9.
After a week, Nola was healing well enough to start physical therapy. The lavender nurse helped her sit in a wheelchair and pushed her to a wide room. Several men and women were exercising already when she arrived, all of them missing a limb. She smelled sweat and tears. She spotted Pierre in the back, near a couple of walking rails. He welcomed her with a wide smile and a bear hug.
« Hello girl ! »
« Pierre, nice to see you ! What are you doing here ? »
« I’m your trainer. I got my diploma after my accident, so I can help people. »
Nola had ambivalent feelings. On one hand she was happy it was him, because she knew and trusted him. But on the other hand, she didn’t want to show him any more weakness. He had seen so much of that already.
« Time to get up and walk ! »
Nola had started to get used to being amputated, but walking ? She didn’t know if she was ready for that. She hadn’t set her left foot on the floor yet. Like looking at it, it frightened her, the new feeling.
« You have to get used to standing on your stub before getting your prosthesis so you can find your balance. Have you had any pain lately ? »
« Some, it’s rather dull so I’m off opioids. »
« Are you sure it’s a good idea ? PT can be hard, and wake up the pain. »
« Don’t worry about the pain, I can handle it. I’d rather handle the pain than use painkillers. »
« All right. Have you tried standing up on both your feet ? »
Nola winced. She was a bit ashamed.
« No, not yet. »
« No problem. »
He positioned her wheelchair at the end of the railings and asked her to stand up. She put all her weight on her right foot, pulled on the poles and stood up. Her leg felt weak after all this time in bed but she remained upright. Her left foot was bandaged as it would be in the prosthetic foot. Pierre looked at her.
« Now you put your stub on the ground. It is going to feel weird, but it's like going to the meeting. You have to make that first step. »
Slowly, Nola put her stump on the ground but she didn't put any weight on it. Pierre saw what she was doing.
« It's a good step. Now feel the ground under your foot. »
She thought that it did indeed feel weird. Her heel was right where it was supposed to be, but since she didn't have her forefoot and toes anymore, her balance was all wrong. Pierre encouraged her.
« Come on, put some weight on it now. Check how it feels. »
She did as he asked and leaned on her left side. It felt wrong. What was left of her foot didn't move the way it used to. The muscles and ligaments had been reattached in a different way that would eventually allow her to walk, but for the moment she didn't like the perception she had. She wasn't used to her new shape yet and this feeling didn't make things easier.
She remained between the rails for about half an hour, testing her stump and her balance, making tentative steps to walk before Pierre decided that was enough for now. Back in her room, the pains woke up in her foot, but she closed her eyes and concentrated on the scents.
The next three days, Nola came back to the PT room twice a day, gritting her teeth and making progress until Pierre was satisfied and told her it was time for her to get an artificial foot. A lemon-smelling man came with a prosthesis looking very much like a real foot. The week before they had made a mold of her right foot that was used to make this one. The man slipped it on her stub and suddenly it was like she had two feet again. Nola got up, impatient to try it out… and almost fell down. This foot looked like a real one but could hardly play the part. She’d have to get used to that too.
Oliver showed up two days later in the PT room with a surprise.
« Ollie ! »
« Hey Nola. How are you doing ? »
« Not bad actually. »
« You got your new foot. »
« Yes ! It's still hard to walk, but I'm working on it. »
Pierre and Oliver shook hands.
« She's making great progress, I'm proud of her. »
« Thanks, coach. What's in the box ? »
« It's for you. The Applied Sciences Division has a prosthetics department and I’ve asked them to work on a prototype. »
The box that contained… a foot. But unlike the one provided by the hospital, this one was made of a transparent silicone exterior filled with metal and wires.
« Oh, my gosh, Ollie ! It looks like something out of a sci-fi movie ! »
« Want to try it on ? »
« Sure ! »
She slipped the bionic foot on her stump and it fitted just right. She stood up, checked her balance, put some weight on her left leg and took a step.
« This is amazing ! »
« See the small rods ? They’re imitating the bones in the foot and toes. Each of them has its own servo drive and can act in autonomy. Felicity could explain this better than me. »
« Felicity ? »
« My… IT girl. We work together. »
« Oh. Okay. »
Nola kept walking slowly up and down the path, analyzing each movement, rolling and unrolling her new foot.
« It’s a prototype, so it probably needs some adjustments. »
« Some, yes, but it’s pretty good already. No comparison with the rubber one ! »
She took a deep breath, lifted her hands from the railings and took a step unsupported. She wobbled a bit but she took another step.
« That’s gonna do it ! »
Oliver moved the end of the walk and caught her in his arms when she arrived. She laughed and hugged him hard.
« Thank you so much ! This foot is amazing ! »
Pierre admired the prosthetic.
« She’s healing quite well, so I'm recommending leaving the hospital next week. »
« Already ? »
« You're autonomous enough to go back home, Nola. You need to recover your routine. »
« I suppose. »
« The hospital is a safe place, and it's normal to want safety. But you need to learn how to take care of your new self. »
« If you don't want to be alone, you can come at home. You can do all your physical therapy in the gym and the pool. And you can have your own room. »
Oliver bent down to whisper in her ear.
« Unless you want to share mine. »
Nola looked mischievous.
« What would your mom say about that ? »
« We don't have to tell her. Plus she lives in the other aisle. »
Nola laughed.
« Why not ? »
« I'll arrange everything. »
They exchanged a tender kiss that would have turned warmer if they had been alone.
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