Passion

Chapter 11

     It had been one month since the incident and it had been a lot easier than I thought it would be. Not to say it wasn't hard -hell no- but easier. Thanks to my efforts of correcting my posture while in the air when I jumped, I landed in a way that would make sure I didn't injure my ribs in a way that would take long to heal. In fact, it really only took about two weeks to heal to the point where I could work out my upper body. Oliver's soccer game was a bit of a rough time for me, as the grass didn't serve as a very stable ground, but seeing Oliver, Nikki, Darek, and Lynna (Darek's wife) so ecstatic was worth the trouble.

     When I had free time after I had healed enough, I spent most of my free time working my upper body, and because of that, I naturally felt stronger, so I didn't feel like I was letting myself get weaker and weaker. I went to physical therapy to strengthen my broken leg so that the muscle would be a bit more evenly spread throughout both of my legs. My right leg was still significantly more muscular than my left, but I could even it out once it was fully healed.

     Speaking of fully healed, my leg should've been that soon, so yay. I was desperate to skate, I had started getting the itch in my toes a few days into recovery, so you could imagine how hellish it was to put up with that for a whole month. I'd be out on the ice soon though, so I supposed that I could wait a bit longer.

     My thoughts were interrupted by my mom telling me when the checkup was. I had to go to Darek to see exactly how long it would be until I could get back on the ice-- we knew it would be a few more weeks but that could've easily meant two weeks or four. I didn't think I could handle another month of constant pull ups, sit ups, and watching TV with Ally. I groaned as I hobbled over to the car using squeaky crutches--my whole upper body had been in a constant state of soreness due to my workouts brought by boredom. I was antsy, okay? I was so used to having some sort of workout every other day, and suddenly having none of that seriously took it's toll.

      We lugged ourselves into the car while Ally grabbed my crutches and got in on the other side. The hospital was about a half hour away, and didn't take much time at all to reach. We filed out of the car and headed towards the door, slightly rushed since we were a bit late. The woman at the desk gave us a bit of a stink eye, but informed us that Darek was finishing up something and would be out in a moment.

      When he came out and glanced up at us from his clipboard, his focused expression lit up into a blinding smile.

       "Alex, heya kiddo," he exclaimed as he jogged over to us, enveloping me in a giant bear-hug. He still avoided the area where I had injured my ribs, even though he knew they were long healed. I laughed cheerily, hugging him back with and equal amount of vigor, dropping my crutches. When we separated, he ruffled my hair, frowning slightly as he did so.

       "Your hair's getting a bit long there, you need to get it cut soon. Anyway, greetings aside, let's get you into a room and take a look at that leg."

      He led the three of us into an empty room a long way down the narrow hallway, conversing lightly with my mom. He gestured to me to sit on the bed while he got everything set up. Ally sat on the chair next to the bed, showing me a picture from iFunny every once and a while. I had just finished watching The Cambrian Explosion for the umpteenth time (I still died of laughter) when Darek approached me, huffing out a concentrated 'aaaalright' before getting to work.

~~idk what they do at those checkups so imma just skip it~~

     "Okay," Darek said, ripping off his gloves and picking up his clipboard, scribbling information down, "your leg is just about healed enough to start basic skating. I'd say two weeks until you can go back on the ice, give or take."

      I couldn't stop the smile from making its way to my face. God, I was so happy. I could skate soon. I could skate soon.

     "Don't get too excited, Alex, you'll have to get comfortable with walking before you get on the ice. I'd suggest walking around the house a bit, as well as doing more exercises on your own to gain muscle back into your leg. Once you get used to that, you should start going on light jogs, then I'd say you could go back to skating."

       I listened intently, the smile never wiping off of my face because I could skate soon. I couldn't help but yank Darek down by his neck and wrap my arms around him tightly. He let out a surprised yelp and dropped his clipboard, but nonetheless returned the gesture. I opened my eyes that I hadn't realized were closed, by chance catching sight of my mom standing on the other side of the room.

     She looked...fond? I couldn't quite discern what she was so happy about, but I wasn't about to think too much about it. I wanted to think about how soon it would be until I could skate again, when I could try that quad toe again. Then a thought hit me.

     Would I be able to attempt it again?

     I knew of many skaters that never attempted a jump after they injured themselves while attempting it. They were simply too afraid of the same thing happening, so they never did it again. Would I be too afraid?

     The answer was simple. Of course not. I've never been one to stop because it's hard. I'll attempt it again. I'll land it.

     This newfound confidence was strange and unfamiliar, and would take time to get used to, but I liked it.

     I'm going to compete, and nothing will hold me back.

A/N

     Wooo, so that's done. Sorry for another short chapter, buuuutt I had a lot going on at school. One thing being, y'know, finals. Sooo yeah. I liked the ending of this chapter, cuz idk, I like it when people find confidence. Bye frienderinos!!