A Deal With God: The Power of One (3 page)

“Deana, this accident was very serious. You are going to need months, if not years, of therapy. If you can walk without a limp or without crutches by November it will be a minor miracle. But if you’re more comfortable rehabbing there, it’s your call. Would you mind if I asked you why the quick move?”

“I want to live in a small town where the pace is slower and I don’t have to drive so much. I also have someone to look out for me in Georgia. In addition, I’ve kind of been set up on a blind date.” Deana laughed lightly.

“Oh, a love interest. Your date may go better if you can walk without braces or crutches.”

“Yes sir, exactly. I’m open to any suggestions that will help me speed up my recovery. I’ll work day and night as hard as I can.”

“You have the right attitude, Deana. This next week will be critical. You need to get your muscles working before your surgeries because you’ll need some down time to recover. Get a good night’s sleep and get to the rehab center first thing in the morning. The insurance agent left a message saying he can come by tomorrow around lunchtime.”

The next day Deana was up shortly after dawn. The physical therapist put her on a machine like a treadmill. The difference was there were bars on both sides to hold on to. The problem was her arms were as weak as her legs from being immobile so long. She was getting discouraged.

The physical therapist was quick to reassure Deana. “Why don’t we do some exercises to build up your arms first? Then you can ride an exercise bike. In a few days we’ll try the treadmill again.”

By ten o’clock she was utterly exhausted. The physical therapist was amazed Deana made it through almost three hours of therapy.

Deana went back to her room. She had a friend go over to her apartment to retrieve her lap top computer. By pressing a few keys Deana quickly paid almost three months of bills. After checking her account balance online she felt a twinge of nervousness about how low she was getting on money.

She grabbed a snack, said a quick prayer and hoped everything would go well with the insurance agent.

Promptly at 12pm, a distinguished man in his late forties came to see Deana. He introduced himself and sat about ten feet away from her.

“I see you’re going to get your three surgeries next Tuesday. Are you sure you don’t want to do your nose and chin next week and your chest maybe a week or two later?”

“I have to be in Georgia by the end of October or the start of November. It’s imperative I’m up there by then. It should speed up my physical therapy to have as little down time as possible.”

“If the doctors are fine with that, we’re more than happy to oblige you. We’ll take care of anything medical you need. Also, if we can forego the attorneys, I can get you a quick cash settlement so you can have money for a new car and your moving expenses.”

Deana, being a Finance major, had a quick reply. “I’m going to be looking for a little more than moving money. Besides the ten thousand for a replacement Dodge Stratus SXT I expect fifteen thousand for lost wages and an additional ten thousand for pain and suffering. If you write a check for thirty–five thousand dollars, I won’t hire an attorney and I will sign off for you.”

“That sounds fair. Let me talk to my manager and I’ll let you know. Tomorrow is Friday. I’ll come back tomorrow afternoon and we can readdress this issue. Thank you Miss Murphy. It was a pleasure meeting you.”

“Thank you,” Deana replied. She said another prayer and took a nap. At 3:30pm she woke up and buzzed the nurse. “I’m ready to go back to the rehab center.”

The nurse looked at Deana like she was crazy. “You worked out for three hours this morning. You need your rest. Tomorrow is another day.”

“If I lay in bed all day, I’ll never get better. I’ve been working out at a very slow tempo. I know I can do another half hour. Please?”

“Let me ask the doctor.” Ten minutes later the nurse was back with a wheelchair. “He said all right if you agree to take it easy.”

Deana nodded and was soon back at the rehab center. At six o’clock they asked her to leave. They could tell she had done enough for one day.

“You are going to be sore tomorrow young lady,” the floor physical therapist said. Unfortunately, he was right.

At 7am the next morning Deana was practically unable to move. She was sore in parts of her body she didn’t know she had. Nonetheless, she buzzed the nurse and asked to go back to the rehab center. She didn’t care how uncomfortable she was, she wasn’t going to lay around all day. She pushed herself hard to make progress, no matter how small the improvement.

Deana did three more hours of exercises. She went even slower than the previous day. She didn’t care. She wanted to do the treadmill by Monday, before her surgeries.

After a three hour nap, she was still exhausted. She would have slept even longer but at two o’clock the insurance agent called to say he was on his way back to her room.

“I think I have good news for you Miss Murphy. I mean at least it’s not bad news. You can replace your Stratus for about $8,500 dollars. They usually don’t give more than $10,000 for lost wages without a lot of IRS return scrutiny, and it’s tough to get $10,000 for pain and suffering because it’s so hard to gauge. My manager wanted me to offer you $25,000, but I told him I didn’t think you’d settle for less than $30,000. He okayed the $30,000. I have the check and the paperwork here in my briefcase.”

“I’ll accept the settlement, however, I think an attorney could have gotten me a lot more.”

The agent smiled at Deana. “Yes and no. Maybe you’d get $75,000 or $100,000, but an attorney typically keeps 30–40% of the settlement. Also, you wouldn’t see a dime for two to three years. Plus, think of all the time you’d spend in court. All things considered, this is better.”

Deana halfheartedly agreed. She took the check and signed the papers, realizing there was no way she could go thru a lengthy court process in Florida.

Three–thirty approached and Deana buzzed the nurse. “I have to do at least a little more, I can tell I’m getting stronger.”

Deana suffered a setback. She tried the treadmill again but her right leg buckled and she fell forward onto her hands and knees. She wanted to cry. She gathered herself, asked to be moved to the stationary bike and did the easier exercise. She did leg presses and leg curls. She did the bench press. After two hours the therapists sent her back to her room. They were afraid of Deana going too hard and hurting herself.

Saturday morning at 7am, Deana was back for more. She was sore, tired, and in a bad mood. She was, however, motivated. She did the bench press, bicep curls, leg presses, and leg curls.

As she was doing her leg exercises Dr. James came into the hospital rehab center. It was his day off and Deana was happy, yet surprised to see him. An intern was following him with a big bag of equipment.

“I have something that may help you get over the hump, Deana. This is pretty cutting edge physical therapy. It’s a generic version of an exercise they are doing at some of the Veteran Administration hospitals for the returning injured soldiers.”

The first item from the bag was installed over the treadmill Deana was having trouble with. It looked like a canopy. Straps dropped down and offered far more support than when she tried to use it with just the handrails. There were four straps. Two of the straps went between her legs and were very uncomfortable and somewhat embarrassing.

Deana did not let that stop her. She did the exercise and walked for the first time in almost twelve weeks. Deana was probably only supporting 30% of her weight but she was thrilled and optimistic she would be walking on her own soon.

Deana worked out hard thru the weekend and on Monday. She made progress every day. Her Monday workout would be her last until Saturday.

Surgery was Tuesday morning and she’d need three additional days doing nothing but resting for recovery. The surgeries went well with no glitches. It was nice having a normal feeling chest again. Even more so, it was nice not having her nose and chin sitting sideways on her face.

Saturday morning Dr. James brought the treadmill apparatus for her again. It was a big help because it was an exercise that actually simulated walking. She worked hard all weekend and took Labor Day Monday off.

On Tuesday at 7am she was back for more rehab. When she returned to her room at ten she went online to look for her replacement Stratus. A Dodge dealer two towns north had a black 2005 Stratus SXT almost identical to Deana’s white Stratus SXT. Deana’s had a few thousand less miles but that was the only difference.

The dealer was asking $9500 and Deana offered $9000. They split the difference. The dealership brought the car to the hospital, let her test drive it, finished the paperwork and Deana was back in the saddle again, so to say.

Driving a car the first time after a bad accident can be very traumatic. It was for Deana. She was scared to death. It was a very short test drive. She had no idea how she was going to drive six hours to Dothan in seven weeks.

As Deana’s strength improved, her physical therapy was becoming more intense and diverse. There was lots of core training. Soon, Deana was doing sit–ups and bridges with a physio ball.

She was also doing proprioception exercises to help with her balance and agility. They had her wear a gait belt which was attached to a rolling four wheel walker. Progress was coming faster and faster. It looked like she’d be able to go home in two to three weeks. She’d have to walk with crutches or a cane but she would be self reliant.

Deana’s boss from work came to visit her that evening. She brought Deana her sick pay and vacation allowance because she worried Deana would have trouble paying her bills. Deana was very grateful.

Deana did not know how to tell her boss about moving to Georgia. Her boss, however, made it easier by asking Deana when she would be back to work.

It was then Deana admitted she would not be staying in Tampa. She told her boss she needed a slower, quieter life and she was moving to Dothan, Georgia.

“Dothan sounds like a very small town. Where will you be working? Do you need a reference?”

Deana was stopped dead in her tracks. She hesitated, thought a minute, and then answered the best she could. “I’ll be working with my friend Delores at her business.” It was the best answer she could think of.

Her boss looked disappointed. “We’ll miss you Deana. You’re very bright with so much potential. If things don’t work out in Georgia, please come back to Tampa and work for us again.”

Deana thanked her and expressed her sincere gratitude. In the bottom of her heart though, she knew she was never coming back.

Deana rehabbed at the hospital thru Sept. 23rd. She’d made remarkable progress. Monday, September 24th, Deana was discharged from the hospital. She was glad to be back in her own apartment. She was walking on crutches, but for the first time since the accident, she was starting to feel stable on her feet.

Wednesday, she would start therapy at an outpatient physical therapy center. She was also given a list of exercises she could do at her apartment. She scheduled Monday, Wednesday and Friday rehab appointments thru Friday October 26th.

She had gone online and found Frank McGee in the Dothan real estate section. She called him on the phone and they worked out a rental agreement. She would be living in the second half of Mr. McGee’s duplex and he would be her neighbor. As moving day approached, Deana was very nervous about relocating to Georgia. She prayed for strength and called the movers.

She scheduled the movers for the weekend of the 27th and 28th. She would be moving into her new place that weekend.

Before she moved to Dothan, there was one more thing she needed. Between the accident, coma, and hard rehab she had lost quite a bit of weight.

At the physical therapy center, she got on the scale. Before the accident she weighed between 150–155 pounds. Without shoes but fully dressed, she weighed in at 124 pounds. The physical therapist also wanted to check her height. Five foot three and one–eighth. Deana looked at her chart. “In high school I was over five foot four. How did I get shorter?”

“It says here in your file you waited tables in college. It’s in your history because of the night when the glass at your restaurant broke and you needed stitches. That type of work usually involves heavy trays on your shoulders which can compact discs and vertebrae. You also may have compacted a few discs in your car accident. Plus, you are about ten years older now.”

Deana laughed. “Thanks for reminding me.”

At least, she now knew why her clothes fit so poorly. Truth be told though, her wardrobe wasn’t very flattering even before the accident. Deana came to one simple conclusion. It was time to pay a visit to her favorite store at the mall and spend some of the money she now had.

She went early in the morning so it wouldn’t be crowded. She was still on crutches and a little self–conscious. She would also be needing help from one of the attendants.

Deana met a store clerk named Gail in the woman’s section. So far Deana was her only customer.

“This might sound strange to you, but I’m moving to Georgia in two weeks. I have something similar to a blind date with a man who is supposedly very nice. I know he’s a Christian and I’m assuming on the conservative side. I’m hoping you can help me pick something out that will make a good impression. I’ve always been something of a tomboy.”

Gail could not help but smile at Deana. “You have a great figure. I don’t think this will be too tough. At first you may want to shy away from pants and shorts. I’d suggest you go with skirts and dresses.”

“Dresses are tough for me; I’m chesty up top, but thin in the waist, hips and legs. My top is at least two sizes bigger than my bottom. Unfortunately, they don’t make dresses to accommodate my build. I do like the skirt idea. What do you suggest?”

“I think you’d look amazing in this blue, floral mid–length tiered skirt. It’s what they used to call a peasant skirt. It will flare nicely over your curves and fall neatly just below your knee. It will look so cute on you.”

Deana tried it on and it fit perfect. It was so comfortable and feminine. In addition to the blue floral she just tried on, the store had similar skirts in brown, pink, green, yellow and lavender. She bought all six along with light blue and dark blue denim button up knee length skirts.