Broken String

CLIII

Everything is better with a cinnamon roll in your system, even if you do have to submit yourself to the third degree by the kind bakery owner. Even if you do have to promise to come back later to tell her whether it's worked, at the physio. Eddy's stomach is a much happier place by the time it's stuffed with cinnamon and the obligatory chocolate orb she threw in. 
And it's lovely that she cares so much.
Everyone cares so much. 
How didn't he ever know that before?
He tries to keep his breath even as Brett pushes him to the physio, just around the corner from the big supermarket near their house, and opens the door to get him in. 
Another stark, white space, more scent of disinfectant, although not as bad as it always is in hospitals. His heart throbs wildly against his chest and he is quickly starting to regret the chocolate and cream he consumed.
Deep breath after deep breath but it smells here and the dream is pressing up at him so hard that he feels himself heating up in the scorch of the desert. He scans the floor quickly to show himself that yes, there really is no sand here. 
But then there wasn't any sand in the dream when it started out either, was there? 
"Hey. You freaking out?" Brett's sober tone reaches his ear and starts to calm the throbbing. 
"Um. A little." he croaks. "Stupid dream."
"It won't be like that, though." Brett whispers back. "I've checked. Anita is at the con."
He snorts. And yes, he knows that Brett is only being funny to distract him, he can see it in the lines in his face, in his taut eyes. But it doesn't matter, because it calms him down all the same.
 
A tall, youngish, blonde woman appears in the hallway and smiles at them. 
"Eddy Chen?"
Eddy. He is Eddy. Thank God. 
"Yes." he says quietly. 
"Cool. You want to come through? Is your friend coming?"
"Um. Yes, is that okay?"
"Absolutely." she beams. Her hair is curly and so blonde it almost has a reddish tinge. She looks kind, and her blue eyes twinkle. "It'll be great to have someone to support you."

She leads them into a large space with gym equipment around the edges and two long wooden bars, a bit like a gymnastic's apparatus in the middle of the room. He eyes them suspiciously and looks around. 
There are no walkers anywhere. 
"So. My name is Susan, and I've been filled in by your doctor. And today we're going to see how far we can get with getting you out of that chair. What do you think?" 
"Um. Okay." Eddy says quietly. It's hard to breathe, you see. He knows very well there's no sand anywhere, he's checked three times even though he knows he's being stupid. It doesn't matter. The faint smell of desert is everywhere around him and the air scorches his nostrils. "Um. Do I need to walk with a walking rack?"
She eyes him in surprise, then carefully hides it. 
"Oh! No, I thought we'd try the parallel bars. Or did you want a walker?"
"No!" he states too quickly. "No. The bridge looks good."
"Good." she says. "Now, you've been sitting for a while, I've heard, so I'd like to test how strong your muscles are."
"Um. Will they have gotten weaker?"
She smiles kindly. 
"They may have, some. But don't worry, you'll have that strength back in no time. Okay. Could you make a fist please?"

Ten minutes later he's had all of his appendages prodded and bent again and the familiar faint nausea is pressing against his adam's apple. He does it all, though, and he would rather die than complain. 
Walking. 
He'll be walking. 
"Okay. That all looks better than I'd feared." Susan says happily. "Alright. Maybe your friend could stand beside you?"
"Boyfriend." Eddy mumbles before he knows it. Then he looks up at Brett in shock. Oh, his absentee filter, oh no, where is Alaska when you need it. Shit! They haven't discussed this at all! Is he even alright with being called that in front of a stranger? But a huge beam spreads on Brett's face and tells him all he needs to know. 
He likes it. 
Oh! He likes it! 
The realisation fills him with love, cools his nostrils, obliterates scents of deserts and suddenly it's like he was never nauseous to begin with. 
"Ah! Cool." Susan says as if it's nothing, and looks at Brett encouragingly. "Is that okay?"
"Yes!" Brett states in a voice tinged with pride. He steps forward to be by the side of the bridge. "I'm Brett, by the way." He gives her one of his small, sweet smiles. "Ready when you are."

"Okay, Eddy." Susan says as she puts one hand on one of the bars. "Just put both hands on here like this and when you're ready and happy you can see if you can push up, just a little bit."