Stand By Me.

Chapter 9: Peg-Legs the Pirate.

        The next morning when I wake up, Sabrina's about to leave for breakfast at the cafeteria. "You wanna come? They have waffles and you-know-who will be there." She says.

        "Okay, give me 5 minutes." I say. She nods and turns on my TV, watching Adventure Time. I get some dark blue shorts and a Great Gatsby t-shirt. I hear a knock at my door. "Who is it?" I ask while putting on some foundation.

        "Dr. DiMargot. Can I come in?" She asks.

        "Yup. Door's unlocked." I say, unsure of the doors even have locks. She comes in.

        "Good morning Henri. And Sabrina." She says curtly.

        "Morning!" Sabrina pipes up.

        "Good morning. What can I help you with?" I ask.

        "Well, this afternoon you have a physical therapy appointment. We got you fitted for prosthetics when your leg remains stopped sweeling. You were still heavily drugged, I doubt you remember it. But we have some prosthetics for you to try today, and you can pick your favorite." She said.

        "Sweet! Cyborg leg Henri!" I yell. Dr. DiMargot laughs.

        "You're crazy. Go eat some breakfast." She laughs. She leaves and I put on the rest of my makeup.

        "Come one Sabrina, let's go!" I yell. She grabs my wheelchair and wheels my down to the cafeteria. We got to a table that Ernie, Freddy, and Milo are already sitting at. 

        "Well good morning girlies. Did you gossip all night, paint eachother's nails, and sync up your cycles?" Milo asks. We all laugh, except for Ernie who looks mildly disgusted.

        "You're nasty Milo." Sabrina laughs out. He just shrugs. "I'm gonna get some food for us Henri. What do you want?" She adds.

        "Um, a waffle and some bacon please? And orange juice if it's not too much trouble." I say.

        "Yup, no problem." She says and gets up.

        "So how was the movie last night?" Freddy asks.

        "Really good. I was a sobbing mess." I respond. I look over at Milo, who's eyes are begging me not to tell them that he was also crying. I don't. After a bit of small talk, I feel a hand under the table. I look at Milo who wiggles his eyebrows. He grabs my hand under the table and intertwines our fingers. I let him. Sabrina comes back with our food. "Thanks Sabrina." I say. I start eating the food, which is okay for hospital food. I sit there for a while, just enjoying having Milo hold my hand.

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        "Okay, how's this one feel Henri?" asks Grace, my physical therapist. She's older, about 60, with long white hair that's put in a loose bun. She has purple cat-eye glasses, bright red lipstick, and purple scrubs.

        " Pretty good, but I like the second pair the best." I say. I've tried on four pairs of prosthetics. These are my last pair. The first were really sleek but tense. The second looked like real legs for the most part, but really smooth on the inside, and had a jelly attatchment. The third was over all cheap feeling, and the last ones are really well made but also impossibly stiff.

        "Okay. They were already made to fit you and the skin tone is correct and all that. We can practice walking with them a bit, if those are the ones you want." She says in a soft tone. I nod.