Owen

Yes Ma'am

My left arm was currently being held across my upper body. I couldn't keep my left arm in the required position by myself because my right arm couldn't do its job. So there I was with Sarah smiling in my face like life was nothing but fucking rainbows. She was still talking, her mouth moving but I'd stopped listening awhile ago.

She waved one of her hands in the air, her smile widening as she let go of my arm. I wasn't exactly sure how it was even possible but it was. She was all teeth and eyes shining. It was annoying. I tuned back in as her eyes followed something behind me.

"Hey Mina!"

I rolled my eyes. I had woken up in a decent mood, at least for me. As the day progressed my mood worsened, nothing in particular had set it off. I was just irritated and frustrated, the gravity of my life getting to me a little more than normal. And of course, today would be the day that Mina was here. I wasn't sure who kept scheduling me for later appointments but I was going to have a word with them.

"We just started stretching. We're done with all the ones we can do in the chair. Owen why don't you transfer to the mats and Mina you can start on the rest of the stretches. I'll be back in just a few." Sarah instructed.

Mina nodded her head, her lips pulled into a line. She folded her arms across her chest as her green eyes landed on me. Her blond hair was in a ponytail again, something I'd noticed the few times I'd seen her was a staple in her appearance.

"Well?" She asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Well what?"

"Are we going to do this or what?"

I didn't make a move. I wasn't gonna transfer. Missing the other day had completely rattled me. I wasn't afraid to admit that to myself.

"Nah, I'm good."

"What?"

It was the first time I'd seen a reaction out of her that wasn't either a scowl, which was apparently only aimed at me, the reason completely unknown, or what I like to call a business smile. The kind that looks genuine enough but falls as soon as no one's watching.

"I said I'm good."

"So what? You're not going to transfer?" She asked, agitation growing in her voice.

I shook my head no.

"Why not?"

I shrugged as nonchalantly as I could. "Don't feel like it."

Her green eyes narrowed as she studied me. I had to admit, it made me uncomfortable. I wanted nothing more than to look away, avoid her gaze but I wasn't about to give her the satisfaction.

She unfolded her arms. "You're scared."

"What!?" I blurted, completely giving away the fact that she was definitely right. "No I'm not."

She laughed through her nose, amusement dancing in her eyes but her mouth stayed in a straight line. "Why are you scared? I've seen you transfer. You basically do it on your own now."

"I'm not scared." I pressed.

She shook her head, her blond ponytail swinging behind her. I watched her step out of my view, the locks on my wheelchair clicking off seconds later. I let her push me closer to the mats. She parked my chair, pushing the locks back down, before she reappeared in front of me.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you missed a transfer recently." Mina said. "Did you go rogue and try one without help?"

I ground my teeth together, annoyed she hit the nail on the head. I shifted my eyes away, I didn't want her to see exactly how unsure of myself I was.

"You know Sarah's going to come back and make you."

Sarah was too happy all the time which was definitely annoying but she was strict and didn't let me back out of things. I had to give her that.

Mina let out a strained sigh. My unwillingness was clearly bothering her. She shifted on her feet.

"Will you just try?" She asked, sounding a little exasperated. "I'll help."

I looked back at her, the muscles in my jaw aching from tension.  She was definitely annoyed with me. I could practically see it radiating off of her. But when her green eyes met mine there was no doubt she'd meant what she said. And even though I didn't want to trust her, I also knew she was right. Sarah was going to come back and make me. Probably without help, knowing her.

I shook my head slightly, trying to shake the anxious feeling settling inside me. "Fine."

I lifted my right leg off first, then my left, sliding myself forward in the seat slightly. I glanced up at Mina, my heart already running a marathon in my chest as my mind raced back to lying pinned between my chair and my bed, helpless.

"I can't." The words fell out of me before I had a chance to stop them.

I couldn't trust myself. I couldn't feel half my body, I couldn't count on it to do what I needed it to. It was terrifying. And no amount of reassurance seemed to help. Being helpless, lying there on the floor was single handedly the worst feeling I'd ever felt. And I never wanted to experience it again.

"You can Owen." Mina said, her voice confident and genuine. The annoyance it held for me gone for the moment. She slipped her arms underneath mine, our faces inches apart as she got ready to assist me. "I've got you, trust me."

I didn't trust her though. For whatever reason, she hated me, I wasn't blind to the fact. Why would she care about me? Why would she want me to trust her? The only reason she was here was because it was her job.

"Count of three." But apparently I had no choice. "One, two, three."

I shoved myself up with my arms, my right hand clutching to Mina as I pivoted my body toward the mat. I reached a little frantically with my left hand, my breath caught in my throat as I felt the steady surface against my skin. And just like that I was sitting again, only this time I was on the mats where I was supposed to be.

I let out a breath, a small smile trying to tug at my face. I had done it. Granted I had help. But it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I looked up at Mina, her eyebrows raised, her eyes annoyed again.

"See. Told you." She said, not letting me bask in my accomplishment at all. "Lay down."

Her attitude didn't deter me though.  I felt good, maybe even a little proud. Maybe I could build back up to transferring on my own again. A little flicker of hope igniting within me once more. And with that hope came the idea that maybe I could win her over too. If I was stuck working with her for the foreseeable future, it'd be nice not to see a scowl every time I looked up. At the very least maybe I could make her smile, once. I wasn't going to get that carried away with hope.

"Yes ma'am." I said, raising my arm and saluting her.

Her eyes narrowed, no smile to be seen. So maybe she was a work in progress too.

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The handful of people reading this, I appreciate it but ya'll are crickets 🦗. I don't mean to sound needy but come on, talk to me! About anything! Just say something. If you don't really want to, that's cool, but it'd make my day.