More Of Chapter 1

....."What is your name?," said a paramedic.  Everything was a blur as I lay, stunned in the back of an ambulance.  I couldn't move my legs; although, I did have some feeling in them.  "My name is Ricky Kendall," I muttered.  All I could think is how did I let it go this far?  "This might hurt a little," said another paramedic.  She grabbed my arm and it felt like a bee had stung me.  I grimaced as the IV was inserted into my arm.  "What day is it?," asked the paramedic.  It took a minute for me to come up with the answer because that was the least of my worries at this point. "Wednesday," I said, "I think it's Wednesday."  As I laid there and looked around, all I saw were smiling faces.  All I heard were words of encouragement.  "Don't worry, you are gonna be fine," explained the paramedic.  I had never been to the hospital or anything more than a routine physical so I was anxious, nervous, and scared all at the same time.  I was wearing my favorite Carolina Panther's t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans because I left with only the clothes on my back.  "Do you feel any pain?," I heard.  "No, no pain," I spoke.  I started to feel cold.  It was around that point that I was covered with a blanket.  Different questions were running through my mind.  What is wrong with me? Will I ever be able to walk again?  Is it gonna require major surgery?  It was only just the beginning of my journey.  When we arrived at the hospital, I felt the cold air rush in as the back doors opened.  "Hold on sir, you might feel a little bump," I was told.  Bump! Bump!  There was a tingling sort of pain because my body lifted off of the stretcher with every single bump.  I had a sore on my backside from being immobile for a couple of weeks.  I was rolled into the emergency room or ER hallway and lifted onto a slightly more comfortable hospital stretcher.....