Subject: [DarkNN] Challenges pt 1 Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2000 02:58:12 EST From: danaknight@aol.com Reply-To: DarkNN@egroups.com To: DarkNN@egroups.com, DNP-L@egroups.com, ForeverNat@egroups.com, NNPack@egroups.com Here it is as promised. -------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~> eLerts It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free! http://click.egroups.com/1/9699/1/_/526034/_/977644705/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------_-> --------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: [ravenawards] Challenges pt 1 Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2000 02:28:01 EST From: danaknight@aol.com To: ravenawards@egroups.com I've made so many changes and additions to the first version of this that I consider this a new story. Send comments to DanaKnight@aol.com. Each part must end with to be continued to be complete. Challenges by Judith Freudenthal Detectives Nick Knight and Don Schanke were called to a one story house due to a homicide. Upon entering the southwestern style residence, they were met by Officer Davis. Davis had responded to the call, and discovered a chestnut haired female in her mid-twenties lying on the master bedroom floor. She looked as if she had fallen during an attack. A pair of forearm crutches lay near the body. The crutches were metal with plastic half circles that hooked around the upper forearm. Moments later Dr. Natalie Lambert arrived. Davis showed her where the victim was located. Dr. Lambert examined the area around the victim, jotting down a few notes, before turning her attention to the body before her. Nick and Schanke talked with Officer Davis. About fifteen minutes later, the medical examiner finished her notes. When she stood and headed for the door, Nick and Schanke met her there. Nick was blonde, about thirty four in appearance with an average build, concealing the fact that he was actually an eight hundred year old vampire. Schanke was balding, late thirties, early forties and a little on the chubby side. Natalie was thirty-three, chestnut haired with an average build. "TOD I would estimate to be about 3 hours ago. Cause of death seems to be blunt trauma to the head. She was severely beaten. I'll know more after I get her back to the lab," Natalie said. The fact that someone could be that vicious to a disabled person unnerved them. The case made them uncomfortable, as it reminded them that they too could very easily become disabled. All it would take would be a bullet, car accident or a fall. By the end of the shift Dr. Lambert had finished the autopsy on the beating victim. The autopsy findings showed that the victim's skull had been fractured by a blunt object which may have been a baseball bat. Shards of the victim's skull sliced into her brain, causing massive hemorrhaging, which killed her within moments. Natalie believed the woman was knocked out from the blow and never regained consciousness. Over the next few days, Nick and Natalie spent a lot of time together. He surprised her with tickets for *Phantom of the Opera* to be redeemed on their next night off. He treated her to a nice dinner beforehand. Both looked stunning all dressed up for the occasion. They enjoyed the show, especially since they were there together. After the play, Nick took her out for a midnight snack. They both were loving their night together, no thoughts of anything else intruding. They spent a couple of post shift nights in Nick's loft watching a movie while they unwound from the night. Natalie slept on the couch at least once, having falling asleep during the closing credits. Both enjoyed spending time together, having realized that they didn't spend enough time in each other's company. He was surprised that the vampire seemed to behave itself, for the most part, as long as he didn't deny himself the cow's blood his body needed. A few nights later, Natalie drove through the nearly deserted streets on her way home from a long, busy shift. She was looking forward to collapsing into bed after a quick shower. Natalie stepped lightly on the brake to slow herself and felt the pedal drop to the floor. She reminded herself. She knew that she wouldn't be able to stop easily, even if she was only going the legal speed limit. She was grateful she'd made a habit of always wearing her seat belt, and that the road was empty at that early hour. Suddenly the steering wheel jerked to the left, leaving her no time to react before the car slammed head first into the cement base of a light pole. were her last conscious thoughts as the airbag activated. Two paramedics rushed into the emergency room, the stretcher contained an unconscious Natalie Lambert between them. Natalie's face, neck, and hands were full of cuts and scratches from the impact of the airbag. The ER staff took over, wheeled their new patient into trauma room one and transferred her to the examination table, jarring her as little as possible as they began their assessment of her injuries. Natalie's eyes opened, she tried to figure out where she was as her vision cleared, panicking when she discovered she was completely immobilized. The doctor part of her knew it was standard procedure, but it did little to reassure her. The doctor noticed she was conscious and panicking. He knew he needed to calm her as he examined her. "What is your name? I need you to remain as still and calm as possible." "Natalie Lambert. What's wrong with me? I'm an MD." "Dr. Lambert we don't know anything yet. You just arrived a moment ago. Do you hurt anywhere?" Natalie mentally examined her body. "Some minor aches throughout my body, but nothing serious." "Can you wiggle your fingers and toes?" The nurse had removed Natalie's shoes and was in the process of bagging her belongings. Natalie moved her fingers and was stunned when she could not feel her legs. This scared her. From the doctor's expression Natalie could tell she'd moved her toes a little. The doctor poked various places along her feet, legs and continued probing up to her hips, asking if she could feel any of it. She felt none of it, further terrifying her. He repeated the test by touching the surface of the skin in the same places. Again, she felt nothing. A few tears ran down her cheeks. A nurse wiped them away along with a little blood from various minor cuts and scratches. Seeing her blood on the gauze pad did little to reassure her. The doctor worked his way up from her hips towards her chest, doing the pricking test first. Natalie was greatly relieved when she could feel the pain starting slightly above her hips and all the way up to her chest. The doctor knew that if she could feel it that far, there was no reason to continue upward. He did the touch test next and the results were almost identical. "I want films of her head, neck and spine." The doctor ordered. "Dr. Lambert can you tell me what day of the week it is?" "Tuesday," Natalie answered. "Where do you work?" "The Coroner's Office." "Is there anyone we should notify?" "Detective Nick Knight, 96th precinct. Homicide Division." "Okay. Is he a relative?" "The closest thing I have to one. Also contact Grace Balthazar at the Coroner's Office." "Okay." About twenty minutes later Nick rushed into the emergency room stopping at the nurses' desk, his eyes wide with panic, concern etched on his features. He had risked the predawn light because the woman he loved had been in an accident. "I'm looking for Natalie Lambert. I'm Detective Nick Knight" "She's being examined. Someone will be out to talk to you soon, Detective Knight" Nick headed for the waiting area where he saw Grace and Schanke. "Nick, any word?" Schanke asked concerned. "No. They're still examining her." "I heard the call on the radio. They had her completely immobilized, and were loading her into the ambulance when I arrived. She looked like she was unconscious. I only got a glimpse of her," Schanke told Nick, knowing it wasn't the most reassuring news. Seeing the cervical collar around his friend's neck, and her being strapped to the backboard made Schanke quite uneasy. He didn't want to make Nick more afraid by mentioning the blood he'd seen on their friend's face. "Schank. What did the scene look like?" Nick hoped that it would give him a clue as to how badly she might be hurt. "From the skid marks it looked like she hit something slippery and almost instantly slammed head first into a light post. The front end was literally wrapped around the cement base. I believe her seat belt and the air bag probably saved her life," Schanke said, unsure if he should've been that honest. He knew that if he were in Nick's place, he'd want to know all the details. "What is it with her and cars? She's had pretty bad luck the last couple of years." Schanke was trying to lighten the atmosphere. "The wrong place at the wrong time?" Nick knew what his partner was trying to do, but it wasn't working. "Thanks for calling me." "No problem. I thought it would be easier to hear from a friend." "It was." "I thought you couldn't be in the sun?" Grace asked. "I can tolerate small amounts of predawn light and sunset, as long it's not too bright and I protect myself. I would've gone nuts at home." Nick started pacing, knowing it wouldn't do anything to help, but he couldn't just sit there. Schanke and Grace let him be. They knew he had a hard time sitting still when Natalie was in trouble. About an hour later the doctor approached Natalie's friends. "I'm looking for Nick Knight." "I'm he," Nick said, his concern growing. "How is she?" "She's conscious and alert. She should be fine, for the most part. She has a mild concussion. She picked up a few bumps and bruises, several minor cuts and scratches. What concerns us right now is the damage to her spinal cord. At the moment she is unable to feel anything from her lower back down." "What exactly are you saying?" Nick asked stunned, wanting to be sure he understood, hoping he'd heard wrong. "Right now she's paraplegic. We won't know more until we run further tests." "Oh man," Schanke said stunned. "Can we see her?" Grace asked shocked. "Yes. She will be settled into her room shortly." "Does she know?" Nick asked. "Yes. She regained consciousness moments after her arrival." A nurse told Nick, Schanke and Grace that Natalie was in room 1013 on the spinal cord injury floor. Nick, Grace and Schanke were upset by the type of patients they saw as they walked toward Natalie's room, especially the ones who were quadriplegic or respirator dependent. A few were completely bedridden. One brunette had thin metal screws going into her skull which were hooked to a metal halo. The halo was attached via thick rods to a padded plastic vest covering the woman's upper body. That unnerved them more than most of the sights had. They feared what they would see when they entered Natalie's room. Natalie wondered how her friends would react, and when they'd come to visit. She wondered. A part of her hoped he was, yet a part of her knew it was too dangerous for him to be out now. Natalie's three friends knocked on her door a minute or two later, quite uneasy, a bit nervous as well. "Come in," Natalie called out, unsure of their reaction. Nick, Schanke and Grace entered. Natalie lay flat on her back immobilized by a hard plastic cervical collar and small sandbags on either side of her head. They were relieved to see no fancy, complicated mechanisms attached to her. There was an IV attached to one arm, and she had minor cuts, scratches, and scrapes on her cheeks and forehead. There was a rather nasty looking scrape on the left side of her forehead and a small bruise on her chin. "Hi guys." She was pleased to see all three of them, Nick especially. "How are you doing?" Schanke asked concerned. "I don't know. I don't think it has fully sunk in yet." "Nat, what happened?" Nick asked worried. His concern grew upon seeing the fear in her eyes. He noticed a little of her fear eased when she saw him. "I was on my way home when I noticed my brakes didn't work. I pressed the brake pedal, but it went clear to the floor. I tried to prevent an accident. I must've hit something slick because, before I could react, I swerved towards the light post. I must've hit it. The next thing I remember is waking up in the ER." "Thanks for the info," Nick said. "Sorry I can't tell you more," Natalie said. "That's okay," Nick said. "Don't mind the sandbags and necklace. They're just to keep me immobile so there's less pressure on my spinal cord. It'll help the swelling go down faster if I don't move," she told them in an attempt to reassure them that she was okay. "There is a tiny bit of good news, I apparently can wiggle my toes a little, but I have no feeling in either leg. It may be a sign I'll improve or it might just be a nerve that wasn't affected and nothing will change." "We'll keep our fingers crossed that it's a sign you'll improve," Grace said. "What did the car look like?" Natalie asked, needing to know how bad the accident was. "It was wrapped around the pole like a horseshoe," Schanke said. "I arrived as they finished loading you into the ambulance." Off Nat's questio ning look he continued, "I heard the call on the radio." "Is there anything you need us to do right now?" Nick asked. "Not really. Just find out what happened." "We will," Nick said. Just then a nurse entered and threw them out. "I'll stop by later, Natalie," Grace said. The two guys nodded. The three visitors left, stunned. They had seen fear and uncertainty in Natalie's eyes, despite her attempt to reassure them and herself. When they reached the elevator, Grace was the first to speak. "Do you think she'll be okay?" "Yes. She'll be fine once the swelling goes down," Nick said hoping he was right and that he had reassured the others. "She'll want to have her hands in someone as soon as she's allowed, if not sooner." Nick saw his friends nodding in agreement, hoping Nick was right. "Was anyone as uneasy as I was?" Schanke asked. Both Grace and Nick nodded. "It's always hard to see someone close to you lying in a hospital bed, unless its for something joyous like bringing a new life into the world," Grace said. "If it was her lower back that's hurt why do they have her head so immobile?" Schanke asked. "So that she won't move. The more movement, the longer it takes for the swelling, she mentioned to go down, and the longer she'll be like that. It will also prevent her from accidentally injuring herself further. Once the swelling goes down she'll be able to move around," Grace said. "How long will that take?" Nick asked. He knew Natalie would be climbing the walls within hours and would probably become either cranky or depressed. "It depends on how much swelling there is. I would guess probably two weeks, maybe three. I'm not a doctor so I can't tell you for sure. I don't think they'll know either. They will keep monitoring her," Grace said. "The best thing we can do for her is keep her company. Let her know we care about her, and will, no matter what." Meanwhile, in Natalie's hospital room, she was staring at the ceiling, her mind wandering. She silently told herself. She didn't completely believe herself. No matter how much she tried to deny it, she knew the paralysis could be permanent. A single tear rolled down her cheek and was promptly brushed away by her fingertips. The only reassuring thought was that if she hadn't been wearing her seat belt she probably would've been dead, quadriplegic or severely brain damaged. to be continued... Community email addresses: Post message: ravenawards@onelist.com Subscribe: ravenawards-subscribe@onelist.com Unsubscribe: ravenawards-unsubscribe@onelist.com List owner: ravenawards-owner@onelist.com Shortcut URL to this page: http://www.onelist.com/community/ravenawards Subject: [DarkNN] Challenges pt 2 Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2000 02:58:53 EST From: danaknight@aol.com Reply-To: DarkNN@egroups.com To: DNP-L@egroups.com, DarkNN@egroups.com, ForeverNat@egroups.com, NNPack@egroups.com -------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~> eLerts It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free! http://click.egroups.com/1/9699/1/_/526034/_/977644741/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------_-> --------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: [ravenawards] Challenges pt 2 Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2000 02:39:40 EST From: danaknight@aol.com To: ravenawards@egroups.com Comments to DanaKnight@aol.com. Permission to archive at fkfanfic, the ftp site, Mortal Love, DNP page, DNN page and anywhere else that already has permission. If you don't see to be continued, you don't have it all. Challenges by Judith Freudenthal Schanke arrived home, where he was met at the door by his wife. Seeing both his exhaustion and the deep concern on his face, she wrapped her arm around his waist, kissed him and escorted him into the family room. "Don, honey, what's wrong?" She asked concerned as they sat on the couch. Don tiredly rubbed his face with his hands. "Natalie was in a car accident earlier." "Is she okay?" Myra asked alarmed. "Yes and no," Schanke said. "She has some minor cuts, scrapes and a few bruises. She also has a mild concussion." From the sadness hidden in her husband's eyes Myra knew there was more to it and would let him tell her in his own time. "She's also paraplegic," Schanke said, still unable to believe it. "Oh my God!" Myra said, alarmed and slightly panicking. "Does she know? Does Nick?" "Yeah, they both know. I heard the call on the radio and arrived as they finished loading her into the ambulance. Nick arrived at the hospital about twenty minutes after I did." "How's she handling it? How's Nick?" Myra asked as she studied her husband closely. She could see that he was still quite shaken, and wasn't sure what to make of the whole situation. "She's scared, unsure, but was trying to reassure Nick, Grace and myself that she'd be fine. I think she's still in shock. Nick's having some of the same feelings." Don again ran his hands across his face trying to wipe away some of the tiredness. "I can't believe it." "What happened?" "Her brakes failed. Judging from the skid marks she hit something slick and slammed headfirst into the light post, before she could react. The front end looks like a horse shoe. The fact that she was wearing her seat belt, along with the airbag saved her life." Don pulled his wife into his lap, grateful that they were both alive and healthy. He kissed her as he held her in his arms. "There is some hopeful news. She can wiggle her toes slightly, but has no feeling in her legs." "I hope that's a sign of good things to come," Myra said. "Will she be able to return to work?" "I hope so. Knowing her, this won't keep her away." Don said, hoping he was right. "I hope so too." Myra realized Nick had been there during the day. "How was Nick able to be there?" "He can tolerate small amounts of predawn light or sunset as long as he properly protects himself. He just can't be in bright sunlight." They both knew that when someone takes a risk like that for a friend, it's much more than friendship. "Why didn't you call me?" Myra asked, concerned, but not accusing or scolding. "I'm sorry. At first I didn't think it was that serious. I didn't want you to have to find a sitter for Jenny or bring her with you. I figured they'd release her as soon as they checked her out or maybe hold her overnight for observation. When it took quite a while for the doctor to come out, I knew it was more serious. I didn't want to bother you. You would've just been waiting with us. Jenny would've been freaked out, thinking I was the one hurt, or that it could've been me. I would've called but that would've worried you and I didn't have anything to report. You know how Natalie hates it when a big fuss is made over her." "I know. You did the right thing." Myra said as she hugged her husband. Later Nick returned to visit Natalie, his thoughts straying as he approached her room. For a moment or two he considered this, knowing she'd be healed, but knew that vampirism would be a worse hell. He couldn't imagine her spending the rest of her life confined to a wheelchair. Being restricted in what she could do. He pushed all such thoughts out of his mind and knocked on the door. "Come in." "Hi. I thought you might like to see a friendly face," Nick said. Seeing his chestnut haired friend lying there unmoving really bothered him. He was careful to stand where her restricted line of sight would allow her to see him. "I'd like that," Natalie said. She didn't like anyone seeing her so helple ss, especially Nick. She noticed his uneasiness but didn't say anything. She couldn't blame him as she'd feel the same way if the situation was reversed. "You okay?" He asked, seeing the feelings she tried to hide. Her blue eyes clearly showed her fear and uncertainty about her future. He knew she wondered what would happen to her life, independence and career. "I'll be okay. It's just so strange." "Life has a way of being like that. Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, his tone telling her he would be glad to listen. He recognized her tone of voice as one that was glossing over the real issues. "What is there to say? I could walk but now I can't? That my career may be over? That I may wind up a desk bound paper pusher?" She said with more anger in her voice than she had intended. "You could always teach," Nick said, trying to show her that she did have options. "I don't want to teach. How can I teach? I won't be able to reach the autopsy table," Natalie said, the anger still clearly present. "Face it Nick, my options are quite limited, thanks to the stupid accident." Nick didn't know how to respond to that, so he changed the subject. "How long are they keeping you here?" "A while. In a few weeks I should be transferred to a rehab center where I'll learn how to deal with my paralysis and all the changes it will force into my life." She didn't want to think about that, hoping that it was all a lie. She changed the subject to get the focus away from her. "Any leads on your cases?" "Only that your brake line was cut. Do you have any idea why anyone would do that?" "No. Outside of LaCroix, I don't know of any enemies. He wouldn't do it that way. Why would someone want to hurt me?" She asked her fear growing along with some sadness and a little confusion. "Sure I've helped put people away, but no one's ever threatened me or tried to hurt me before." She held out her hand and he took it. He gently stroked the back of her hand with his thumb knowing how much his touch could comfort her. "I don't know. I will do my best to find out. And you're right, if LaCroix wanted to hurt you, he wouldn't resort to cutting your brakes." A startling thought occurred to Nick. "I know you will." "Are you planning on going back to work eventually?" He was pleased to see she'd calmed down and was thinking rationally again. "I'd like to. I don't think my clients will object," She said trying to lighten the mood. She saw the pain in his eyes as he tried to force a weak grin. Nick's phone rang. He dug it out of his pocket, knowing it wouldn't stop ringing, and answered it. "Hi, Schank." Nick listened to his partner. "I'll be there shortly." Nick hung up, sticking the phone back into his jacket. "I have to run. I'll stop by again later. Is there anything I can bring you?" "My radio. I'm tired of examining the ceiling and listening to the conversations in the hallway." Before Natalie knew it Nick was back with her radio. "That was quick." She said lightly, knowing the only way he could've been to her apartment and back that fast was to fly. She couldn't scold him because he was only trying to help, and she desperately needed something to help ease the boredom if she didn't want to lose her mind. "I knew you wanted it. Shall I turn it on?" Nick asked, seeing that the only place to set it down was out of her reach. He knew that she must've been desperately bored not to scold him. "Please." Nick's cell phone rang, which he reluctantly answered. "Knight." He heard Schanke wondering where he was. "I'll be there soon." Annoyance creeping into his voice. He knew he had to work, but Natalie also needed him. Nick turned on the radio, turning the tuning dial until he found a station she liked. "Go on. I'll be okay," Natalie said more cheerful than she felt. He kissed her on the forehead and left. As soon as the door closed, a tear ran down Natalie's face. She quickly wiped it away. Out in the hallway Nick's heart sank. It hurt every time he saw her active form lying there so still. He could see how much she hated it, how much it frustrated and scared her. She wished they'd hurry up and fix the TV that was supposed to be in her room so at least she'd have something to do. She wiped away another tear, closing her eyes against any others that wanted to fall. Around lunchtime, there was a knock on Natalie's door. "Come in," Natalie called out. "Hi. I thought you might like some company. If not, I can come back later," Myra said, not wanting to intrude. Her unease at seeing Natalie's confinement surprised her. "Please stay. I'm about to go out of my mind with boredom." Natalie was pleased when Myra entered the room and seemed to know Natalie's line of sight would be quite limited. "How are you doing?" Myra asked, concerned. "Okay, I guess. I still can't believe it. It all happened so fast." Natalie didn't want to think about her paralysis, because the more she thought about it, the less she could deny the truth. "How are you and Jenny?" "We're fine. Jenny's class just started preparations for a new recital. She's all excited because she has one of the leads." "That's great." to be continued... Community email addresses: Post message: ravenawards@onelist.com Subscribe: ravenawards-subscribe@onelist.com Unsubscribe: ravenawards-unsubscribe@onelist.com List owner: ravenawards-owner@onelist.com Shortcut URL to this page: http://www.onelist.com/community/ravenawards Subject: [DarkNN] Fwd: [ravenawards] Challenges pt 3 Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2000 03:00:07 EST From: danaknight@aol.com Reply-To: DarkNN@egroups.com To: DNP-L@egroups.com, DarkNN@egroups.com, ForeverNat@egroups.com, NNPack@egroups.com -------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~> eGroups eLerts It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free! http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/1/_/526034/_/977644814/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------_-> --------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: [ravenawards] Challenges pt 3 Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2000 02:57:02 EST From: danaknight@aol.com To: ravenawards@egroups.com Comments to DanaKnight@aol.com. It must end with to be continued to be complete. Challenges by Judith Freudenthal During the early afternoon there was a knock on her door. "Come in." Don Schanke stuck his head in the door before entering. "I brought these for you," Schanke said nervously as he held a colorful bouquet of flowers. He didn't know why, but something about Natalie's injury made him uneasy. A moment later he realized what it was. It was that she was kept immobile by the doctors, making him realize that it could just as easily have been himself, Nick, Grace, Jenny or Myra. "Thanks, Schank. Can I see them?" Natalie knew Schanke might not realize how limited her line of sight was. "Sorry." "That's okay," Natalie said, lightly. Schanke approached Natalie's bedside and noticed her reaching out for the flowers. He was unsure what to do or say. "It's okay," She reassured as she took hold of the bouquet. "They're beautiful. Thank you." She held onto the flowers for a few minutes as she took in their scent and the beauty of the arrangement "How about putting them in some water for me?" She sensed his uneasiness but decided not to make it worse by mentioning it. She knew she'd be uneasy too, if their positions were reversed. "I just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing. I heard Myra stopped by earlier. We hope you're out of here soon." "Thanks. Yeah, she did." A small grin graced Natalie's expression, but quickly fled as thoughts of the next few months crossed her mind. "I hope to be transferred to the rehab center in a few weeks. After a several weeks there I should be able to get on with my life. How are you doing?" "Okay. I hate seeing you here... like this." "Thanks. I'm not crazy about being here. The food stinks," she said lightly. "How's Nick handling it?" "It's hard for him. It's hard for all of us." "I know. It isn't any easier for me. Is he okay?" "I think so. He's completely thrown himself into finding out who did this to you. I'm backing him all the way. We'll get them, I promise you." "I know. Thanks." "I've got to get back to work," Schanke said. He knew he did have to get back to work, but didn't want it to look like he was leaving because he was too uneasy to stay and talk with his friend, which was part of his reason for leaving. "Thanks for dropping by." Natalie understood his reactions, but wished he didn't have to leave. Usually she didn't mind being alone, but this time there was absolutely nothing for her to do but think. Her thoughts kept straying to her future and the uncertainties of it, which only greatly increased her insecurities. A short time later Grace stopped by. She too was a little uneasy seeing Natalie like that. Knowing Natalie needed a friend to talk to, she pushed those feelings aside. "Natalie honey, how are you really doing?" Grace asked concerned. She saw the dried tear tracks on Natalie's cheeks which only made her more concerned. "I'm doing okay. A little scared. So much changed so quickly." "I know. Do they know anymore?" "Not really. The spinal cord is one of the few parts of the body they know very little about. The tests show damage to the cord, but luckily it wasn't severed. All that can be done now is to wait for the swelling to go down. Then maybe they can tell how bad the damage is." "I'm so sorry." "Don't be. I won't let it control my life. There is no reason it has to." "You're right. Are you going to come back to work, sometime?" "I plan to. I don't see why I can't. Our clients won't object," Natalie said lightly, with a slight teasing quality to her voice. "If they do... I'm outta there!" Grace teased back, causing Natalie to smile. Grace was pleased to see that Natalie's sense of humor had not been broken, and that she still had her fighting spirit. "I hate this! I'm so sick and tired of just laying here." Natalie said, venting her frustrations. "I've found every flaw in the ceiling and decided that it could use a new coat of paint, maybe a picture or two." "What kind of a picture?" Grace was pleased to see her friend having some reaction, and let her vent. "I don't know. Something that you wouldn't get tired of seeing. Something relaxing. Maybe some blue sky with a few clouds, some grass and a lake. Or maybe just the sky and clouds." "That does sound nice." "Would you believe they gave me the only room with a busted TV. I'm supposed to get a new one anytime now." She sighed. "With my luck, I'll get it the day I'm released." "That's not fair. Maybe you'll get lucky and get one in a day or two." Later in the day Grace returned to the hospital. She had a folder in one hand and a short ladder in the other. She knocked on Natalie's door, "She's not there. They took her down for some tests about 10 minutes ago," a passing nurse told her. "Thanks. Do you know how long she'll be gone?" Grace said, pleased that her timing had been perfect. "Probably another half hour or so." The nurse was curious about the ladder but decided not to inquire and continued on her way instead. Grace entered Natalie's room where she set up the ladder and balanced the folder on top of it. Grace spent the next 25 minutes attaching several pictures similar to those Natalie had described to the ceiling. She had found some really nice Mel Gibson pictures in a store and had bought them, knowing he was one of Natalie's favorite actors. Once finished, Grace examined her handiwork from below, smiling when it passed inspection. She took her ladder and the empty folder back to her car. Natalie was wheeled back into her room and was carefully transferred from the gurney to the bed. The orderlies were very careful to keep movement to a minimum. Natalie had been grateful for the momentary change of scenery, even if it was just a different ceiling. She could see some of what went on around her, but it was hard on her eyes to spend too long looking off to the side. Once she was again immobilized in her bed, she saw the new panorama on the ceiling and was pleasantly amazed. Grace entered and saw the large smile on her friend's face. "Hi, Natalie." "Grace! Did you do this!?" "I thought it might help brighten the room a bit." "Thank you! It's great. It should brighten my mood as well as the room." Grace was thrilled to see her idea had worked so well. Later that evening Nick stopped by with a couple of gifts for Natalie. He didn't bother to wrap the medium sized cardboard box knowing it would be too difficult for her to unwrap it. He placed a small shopping bag on the stuffed chair in her room. He could see the joy in her eyes as she saw the portable stereo box he held. The smile she gifted him with made the effort all the more worthwhile. "Nick, you shouldn't have. Thanks." "I thought you might be tired of listening to commercials." Nick said as he removed the stereo from its box. "I am. It was really sweet of you." He replaced the radio with the stereo. Out of the bag he pulled a handful of CD's. Some were hers and some were new. He handed them to her a couple at a time. She picked the ones she wanted, and he stuck them into the player, which held seven. Something caught the edge of his field of vision causing him to look up at the ceiling over her bed, surprised by the pictures. Natalie enjoyed his expression as it usually took a lot to surprise him. "Grace did that while I was out earlier. Isn't she great?" "Yes, she is." Nick could see the positive effect the gesture had on his best friend. It seemed to soothe her boredom and a little of the frustration. Once again Nick's phone rang. "Why is it that the only time this rings is when I'm here?" Nick muttered as he fished the phone out of his pocket. "What?" He said into the phone, a little crankily. "Did I catch you at a bad time?" Schanke asked. "Yes. Every time I visit Nat, you call. What do you want?" "We have some interviews scheduled. If you'd rather stay with her, I can handle them alone. Say hi to her for me." Natalie could see the indecision on his face. "Go on." Nick saw that she was a little drowsy, "I'll be there shortly." Nick hung up and stuffed the phone back into his pocket. "Schanke says hi." He handed her the remote control for the stereo so she could operate it herself. He could see how helpless she was feeling and knew it would make her feel better to have some control over the things around her. "I'll see you later." Nick kissed her on the forehead. "Tell Schanke hi." "I will." Nick left. Natalie loved being able to pick which CD and which track on it she listened to. As well as being able to control the volume. Finally, she had some control. Natalie fell asleep listening to her music. Later that evening Grace arrived back at the coroner's office from dropping some files off at the 45th precinct. She was surprised to see a good sized box of her favorite chocolates sitting right in the middle of her desk. She noticed the note on top and picked it up. It read, A smile crossed her face as she opened the box and sampled a couple of pieces. As the chocolate melted in her mouth, her smile broadened. A few more days passed. Cohen called Nick and Schanke into her office. "Gentlemen, I'm getting screamed at by both the Commissioner and the mayor. They want to know why there has been so little progress. I know you're doing your best. Any progress on the Brooks murder? Or Natalie's accident?" "No. Who ever did the killing was extremely clever. It was as if it were one of us. Who else would know exactly how to cover their tracks? On Natalie's accident, there are no new leads," Nick said frustrated by his lack of progress. "How is she doing?" "Pretty good, outside of major boredom. She hasn't had much of a reaction to her paralysis. Maybe it hasn't fully sunk in yet," Nick said, bothered by Natalie's mild reaction. The next afternoon a friend of Natalie's from work stopped by. She knocked on Natalie's door, knowing exactly what her friend was going through. "Come in." Chris Desmond entered. She was around Natalie's age with fiery red hair and an athletic build. She would have been described as 'cute'. "Hi. I thought I'd drop by to see how you were doing. I hope you don't mind." "No. I don't mind. Actually, I'm grateful for the distraction." Seeing Chris in her wheelchair scared Natalie, as she knew that would be her soon. She found her paralysis easier to deal with as long as she didn't think about the future. "I was where you are six years ago. This is the worst part. It gives you plenty of time to think. Too much time, I thought. After this comes the hard work. When you get transferred to the rehab center, you will be working long hours every day to learn how to take care of yourself so that you can once again be independent. It will be hard and frustrating but worth the effort." Chris knew this was probably the first time since the accident that Natalie had seen someone in a wheelchair, and knew that it would bring up all the fears she had pushed aside. "I thought you might have some questions. I'll do my best to answer them." "What happened to you?" Natalie asked. "A drunk driver on a rainy night. He plowed into my car headfirst." "What happened to him?" "He walked away with a few broken bones. I wound up paraplegic. At least I don't have to worry about wearing out my shoes," Chris said with a small grin, as she tried to lighten the mood. "Not to mention getting all the good parking spots," Natalie rejoined, doing her bit to lighten the mood. Chris was glad to see that Natalie was beginning to accept her paralysis, unlike some other people she knew. It had nearly destroyed them. She was glad that Natalie was more resilient. Chris noticed the ceiling decorations. "Nice choice." "Thanks. Grace did it while I was out for tests." "She's a sweetheart. I wish I had thought of it when I was flat on my back." "Nick brought me the stereo so I wouldn't be bored by all the commercials on the radio. Don and Myra Schanke brought the flowers. Everyone's been so great." "Sorry, I didn't bring you anything." "You brought me something, hope. If you can lead a normal life, I can too." That evening Nick arrived for another visit. He knocked and heard Natalie tell him to enter. "Hi." "Hi," Natalie said, her spirits slightly perked up by his visit. "I thought you could probably use some more reading material," he said with a mischievous grin, as he handed her the four comic books he had hidden behind his back. "Jenny Jinx. Thanks." She smiled. She knew they would be easier to read than magazine articles, because of their style. She would be able to finish one before her arms tired from holding the printed matter up over her head so she could read. Later that week Cohen paid Natalie a visit. She had meant to come earlier, but figured Natalie needed time to herself. Time to get used to it. Cohen knew she had needed it as she too had been unnerved by the patients she passed in the hallway, even though she had visited friends in similar places before, knowing it never got easier. Cohen knocked on Natalie's door. "Come in." "Hi, Natalie. I'm sorry." Cohen still wasn't totally prepared for seeing Natalie lying there so still. Hearing about it was one thing, but seeing it for herself was something different, harder. She made sure she was in Natalie's line of sight, knowing how limited it was. "Thanks." "I just wanted to stop by and let you know that everyone's hoping for a speedy recovery. Everyone from both the precinct and Coroner's Office signed this." "Tell them all thanks." Natalie watched as Cohen took the huge card out of the envelope. It must be at least three feet tall and about two feet wide, > Natalie thought. Cohen gave Natalie a moment to read the card before she opened it so that Natalie could see the signatures and personal messages along with the printed message. Cohen was pleased to see the smile that lit up Natalie's face. "Natalie, we're doing our best to catch whoever did this to you. It's one of our top priorities." "Thanks, Amanda. I know you are doing your best. How's Nick doing?" "Okay from what I can see. He's concerned about you. He and Schanke are working hard to solve the case." Amanda changed the subject. "How are you doing?" "I'm doing okay." "Where should I leave your card? Which do you want to see, the front or the inside?" "Put it over there by the window, however it will stand up is fine. I should be able to see it. Thank everybody for the card. Who's idea was it?" "I'm not exactly sure. I think it might have been a joint effort. I know I overheard Nick and Schanke talking about getting you a card. Grace's name was mentioned as well." Nick, Grace, Chris Desmond, Don and Myra Schanke visited Natalie daily, knowing how much their visits cheered her up. They brought Natalie CD's to listen to, often from their own collections. Nick brought her a few new comics each time, knowing how much she enjoyed them. The contradiction between professional career woman and the childlike glee that each new batch of comic books brought out amused him. At her request, he took the ones she had finished down to the pediatrics ward so the children could enjoy them as well. Nick and Schanke worked out a system so Nick's phone didn't ring every time he visited Natalie. Schanke knew it was either that or he might very well wind up as a homicide case. to be continued... Community email addresses: Post message: ravenawards@onelist.com Subscribe: ravenawards-subscribe@onelist.com Unsubscribe: ravenawards-unsubscribe@onelist.com List owner: ravenawards-owner@onelist.com Shortcut URL to this page: http://www.onelist.com/community/ravenawards Subject: [DarkNN] Challenges pt 4 Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2000 02:20:46 EST From: danaknight@aol.com Reply-To: DarkNN@egroups.com To: DNP-L@egroups.com, DarkNN@egroups.com, ForeverNat@egroups.com, NNPack@egroups.com Comments to DanaKnight@aol.com. All parts must end with to be continued to be complete. Challenges pt 4 by Judith Freudenthal Nick arrived at Natalie's room for his nightly visit and couldn't believe it had been a week since the accident. He heard Natalie and an unidentified male talking. Out of curiosity he opened the door a crack, enough to see into the room without being seen. Natalie was still flat on her back, completely immobile. Nick discovered the male voice belonged to the physical therapist who was busy manipulating Natalie's legs so the muscles and joints would stay healthy. Nick knew Natalie wouldn't want him to see her so vulnerable and helpless, so he very carefully shut the door and left, without her knowing he'd been there. He knew it was hard enough for her to allow him, or any of her other friends to see her lying there day after day. He still had trouble believing this was all real, knowing that it was. What he just saw made it seem even more real. Later that night Nick returned to visit Natalie. They talked for a while before the approaching dawn forced him to leave. He had reluctantly been granted later visitation rights due to his sun allergy, and Natalie backing his story. Late the next afternoon, Natalie found herself once again undergoing an MRI so they could check on the swelling of her spinal cord. To her great relief it was still going down. She was so tired of only being able to see what was either directly above her or in her very limited range of sight and couldn't wait for the moment she was freed of her immobilization. She wished they'd fix the TV so she could at least watch something. Shortly after being left in bed, once again immobilized, Natalie noticed that the pictures had been changed. She didn't know where Grace was getting them, but knew she had to do something to thank her friend. She knew that if Grace hadn't provided the much needed distraction, she probably would've lost her mind out of sheer boredom. Between the music, the pictures, the reading material, and visits from her friends, being bedridden was almost tolerable. Natalie knew that it was almost as hard on them as it was on her, but she was glad that they came and that she hadn't shut them out. Natalie enjoyed Chris' visits because she could talk with her about things only Chris would know about or truly understand. Chris answered all of Natalie's questions about living and working as a paraplegic. Chris was glad she could help her friend during this particularly rough time. She remembered how much it had helped to have someone there for her when she needed it. Chris saw Natalie's confidence slowly growing as the coroner learned about her condition and all the things she could still do. She loved the surprised look on Natalie's face at the mention of a few activities. A few days later, Natalie was both thrilled and relieved when the MRI showed the swelling was gone. The doctor removed Natalie's hard plastic cervical collar and the accompanying sandbags. The nurse asked Natalie if she wanted to change into her own clothes. When Natalie said she did, the nurse handed her the outfit Nick had left in the closet the night before. Natalie slipped on her T-shirt with no problem and was frustrated by the fact that she couldn't put on her leggings or socks without help. She hadn't realized how much different things would be now that she no longer had any feeling or movement in her legs. she thought, wondering why that idea came to mind. Her legs were now two useless collections of nerves, bones and muscles, completely limp. Any movement of them required her to do it manually, which she quickly discovered was not always as easy as it sounded. It also made it much harder for her to deny the fact that she was paraplegic. Natalie reluctantly accepted the nurse's help and was soon was dressed in her leggings and thick socks. Her T-shirt hanging down over the leggings. Her curly chestnut mane was brushed before being tied back with a Scrunchi. Shortly after Natalie had finished dressing, the orderly entered pushing a black pretty stylish wheelchair, not a clunky grey metal one you often saw in hospitals. Natalie was surprised by the depression it brought with it. Seeing the wheelchair made it still harder for her to deny that she couldn't walk, and might never walk again. The orderly helped Natalie transfer herself from her bed to the wheelchair, surprising her with how much coordination and effort was required. Once she was in her chair she had to manually position her feet so that they were on the footrest. She wondered if she'd ever get used to that aspect of it. Natalie couldn't believe how uneasy she was as the orderly pushed her to the therapy room. She knew therapy would force her to face those feelings she kept pushing aside. The orderly left Natalie in the therapy room, where she was promptly introduced to her therapist, Keith Thompson. Thompson helped Natalie lie flat on her back on the exercise mat, before teaching her how to roll over, causing her to feel like an infant. She hated feeling so out of control. Then Keith had her roll back over so she was once again lying flat on her back. Her therapist worked Natalie's leg muscles as she lay there. She hated it as it made her feel helpless, but knew it was important. She and Keith talked as he manipulated her muscles, knowing it would make the time go by faster and help get her mind off what he was doing. Nick stopped by for a visit, learned where she was and headed down there, arriving right after the therapist finished working with Natalie's leg muscles. Nick stayed out of sight and watched Natalie struggle with her next lesson. Her therapist instructed his client on how to seat herself in her wheelchair from the ground. Natalie listened carefully and then tried to do as told. She couldn't believe how intensely difficult it was to push against the wheelchair so that she could gain enough leverage to seat herself in the chair, her legs proved to be more of a hindrance than a help. Nick wanted to rush in and help her, but knew that she'd probably want to stake him on the spot or be so angry at him that she wouldn't speak to him or see him for days. He watched as she struggled to seat herself in her wheelchair, seeing the enormous amount of energy and effort it took. He saw the stubborn determination, frustration, and anger on her face as she worked to complete the task. Once seated she had to straighten herself out so she'd be comfortable and then manually place each foot onto the footrest. A small grin graced her expression as she finished that major chore. What he just witnessed made the fact that she was paraplegic fully sink in. He wondered how it would affect their relationship, hoping it wouldn't. Depression and anger crossed Natalie's features at the realization that this is what her life would be like from now on. Everything would be a struggle, even the simple things she had taken for granted. Determined not to let it get the best of her, she inquired what her next task was. She shoved all thoughts not related to her new task off to the side until she was ready to deal with them. Nick stayed out of sight as Natalie pushed herself back to her room, refusing to let anyone help her. Nick waited a few minutes before knocking on her door. "Come in." He entered, seeing her still seated in her wheelchair. She was looking out the window, and turned to face him. "I couldn't stand to be in bed another minute," she said, seeing the slight surprise in his eyes. "Nat, what's wrong?" He asked concerned, seeing a different kind of sadness in her eyes. "Nothing," she said, a little anger mixed with the depression seeped through her denial. "Natalie," he said, his tone a little more insistent. "How can you want to be with me? I'm not whole." This time there was some confusion as well as some sadness added to the mixture. "It doesn't matter to me." "I won't be able to do some of the things I used to do, we used to do." "Then we'll find new things or new ways to do the old things." He said, reassuringly. "I can't walk." Her hand swept across herself, highlighting her wheelchair, as if showing him something new. "So. I can't go out in the sun." He knew where she as headed, and wanted her to know she wasn't the only one who'd ever had those feelings. "Don't you think that bothered me at first? That fact greatly frustrated me on numerous occasions. It still does sometimes. I learned not to let it get in the way of my life." She gave him a questioning look. "Okay. I try not to let it get in the way..." She rewarded him with a small smile. "My sun problem hasn't affected how you've treated me." "It's different." "How?" He knew she was looking for any excuse she could find. He wasn't going to let her temporarily illogical behavior cause a problem between them, if he could do anything to stop it. "I've never known you any other way." "Okay." He didn't want to lose her. "Nat, it doesn't matter to me that you can't walk. That's not what I'm attracted to." At her look he tried again to tell her how he felt. "I won't say seeing you like this is easy, but I know as soon as they release you, you'll be rushing back to work, eager to get your hands into someone. Your warmth, spirit, intelligence, and sense of humor is what attracts me to you." "But..." "No buts. Okay, so you will need a wheelchair to get around. Big deal. At least you will be able to be out anytime you need to. That makes you more whole than I am. It's me who should be asking you, how can you want to be with me, knowing what I am." "I like who you are. What you are doesn't matter. It never has." "Exactly." It hit her that they were both saying the same thing. "I guess I sounded pretty dumb, eh?" "Not at all. You're just scared and uncertain about a few things. I'd be terrified and a lot more uncertain if I were in your place." He gently caressed her cheek with his fingers, loving the surprised grin his gesture earned him. She leaned into his caress, loving the feel of his cool fingers against her warm cheek. Shortly, Nick returned to the precinct to finish up some paperwork. He took a seat at his desk, grateful that Cohen allowed him to visit Natalie during his shift, as long as he kept up with his work. He had trouble concentrating and forced his mind onto his paperwork, needing to finish the Johnson case because the crown prosecutor needed it within the next couple of days. His thoughts kept drifting back to Natalie's struggles, both with her paralysis and trying to push him away. He hoped she wouldn't shut her friends out, especially now when she needed them most. It had hurt when she tried to shut him out, and it still bothered him some, even though he understood the reasons why she did it. Schanke noticed his partner was zoning out more often than usual but didn't say anything about it, knowing how concerned Nick was about Natalie. He too was concerned for her and found himself spacing out once or twice when distracted by questions his mind came up with. "Nick, why don't we go grab something to eat?" Schanke asked a few minutes later, needing a break from the paperwork. "Sure." The two detectives headed for the Caddy. Once they were on the road Schanke looked over at his partner. "Is she going to be able to return to work?" Schanke asked concerned, hoping the accident wouldn't prevent Natalie from living on her own and doing the job she enjoyed. "I don't see why not. She'll figure out some way to do anything she wants to do." Nick found himself wondering how independent she would be able to be, knowing how very frustrated and angry she would be if she could not be as independent as she was used to being. "Her clients won't complain." "You're sick, you know that, don't you?" Schanke teased, knowing that both his friends had dark senses of humor, and were perfect for each other. Schanke shook his head at Nick's grin. "You know, the sooner we get our work done..." "The more time I can spend with Nat," Nick said, cutting his partner off. "I know. I can't help it." Schanke heard the concern in his friend's voice, even when he was trying to lighten things up. "Her accident has made me think about a lot of things. It could've been any of us." "I know. I wish it had been me instead of her." Nick knew that he would've healed, and with Natalie's help could've come up with a convincing story to allow him back to work, and back to full duties. He wished he could've spared her all the trouble she's undergoing now because someone cut her brake line. Very late that evening as Nick neared Natalie's room he heard muffled signs of a struggle coming from within. Hurrying to her room, Nick entered without knocking and found a dark haired male about his size trying to smother Natalie. She was fighting back, her arms pounding away at her assailant and alternately trying to pull the pillow off her face. Nick rushed to Natalie's side, pulled the guy off her, flinging him into the wall. Her attacker hit the wall with a thud and slid, unconscious, to the floor. Natalie's choking, gasping sounds as she tried to catch her breath caused Nick's concern to jump up several notches. The racing of her heart echoed in his mind, doing little to ease his worry. "Nat, are you okay?" Nick asked quite worried, seeing the terror in her eyes along with the slight trembling of her body. Natalie nodded as the gasping, choking sounds subsided once her body again had the oxygen it required. As this happened her breathing settled down into a more normal pattern, giving weight to her non-verbal statement that she was okay. Nick saw the increased fear remained and added to it was an uncertainty in her eyes, as well as an intense vulnerability, much more than he had previously seen there. It frightened him. He sat on the edge of the bed and almost immediately felt her arms wrap around him as tightly as she could. Tears ran down her face, quickly turning into sobs that wracked her whole body. He just held her and gently stroked her hair, her anguish tearing at his heart. He wanted to rub her back, knowing how it had soothed her in the past, but was afraid he might hurt her. He could feel her trembling as he held her in his arms. "Shhhh. It's over. You're safe with me," he whispered soothingly. He had never seen her this scared or upset before. Not even after the Jamison disaster, the Spark fiasco or the death of Cynthia. A nurse entered having heard the thud, took in the scene on the bed and the unconscious man on the floor, and started towards Natalie. "I want security to guard him until the police can take custody. He tried to kill her," Nick said, as he fished his badge out of his pocket showing it to the nurse, while keeping one arm around Natalie, knowing how much she needed it. "He might need medical attention. She seems to be okay." The nurse left and a few moments later a security guard returned along with an orderly, who was pushing a gurney. The criminal was hefted onto the gurney and removed from the room, leaving the detective and coroner alone again. "Nat, can..." "You can't hurt me by touching me, even my back." She had cut him off, sensing his questions. "I can move around as I want to." Nick repositioned both of them so that they would be more comfortable. Her tight grip had not eased. He gently rubbed her back, soothing her. Before long she was asleep in his arms. Her head rested on his shoulder as she leaned against his chest, her legs hanging over the side of his. He effortlessly set her down on the bed, careful not to wake her and headed for the blinds. He managed to sabotage them so they could not be opened or removed before he awoke. Once finished with that task he grabbed his phone from his pocket, stepped out into the hallway, carefully closing her door and called the precinct. "Schanke, just listen. Someone tried to kill Natalie about an hour ago. I'm still with her. She was pretty badly shaken up. I don't want to leave her alone." Nick gave a description of the attacker as he told Schanke what had happened. Then listened to Schanke's comments. "I want to stay with her, at least until she wakes up. I don't want her to be left alone." No sooner had Nick gotten off the phone then the nurse returned to tell him that the prisoner had overpowered the guard and escaped. Nick phoned in the information to Schanke. "Nick!" Natalie called out in sheer panic. Immediately Nick was by her side. No sooner had he sat on the edge of the bed, than he felt her arms wrap around him as tightly as before. He wrapped his arms around her, giving her the reassurance she needed to feel safe. "I didn't mean for you to wake up and find me gone. I had to let Schanke know what happened." He thought it was best not to mention her attacker's escape, at least not at the moment. He knew he'd have to tell her, later. "I had a nightmare. It was awful. I dreamt that I couldn't walk." She saw her wheelchair over Nick's shoulder, telling her that her nightmare was real. When she could no longer deny her paralysis, the tears started again. She wondered, wanting to know if she'd done something wrong. She knew it didn't work like that, but couldn't help herself. Nick scooped her up into his arms and settled her so that she was again leaning against his chest with her head on his shoulder, and her legs hanging over the side of his. He gently rubbed her back soothing her, while mumbling "shhhh, it's okay." Before long the tears stopped and her slow, regular breathing told him she was sound asleep. He knew that reality had hit her. She was finally dealing with her paralysis. Nick found himself wondering. He knew he would do everything he could to protect her. It frustrated him to no end that he couldn't figure out why someone would want to hurt her. She didn't have a mean bone in her entire body. to be continued... -------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~> eGroups eLerts It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free! http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/1/_/526034/_/977988070/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------_-> Subject: [DarkNN] Challenges pt 5 Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2000 02:42:28 EST From: danaknight@aol.com Reply-To: DarkNN@egroups.com To: DNP-L@egroups.com, DarkNN@egroups.com, ForeverNat@egroups.com, NNPack@egroups.com Send comments to DanaKnight. All parts must end with to be continued to be complete. Challenges pt 5 by Judith Freudenthal Nick awoke the next morning when he heard Natalie's door open, looking to see if whoever was entering was friend or foe, relieved when it was Schanke. Nick held his finger to his lips to silence his partner. He didn't want to disturb Natalie. Schanke motioned that he would wait outside, seeing how peaceful and content Natalie looked asleep in Nick's arms, not to mention it having a similar effect on Nick. The scene looked completely natural causing Schanke to wonder exactly what their true relationship was. A few minutes later Kim, the day shift nurse, entered for her morning vital signs check on Natalie. The nurse was surprised to find her patient and the detective still together. Kim headed for the blinds to open them and found them broken. Natalie heard the blinds rattling and awoke. She was a little surprised, but definitely pleased to find herself in Nick's arms. "Morning," he softly said to Natalie. "Morning," she said just as softly. "I'll have someone repair this immediately," Kim said. "I would appreciate it if you didn't. I have a severe sun allergy." Nick noticed the nurse's curiosity. "She was pretty badly shaken up and wouldn't let go of me." "That's okay. I do hope I won't find you in her bed again tonight." "No guarantees," Natalie said with a small mischievous grin. The nurse just shook her head. She had been shocked to hear about the attack as soon as she came on duty. She was pleased to see that her patient's injury had not affected her and the detective's relationship, knowing all too well how such devastating injuries could destroy all but the strongest relationships. She'd seen it happen more times than she cared to remember. Since Nick had to wait in the hall while Natalie was examined, he used the time to brief his partner. "How is she?" Schanke asked, concerned. He, too, couldn't figure out why someone wanted to kill one of the nicest people he knew. "She's still scared, but doing much better. Only people within our two departments knew she was injured and in the hospital. Even then, the extent of her injury isn't widely known. Because of that, I don't want her left alone. You and I will take turns. I'll cover her until after her therapy. Then I'll sack out here for a few hours. I'll take over again shortly after sunset. Okay?" He knew Cohen couldn't object. "Sure." Schanke couldn't argue with Nick, especially when Natalie's life was on the line. And the limited number of people who knew about her accident made it more than likely that her attacker was someone from one of their two departments. That thought greatly unnerved him. "How long can we keep this up? She's not going to like it." "She'll handle us doing it better than someone she doesn't know. We'll do this as long as we have to." "How's she handling everything else?" Schanke asked unsure how to phrase his concern. "She's doing remarkably well. The full impact of it hit her last night. She seems to be accepting her paralysis." "I don't think I would be able to accept such massive changes so well. Or so quickly. I would be mad as hell at the world and probably wallowing in self-pity," Schanke said. "I wouldn't handle it as well either," Nick replied. Later that afternoon, Myra approached Natalie's room and was surprised to see her husband seated outside his friend's room reading the latest 'Police Gazette'. "Don, what are you doing here?" "Someone tried to kill Natalie late last night." Don kept his voice low, not wanting anyone to overhear. "Why does someone want her dead?" Myra asked quite concerned. She followed her husband's lead and kept her voice low as well. "I wish I knew." Concern was etched across his features, as was his frustration over the lack of leads. "Where's Nick?" Myra knew how protective Nick was of Natalie, which showed how much he truly cared for her. "He's sacked out in the doctor's lounge." "Is it just the two of you?" "Yes. We thought it was best that way." Myra knew they were right. Natalie would handle it better with her friends guarding her, than she would if it were officers she didn't know as well. This way it would seem less official and restrictive, more like a couple of friends looking out for each other. Also, this way there were less chances of the culprit maneuvering his way onto guard duty, and finishing his task. "Will we be seeing much of you?" Myra asked, needing the information to plan meals, Jenny's transportation to and from her activities, and such things. "I honestly don't know. I'll have a better idea after a day or two." "I know." Myra gave her husband a quick kiss before knocking on Natalie's door. She entered when she heard "come in." "Natalie, you're looking better today," Myra said, cheerfully as she approached the bed, where her friend sat. "Thanks. I feel better," Natalie said with a grin. She wore a long T-shirt and leggings, socks covering her feet. Myra knew everything wasn't as good as Natalie made it seem, but wasn't going to say anything. She knew it was how her friend coped with things. "Did you hear the good news?" "No. What is it?" "I'm being sprung tomorrow," Natalie said with a grin. She couldn't wait to get out of there, even with rehab still ahead of her. "That's great." That night, Schanke stayed an extra hour so Nick could run an errand for Natalie. Nick quickly returned having showered, changed and properly fed. He had also picked up Natalie's overnight bag, and a few changes of clothing for her, along with a new toothbrush and tube of toothpaste. The next morning as Natalie was packing her stuff into her overnight bag a mixture of emotions swirled through her. She was pleased about her imminent release, yet she was a bit apprehensive about the rehabilitation she would start later in the day. Questions about how independent she would truly be able to be ran through her mind, as did ones about if she would be able to return to her career. What if she couldn't? What would she do then? And, how was she going to protect herself, if her assailant, or some other nut, returned to attack her? She had just placed the last item into her bag when Schanke entered. "Are you all set?" Schanke asked, noticing the mixture of emotions swirling in her eyes. He knew how much she was looking forward to her release, and how uncertain she was about everything else in her life, no matter how much she tried to hide it. "You bet." "Would you like me to carry your bag?" Schanke asked. "Thanks, but I can handle it." Natalie plopped the bag onto her lap and left her hospital room for the last time. "You can grab the stereo." Schanke grabbed the stereo on his way out of the room. "Any progress on the case?" She asked as they headed for the hospital lobby. She pushed herself along as they talked. "No. Sorry." Schanke sighed, careful to stay next to Natalie, knowing how easy it would be to get far ahead of her. "I know you're doing your best." "Who ever cut your brakes was either a real pro or an amateur who had definitely done his homework. There's nothing traceable left behind." Schanke knew that wasn't what his friend wanted to hear. "I'm afraid I have more bad news for you. The man who tried to smother you hasn't been seen since." "Great," Natalie grumbled. She knew it wasn't Schanke's fault. She knew that because her attacker didn't have a police record he would be much harder to find. Before long they reached the front door, and exited. Outside they saw the rehab center's van and headed for it. "Dr. Lambert?" Asked a brunette male in his mid-thirties. "Yes." "I'm Matt. I'll be escorting you to the Preston Rehabilitation Center." "Hi, Matt." Natalie noticed Matt looking at Schanke. "My friend will be accompanying us." Schanke noticed how she didn't mention he was a cop and played along. "Don Schanke." "If you'll follow me, we'll get underway." Natalie nodded as she followed the gentleman around to the other side of the van, Schanke was right behind her. Matt opened the door and lowered the wheelchair lift, as it lowered he explained to Natalie what she was to do next. When the lift stopped Natalie maneuvered herself onto it, finding her skills needing work, knowing she'd be doing plenty of that in the coming weeks. The lift was raised until it was flush with the van floor. Matt instructed Natalie in how to secure herself for the trip. He checked to make sure she was properly secured before heading for the driver's door. Schanke and Matt settled themselves into the front seats and the three of them were off to the rehab center. After a short drive, the van entered the Preston Rehabilitation Center lot. Matt helped Natalie unfasten herself and her wheelchair from the van then guided her onto the lift. She was a little nervous that she'd accidentally back off the outside edge, relieved by Matt's reassurance that the lift was designed to prevent that from happening. Natalie wondered as the lift lowered. Matt directed Natalie and Schanke to the admitting office before heading off to a different hospital to pick up his next passengers. "Schank, thanks for hanging around," Natalie said as she and Schanke walked to the door. "No problem." Schanke knew how hard it was for her to accept help, and to thank the person. Schanke held the door open for her out of simple courtesy, not because he felt he had to. Once inside they headed for the admitting office. Natalie filled out the necessary forms and was soon shown to her room. It was an improvement from the hospital, as it looked like a real bedroom. There was a bed with a nightstand on each side, a dresser, empty bookcase for anything the patient cared to store there, a closet and accessible bathroom. Schanke set the stereo down on the dresser, knowing Natalie would move it to wherever she wanted it. Natalie peeked into the bathroom and saw the handrails on either side of the toilet, the roll in shower, and the fact that the sink was open underneath to allow her to reach the faucet in the back. The medicine cabinet was lower and on the side wall. The mirror over the sink was tilted to make viewing from a wheelchair easier. Natalie thought, pushing all thoughts of the numerous modifications aside for now. She'd deal with them later. As Natalie stowed her stuff in the closet she hoped that learning to dress herself would be one of her first lessons. Her inability to do so was one of her biggest frustrations because it made her feel so helpless. Shortly one of the therapists knocked on her door. "Hi. You must be Dr. Lambert. I'm Mike Richards. I'll be one of your physical therapists." "Hi. Nice to meet you. Call me Natalie, please." Natalie motioned towards Schanke. "This is Don Schanke, a friend of mine." "Nice to meet you," Both men said. "Natalie, if you'll follow me, we'll get started with the testing so we can set up the best program for your needs." Mike said. Natalie motioned for Mike to lead the way. Schanke followed a short distance behind, giving Natalie some space. After Natalie and the therapist entered the room Schanke took a quick peek inside and then made himself comfortable in a nearby chair. He positioned himself so he could glance up and see her. Natalie's first day at the rehab center was full of tests. Her therapists needed to know exactly how much damage had been done, how much muscle mass she had lost while lying in bed, and if there were any hidden problems for them to deal with. By the time the tests were finished Natalie believed that every muscle in her body had been poked, prodded or tested in some way. She now understood why Nick sometimes complained about feeling like a pincushion. After work, Grace stopped by to see her friend and noticed how tired Natalie was. She also saw how pleased Natalie was that she'd been transferred to the rehab center. Both Grace and Schanke saw Natalie's face light up when Nick arrived. The four of them talked for a few minutes before Grace and Schanke left. Nick made a quick trip to his car so he could retrieve her suitcase as it was too big to fit on her lap. In her room, Nick saw Natalie attempting to relieve some soreness from her shoulders, set down the suitcase, and began massaging her sore shoulders. He felt her relax under his gentle yet firm touch. She smiled as her shoulders began to feel better, surprised when her headache eased as well. Natalie unpacked her clothing while she and Nick talked. Once that was done, Nick escorted Natalie to dinner. During dinner they talked about the case, how their day went and a few thoughts for the future. Nick noticed Natalie seemed more optimistic and wondered if it was due to her having been released from the hospital. After dinner they went off to a quiet place to talk. Before long, Nick noticed how hard she was working to stay awake. "You have a busy day tomorrow. You need some sleep." "I know." She was still having a little trouble getting used to being up days and sleeping nights. They talked as they returned to her room. He waited outside while a female orderly helped her into her pajamas. He knew how much her inability to do such simple things for herself frustrated her. How helpless it made her feel. When the orderly left Nick reentered the room. He saw Natalie in a different long T-shirt, pair of leggings and socks and smiled, knowing it was what she was the most comfortable in. "How about another massage?" Nick asked, seeing how much she needed one. He loved finding any excuse to be near her, to touch her, to feel her warmth, to smell her intoxicating scent. "I'd love it," Natalie said, embarrassed by how awkward her movements were as she struggled to go from leaning back against her pillows to laying on her stomach. Nick saw her feelings in her eyes and to a lesser extent in her expression. He talked with her, hoping it would help ease her embarrassment, noticing it did. Once she was in position, he massaged her shoulders starting from the base of her skull. He made sure he had every knot or tight spot worked out before moving on. By the time he started on her back she was sound asleep. He continued massaging his way down her back, knowing it would help her be less sore in the morning. He was extra careful around the area where the injury had been. He knew her lower back needed even more gentle and tender massage. He massaged her arms, wrists, hands and fingers as well, knowing that they too worked hard. He went on to work his way down her buttocks to the soles of her feet. Just because the nerves didn't function, didn't mean they couldn't need a good massage to help stimulate the blood flow. Once he finished, he carefully turned her over and pulled the covers up to her chest. He quietly moved the stuffed chair as far away from the window as he could, made sure the blinds were securely shut and settled himself into the chair for the night. The next morning, Natalie was awoken by a knock on her door. "Come in," she said a little groggily. The female orderly was surprised to see Nick there, then remembered that she along with the rest of the staff had been instructed to allow Knight and Schanke to accompany Dr. Lambert everywhere she went. She remembered reading about the coroner's accident and wondered what the paper hadn't said. The orderly knew there had to be a reason why Dr. Lambert had twenty-four hour police protection. Nick waited outside while Natalie was assisted with dressing. Natalie's inability to do something as simple as putting on or taking off her underwear, pants, socks, or shoes greatly frustrated her. She couldn't wait to learn how to do it for herself. She hated feeling so helpless. to be continued... -------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~> eGroups eLerts It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free! http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/1/_/526034/_/977989354/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------_-> Subject: [DarkNN] Challenges pt 6 Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2000 02:57:02 EST From: danaknight@aol.com Reply-To: DarkNN@egroups.com To: DNP-L@egroups.com, DarkNN@egroups.com, ForeverNat@egroups.com, NNPack@egroups.com Comments to DanaKnight@aol.com. All parts must end with to be continued to be complete. Challenges pt 6 by Judith Freudenthal After breakfast Natalie met with, Mike Richards, a physical therapist to set her goals, using the previous day's extensive tests results as his guideline. Mike decided that Natalie would work on keeping her leg muscles in good shape and in a few months, possibly begin using electrical stimulation. Natalie was glad Nick was there for her, needing his support as she struggled to rebuild her life, grateful she didn't have to go through it all alone. Mike, decided that the best way to help Natalie was with a weightlifting program to build up the musculature in her upper body so that it would be able to handle the work it was required to as well as handling the work her legs used to do. He also arranged for a cardiovascular program for his client, knowing that the better shape she was in, the fewer problems she should have. Also, it would give her more energy, which would be needed in order for her to make it through the day without being completely wiped out every evening. When Natalie was done with her meeting with Mike, she met with the next member of the therapy team, Max, her occupational therapist. Max explained that his job was to teach her daily living skills such as dressing, maneuvering her wheelchair and eventually driving, so that she could once again be independent and return to work. He warned her that it would not happen overnight and that it would not be easy. During lunch, Nick and Natalie talked about her two meetings. Her trying to get him to eat amused him. He knew it meant she was doing okay because she was once again trying to care for everyone else. After lunch Natalie began her two and half hour physical therapy session, which would normally occupy her mornings. Mike worked with Natalie's leg muscles for an hour to make sure she retained as much muscle mass and range of movement in both her muscles and joints as possible. Natalie found Nick's presence in the windowless therapy room comforting, even though she hated for him to see her struggle with everything. His eyes showed her it was almost as hard for him to watch as it was for her to get through it. Next, Mike instructed Natalie in the proper technique for the various weightlifting exercises she would be doing every day to build up her strength. Afterwards she was given a short break to rest and catch her breath before her cardiovascular workout began. He showed her the routines for her workout and watched as she did them, correcting her form whenever necessary. Schanke's turn came when Natalie headed for the occupational therapy room, since it was a sunlit room and the therapy would sometimes be held outdoors. Schanke positioned himself where he could glance up from his paper and see her, but chose to remain just outside the room to give her some privacy, while still protecting her. He found it too hard to watch his friend struggle as she learned how to smoothly transfer herself to and from her wheelchair from a bed, chair or couch. Max also made sure Natalie knew how to fall without injuring herself and reseat herself in case she tipped over. Seeing all of this reminded Schanke of how easily anyone of his family or friends, or even himself, could be in there instead of Natalie. That scared him. Nick spent the afternoon in the staff room, hiding out from the sun. While he was stuck there, he took full advantage of the resources to arrange a few surprises for Natalie. Once the sun went down, Schanke headed home to be with his family. Nick took over Natalie's security for the evening. The next morning Natalie had her second occupational therapy session. She was quite pleased when she learned ways to get her pants, socks, shoes on. She was shown the easiest way to do most of her daily chores. Being able to do that much for herself made her feel more in control of her life. She knew that with practice it would be come easier to do, but never as easy as it had been. Natalie thought. She knew she would probably always compare things, but hoped it would happen less often as she grew more used to her new way of life. She knew that this place would make her think about it more because of the work she was undergoing, and hoped that would change after her release and return to work. Late that afternoon, Cohen knocked on Natalie's door and was a bit disappointed when there was no response. Cohen thought and headed for the large back patio. Cohen surveyed the large expanse of lush greenery which comprised the back patio and saw Natalie seated in her wheelchair over by a small table reading a magazine, while Schanke was seated there as well, reading his 'Police Gazette'. Cohen noticed that Natalie seemed to be doing much better than the last time she had visited. She was glad to see the medical examiner up and moving around again. Natalie spotted Cohen and was curious. She could tell that the Captain had something on her mind. "Schanke, Natalie and I need a few minutes. Alone." Off his look, Cohen continued. "I'll make sure nothing happens." Schanke left, knowing that the Captain would take good care of Natalie. He was curious as to what Cohen wanted to see Natalie about, and figured it was just a routine visit to see how she was doing. When Cohen decided that Schanke was far enough out of range, she said, "Natalie, I wanted to ask you if you would consider going undercover. Let me know if you feel it is too soon." Cohen was careful to keep her voice down, but still at the conversational level, even though there was no one nearby. "No, it's not too soon. But, Captain, I'm a forensic pathologist not a cop. Why me?" Natalie responded with the same caution. "The first two victims were from your department, and were disabled." "Two? Has there been another murder?" Natalie asked stunned and a bit upset. Someone else had died and she'd been trapped here unable to help. "No. The other one happened about six weeks ago. We did not connect it until recently." Cohen suspected Natalie would blame herself for not catching the connection. "Due to a lead we've received since your accident." She hoped that would be enough to prevent the coroner from blaming herself for missing the connection. "I'm not sure I could pull something like that off." She knew she should, but had no true idea of what she'd have to do. "I've watched you over the last year. I think you can. I wouldn't be asking otherwise. I don't need your answer right away. Think about it and get back to me tomorrow or the next day." "What would I have to do?" "All you have to do is go about your normal routine. You'll have complete but discreet backup." "In other words, I'll be bait. I'll think about it and get back to you." Natalie had often wondered what it would feel like to do what Nick and Schanke did for a living, or what it would be like to go undercover. She knew this wasn't the real thing, but it was probably as close as she'd ever get to a real undercover assignment, which was fine with her. Schanke saw Cohen leave and headed back for his friend, resisting the urge to inquire about their conversation. Schanke and Natalie talked for a few minutes, mostly about what his family was up to, before they headed for the occupational therapy area. Schanke could tell from Natalie's expression that she was wondering what she would be taught next. They continued to talk as they headed for the therapy room. Natalie had a hunch that maneuvering was on today's agenda. She knew that the smoother she could maneuver, the less frustrated she'd be as she went through her daily activities. She liked how Schanke was right there with her, giving her a feeling of security, both physically and psychologically. Once Natalie and Schanke arrived at the occupational therapy room, Schanke opened the door for her, doing a quick visual sweep at the same time. She waited a moment then entered, knowing he would've stopped her if there was anything wrong. Once Natalie and Max had started work, Schanke shut the door and positi oned himself on the bench so he could see into the room whenever he glanced up from his newspaper. His mind began to wander. Schanke noticed how easily Natalie had accepted the security arrangements. It was as if having one of her friends always around looking out for her gave her that extra confidence boost she needed to get through her therapy. He knew she wasn't as strong or tough as she liked the world to think. Since the accident… … he'd seen more of her vulnerable side, especially when she'd tried to hide her frustration, anger, sadness or fear. How she tried to pretend everything was fine when all she wanted was Nick's arms around her, comforting and reassuring her that everything would be okay. He was glad her friends were there to give her all the support she needed to get through this and wondered how much harder it would be to do on one's own. Spending so much time around Natalie was helping him accept that it had happened, that she would be okay, and that their friendship didn't have to change because of it. She was very much the same Natalie she'd always been. He was glad he could talk with his wife, Grace and his partner about his feelings. He was a little surprised when he found himself asking Natalie questions he had, and she'd always answered him, even ones he thought were a bit personal. He hoped he was as helpful to his friends as they were to him. Natalie felt a momentary pang of fear when she saw the obstacle course about twenty feet in front of her. She thought, reminding herself that she could do anything she wanted to. Max sent Natalie through the rather difficult obstacle course, wanting to see how she fared on her own. Natalie ran into things, had trouble going around others, leaving her feeling completely uncoordinated as well as quite frustrated, which was quickly turning into anger. After her first run through, Max gave Natalie some pointers and sent her through again. She found the going a little easier but still didn't ace the course. Natalie knew it wouldn't be easy, but hadn't expected it to be so hard. She was surprised at how much fine control it took, much more than she expected. Natalie thought as her frustration level again rose as she hit one of the obstacles. Again, Max gave Natalie a few more helpful pointers and sent her through the course again. She was quite pleased when she completed the entire course without hitting one single obstacle. Schanke peered into the window after every few paragraphs, not wanting to miss any early warning signs. to be continued... -------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~> eLerts It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free! http://click.egroups.com/1/9699/1/_/526034/_/977990231/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------_-> Subject: [DarkNN] Challenges pt 7 Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 20:28:41 EST From: danaknight@aol.com Reply-To: DarkNN@egroups.com To: DNP-L@egroups.com, DarkNN@egroups.com, ForeverNat@egroups.com, NNPack@egroups.com Comments to DanaKnight@aol.com. All parts must end with to be continued to be complete. Permission to archive at fkfanfic, the ftp site, DNN, DNP, Mortal Love and anywhere that already has permission. Challenges pt 7 by Judith Freudenthal The next afternoon Nick and Natalie left the gym, and headed back to her room so she could change for her next workout. Nick noticed she was a bit uneasy as well as how much more natural her maneuvering seemed. "I'll be right out here when you're ready," Nick said. Natalie entered her room, struggled out of her clothes and into her one piece swimsuit. It was a subtle tie-dye in several shades of blue with a racing back. Natalie opened her door. A grin spread across Nick's face when he saw her. He noticed she was quite self-conscious. "What?" She asked nervously. "You look good. I don't think I've ever seen you like this before." He had been a little unsure how she'd look in something revealing, but knew it wouldn't matter to him. She blushed slightly, realizing that the grin was a compliment, and easily slipped into her long T-shirt and tied her hair up with a Scrunchi. "You sure I look okay?" She asked, a bit uncertain. She was nervous about how she looked as this was the most revealing outfit she'd worn since her paralysis. "You look fine," he said reassuringly, pleased when he saw her relax. Schanke arrived for his shift, seeing Nick and Natalie talking as he approached. Seeing Natalie out of her usual leggings and sneakers took him by surprise. He thought before mentally criticizing himself. Subconsciously he knew the answers the rest of his mind wasn't ready to admit. "Hi, Schanke. You get to escort me to the pool today." "Sorry I'm late. I got tied up in traffic." "No problem," Natalie said. "What are they going to teach you today?" Nick asked. "I think it's just going to be some more exercises. The water takes the weight off my whole body while allowing for both a gentle weight workout and a greater range of movement than the mat exercises allow." "Sounds like a nice change of pace," Schanke said. "Yeah. Maybe they'll even show me how to adapt my swimming." "Sounds good," Nick said. "I've gotta run, but I'll see the both of you later." "See ya," Schanke said. Nick left, having things to tend to outside of the rehab center. Myra had agreed to give him a lift home, not completely surprised when he asked to ride in the trunk, having been warned about that by her husband. Back inside, as Natalie and Schanke headed for the pool she noticed he seemed a little uneasy which surprised her. With all the time they'd been spending together lately she had been surprised at how quickly his uneasiness around her had evaporated once he noticed she was basically the same person and could do things for herself. "Schank, is anything wrong?" "No." He paused, "I don't know." "Let me guess... you thought I'd look different. Right?" She asked, lightly, hoping it didn't make him feel too uneasy. "Yeah. I guess so," he said, a little more uneasily. "I'm not sure what ..." "It's okay. It's a perfectly normal reaction. I too wasn't sure how I'd look in my swimsuit. The weeks on my back didn't do anything to help me keep in shape. Even Nick had the same momentary reaction." She studied him for a moment. "Okay?" "Yeah. Thanks." Schanke paused, wondering if what he wanted to say was the right thing, hoping it was. "Sometimes things seem so normal, and sometimes, like now, they seem different. I know it shouldn't, but I don't know why." "I know what you mean. I think that new things remind all of us how much my life's changed over the last few weeks. It has affected your lives as well as mine. When we're sitting around talking, or eating, it seems more normal. I guess because everyone's doing the same thing, and it's easier to forget that my chair's a part of me." "How can you accept it all so easily? I don't think I could," Schanke asked, no longer able to withhold the question. "Believe me, it hasn't been easy. I'm still not sure I've totally accepted it. I realized I had two choices. I can either wallow in angst, grief and all that stuff or I can work my butt off and do the best I can to get on with my life. I want to get out of here, go back to work, and get my life back to as normal as possible." Natalie said, stopping to scratch an itch on her shoulder. "I can't do that if I wind up as angst and guilt ridden as your partner." Schanke let out a brief chuckle. "When they first told me the diagnosis, I jumped head first into denial. I thought it was just cord shock and would clear up about the time the swelling went down. It was the only way I could deal with it. A part of me knew it was real, probably from the moment I woke up in the ER and could wiggle my toes slightly but couldn't feel my legs. The longer I laid there, the harder it became for me to deny it, but I still tried to. I had to. When they started to manipulate my legs, it was harder to ignore. As I changed into my clothes and saw my wheelchair for the first time, it was even harder to deny. I had almost reached the point where I could no longer deny it." "I didn't realize that. I mean, I could see that you were having a little more trouble than you let show, but I didn't realize..." "I don't think anyone did, except maybe Nick. When the guy tried to smother me, it made my paralysis sink in. I tried so hard to defend myself, but I couldn't do much. I couldn't kick him. All I could do was try my best to stay alive until someone came in. The accident was the closest I've been to that scared. When Nick pulled the guy off me, I couldn't deny it any longer. I knew my paralysis was real. Nick comforted me, stayed with me, reassured me that everything was going to be okay. He could see how much I needed to believe that." Natalie chuckled as she remembered their fight, drawing a confused look from Schanke. "I didn't always handle it well. At one point I tried to shut Nick out because he could walk and I couldn't. He refused to let me. He found logical arguments for my completely illogical ones. He didn't care that I needed my chair to get around, which made me feel good." "It doesn't bother me either. You're still the same friend. Your heart and spirit are still there, that's what counts," Schanke said, hoping he didn't sound too sappy. "Thanks, Schanke." Natalie liked the fact that Schanke was paying close attention, really listening to what she was saying. "Chris showed up one day and helped me to see that things would be okay. She had been through what I was going through and answered my questions, even some I didn't know how to ask. She helped me see that I can do anything I want to do." "Thanks for being so honest with me," Schanke said, knowing Natalie could've given him a short not so in depth answer. Before long they arrived at the glass roofed pool enclosure where Schanke held the door open for Natalie. "Are you going to stay and watch, or hang around outside?" "I think I'll wait outside. It's a little too warm in here for my tastes." "Okay," Natalie said lightly as it was a bit warmer inside than outside the pool enclosure. Natalie's physical therapist, Mike, was waiting for her as well as two assistants, one of whom would help her into the pool. Schanke realized that no one could get in or out without being seen, so he made himself comfortable in the chair across from the door and watched the only used entrance, the other one having an alarm which would go off if opened. Inside the pool enclosure, one of the assistants, John, a young man in his mid-twenties with brown hair and green eyes, brought a waterproof wheelchair and a life vest over to Natalie. He helped her transfer from her chair to the waterproof one. Natalie hated not being able to do such a simple thing on her own. She also hated having to wear the awkward life vest, suspecting it would interfere with her movements and reminded her of those boaters wore. Being wheeled down the ramp and into the pool until Natalie floated out of the chair made her frustrations grow as it made her feel even more helpless. She wanted to do more for herself and they weren't allowing her to. Mike supervised Natalie's range of motion exercises, which she didn't mind doing, knowing how important it was to keep her muscles healthy and flexible if she wanted to have the slightest chance to walk again someday. She knew the water provided more resistance as well as being easier on her joints. Schanke peeked into the room every few minutes, just to be on the safe side. Ninety minutes had passed. Natalie had just finished her water exercises and was surprised by how much she enjoyed being in the water, even if she was beginning to prune up a bit. The life vest was as annoying as she had suspected it would be, and it did get in her way. "Natalie, would you be interested in relearning how to swim?" Mike asked. "I'd like that." Mike spent the next hour showing Natalie how to adapt her swimming. Natalie was surprised that there wasn't more to it, and that it wasn't quite as easy as she thought it would be. Cohen stopped by to see Natalie as it had been two days since their last conversation. She knocked on Natalie's door frame as the door was open, seeing the forensic pathologist seated by the window reading a medical journal. Cohen smiled knowing it meant Natalie was recovering well, both physically and psychologically. "Come in." Natalie put down her journal and turned towards her visitor. Her movements becoming more natural each day. Cohen entered, closing the door behind her. "Where's Schanke?" "He's in the bathroom down the hall." "Have you decided?" Cohen asked. "Yes. I'll do it. Maybe I can help save someone's life. I'd sure like to find out who has it in for me and why. When do we start?" "Whenever you're ready. Do you want me to tell Nick and Schanke?" "Not just yet. I'll tell Nick when I think the time is right. He can tell Schanke." Natalie knew she would have one *very* angry vampire to deal with when he found out what she was risking. She was most definitely *not* looking forward to that confrontation as it would probably be *quite* nasty. "How are you doing?" Cohen asked, concerned. "Better. How are you?" "I'm fine." Cohen sensed Natalie was telling the truth. She could see a definite positive change in Natalie. "Thank you for letting them watch over me." "I knew you'd prefer friends over strangers, besides, I know Nick wouldn't be able to concentrate if I hadn't assigned him." There was a knock on the door. "Natalie?" "Come on in, Schanke," Natalie cheerfully said. Schanke entered and saw the Captain. "I'll come back later..." "You didn't interrupt anything. I have to get back to the precinct anyway. Keep up the good work." Schanke grinned at the compliment. The more Natalie learned to take care of herself the more confident she became. The more natural her maneuvering became the less tiring it was. She enjoyed taking walks with her friends more during their nightly visits. Her friends immediately noticed the changes and were pleased to see more of her natural joy of life showing through and less of the emotional turmoil. They knew it was still there, but were happy it wasn't as dominant as it had been. Her friends could almost instantly tell when Natalie's day had been hard and frustrating because she was often cranky. As they talked they saw her relax and her mood greatly improve. Natalie rubbed her temples trying to ease her near constant headache unaware that her friends were concerned she was hiding something serious. "Natalie, you okay?" Grace asked concerned. "I'm okay," Natalie said, noticing they weren't buying it. "Looking up at the world gives me a headache. It'll ease as I get used to my new angle on things." Natalie was pleased when she could see them thinking about what she said and then accepting it was the truth. Nick moved around behind Natalie where he began to massage her neck and shoulder muscles, feeling her instantly relax. "How's that?" "Much better. My headache's gone. Thank you." Their friends watched, grinning, knowing Nick was a big part of why Natalie was doing so well. Grace secretly wished she had someone like Nick in her life. Natalie's day was long, difficult and tiring. In the mornings she had her physical therapy where her entire body was worked. Her legs were exercised, then she completed her weight training, then her cardiovascular workout. Sometimes it was hydrotherapy instead of mat work. She enjoyed the pool sessions as the water was very soothing, but hated the life vest and being hauled into and out of the water like cargo. The vest made swimming harder as it frequently was in her way and prevented her from perfecting her form because she couldn't properly align her body as she swam. After lunch Natalie had occupational therapy. There she learned much of what she'd need to know to become fully independent again, and return to work. She was learning about the necessary modifications her apartment would require as well as some helpful tips on how to do things such as cooking, laundry, housecleaning… all from a wheelchair. As Natalie was able to make it through her day with less of a struggle, she realized the weightlifting was giving her the muscular strength needed to get into and out of her wheelchair on her own and the cardiovascular workouts were giving her the endurance to get through the day without winding up completely exhausted. The therapy was very hard, frustrating work. Natalie's temper flared whenever she had real trouble with something, or was just having a bad day. She found herself feeling embarrassed and apologizing to Mike, Max and their assistants almost as soon as it happened, relieved when they understood, reassuring her that it was okay, that they knew not to take it personally. She felt bad for losing her temper, but knew it was one of the ways she handled stress. She found herself resorting to her defense mechanism of using humor and joking around when she felt really frustrated, stressed or was having trouble with a new skill. Nick and Schanke weren't immune from Natalie's temper, Nick especially because she felt the safest with him. Nick encouraged Natalie, frequently pushing her to do more. Sometimes he purposely made her angry at him, knowing it would make her work harder. Every night Natalie received her massage from Nick. He knew she still needed it and enjoyed being that close to her as well as helping to ease the aches and pains from the new demands on her upper body. He didn't neglect her lower body either, knowing the benefits of good blood flow. Having this close contact with her on a nightly basis allowed him to see her strength improving with each day. He could feel the growing muscles as he worked the tightness out of them, and would continue to do so as long as she needed it. to be continued... -------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~> eLerts It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free! http://click.egroups.com/1/9699/1/_/526034/_/978139726/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------_-> Subject: [DarkNN] Challenges pt 8 Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 21:01:08 EST From: danaknight@aol.com Reply-To: DarkNN@egroups.com To: DNP-L@egroups.com, DarkNN@egroups.com, ForeverNat@egroups.com, NNPack@egroups.com Comments to DanaKnight@aol.com. All parts must end with to be continued to be complete. Challenges pt 8 by Judith Freudenthal Around the middle of the third week Nick knocked on the door frame of Natalie's room and saw her dressed in a long T-shirt with her hair tied back. He noticed her new wheelchair had been delivered. It looked quite elegant with its sleek royal blue frame, black upholstery and no armrests, unlike the one she'd been given at the hospital. Her new chair's back came midway up her back. The footrests were a bit more sleek, not the individual ones on the old wheelchair. "I'm heading for the pool. You're welcome to come along." Natalie said cheerfully. His smile reminded her of the first time he'd seen her in her bathing suit and how it had eased most of her self-consciousness, leaving her feeling good about herself. Nick remembered that day as well. It was when he realized Natalie was beautiful in whatever she wore, even a hospital gown. He was pleased by having another opportunity to see her in her blue tie-dye bathing suit. He had always admired her nice form. It wasn't perfect, but whose was? He liked that she wasn't anorexically thin, yet she wasn't chubby either. "How did your day go?" He asked. "About the same. How about you?" She replied. "Nothing really exciting." Upon arriving at the pool enclosure, Nick held the door open for Natalie and followed her in. She approached John and donned the life vest he handed her only because she wasn't allowed in the pool without the annoying vest. She transferred herself to the waterproof chair and was soon floating in the warm water. She began to do her laps, knowing it was great exercise for her entire body. Nick watched Natalie's rather graceful movements as she completed lap after lap. She liked the way, outside of the vest, she didn't feel much different than she had before the accident. After a few laps Natalie stopped and let the life vest support her while she caught her breath, one hand holding onto the edge of the pool so she didn’t float away. She had to admit that the vest did make it easy for her to rest without sinking, but that was it's only advantage. "Can you swim?" She asked Nick, curiously. "I never learned how," he said a little embarrassed. His expression brought a smile to her lips. It made her feel good that there was something she could do that he couldn't. Natalie had caught her breath and swum a few more laps, all the while an idea was taking shape. When she reached the end of the pool where Nick was standing she stopped and looked up at him. "Would you like to learn how to swim?" He thought about it for a moment, never really having considered it. "Yes. How..." "I could teach you. You're here anyway." "Okay. No one can know." "It's nothing to be embarrassed about." Natalie said, amused, but kept it out of her voice. Instead she tried to be reassuring. "I know. I just don't want anyone to know." "Okay. If anyone asks tell them you're escorting me here for therapy." "Sounds good. Can we start tomorrow?" "I don't see why not," Natalie said pleased that she was going to be teaching him something, and that he seemed eager to learn. "It's great exercise for the whole body. It's not as hard to do laps as I would've thought." "You look quite graceful out there." He loved the small grin his compliment brought. Natalie was helped back into the waterproof chair and was soon pushed up the ramp. She stripped off the life vest and dried off with a towel. She placed a folded towel on the seat of her own chair before the assistant helped her transfer back to her chair. The last thing she did before leaving was slip back into her long T-shirt. The next evening Nick escorted Natalie to the pool, where he changed in the bathroom, not wanting to walk the halls in his black swim trunks partially due to his paleness and partially due to the fact that he'd never been seen in public wearing so little. He wondered if she minded being here for her exercises and again for his lessons and figured if she did, she wouldn't have made her offer. As he approached the pool in his trunks, she smiled at the embarrassment she read in his face and body language, finding it rather charming. The contrast between his black shorts and his naturally fair complexion, untouched by the sun, left him looking ghostly white. Natalie thought as a smile crept across her face. She had only seen parts of his upper body when she had done bullet removal or when she'd seen him in his pajamas and robe. "What?" "Nothing," she said trying her best to sound innocent, her smile now only a small grin. Nick enjoyed her admiration, especially once he realized what she was looking at. "John, can Nick have a vest?" "Sure," John said as he handed it to Nick. He knew what they had planned and thought that it would be good for her self-confidence. "Nat, do I have to?" Nick asked not wanting to wear the vest. "Yes." "Nat," Nick whined. "Just put it on. It will help you feel more at ease in the water." Nick reluctantly put it on, not wanting to anger or annoy her, afraid that if he did, she would cancel the lessons. Natalie noticed he had yet to join her in the pool. "Nick, it won't bite," she teased. Nick slowly walked into the pool not sure what to expect as his shower was the most water he'd come in contact with in *quite* some time. Natalie playfully splashed him as he entered. "See, that wasn't so bad." "Now what?" "I want you to let your body relax totally. The vest will keep you from sinking like a rock." Natalie let her body fully relax and was floating on her back in no time. Nick watched her, copying what she'd done and was soon floating. He found it quite soothing. "I like floating. It's so peaceful, especially if you close your eyes and clear your mind of everything. It makes me feel like I'm defying gravity. I feel like nothing's changed," Natalie said. "Keep your butt up or you'll sink." Nick didn't heed her advice and quickly found out she was right. He was surprised that it took a bit of effort to keep his back arched and his butt at the right level so that he didn't sink, and wondered what would have happened if she hadn't insisted on his wearing the vest. "I thought I was going to learn how to swim?" "You will. This is important as well." Nick saw the confidence and pleasure this lesson gave Natalie. He knew she loved the fact that she was able to do something that he couldn't. She had him head into deeper water, where she followed. She showed him how to do the upper body part of the Australian crawl, describing how to do the lower body part. She watched as he tried it, correcting his form. She found it interesting that someone who could fly and had lived as long as he had, had problems learning to swim. she wondered. "I want you to move your legs like this," she said, showing him how to do it using her hands and arms in place of her legs. He had a little trouble keeping his kick smooth and at the right pace, splashing her as much as a child does when learning how to kick their legs in a pool. "Keep your legs under the water's surface," she said as she wiped her eyes with her hands. The first splash had taken her by surprise, afterwards she repressed a grin at how much he reminded her of a little boy at times. Her advice helped slightly, but he still needed assistance. He saw her head for the wall and followed. "Hold onto the edge and float on your front for a moment, without your face going under. I'll move your legs for you to show you how." Nick did as instructed, enjoying the feel of her hands as they guided his legs in the proper movements. "Got it?" "I think so." "Now all you have to do is learn how to breathe, then put all three things together." "Nat, I know how to breathe." "Then show me," she said with a wicked grin, knowing he would most likely wind up with a mouth full of water, as well as having it go up his nose. Nick tried to copy what he had seen Natalie do and wound up coughing and choking on inhaled water. Nat thought. "You okay?" She asked for John's benefit. He nodded. "What did I do wrong?" He asked a little confused. It looked so easy. "Other than thinking you were a fish?" She teased. "Yes," he returned the tease. "You forgot to breathe out, not in, while submerged." "Thanks. I figured that out." Once again she led them into deeper water. "I want you to take a deep breath, then let it out underwater. You should be breathing out through your nose only, making a stream of bubbles as you do so." "Nat," he whined. "Do you want to learn this or not?" She asked as he reminded her more and more of a little boy, not an eight hundred year old vampire. He nodded and reluctantly stuck his face in the water when he saw her glance turn mischievous. He felt totally ridiculous. Natalie watched the bubbles and knew Nick was doing it correctly. When he ran out of air he came up and pretended to breathe heavily as if out of breath. "Very good. Watch what I do and copy it." Nick nodded. She showed him how to breathe while swimming. She watched as he did it, seeing him once again swallowing water and choking on his first attempt. "Good try." "Now I want you to combine the movements. Try it." She giggled as his first attempts left him looking like a drowning rat, not a swift, sure vampire. He again swallowed some water, but nowhere near as much. His response to her giggling was a gentle splash in her direction, strong enough to get her attention, but not strong enough to annoy or hurt her. He loved the surprised look on her face, and how it was followed by a very adult action. She stuck her tongue out at him, causing him to laugh. She loved how he could make her feel good under just about any circumstance. "Try it again. Don't rush it. Let it flow naturally." He tried again and was much more graceful this time. "Much better. Now for some practice. Last one to the other end and back is a rotten egg," she said taking off. Nick let her win, but made it look like a very close race. He could have been to the other side and back before anyone blinked, but that would've been unfair. It would've hurt her feelings, and squashed her rising self confidence. "Very good. Tomorrow we will work on it some more and I'll teach you another stroke." The next evening she taught him the backstroke and enjoyed watching him struggle to keep from sinking when his butt sank and to coordinate the arm and leg movement. Again she was splashed when she giggled at his early attempts and his surprise when he started to sink like a rock, even with the life vest. Once again she won their race. She knew he was letting her win, only because with his vampiric speed he could've won so fast all she would've seen was a blur, if anything. She didn't really care who won because she enjoyed spending the time with him. She saw him trying not to let her win with too big of a lead and appreciated his thoughtfulness. Since Nick had whined about wearing the life vest every night, Natalie let him try going without it. Nick found it wasn't so simple, especially the backstroke as his rear end kept sinking, leaving him choking on swallowed water . Natalie giggled at his early attempts, inquiring if he was okay for John's sake. "I see why you made me learn wearing the vest. Can I learn another stroke?" "Sure." She showed him what to do with his arms and described what to do with his legs. Nick tried it and was surprised that the only thing it did was barely keep his head from going under. He did notice the barely controlled laughter his moves elicited from her. "What?" "That move has been known to save a life now and then. I wonder how long you can tread water." She grinned mischievously and Nick knew she was up to something "How about learning another move?" "Okay?" Nick was a little unnerved by her grin. She taught him the doggie paddle and dissolved into hysterical laughter as he very seriously applied himself to this new stroke. For that she was again splashed. This time she splashed him back, starting a short splash war. John, the pool attendant, laughed. He was pleased to see that Natalie's paralysis hadn't hurt her relationship with Nick, knowing many relationships did not survive because one, sometimes both, of the people involved thought things changed too much to continue. to be continued... -------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~> eGroups eLerts It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free! http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/1/_/526034/_/978141679/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------_-> Subject: [DarkNN] Challenges pt 9 Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 22:01:30 EST From: danaknight@aol.com Reply-To: DarkNN@egroups.com To: DNP-L@egroups.com, DarkNN@egroups.com, ForeverNat@egroups.com, NNPack@egroups.com Comments to DanaKnight@aol.com. All parts must end with to be continued to be complete. Challenges pt 9 by Judith Freudenthal By the middle of the next week Natalie was pleased when she had progressed enough to learn how to drive with hand controls. She had passed her vision test. She did quite well with the driving simulator too. Within two days she found herself behind the wheel of a real car, one with dual controls so her instructor could take over if she made any dangerous mistakes. She was quite nervous but knew this was an important step in regaining her independence and returning to work. Natalie knew she had to decide if she wanted a car or a mini van with some sort of a lift or ramp. She had a few free hours that weekend and planned to check out the various options. Natalie mentioned her indecision to her therapist, who helped her by allowing her to drive a mini van he used for driver education. Afterwards, Natalie was still uncertain if she wanted a car or a minivan. She liked the minivan because she wouldn't have to lug her chair in and out of the backseat every time she needed to go somewhere, but wasn't sure how it would perform in the dead of winter. With either vehicle she knew she'd have to transfer in and out of her chair each time she had to go out. Nick had become a fairly proficient swimmer. At the end of each day's practice they raced from one end of the pool to the other. Natalie won about half the time, only because she told Nick that she didn't want him to let her win. When Nick won it was because he was a little faster, but still within mortal limits. Schanke stopped by shortly after her swim and saw the remnants of that session's playfulness. His curiosity about exactly what went on in the pool grew. "Schanke, what brings you here?" Nick asked. "I need your signature on a few files. The crown prosecutor needs them tomorrow morning, or I would've waited until..." he didn't know how to phrase it, not wanting to sound like protecting Nat was his duty and not something he'd be doing out of friendship. "No prob, Schank," Natalie said, understandingly. She noticed the curiosity about why Nick's hair was damp. The next afternoon Schanke arrived for his shift and couldn't resist any longer. "Natalie, Nick, I have to know... what is going on in the pool?" "Therapy," Natalie said, knowing what he wanted, but was going to have a little fun first. "I know. What else happens there?" "I do a little swimming afterwards. Then I go for another swim at night." "Nick, why does your hair sometimes look wet?" Schanke asked. "Humidity." "Yeah, right." Natalie and Nick knew they'd tortured Schanke enough. "She was... teaching me how to swim," Nick said a little embarrassed. "You never learned how?" Schanke wasn't sure which surprised him more, that his partner had just now learned to swim, or that Natalie had taught him. "No. The lessons were always during the day. Once I grew up I was too embarrassed to admit I didn't know how." "So, while I was doing my recreational swimming, after my therapy, I asked him if he could swim. When he said he couldn't, I offered to teach him." "How..." "It was pretty easy, actually. I would show him what to do and he'd do it." She knew what question Schanke was about to ask. "I used my hands to show him what to do with his legs. Sometimes, I'd manipulate his legs to help him understand." "So, partner, did you have trouble learning?" Schanke asked. "Or should I be asking your teacher that?" He grinned. "I had a little trouble, only because I'd never been in a swimming pool before." "He did very well. Most of it he picked up quickly. The breathing gave him the most trouble. But that's not surprising as it's the hardest thing to learn." "True. I remember having trouble learning that, wondering if I'd ever get the hang of it, before I drowned myself trying," Schanke replied. On Friday night, Nick stopped by the rehab center for his shift. New car shopping was first on Natalie and his agenda. "Nick, how am I going to afford a new car, let alone the necessary modifications? I haven't received the insurance money yet." "Don't worry about it. I'll be more than happy to help you out." "I can't..." "Nat, what's money good for, if you can't help your friends when they need it?" "You're right. Thank you." She knew he was right. She saw how happy he was and knew it wouldn't be a hardship for him as he had more money than he could ever spend. She also knew that if she refused, she'd only hurt his feelings, which she didn't want to do, especially after all he'd already done for her just by being there. She insisted on pushing herself to the car. Once there Nick opened the door and stepped back, knowing she would ask for help if she needed it. He wanted to help her but did not want to make her feel more helpless than she already did. He saw past her facade to the deep insecurities that lay there. Insecurities that had only been made worse by her impatience to succeed. She struggled to transfer herself from her wheelchair to the passenger seat of Nick's caddy, grateful for the large car, as she had more room to work. She was also glad the top was down so she wouldn't have to worry about hitting her head on it. Once she had finished, Nick stashed the lightweight wheelchair behind her seat. She enjoyed riding in his car with the top down. She suddenly realized that most of the times she had been in the car, the top had been up. They soon reached the first dealership. It was a minivan one. Nick set her wheelchair right next to her seat. Natalie again struggled to transfer herself into her chair, hating how what was once almost effortless was now such a struggle. she thought to herself, pretty sure the answer was no. She knew she had to do the transferring but didn't have to stow the chair if she chose correctly. "Nat, take your time. You don't have to rush into anything." "I know. It's been a while since I've done car shopping. I just want to see what's available." They entered the showroom and started looking at the first model when the salesman approached. "How can I help you sir?" The salesman said, a bit uneasy upon seeing Natalie. "You can't," Nick said. They loved the confused look on his face. "I'm looking for a new vehicle," Natalie said. "Excuse me just a moment," the salesman said as he made a beeline for the sales office. Nick saw Natalie's annoyance and felt sorry for that guy upon his return. "We can try somewhere else?" "No. It won't be any different." A different salesman approached them. "Hi, I'm Stan. I handle customers needing custom modifications." "I'm Natalie. I'm looking for a new vehicle." Her annoyance draining as she realized that the first salesman wasn't discriminating against her, he was just getting someone more knowledgeable in custom vehicles. "Have you decided what sort of vehicle?" "Not yet. I'm checking out my options first." "If you are interested in the minivan, we have several programs to assist you with conversion and financing." Natalie and Stan talked a bit longer before Stan lead his two potential customers into the conference room where he showed them two brief videotapes on how the minivan could be modified to fit her needs. Afterwards he left them alone to talk, sensing that he very likely had a sale. "Nick, what do you think?" "Nat, its your vehicle. You know what will work best for you better than I do." At her expression he continued, "I like the ramp better than the lift. It's less intrusive. You would still be able to carry passengers or tote stuff around. "Thanks. That's what I was hoping you'd say." "Do you want to look at any other dealers?" "Yes." By the time the dealerships closed, Natalie and Nick had been to every major manufacturer's showroom. They listened to all the standard features, available options and programs for the disabled driver. Natalie and Nick discussed the various models on their way back to the rehab center. Slowly the choices were narrowed to one, the first dealership they had visited. The next evening Natalie and Nick returned to finalize the agreement. Natalie made Nick promise that he would let her do the talking, and that he wouldn't whammy the salesman into giving her a great deal. He'd agreed he would let her make the deal, and would not whammy Stan. Natalie haggled with Stan, trying to get the best deal possible. Nick threw in a couple of comments about a better deal at another dealership, which meant that Stan had to beat the other offers. After about an hour the papers had been signed and the down payment had been paid. Natalie had to sign more papers and hand over another check for the modifications. She didn't have to worry about them bouncing because she'd allowed Nick to deposit enough money into her account to cover all the modifications and car payments. By making the one large deposit, he wouldn't have to make smaller ones each month to cover the payments, not that she couldn't afford it on her own. Nick spent the next morning calling around and making arrangements for couple of surprises for Natalie. He knew she had enough to contend with as it was and didn't