The Billionaire’s Hidden Heiress

lan POV

I still couldn't get the picture of Father sneaking into the house like a teenager out of my mind. The man had been such a hermit for so long, refusing invitations, or choosing to politely refuse women who threw themselves at him, that I had been slightly shocked to find that he had been with Dawn's mother overnight. It hadn't taken rocket science to work out what he had been up to with her either, judging by his appearance. I didn't know whether to be happy for him or upset that he had seemingly moved on from my mother's death. I knew he wasn't replacing her. My mother would always be the love of his life, but he was also lonely and he deserved to have the love of a good woman who would take care of him. Carina seemed to have a special touch when it came to bringing my father back to life.

"Mr lan Grant," the specialist said gently, as we sat in their office at the hospital, Dawn holding tightly onto my hand with a look of anxiety on her face "Thank you for taking the time to come in and discuss your concerns with me today."

"Thank you for agreeing to see me on such short notice Dr Redferd" I answered tightly "As you can see there has been some improvement in the function of my legs and it's imperative that I find out whether this is going to continue and what my next moves are going to be."

I was struggling to refrain from showing how excited I was by the progress I seemed to be making.

"I agree," the doctor said calmly, fixing his spectacles and tapping a file against his desk, a bemused expression on his face "We wouldn't want to do anything to hinder your recovery or put you in danger of relapsing if we approach this in the incorrect way. You were wise to contact me for advice," he said nonchalantly.

"I've gone back over your records," he said, beginning to open the file and peer down at it with fascination "The bullet was removed from your spine, but there was great difficulty retrieving it and there were fears that irreversible damage was done to the spinal cord or vertebrae that would prevent you from regaining function of your legs and leave you paralyzed from the waist down" he concluded, reviewing his notes with careful eyes. "Does that sound correct?"

"Yes," I said tersely "I was advised not to get my hopes up when it came to recovering function and to begin accepting my new life, rather than hope for what might not be possible."

The doctor nodded, looking apologetic "So many times the patient doesn't regain function and it can end in tragedy when they cannot accept their new circumstances" he explained as Dawn nodded understandingly beside me "We don't like to encourage our patients to hope for recovery when it could hinder them doing what needs to be done in order to recover from their incidents."

It made sense. Dawn more than anyone knew how badly a patient could take it when they learned they were no longer going to be able to walk. She was squeezing my hand hard, as though she was remembering now, a lost look in her eyes. I knew it still haunted her. There was a grief inside of her, a look on her face she couldn't hide, even if she tried.

"We did an MRI and X-rays of your spine," Dr. Redferd said and pushed several images towards me pointing "These are your old ones and these are the ones we took today."

I examined them closely, Dawn peering over my shoulder with interest. At first, I didn't see it, but then I saw the tiniest noticeable difference.

"It looks like it's knitted together where the bullet was."

"Yes. Everything is healed. Your body is fine, but your mind now needs to catch up with your body if you understand. Your mind still thinks it's paralyzed but your body can function. You are going to still need physical therapy" the doctor said solemnly "but if you can continue and work hard, you should be able to walk normally again. That is not something I get to tell very many patients" he added with a crooked smile.

"How soon?" I asked trying not to sound impatient.

Dr Redferd didn't even attempt to try and misdirect me. "It could be weeks or months. There's no way to tell for sure. What I do know is that you need to eat a nutritious diet, that's full of all the iron and vitamins you need, along with plenty of protein to keep up your strength and rebuild muscle. You will need to ensure you keep up your fluids to prevent dehydration because that can be detrimental to your health. Constant exercise is a must and I'm not just talking about physical therapy" he advised "I know it's hard but lifting weights and being out in the fresh air, are both things good for you. By all accounts, you were extremely fit before the accident."

I nodded, not even bothering to try and refute that statement. I missed being fit and athletic.

"Those are the building blocks," Dr Redferd said, narrowing his eyes "Diet, Water, Exercise and Physical Therapy. Combined they will help you, but if you slack on one, it can have a spiraling effect on the others."

"What can I do to help?" Dawn's voice was low but eager.

Dr Redferd turned to her "I understand that you are both engaged? Congratulations" he told me and Dawn warmly as Dawn turned a blushing pink "Um" he paused and this time I knew instinctively that he was about to touch on a delicate subject "have you been intimate together yet?" he asked.

"Yes" I supplied as Dawn went quiet, looking embarrassed "and everything worked normal."

Dr Redferd exhaled "Fantastic. The act itself not only creates endorphins which is a positive thing but also gets the blood circulating and makes the heart work faster. It too would count as exercise" he explained shrugging.

Dawn blushed brighter red. I fought back my laughter. She was looking down at the ground and avoiding the doctor's gaze.

"Mr Redferd, have you put anything in my file in regards to my improvements yet?" I asked.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

"Not yet, I normally type up my conclusions after my consultation," he said bewildered "Is there a reason you want to know?"

"I would like any information pertaining to my improvements, including the recent MRI and X-Rays destroyed and no notes made of today's consultation. As far as you or anyone else in this hospital is concerned, today's consultation did not happen" I told him firmly.

He still looked confused. "May I ask why Mr Grant? Are you concerned that somebody not from our hospital will become privy to the information?"

He had it, I thought observing him as I gave a slow nod. "Yes, I would like this information kept secret and strictly private between us. I don't want anyone else informed of my progress, including my family" I emphasized.

"Of course, all information between a patient and his doctor is meant to be confidential," he said slightly taken aback "I would never reveal a client's information to anyone else without permission from said client." He sounded a little offended. I rushed to reassure him.

"Naturally Dr Redferd, I wasn't accusing you" I attempted to speak soothingly, in order to smooth the doctor's ruffled feathers "but in my position, it pays to be discreet and to take every precaution you deem necessary." He relaxed. "I understand Mr Grant and I recognize that you do have enemies out there. I will do as you ask and ensure that all the material I ordered today is immediately disposed of once you have left." "Thank you."

"In the meantime, here is a booklet of the physical therapy exercises I want you to do daily" the doctor continued after a moment's hesitation, pushing it towards me "It's pretty self-explanatory but if you have any questions."

I glanced at Dawn who was nibbling on her lip and looking through the booklet with a fierce look on her face. She finished rifling through the pages and then looked at me, shaking her head, indicating that she had nothing to ask. That was good enough for me. I was certain that Dawn would be able to provide me with any answers about the exercises I might need if I had questions.

"Thank you, Dr, but it appears to be as self-explanatory as you claimed."

"Fantastic. I would like to see you again in two months' time Mr. Grant, to see how you are getting along, but will allow you to call and make the appointment so that it doesn't appear on our system. I can even make a telephone appointment if that is more suitable for you" he suggested.

I was pleasantly surprised by the offer. "I appreciate it and for what you've done for me today."

I reached over and shook his hand, watching Dawn do the same, before grabbing the booklet and placing it carefully in her handbag.

"Good luck with everything Mr Grant," the doctor said sincerely as I began to expertly turn the wheelchair, my hand on the control "I believe you've made a very good choice in fiancee. Miss Evans," he said to Dawn, who smiled at him "please don't hesitate to call if you need anything or have any questions. I admire the love you two have for each other. Sadly, a lot of my patients in your condition end up alone, without anybody to help them navigate their new situation, creating loneliness and often a sense of despair. I've seen patients lose their other halves, so when I see couples such as yourselves" he said, looking as though he was on the verge of blinking back tears, and to my shock, Dawn looked much the same as she listened "it gives me a little bit of joy to help me get through the day and to offer somebody else some hope. I wish I had more positive news to spread in my line of work" he said tiredly Visit Jo bn i b.com to read the complete chapters for free. If you are not reading this novel on Job ni b .c om, some sentences are incomplete."Thank you for giving me this small gift today" he smiled and Dawn wiped tears from her eyes and hugged the man, startling him, even as he hugged her back and watched us begin to move down the corridor. Even I couldn't help but feel sorry for the specialist. It was easy to see how much of his heart was in his work and how much he genuinely cared for his patients. I admired that. He was one of the good ones that threw himself into his work. His patients were lucky to have him.

"If only every doctor cared about their patients and their work like he did" murmured Dawn as she walked quietly beside

me.

"He's certainly the kind of compassionate and caring man you would want for these kind of circumstances" I said agreeably and then smiled at her "but he's right. I have made a good choice in fiancee" I told her and watched the love shine in her eyes as I tugged her down so that I could kiss her on the lips again. I was never going to grow tired of being able to do that.