Luca stopped fighting.
Not because Marcus was right.
Because Luca was tired.
The phone continued vibrating.
Maya looked at him.
“Is that a bad person?”
Luca almost laughed.
“What?”
“Your face changed.”
He looked at the phone again.
“Yes.”
“No.”
Maya frowned.
“That’s confusing.”
May you like
Luca answered.
“Good people can do bad things.”
