The Other Side - Ela Bosak X Male Reader

Part 26: First Steps

The days grew shorter and shorter, as the winter solstice approached in America. The days grew ever colder and colder, and the leaves, that were once beautiful shades of greens, reds, and browns, had all but fallen, leaving the trees naked. During the month of November, there was even some snow that fell, creating a soft blanket over the city. In time the river froze over, which gave way to skaters and hockey players on the ice. It was nearing the end of November now. Almost a month had passed since you began drawing. It had become something that you and Ela did quite regularly, with the ever changing scene outside. From the weather, the days, and the T.V. it was obvious that the holidays were fast approaching. The last day of November came, marking the 8 weeks since you were admitted to the hospital. It was also how long Doc had said that you had to keep the casts on for. You had been looking forward to this day since the beginning of the month, and, as promised, Doc paid you a visit.

"Can I take these damn things off now?" you asked quite desperately. The urge to get around and move was becoming unbearable. "We need to take some X-rays to see if the bones in your legs have healed enough that they can continue to heal without the casts." he began. "If they look fine, then we'll remove the casts today, and we can get you into physiotherapy." he said to you. "Keep in mind, that the computer in your spine, is experimental, and might not work correctly right away. It will most likely take some getting used to." he added. "And also keep in mind that getting you walking after this much time being immobile, will take a lot of time." he said to you. You didn't really listen to his warnings though. All you could think about was getting out of your room. The walls had seemed to advance on you the last couple of days and you were starting to feel a little claustrophobic. You had not moved your legs for some time so you were given a wheelchair. This was the first time that you had actually been out of your room in the last 2 months. The feeling of going somewhere, and moving, was overwhelming. The buzz of the hospital filled your ears as you were pushed down the long corridors of the hospital. There were nurses moving from room to room, doing their rounds. You went through what felt like a maze of corridors to get to you the X-ray room. The door opened to a dimly light room. There was a control booth to your left as you entered and a table. The X-rays went as planned, you were escorted out to the waiting room, where Ela was waiting, and awaited the results.

The results were promising. Your bones had started to mend quite well. Although they were not yet full healed, they were at least healed enough to take the casts off. However you would still have to have your legs braced as to help take some of the pressure off of them once you got walking again. After being sent around the hospital for various test to be done on you, you arrived back to your room where you were placed back in your bed. "We'll try to get you to stand tomorrow." Doc said as you got situated. "For sure, anything to get out of this room." you replied. He then left the room leaving you and Ela alone. You two did various activities until your eyes grew heavy and your body started to relax, at which point you drifted off to sleep. The next morning you awoke to a bright, yet cold sun beaming through the windows. You looked around, and found no one with you in the room. It was not uncommon for Ela to leave for the night. But today was the day that you were going to try to stand and get up by yourself. You were beyond excited, but also you had some doubts about the technology. You had done some research into what it was they put into your spine, and found that it is still incredibly experimental, but it has worked before in other cases. The thought of it not working was troubling to you, as it meant that you would more than likely never walk again. The thought of becoming a desk person sent a shiver down the part of your spine you could feel. You and Doc had discussed the implant a bit throughout your month of stay. The implant, at the moment, was not on and had to be switched on by a computer. Before long, Ela had arrived back at your side, with coffee and some breakfast. After breakfast and a bit of reading, there was a quiet knock at the door. You yelled to signal them to come in. It was Doc who entered the room along with a couple of nurses and a wheelchair. He was right on time and you knew what was about to happen. You were about to stand again. You were helped into the wheelchair by the nurses and were carted off to the physiotherapy room.

It was quite a large room with several people in it. There were some doctors helping their patients with different kinds of equipment, but you were pushed over to a set of parallel bars that were about waist height. They were there to give you something to grab onto to lift yourself out of the wheelchair, as your legs were not strong enough to lift you themselves after 8 weeks of inactivity. "Alright, your computer is now on. Lets see if this thing works." Doc said looking over one of the nurses shoulders onto his laptop. You raised your hands up from the armrests of the wheelchair and placed them on the parallel bars. You had a small audience of nurses, along with Doc and Ela supporting you. You were quite conflicted inside. You were quite nervous at what could happen after you pull yourself up. On the other hand you were quite excited. No matter what happened the implant could be fixed and changed, and this was the first step in regaining your freedom. You took a deep breath, placed your hands on the bars and pulled. You rose out of the chair quite fast. Your arms had seen use over your stay thus far. your feet were placed firmly on the ground. Your braces helped to take some of the weight off of your feet. You kept your hands on the bars letting your legs get used to the feeling of being vertical again. After a couple of minutes of standing with your hands on the bars you decided to take the next step. You decided to take your hands off the bars. You carefully lifted your hands off the bars and stood alone. You were quite amazed at what you were doing. You could definitely tell that your legs were weak. The act of standing placed a great deal of pressure and strain on your muscles. But nonetheless, you were standing by yourself. You looked around and saw looks of amazement from the nurses as well as Doc. Ela was almost in shock. She froze in place and watched in bewilderment. "But none of this means that the implant is working." you thought to yourself. Just standing there wasn't enough for you. You wanted more. So you decided to try to take a step forward. You placed your hands back onto the bars and tried to move your leg as you normally would have. Your mind absorbed itself in trying to complete the task. You focused all your attention on trying to move your leg. To your surprise your right leg began to slide forward on the floor. You smiled at yourself as your leg continued to move. Everyone else in the room was as amazed as you were. Gasps came from Ela and some nurses. A simple smile was all that came from Doc. You then focused on trying to raise your leg like you would for a normal step. You focused your attention on the muscles in your thigh and gradually your right leg lifted off the ground a couple inches. You let out a slight chuckle. Although you still had your hands on the bars. It was, at least, some progress. But you felt that something was different all of a sudden. You felt off balance. As you began to try to correct yourself, you began to wobble some more. You began to get concerned, because whatever you tried to do to correct it only made the wobble worse. Your left hand then slid off of the metal bar, and you were at the mercy of gravity. As you fell towards the wood floor, you remembered falling off of the roof. The memory was difficult, and the feeling of helplessness returned. As you were falling, you felt something go across your chest, slowing your acceleration to zero. You open your eyes and look up to the left. Ela had swiftly moved to your side, and caught you mid fall using the bars to brace herself. She helped you back upright, where you then sat back down and went back to your room.

You lay on your bed thinking about the progress that you had made in the day. "Things almost went bad today. Thanks a lot." you say after getting settled into your bed. "It's only fair that I return the favor." Ela replied. "Hey listen I wanted to talk to you about something." she began. "Sure anything." you replied, not quite sure of the direction that things would go. "Zofia and I have been talking a lot more, and we've started to rebuild our relationship." she said, playing with her thumbs. She seemed really nervous talking about this, almost as if she were afraid of what you were going to say. "And she wants us to come back to Poland with her for Christmas." she finally said, looking up at you with anxious eyes. You blinked a couple of times and held her gaze. "But you don't have to go if you don't want to." she said, nervously. You could do nothing but smile at her. "Of course I'll go." you replied. When the words left your lips, a wave of relief fell over her. She became ecstatic. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." she said as gave a kiss on the cheek. "I just have to tell my parents that we'll visit them for New Years then." you replied. She smiled and nodded her head. The sight of her being happy again was incredible. You two shared some activities before parting for sleep.