Rhayne keeps looking at her own feet after Zhang asks whether she can walk.
Her hand stays locked in the healer's, but her expression says the problem isn't strength anymore. It's trust. For the last several minutes her body failed to answer simple commands, and now someone expects her to simply accept that everything works again.
"Do you want to try?" Zhang asks.
Rhayne takes a breath.
"I do."
She starts pushing the blanket aside to swing her legs off the gurney, and I see the problem before she finishes the movement. I catch both ends of the fabric and close it around her again.
"Easy. Learn to walk first. Then you can decide whether you want to traumatize the entire hospital, yourself included."
Rhayne freezes.
Red climbs up her neck.
"Den…"
"I'm preserving your dignity."
"You could have said it quieter."
Zhang hides a smile.
