𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚 & 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐲 🩰 | [COMPLETED]

ix. strawberry jam filling

♚♚♚

I flutter my eyes open, and squint at the light stabbing my pupils. I groan.

"She's awake," a deep, wise voice, but one I don't recognize, states.

"She is? Julie? Can you hear me?" A voice I DO recognize, Mommy's, asks.

I nod my head yes. Dark, geometric shapes cloud my vision for a few seconds. Once that clears up, I look around. The sterile scent of bleach and hand sanitizer is overwhelming; enough to burn my nostrils. The coldness of the room causes me to form tiny bumps on my arm, making my invisible blonde hairs stand up. I look up and see a tile ceiling. Then, I notice the bed that I'm placed on has plastic borders that stop me from getting out on either side. A paper band clings to my wrist. I'm...in a hospital?

My parents sit next to a doctor in a white lab coat. Mommy whips out the vlog camera again to film.

"Hey, guys. So Julie's in the hospital after some accident that happened while she was auditioning for her solo. We're here with her, her daddy, and the doctor right now," Mommy narrates.

"Juliana, my name is Dr. Marlen. I'm an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in spinal surgery. Right now, you're in Utopos Medical Centre."

He called me Juliana, I think. My full, grown up name.

I turn my head towards him. Wrinkles mark his face, making his skin droop just a tiny bit. The light from the tile ceiling shines on his bald head. His nose is pinched and red.

"Now, you're a ballerina, right? So you know how important posture is."

"Yeah...I do. So why am I here?" I say.

Dr. Marlen takes out X-rays from a metal binder in his hands. Both my parents immediately crowd him, trying to see. He points at specific areas and marks them with a red sharpie.

"So, you say she's been having back pains for the last...three weeks?" He says to Mommy.

"Yes. I just thought it was nervous pains...you know?"

Dr. Marlen glares at her for a second; as if he thinks that she's crazy. He points to my back on the X-rays again.

"You see this slight curve that turns into a 'S'?That's called a sideways curvature of the spine. That's an indication that she has scoliosis. Now, there are different types. But, it seems to me that she has Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis. Usually, someone with this condition would have their spine curved at less than twenty-five degrees, which makes it more into a 'C' shape. But, your daughter's is curved at forty-five degrees. When I examined her, I noticed that her shoulders and hips were asymmetrical. Juliana, did that ever hinder you in ballet?"

"I...um...I mean-"

Then, an image of me flashes in my eyes. I'm in class—with tears about to stream down my face because of the stress of struggling to keep my body straight.

"Yes." I answer.

"So, Doctor, what do we do? Is this a permanent thing?" Mommy asks, trying to hide the panic in her voice.

"It can get very serious when untreated. So, I suggest starting treatment now. We have what's called a five day 'spinal curve camp'."

I gulp.

"...What is that?" I ask hoarsely, trying to hide the panic in my voice as well.

"We spend five days trying different therapies and prepping your body and spine for spinal fusion surgery on the sixth day. You see, your curve is very severe so we need to prevent it from getting worse...this is to lessen the curve..."

Surgery.

I'm going to have...surgery.

I can't do ballet.

I'm gonna lose total control of my body because of the anesthesia.

Who knows how long recovery is going to be.

They're going to cut me open and dig into my spine!

I shudder at the thought. My back feels tingly now, as if it can already feel the precision knife slicing my skin, spurring out my blood like it was a strawberry jam filling.

"Guys," she says as she zooms the lens in. "Look at Julie's face. It's okay, baby."

Mommy pats my head with her free hand, in an attempt to comfort me, but it just makes me flinch.

"When do we start?" Daddy asks.

"Tomorrow."