Flesh and Bone

Chapter 2: These Things Within and Without Your Grasp

Through trial and error, the hospital was finally able to identify Cecile's strengths and weaknesses for recovery. Her legs needing more time to heal, but the topical application and low consumption of ability-enhanced medications slowed the recovery down.

The doctor concluded that after she was done healing up here, she could possibly go back to Wellston earlier than scheduled if she committed to using crutches for movement and then possibly a cane near the end of it. Much to her chagrin, her parents would be notified of these developments as well as to her waking up from the medically-induced coma.

Overall, Doctor Ezwa said, it should take about a month, maybe two to get her fully back up to speed. Luckily the physical, lasting damage was going to be minor.

The real problem, though, lied further within.

Her sense of balance was only, to put it generously, 'all right''; when she first tried to get up, she tumbled over and did it again and again.

And there it was again, a small icy pit of fear in her stomach as she contemplated this new disability. Then her thoughts turned to about what it might've done to her ability. She was the undisputed Queen at Wellston until just some time ago when she lost that position to Remi. Even after that, Cecile could hold her own in a fight against almost anyone but the powerful Royals. Now, though, if all this didn't go away and quickly...

Whoever did this to her was going to pay. They would pay dearly.

It took a bit for Cecile to get used to her new physical therapy sessions. The hospital staff took her from her bedroom to a physical therapy spot in the building every day At first they started her off slow with an introductory, few-minutes-and-then-rest exercise regimen. She'd be guided by a nurse and a physical therapy aide through some basic exercises, trying to reacquaint Cecile with her sense of balance and motion. The room had an entire wall dedicated to windows, which she rather enjoyed since her light sensitivity finally dimmed.

Some hope after all.

Just like Doctor Ezwa, the hospital staff were kind enough to her and provided excellent care. They were both women, so it made Cecile feel a bit more secure in letting them carry her around. They both had light-blue, baggy-yet-fitting blank clothes on. Scrubs, she think she heard someone call them.

One was tall— even taller than Cecile, and she was easily 5-foot-10— with short-cut pink hair named Rany, and the other was named Maela who was on the shorter side with long yellow hair. Not blonde, per say, but yellow. Just yellow.

Day after day, they'd go into that little room and give her something new to do. Try to walk across the room using a straight guided path of two handle bars, try to walk with both aides holding you up, then do it with only one, then practice on the crutches. They applied a little more and more each day as it looked like she was improving.

Even though she felt a bit reserved about this whole thing, Cecile really did appreciate them for doing their jobs so aptly. "Keep going!" called out Maela, beckoning Cecile on from the other end of the two-bar walkway.

"You're almost there, now. Doing great." Whispered Rany, having a firm but still somehow soft hold on her right shoulder and elbow as Cecile shuffled along the bars. One of the memories that still stuck through whatever happened to her, for better or worse, was how exhausted she was after getting beaten by that upstart Remi a year or so ago. Right now, Cecile had to admit that she was sweating even harder just trying to shimmy along here than that bruising defeat.

Humiliating.

Toppling over a bit, Cecile grabbed the rail and grunted in surprise. Walking was becoming a little bit easier after these past few days, sure, but damn her if it wasn't still an uphill struggle.