Monday, August 1, 2011

Chapter Five

The last chapter wasn't long enough?! Geesh! You are all tough customers!! LOL I apologize now if this proof-reading was a total fail for this chapter.  I've written this while on ambulance duty and let me tell you, it's not so easy when you get multiple interruptions...especially when you're trying to make sure the story goes the way it is supposed to.


Chapter 5

“So what do you think?” Dean, the director of Terrace Sports Training, asked me with a friendly smile.
“Can you stand here and say that you can get me to walk again?” I asked him sincerely.  Dean was a trainer who took a keen interest in helping people like me; rehab themselves back into the best shape possible in hopes of over-coming the injuries they had sustained in various accidents.  Race had actually graduated high school with him and spoke very highly of his friend, showing me the numerous success stories he had worked with over the last few years.
At my question, Dean took a breath, but kept a reassuring smile on his face.  “Fletch, I can’t stand here and tell you that I perform miracles; the Man upstairs in the only one who will be able to tell you if you are going to walk again or not.  However, if you are willing to put in the hardest work you’ve ever done, then I’m here to help with that.  I will give you the tools and your body will decide if it wants to use them or not.  If you are committed to walking, then I am 100% committed in helping you.  After looking at all your records, I see no reason why we can’t rehabilitate you into walking again.”
I put my hand out and shook his, sealing our new pact and new friendship.  “I need this.”
“Then we will start on Monday morning at 8am,” Dean nodded.
The facility was top notch.  Word on the street was that Dean not only did rehabilitation, but that he ran an elite training facility for numerous professional athletes.  Before Race wheeled me out the door, I looked longingly over at a set of parallel bars; those bars were going to make or break me over the next several months.  Dean informed me my ultimate goal would be to walk from one end to the other between those bars.  My mind was made up, I would make it across them come hell or high water.


“So you were pretty talkative with the girl in the wheelchair,” I raised an eyebrow over at John the next morning as we drove to the training center to get in our morning work-out before the heat really hit.  It had been crazy hot the last few weeks, which was definitely not the norm for here.
“Girl in the wheelchair is named, Alex,” he said in a slightly annoyed tone.  I instantly knew I hit a chord.  John and I had known each other for years; he used to practice in my backyard when my dad built the outdoor rink each winter.  We grew up in Oakville, together.
“So you were pretty talkative with Alex, last night,” I ribbed him.
“It’s not at all what you are getting at, Gags.”
“What am I getting at?” I played stupid.
“Don’t be a dick.”
“So what’s her deal?”
“What do you mean, what is her deal?” he asked, sounding confused and frustrated.
“Why is she in a wheelchair?  I mean she talked normal and seemed normal…”
“Not everyone is mentally handicapped just because they are in a wheelchair you idiot,” he snapped.  “Are you really that naïve? Because if so, I’m fairly sure you are the handicapped one.”
“Well, you have to admit it’s not normal to see a girl that pretty in a wheelchair.”
“She didn’t choose to be in it you dick.”
“I didn’t say she did!”
“Dude, I think Eden has messed with your brain and her stupidity somehow transplanted itself into you…”
“That’s not nice.”
“She’s not nice.”
“She’s always been nice to you…”
“She glared at me today when I stopped in to get your ass out of bed this morning…”
“She wasn’t awake yet.”
“Whatever.”
“Whatever.”


“It was so embarrassing!” I whined to Race and Denise as we ate dinner out on their back patio.  “Events like that are exactly why I hate going out…”
“But it’s good to get out and about, Alex,” Denise frowned worriedly.  “I’m glad Sarah got you to go out.  From the stories Race has told me about you, you’ve never been the type to be a wall-flower.”
This comment made me smile.  She was right; I had always been the loud-mouth of the bunch, the one to take chances, the one who was always on the borderline of being in trouble.  What happened to the girl?  Oh, that’s right, she’s still lying on the streets of Afghanistan.
“Now you’ve completely left out the most important part here!” Race exclaimed.  “Tell her who the guy was that fell on you!”
I shook my head.  Of course Race would find this to be the most important information.  “It was Sam Gagner?” I said slowly to Denise, highly doubting she was going to really care about who it was.
“Oh my gosh! Seriously?!”
“Yeah…”
“Sammy is my little cousin!”
“Cousin?”
“Yeah, his dad, Dave, is my mom’s brother!  Sammy is adorable…” she began gushing.  “He’s a forward for the Edmonton Oiler’s now, such a wonderful kid.”
“Did you know this?” I asked Race, narrowing my eyes at him.
He just smiled and shrugged.  “Maybe.”
“I’ll have to call him to come over and visit!  He’s your age you know…”
I threw my hands up and shook my head.  “Wait!  Stop those thoughts right now!”
“What?!  Why?!” Denise acted all innocent.
“I know exactly what is going on in that head of yours and I’m telling you NO right now!”  Of course I was not going to let on that I did find him really good looking and a little disappointed that it was his friend John and not him who I spent the evening talking to.  But to be honest, I was a little more than annoyed when Sam acted as though I was mentally retarded or riddled with some sort of disease.  He didn’t say much to me, but when he did, he spoke slowly until John jumped in and gave Sam a chance to get away without making things even more awkward.  Of course it didn’t stop me from constantly glancing over at him throughout the night.  There was something about him that had me wishing I could have been the red-head out on the dance floor with him that night.  However, there was also something about him that sent up the red flags.  John had made the comment about not liking Sam’s girlfriend and then the blonde haired guy, named Patrick, chirped something about Sam not having to worry about that for too much longer.  Both guys glared back and forth between each other, but no more words were exchanged.
“You’re no fun!” Denise, joked.
“I think we all know I have other issues to worry about right now,” I raised an eyebrow, thinking about the fact that no self-respecting guy who had the world in the palm of his hands would want a damn thing to do with a cripple.


Eden?!  Pat?!”  I called out after getting home from a morning run.  It was Sunday afternoon and for some reason I had felt like I needed to get out of the house and just go for a run to clear my head.  I was never a natural at running; in fact I hated it way back when.  My dad insisted that I run a couple miles a day to help with my endurance training when I was still in pee-wee.  I made a game out of it.  The first few blocks of my runs, I would come up with a million different names and curse words for my dad with every hit my foot made on the pavement.  I’d make up silly songs or poems in my head until I would just end up forgetting how much I hated actually running.  Soon I learned to put my energy into something slightly more positive.  Now it became a way for me to think about goals, whether those were just goals for the day or long-term goals.  It’s amazing how things change the more mature you become.
The house was quiet.  When I left, Pat had been passed out on the couch and Eden was sitting on the computer shopping for more interior décor.  She tried to get me to look at some shit she wanted to decorate the bathroom with, but I was not in the mood, so I told her I’d check it out when I got back from my run.  Of course there was that small chance she would just forget about it by the time I got back.  I went to the fridge, pulled out the milk carton and drank a few gulps before putting it back.  I then pulled off my t-shirt and decided I’d take a shower.  I had just hit the top steps when I heard the water running in the bathroom.  Shit, I guess that shower idea will be put on hold for a moment.
It was then when I heard the distinct sounds of people having sex in the bathroom.
What the fuck?
After quietly sneaking down the hall, I stood by the door.
“You are such a dirty slut, Eden!” Pat moaned.
That was all I needed to hear.  Instead of walking in and seeing stuff I didn’t need to see, I politely proceeded to my bedroom and began gathering all of Eden’s crap that had accumulated and began throwing it down the steps.  I was in mid-throw of one of her make-up bags when she emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel.
“Sam!  What are you doing?!” she screeched.
“Just helping you move out of my house!” I announced loudly, smiling to myself when I heard the make-up bag smash on the hardwood floor.
“What?!”
“You heard me.  Get out. Now,” I said firmly, turning towards her.  Pat peeked his head out from the bathroom door, his eyes wide.  “And you.  I think it’s time for you to head back to New York…”
“Sam…” Pat started.
I held up a hand and just shook my head.  Truthfully, I hadn’t come to except much more than this from Pat.  At the moment, I was more annoyed with Eden than I was with him.  “Everybody out.”
Eden began crying hysterically, but Patrick just stayed quiet.  I walked out back and closed the door behind me, allowing the sun to beat down on me as I sat down on the lounge chair.
Later on that night…
“That was real dick of Pat…” Cogs shook his head.
“I’m actually not surprised,” John spoke up.  “He made a comment at the bar the other night when you were out on the dance floor with that red-head, but I was just hoping he meant something else.  Sorry I didn’t say anything.”
“It’s fine. It’s Pat,” I shrugged before taking a long draw off my beer. 
After the two bathtub buddies were out of the house, I called Cogs and Tavares over to have an impromptu cook-out.  I probably should have been more upset about the ordeal, but it was more of a relief than anything.  It was getting real old having my buddies constantly complain about my girlfriend, especially when I wasn’t all that into her.  My friends were most important to me, so when they were unhappy about something, I was unhappy too and that was not my forte.  I like to consider myself a very happy-go-lucky kind of guy.  Sense of humor is probably one of my better qualities which was hard to sometimes find when Eden was around.  She was constantly putting me in a bad mood with her whining and constant nagging.  As for Pat, well, he was going to be on my shit-list for awhile.
“Well, since crazy Eden is out of the picture, we can now focus on our summer of fun,” Tavares smiled, holding up his beer in salute.
“Summer of fun and hard-work?” I chuckled, thinking that tomorrow morning started the real challenging training for the up coming season.
“The harder we work, the harder we can play,” Cogs commented with a wink.
“Deal,” I saluted back.  “Here’s to the rest of our summer.”


“Wow, Fletch.  I thought you said you were fit?!” Dean joked as I let myself flop back into my wheelchair after attempting some hard-fought pull-ups.  I was only able to do 5, a grim reminder that I had a long summer of physical training ahead of me.
“Fuck.  I used to be able to do 50…” I huffed, totally annoyed.
He laid a hand on my shoulder and smiled down at me.  “We all have to re-start somewhere.”
“Why are we focusing on my upper body anyway?” I shrugged him off, feeling my mood turning towards the familiar anger I easily reverted too after this nightmare began.  “You better not be putting me through shit for a good laugh.”
I was just about to wheel myself away from him when his foot stopped my effort, causing my wheelchair to jolt and almost putting me on the floor face first.  “Yeah, Fletch.  I brought you here so that I could get a good laugh.  Get over yourself, girl.  Use your anger in your work-out to push yourself,” he said firmly.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly, realizing I didn’t have any right to snap off at him.  He was right.  He was here to help me.
“We need to build your upper body and core strength before we really get to work on rebuilding your lower body.  You’ll probably hate me some days and that is fine, but know, that we are doing this all for you, princess.”
“Don’t call me princess,” I growled, allowing a small smile to come across my face when I looked up at him.
“Then get over here and try a few more pull-ups,” he laughed and smacked me on the shoulder.
An hour later I was done my first day of rehab and wheeling my way out the door.  Race was supposed to be picking me up, but he was no where to be found.  I was digging in my bag for my cell phone when I heard footsteps shuffling on the macadam parking lot.
“Can I help you?” a semi-familiar voice suddenly spoke up.  I turned around to find Sam standing there in gym shorts, a sleeveless t-shirt and a ball cap.  His hair was curling out from underneath of it, making it look like he was 12 years old, despite the well defined arm and leg muscles that seemed to be glistening in the sun.  “A-Alex?” he suddenly stuttered.
“Hey,” I said, suddenly feeling at a disadvantage.
“What are you doing here?” he looked around and then back at me, seeming confused.
“Um, I started my physical therapy here today…”  I said quietly.  He made me nervous and very self-conscious.  I breathed a slight sigh of relief that I had gotten a shower in the locker room after my work-out, even though I looked a mess in a pair of old cut-off sweats and one of my worn-out army t-shirts.  My silent worries were stopped when Dean came jogging out the front door, yelling my name.
“Fletch?!” he called out before Sam stepped aside so that Dean could see me.  “Oh, hey Sam!” he said cheerfully.  “Terry kick your ass this morning?”
Sam left out a half groan and laugh.  “Yeah, he kicked our asses…”
“Where are your other two compadres?”
“They left, I just forgot some of the nutrition paper work Terry wanted me to go over,” Sam answered.
“I guess you’ve met Fletch then?” Dean asked, patting me on the shoulder, causing me to cringe as my muscles were already tightening up from the work-out.
“Fletch?” Sam echoed, confused.
“Fletch is my nickname,” I piped up.
“Oh, huh, um, yeah, we met the other night…” he said, looking down at me with a humored tone.  It was the first time I noticed the playful sparkle in his green eyes.  The butterflies in my stomach also noted this.
“Oh cool.  Then maybe you can give her a ride home?”  Dean suddenly asked.
“Wait, what?!” I cried out a little louder than I wanted to.  “I mean, where is Race?”
“He just called and said that he had to take Denise to the hospital because he thinks she busted her ankle at work today.”
“My cousin Denise?” Sam piped up worriedly.
“Yeah,” Dean and I both answered.
“You know Race and Denise?” Sam turned towards me with surprise.
Yeah, I know, small world, eh buddy?  “Race and I served together in Afghanistan.”
“Oh, wow,” he said, sounding completely stunned, which didn’t shock me considering the way he spoke to me the other night, acting like I was mentally retarded.
“So Sam, about that ride,” Dean cut in.
“Oh, yeah.  I can take you home…”
I bit my lip and nodded. 
Something in my head told me that Denise was getting her way despite my wishes.

6 comments:

  1. YAY!
    I shall not yell at you after this chapter*


    I shall praise you and tell you I love you and that I'm happy that they are going to a ride together. And it's a small world and they're precious and he's going to find out she's the girl in the photo and she's going to be mad at him I bet and they're adorable and...

    I don't think I breathed the entire time I wrote that run-on...

    Yeah Pat for getting rid of Eden! That made me happy! I'm not really a fan of him, but anything to get Little Miss Crazy Pants out of the picture! And hopefully Sam will end up forgiving him... some day... lol

    AHHHH! So pumped for this update! Yes!

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  2. Can I just say "ditto" to everything RebelHeart said? :D

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  3. so when's the next update? lol. can't wait!

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  4. Well, it was a fabulous way to get rid of Eden, but I have to say that it's a double standard that Sam is less mad at Kaner. They're both scuzzy, period.

    And speaking of double standards, I don't understand why Alex doesn't prefer John, who treats her like a normal person, over Sam, who treats her like a retard. I think you were right on in describing the way people in wheelchairs get treated, either condescended to or more likely ignored. Sam's going to have to come a long way to make up for his initial awkwardness.

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  5. Looooooooved this.

    So glad that Eden is finally out of the picture. And yes; it's a VERY small world.

    I loved the last line of the chapter.
    Can't wait to see what happens next!

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