We were sitting on the couch, watching TV, when the doorbell started to ring. Nicole swung her braced leg around, preparing to stand up. I stopped her with a gesture, then reached out and tickled her toes, which were curled...

Nicole lay on her back with her thighs apart, and her knees pointing at the ceiling. Her bare feet were hanging limply, almost touching the bedclothes. The cast wasn’t heavy, but surely was very restrictive. With her hips completely immobilized,...

Nicole’s GP arrived about ten minutes after I called her. She was a good-looking woman in her mid- thirties. Not wasting any time, she brushed past me and headed toward the bedroom. I followed her. Nicole was still lying motionless...

The big toe of her left foot twitched. Slightly, but it really twitched. I looked at Nicole’s face. Her jaw muscles were tight, her face glistening with sweat. Then I noticed that her right eye looked normal again. “What’s going...