He nodded and pulled the car out onto the road to take us back to DC and our hotel.
Chapter Fourteen
Kay
I was looking forward to my meeting at Bethesda Naval Hospital today. I believed I had something that could truly help wounded service men and women. The new materials would improve prosthetics or maybe even replace them. It was essentially synthetic bone. It was pretty revolutionary, and I hoped that if used in field hospitals it might replace the need to amputate at all. I was also nervous.
I had once been a patient here after my surgery in Germany. They had been skeptical of Dr. Klaus’ work. When I proposed using Dr. Klaus’s new and still experimental internal prosthetic the doctors had been concerned my body would reject it that I wouldn’t be able to walk with it. They were concerned it was not practical as repairs and adjustments would require surgery rather than removing the artificial limb and making the necessary adjustments. They were all very valid points and ones I had very few answers for at the time.
Today, I hope to provide them with more answers and an alternative. I wasn’t under any delusions this wouldn’t be right for everyone. At least it was a choice they currently didn’t have. Dr. Klaus was meeting me here. It had taken some convincing, but I managed to lure him away from his job at least part time to help me develop his work into something the medical community at large might be willing to accept. And since he was the only doctor who had successfully preformed such a surgery, I thought he should be the one to make the representation today. I would only serve as a prop. An example of the success that was possible.
The campus was impressive and had a rich history of treating presidents and being the flagship military hospital in the country. We were to meet in Building 17. It was one of the historic buildings on campus and impressive with over 400,000 square feet which housed administration and research activities. Dr. Klaus met me in the lobby, and we checked in and waited for Dr. Carr.
We spent two hours making the presentation and answering questions. Dr. Klaus brought a series of x-rays and MRI images of my leg over time, some of which had been taken during my stay here at Bethesda. They admitted they were impressed with my recovery and my mobility compared to traditional prosthetics.
“Can I offer you a tour of our orthopedic facilities?” Dr. Carr said more to Dr. Klaus than to me.
“Yes, that would be nice.”
“Do you care to join us?” Dr. Carr turned to me. I knew he wondered if returning to the rehabilitation ward would be difficult for me.
“That would be lovely, thank you.” I faked a smile trying to hide the fear and dread rising in my chest. I wanted to do this; I really did. I had come to terms with my injuries and my chosen treatment of my leg was a big part of that. Not having to put my leg on and take it off at night prevented the daily reminder of the physical trauma. It let me focus on the mental and emotional side of things. I wanted that for others as well.
We walked to the rehabilitation area; a place I had spent so many hours determined to return to as close to normal as possible. Many times, I had to be forced to stop working and return to my room for rest. I looked at the men and women here today and it felt like nothing had changed. I could see myself, Oliver, Chris and Micah working out together urging the others on.
Devon had a traumatic brain injury and his rehabilitation was in a different area. I tried to visit him daily, and despite the fact that he didn’t remember me, my presence seemed to cause more harm than good. So, I stopped going to see him. I did spend time with his wife and when they were releasing Devon and allowing him to continue his treatments back home in Idaho, I made sure his wife had all my contact information and secured a promise from her that she would call if they ever wanted for anything. I sent cards and letters with no response. I got a Christmas card every year, that told me little.
Chris had more success and through him I learned that Devon would never be able to work again. He volunteered at local library helping out in various areas as part of a program his city offered. My only wish was that if he had to live like this, that perhaps he didn’t remember the hell we all went through that day. I set up a college fund for his kids through a non-profit I started as soon as I got back to Gates Point. I sent a letter to his wife stating that I had submitted their names and they had been selected but never told her that it was really my organization that I had set it up just for them. I was afraid if she knew she would refuse the help and I knew they needed it. I then expanded the program to include children of employees of Port City Industries.
I made a mental note to touch base with the guys when I got back home. It had been a while and I needed to know they were okay. Dr. Klaus and Dr. Carr where talking as we walked but I really wasn’t listening. My mind was filled with memories from the past. Visiting the rehabilitation center affected me more than I thought it would. The memory of my own struggles here and the days when I thought I’d never be able to walk normally again. The fear that I’d have to be fitted for a traditional prosthetic. What I remembered most was the pain I felt watching the men that had
