Voyage of Discovery
Nina Kiriki Hoffman
“Paige hasn’t spoken since the accident,” said the girl’s mother, Linda Keynes.
Wolfe looked at the pale girl in the wheelchair. It was hard to guess her age; she was so thin she looked about twelve, but she might be older. Her brown eyes stared at the floor. Shoulder-length blond hair, carefully combed, was held back from her face with a blue ribbon. Thin hands rested unmoving on the chair’s arms. The pleats of her powder blue skirt lay in perfect formation. She had been placed in the chair and hadn’t moved since.
“She’s been like this for nine months,” her mother said. “I’ve had every test run, tried every treatment. The doctors say her brain still functions, and they don’t know why she doesn’t move or respond, but—” She turned away a moment, bit her lower lip, blinked rapidly. “You’re my last hope.”
“Mrs. Keynes,” Wolfe said gently. “We work miracles here, but this may not be one we can give you.”
“You can try.” Her eyes, when she turned back to him, were full of fury.
“We can try,” he said. “We can’t guarantee anything.” He watched the pale girl for half a minute. She blinked once.
. . .
