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saying.”
    I wasn’t so sure about that. I had felt the hatred in Mrs. Brown’s stare that day. I didn’t want to feel that ever again.
    â€œSo, how is he doing?” The words clogged my throat. I wanted so much for the news to be good.
    â€œHe’s getting better. He’s got some movement back in his legs. The doctors are hopeful that, as the swelling on his spine goes down, he will get more and more mobility back. With lots of hard work in physiotherapy, he could make a full recovery.”
    A full recovery? I sat down in the chair next to the nurse’s desk. My legs felt weak. This news was so good, so welcome, that I was numb all over.
    â€œDo you want to see him?” the nurse asked. “I might be able to arrange it.”
    â€œFor sure,” I said. “I mean, yes, if that’s okay.”
    The nurse picked up the phone and dialed some numbers. “Hello, this is Harrison from ICU. Is Nathaniel Brown awake right now? Oh, good. I’m sending a friend down to see him. All right then. Thank you.”
    The nurse turned to me with a smile. “It’s your lucky day. He’s awake, and his Mom isn’t here. Poor thing. She went home to get some sleep this morning. She hasn’t had much of that since this happened.”
    The nurse told me to go to the fifth floor and ask at the desk there. I could see Nate for a few minutes before his next round of medication.
    I turned to leave, and then I turned back. “I just wanted to say thanks for helping me,” I said to the nurse. “I never introduced myself. I’m Reggie.”
    â€œNice to meet you, Reggie.” She smiled. “I’m Brenda Harrison. I had a good feeling about you. I’m so happy you came back.”

chapter eleven
    I rode alone in the elevator to the hospital’s fifth floor. I was nervous. I didn’t know what to expect when I got to Nate’s room. And I was anxious about the possibility of running into his friends or, worse yet, his mom.
    As Brenda Harrison had instructed, I went to the head nurse’s station on the fifth floor. I asked the older woman at the desk where I could find Nate Brown.
    â€œNathaniel is in room five,” she said. “I’ll take you down there.”
    I followed the nurse down the hall.
    â€œIt’s right here,” she said, pointing to a door. “He has a roommate, and he’s pretty tired. So you can only see him for a couple of minutes. And you have to keep the noise down. Okay?”
    â€œSure,” I replied. “Thanks.”
    I opened the door. The lights were off. There wasn’t enough light coming through the lone window to fully illuminate the room. There were two beds, about ten feet apart. A light was on above the far one. I guessed this was Nate’s.
    My heart was pounding as I crossed the room toward where he lay. Nate was reading a football magazine. He obviously hadn’t heard me come through the door. I bumped into a metal cart beside his bed. The noise made him look up from his magazine.
    I’m not sure whose face wore more surprise, mine or Nate’s. His eyes widened as he looked up. He didn’t look sick or hurt—just tired—and he smiled at me.I had never been so relieved to see a smile in all my life.
    â€œHey, Reggie.” Nate grinned from his bed. “Thanks for coming in to see me.”
    â€œHey,” I replied. “I’ve been really worried about you, dude.”
    A few seconds of awkward silence followed. “So how are you doing?” I said, finally. “I guess that’s a stupid question, huh?”
    Nate shook his head. “I’m still pretty messed up,” he said. “But I can feel my legs and my feet again. The doctors say that’s a really good sign. For a couple of days, it was pretty scary.”
    He had hardly finished his sentence when I just blurted it out. “Nate, I wanted to say sorry,” I said.