Chapter 6 - The Secret Solarium Steps
By the sixth day of the protocol, the transformation inside the locked private solarium was nothing short of miraculous.
The room had been sealed with soundproof acoustic drapes. Two heavy parallel wooden rehabilitation bars had been installed by Mateo’s team under the cover of darkness.
Julia knelt on the parquet floor beside Santiago’s feet, using fine acupuncture needles connected to micro-current galvanic stimulators to activate the motor pathways in his calves.
"The edema in your ankles is completely resolved," Julia reported, checking his reflexes with her small rubber hammer.
Tap.
Santiago’s left foot kicked outward with crisp, involuntary power.
Santiago laughed—a deep, booming, emotional sound that had not escaped his chest in nearly three years.
"Stand up, Santiago," Julia commanded softly, rising and extending her hands.
Santiago looked at the polished parallel bars.
His heart hammered against his ribs. For nine hundred days, his mind had sent commands into an empty void.
He placed his broad, calloused palms on the smooth timber. He drew a deep, ragged breath, tightened his shoulders, and engaged his core.
His thighs trembled violently. His calf muscles burned as if liquid fire were coursing through his veins.
With a low, guttural roar of sheer willpower, Santiago pushed upward.
His knees locked into place.
His hips stabilized.
Santiago Barrera stood six feet two inches tall, his shadow stretching across the sunlit solarium floor.
Julia stood right beside him, tears shining in her hazel eyes, her hands hovering inches from his waist to steady him.
"You're standing, Santiago," she whispered, her voice trembling.
Santiago looked down at his own feet planted firmly on the floorboards, then looked into Julia’s eyes.
May you like
He released his grip on the right bar, reaching out to gently wipe a tear from her cheek.
"Not alone, Julia," Santiago said, his voice rich with profound, unbreakable reverence. "We are standing together."
