Nicole Verma

Nicole Verma is a patient who was paralyzed from the waist down.

History
Nicole was paralyzed from the waist down. She was admitted to the hospital when she had spasms that caused her legs to jerk involuntarily and she needed a procedure to control the pain. During the consult, Derek asked if she'd considered a cystoplasty, which would enlarge her bladder and create a stoma, negating the need for a catheter and giving her more independence. Her mother was reluctant and said she didn't need it.

Because Nicole was 18, under the guise of getting more tests, Derek had Alex take Nicole on a walk without her parents. He talked to her while they were walking and she eventually decided she wanted the surgery even though her mother didn't want it.

Romantic
While she was walking with Alex, she asked him to kiss her. He leaned in like he was going to, but instead, he told her that she didn't want her first kiss to be like that.

Familial
Nicole is very close to her parents because she isn't able to be very independent from them. Despite this, she went against her mother's wishes and decided she wanted the cystoplasty.

Notes and Trivia

 * She was 18 at the time of her hospitalization.
 * She's homeschooled.
 * She was starting college at Seattle Community in the fall.