April 11, 11:20 AM
"All right, let's try it out, and see if we got it right," the prosthetist said. "We need to be sure that the weight distribution is correct to ensure a proper fit."
"Well, if I'm supposed to be able to walk with this thing, do you really think I need these handrails?" Briar queried.
"Oh, most definitely," the physical therapist chimed in. "You've been stationary and bound up in plaster for nearly two months, so it's a given that you've lost muscle tone and strength. Plus, the weight and unfamiliarity of the prosthetic causes balance issues for most patients until they learn how to compensate for the differences, so this is mostly for your safety. I'm sure you don't want to rebreak something and go back to square one, do you?"
"Not even a little bit," she retorted. "But why do I get the feeling that this is totally going to suck?"
"Because it is," the therapist calmly stated. "You're going to be sore, and frustrated, and you're probably going to end up calling me every nasty name you can think of." Gesturing to the group of people behind him, he added, "But God knows you'll have to work pretty hard to come up with anything he hasn't already thought up."
Ashley flushed slightly at this statement, and muttered, "Yeah, sorry about that, man."
"It's nothing I haven't heard before," the other man said. "But the point is that you're going to hate your therapy, and probably me, but it's the only way you're going to get any semblance of your independence back. So the question is, do you want it, and how badly?"
"And the question is stupid," she shot back. "If this is what I have to do to get my life back, then let's do it. Hit me with your best shot, rehab dude."
Ashley moved to help her from the wheelchair, but she put up her hand to stop him, "No, let me try to do it myself, I have to get there sometime. If I need help, I'll tell you, okay?"
"That's fine, Tink," he replied. "You're right, you need to do this on your own. But there is one thing I am gonna do." He bent forward and gave her a peck on the forehead, and then dropped a soft kiss on her lips. "For luck," he offered, as he stepped back to join Wiley and Nora Sanger near the wall to observe her efforts.
After several weeks of recovery, doctors had finally declared her injuries to be healed sufficiently to begin physical rehabilitation. The large plaster cast on her right leg had been replaced with a walking cast, and she had been fitted for a temporary prosthesis earlier in the week. This would be her first attempt at standing, and hopefully walking in the device, so everyone was somewhat anxious.
Positioning the chair at the ends of the handrails, she grasped them and carefully pulled herself to a standing position. This lasted for less than a minute before she dropped back into the chair, saying, "This thing feels like it's trying to cut the rest of my leg off, there's no way I'm gonna be able to walk in it!"
Kanesha, the prosthetist, hurried forward, kneeling to look at the mechanism. After a moment, she rose, and turned to the others. "Gentlemen," she said crisply, "could you please come here and support her while she stands again, so I can see what the problem is?"
Ashley and Wiley moved to stand on either side of the chair, and as she lifted herself up again, they each took hold of one of her arms and draped it over their shoulders. She winced as her weight settled into the socket, and after a few questions, the Kanesha announced, "All right, Briar, you can sit down. I think I know what the problem is, so give me a few minutes to make a couple of adjustments, and you can try again."
She unfastened the device and carried it out of the room, while everyone waited for her to return. They heard Ashley's phone go off, and he pulled it from his pocket and looked at the screen. "Hey, Tink, do you think you might be up for some company after you finish here?" he questioned.
"Depends on who it is."
"Well, Inna just texted, and said that she and Alice have been out shopping, and they thought they might stop by when they finish. She also mentioned the possibility of bringing you some junk food, if you're interested." Another text arrived, and after glancing at it he added, "She said they're right across the street from a candy store right now."
"Ooh, ask them to see if they can find some decent fudge!" she exclaimed, bouncing in the chair. "Or maybe some of those little orange jelly sticks covered in chocolate, I haven't had those in forever!"
Chuckling at her enthusiasm, he relayed the request, then waited for a reply, announcing, "Okay, I've put in your order, and she said they'll be here in an hour or so."
Kanesha returned at that moment, and began refastening the prosthetic to Briar's leg, saying, "All right, hopefully that took care of the issue. We can give it another try whenever you're ready."
Rejoining Nora, the two men watched anxiously as she once again lifted herself from the chair, grasping the rails to steady herself. After standing for a moment, she said, "Yeah, that's better, it doesn't feel like you've hidden a box cutter in it anymore. But it seems a little wiggly, though."
"Noted. Now try to actually take a couple of steps, and tell me if you feel it shifting, and in what direction."
She spent the next thirty minutes making her way through the guiderails, actually managing a few steps hands-free, and allowing Kanesha to take several measurements before finally reaching out her hand and requesting, "Can one of you come over here and help me? I need to sit down before I fall over."
Both men rushed forward, and Wiley steadied the chair as Ashley guided her into the seat. She was visibly trembling, and her face was beaded with perspiration, which prompted Ashley to turn toward Nora and ask, "What's wrong? Is she going to be okay?"
"She'll be fine, Ash, this is completely normal," the nurse assured him. "When someone has been inactive for several weeks, as she has, it weakens the muscles, and causes them to tire much more quickly. It can take several weeks for someone's strength and endurance to return to normal levels after a lengthy recuperation."
"Shit, I hope it doesn't take that long, I feel totally pathetic," Briar grumbled. "I used to be able to scale the climbing wall in less than two minutes, or do the same fight sequence five times in a row without even thinking about it, and now I barely walk ten feet and it feels like I just tried to do a triathlon. I knew this was gonna suck!"
"Yeah, but you can do it, doll," Wiley responded. "I mean, you had to train for all that, so this is basically the same thing, right? You're training to learn a new skill, and that's not something that happens overnight. Do you remember telling me about your old dance teacher? Didn't you say that she used to tell you guys that if you wanted it easy, you didn't want it bad enough?"
She chuckled ruefully, and agreed, "Yeah, you're right. Miss Hilary would totally kick my ass right now if she was here. Okay, I'm done whining for the moment, so when can we do it again?"
Isaac and Kanesha conferred for a moment, then gave her a schedule which covered the next several days, explaining that they preferred to start with short daily sessions to build up endurance, before switching to longer, more intensive workouts three to four times a week. Kanesha also stated that she would work on addressing the minor issues still existing with the prosthesis, and that the fit should be corrected by the next session.
When they finally wheeled her out into the hall, Ashley glanced down at her again, and inquired, "Are you sure you feel up to visitors now? I can call the girls and tell them to wait until later, if you want."
"No, you don't need to do that. I'm just gonna be sitting in this thing now, or in bed. How tiring could it be?"
His only response was a raised eyebrow, which drew a giggle from Briar. "Yeah, okay, maybe Inna is a wee bit hyper sometimes, but she's fun. And if they don't come, how am I supposed to get my chocolate?"
"That's your answer right there, dude," Wiley informed him solemnly. "Never a good idea to promise her chocolate and then try to go back on your word. She might run over your foot with that chair or something."
When they reached her room, she tested her new mobility by pulling herself from the chair to sit on the edge of the bed while they waited. Within minutes the door flew open and Inna bounded into the room, her hands full of bags. Alice followed at a slightly more sedate pace, carrying several bags of her own, and both women made a beeline for Briar, seating themselves on either side of her. This brought a smile to Ashley's face, and he once again reminded himself how fortunate he was to have such supportive friends.
When Briar was transferred back to Los Angeles, the rest of the band, along with Blasko, had come to the hospital to meet the woman that their friend seemed to be so smitten with. It hadn't taken long for them to befriend her as well, and to offer Ashley their full support for whichever path their relationship took. They had then brought their significant others to meet her, and while she got on well with all of the women, she had become particularly close with Inna and Alice, and one or both of them stopped in to visit at least every other day.
"Hello, hon! How was your therapy session?" Inna inquired, as she reached into one of the bags. "Would you like some chocolate to bring your energy back?"
"Hi there! It was a bit tiring, and yes, I'd like some chocolate, whether it gives me energy or not, thanks."
Inna placed a cardboard carton on Briar's lap, while Alice brought out another and handed it to her. "I wasn't sure which sort of fudge you'd prefer, so I had the shop assistant put together a bit of a sampler, one of every flavor, and Inna got you a box of the jelly sweets," she explained.
Her hands finally free of casts, Briar reached out to pull both women into a hug, saying, "You're both just the sweetest people ever! You really didn't have to buy me anything, but I do appreciate it. Thank you."
She opened the box of fudge, and found that there was a sheet of parchment paper covering the candy, labeling which flavor was in each compartment, fifteen flavors in all. Reading through the list, she remarked, "Well, if it tastes as good as it looks, I'll have to check this store out whenever I get out of here. Fifteen kinds of fudge, and only two of them that I won't eat."
Ashley leaned over the bed to look over her shoulder at the box. "Okay, the coffee flavor is a given, but which other one do you not like?"
"Pumpkin spice. Blecch! I can't stand anything pumpkin."
Alice and Inna turned their heads, greeting Wiley and Ashley before returning their attention to the bags they were holding. "We know that you're going to be stuck here for a bit longer," Inna told her. "But since you have your hands back now, we decided to bring some things to help keep you from being bored."
She handed a bag to Briar, who opened it to reveal several paperback urban-fantasy novels and a handheld electronic game system, along with several packages of batteries. "Sweet! This is a definite improvement over most of the crap on TV. Thank you!"
"All right, my turn now," Alice chimed in, handing the candy boxes to Ashley before placing a bulky shopping bag on Briar's lap. "Ashley showed us the lovely gloves you made for him when the police gave him his things back, so I thought that you might like to resume your hobby now that your hands are better."
Briar reached into the bag, and withdrew several skeins of striking, multicolored yarn, in shades of lavender, turquoise, and electric blue, along with a pair of pattern booklets and a set of hooks, plus a rubber ergonomic handle that could be adjusted to fit the various sizes.
"This is gorgeous, Alice! I'm definitely making this jacket with these, and I know exactly which shirt to wear with it. Thank you, I love it!"
"I thought the handle might be helpful for now, to make sure you don't have any trouble holding onto them, in case your fingers are a bit stiff to start out," Alice stated. "The lady at the shop said she finds it more comfortable to use anyway."
At that moment, the door opened, and they all looked up to see Garrett Sanger and Yesenia Pruitt entering the room, with the FBI agent carrying a piece of paper in her hand.
"Good afternoon, Briar," Sanger said. "Nora tells me that you did quite well in your therapy session this morning. Hello, everyone."
"That's what they told me, too. Sure as hell didn't feel like it, though."
"It never does the first few times," Pruitt contributed. "When I had to have my shoulder operated on a couple of years ago, it took a couple of weeks before I actually felt like I was making any progress, because it seemed to be going at a snails pace. you just kind of have to get a system going."
"Well, it's nice to know it's not just me," Briar replied. "But with that paper in your hand, I seriously doubt that you two are here just to talk about my therapy. What's going on?"
The two law-enforcement officers exchanged a quick glance before Sanger spoke. "Do you remember the conversation we all had when you were transferred from Solvang? When I told you that Harris' plea hearing had to be postponed because he was having trouble finding a lawyer to take his case? Well, he finally managed to get one, and the District Attorney had a conference with her today, hoping that he'd accept a deal to plead guilty to avoid the death penalty, but no dice. So we are going to have a trial after all."
"Not surprising, really," Ashley stated. "Somehow it doesn't seem to me that it's in his nature to actually want to take responsibility for what he's done. I've already accepted the fact that I'm gonna have to face that motherfucking piece of sewage again at some point. I won't say I'm looking forward to it, but at least this time it'll be his life in someone else's hands, not the other way around."
Pruitt's expression was grim as she said, "Unfortunately, there's a bit more to it than just the fact that he wants a trial. We just came from the plea hearing, and we wanted to come and talk to you personally, before the media gets wind of what happened."
She extended her hand, offering the sheet of paper to Briar, and this prompted Alice and Inna to stand, allowing the men to take their places and see it more clearly. They crowded in close, cheek-to-cheek with Briar, and she held the paper up so they could read it.
As they scanned the document, Inna and Alice were startled by their explosive reactions. Wiley lashed out with a fist, slamming it onto the top of the nightstand, while Ashley unleashed a string of expletives that even the two rock-star girlfriends found slightly shocking. Briar merely turned pale and began quivering, her mouth working soundlessly, as though her voice had failed her.
"Briar, are you all right?" Inna inquired. "What is it?"
She looked up, and even Garrett Sanger took an involuntary step back from the sheer fury blazing in her eyes. "That fucking piece of garbage!" she hissed. "Who the fuck does he think he is? He can't seriously think this is going to work, he's just trying to fuck with everybody!"
"What did he do?" Alice prompted.
Ashley's head snapped around to look at her, and he snarled his answer through tightly clenched teeth. "The bastard pled not guilty."
"Don't they usually?" Inna queried. "Most criminals don't want to take responsibility for their actions, so even though it's ridiculous, it shouldn't be surprising."
"If that were the extent of it, I'd agree," he stated. "But this fucker pled not guilty by reason of justifiable homicide."
The women stared at him in shock for several seconds before Alice managed to say, "He can't be serious! And they're going to allow it? In England he'd be laughed right out of the dock!"
"That's still a possibility, and I guarantee that won't fly when he pleads to the federal charges," Pruitt responded. "But through some twisted quirk of logic, or lack thereof, he's managed to find an attorney who's willing to try it. Which means that you're going to have to sit in the courtroom and listen to some very disturbing things when they try to malign all of the victims. Do you think you're up to that?"
Ashley and Wiley simply nodded their agreement, but Briar fixed a steady stare on the law officers, and her voice was steady as she said, "Hell yes, I'm up to it! I'd crawl on my hands and knees through Hell itself if it meant there was a chance of this bag of pus getting the needle! Anything he has to say, we can counter with crap about him, and bury his ass. It's just too bad that life in prison with daily torture isn't an option."
"But unfortunately, it isn't," Sanger interjected. "So now that you all know what to expect, I guess all that's left is having a word with the doctors to see when they feel that you'll be strong enough to leave the hospital, and stand up to the rigors of a trial."
"That won't be necessary," a voice pronounced from the doorway, startling everyone. "There's no need for a trial, as we've decided not to file a complaint."
Everyone looked toward the door, at the well-dressed older couple who stood there. "And who might you be?" Pruitt questioned. But before either of the unannounced visitors could speak, Briar provided an answer.
"Trouble," she snarled. "Nothing but Grade-A, gold-plated trouble."