Right at that moment, Horatio was wheeled out of surgery.


    The operation had gone well. He was awake now, but still numb from the waist down.


    "Horatio, how are you feeling? Are you okay?"


    Zelda rushed over, worry and tenderness drawn all over her face.


    "I''m fine, just... can''t feel much yet," Horatio answered, his voice a little weak.


    Monty chimed in, "What do you expect? He just got out of surgery, the anesthesia hasn''t even worn off yet. Alright, enough talking. Horatio needs rest. Let''s give him some space, alright?"


    At Monty''s words, Zelda reluctantly stepped back, still keeping her eyes locked on Horatio,pletely ignoring Calliope''s presence.


    Monty, Zelda, and the rest of the family followed as Horatio was taken to his hospital room.


    Meanwhile, Calliope slipped away to change out of her scrubs. A few doctors caught up with her, brimming with excitement and admiration.


    "Dr. Miracle, that was incredible! I''ve never seen anyone operate like that."


    "Absolutely, I learned so much today. Being part of that surgery was totally worth


    it!"


    "I mean, you''re so young, but your hands were steady as a rock!"


    "Respect, Dr. Miracle!"


    "For real, how are you so good, especially at your age? I can barely hold a scalpel without shaking!"


    Calliope grinned, trying to y it cool. "It''s just practice. Do it enough times and your hands stop shaking. That''s all."


    "Come on, you''re way too humble," one of themughed.


    "Yeah, seriously, way too modest."


    Everyone kept chatting, tossingpliments and jokes back and forth.


    Calliope couldn''t help but smile. "I exined some techniques earlier, but if you ever have questions, just ask me.”


    With that, she made her way to the patient rooms. She found Damien and the others waiting outside Horatio''s door.


    When Calliope showed up, Monty and the rest turned to her, faces full of hope.


    "How is he? Was the surgery really a sess? When can he walk again?" Zelda blurted out, unable to hide her impatience.


    Calliope shot her a cool, uninterested look, not in the mood for Zelda''s drama.


    Valerian softened his tone. "Callie, honestly, how long until Horatio can fully recover? If the surgery went well, does that mean he''ll definitely be able to walk again?"


    The whole family looked at her, anxious for any scrap of good news.


    "Recovery depends on his health and how well you all take care of him," Calliope replied evenly. "He''ll need about two months before he can start physical therapy. Whether he''s back to his old self depends on how dedicated he is to rehab.


    "}


    Cóntent belongs to swnóvel


    "It''ll take at least seven or eight months for a full recovery," she added. "There are


    some important things you all need to keep in mind."


    She nced at Horatio, then at the rest of the family.


    "You might want to write this down," she suggested.


    She knew full well none of them were used to caring for people, and if they forgot


    or messed something up, they''d probably me her down the line. Better safe than sorry.


    Calliope ran through the key points: what foods to make-like chicken


    soup and mashed potatoes, easy on the stomach, nothing too


    greas


    Fol.ne


    and how to help him move


    or change position in bed to prevent sores. She covered medication schedules, signs to watch for, all the basics.


    After she finished, she turned to leave.


    But Zelda suddenly darted forward and grabbed her arm.


    "What are you doing?" Calliope frowned, annoyed.


    "You''re just going to walk out? Your own brother is in this state, and you''re not even going to stay and help take care of him? How can you be so heartless?" Zelda''s face twisted with anger.