Chapter 7

Ava

"It's gonna be fine." Dad patted my knee as it bounced in the waiting room. We'd gotten here early, which made it worse because now I was waiting longer. It was a sunny day, and part of me was thinking about how perfect it was that I might be walking out of here. We could go to the beach tonight, or maybe I could make it to my evening class.

Ashley had already messaged me three times to see how things were going. I didn't have the heart to tell her that we hadn't even seen the doctor yet.

"Ava?" A nurse peered around the corner.

I smiled as I stood, adjusted my crutches, and began hopping in her direction. Dad followed behind, carrying our jackets.

"How are you today?" She smiled as we stopped by a door to an exam room.

"That depends on if this comes off." I laughed lightly.

"Well, the doctor will be in in a moment to hopefully give you the news you're looking for." She stepped back as Dad and I entered. I made myself as comfortable as I could in the chair in the corner while Dad stood, leaning against the wall.

We sat there for what felt like hours. It was probably about ten minutes until Dr. Suther stuck his head through the door.

"I heard that you might want to get that cast off today." He stepped into the room.

"You heard right." I sighed. "My arms could use a break. It's time for this puppy to do some of the work." I lifted my leg.

"Well, let's take a few X-rays, and we'll see about getting that off." He motioned for me to follow him.

Dad stayed behind as I made my way down the hall. The technician was waiting for me. It only took a few minutes and then I was back in my room, waiting again. I felt like every time I came here, all I did was wait.

"Well, I have good news." Dr. Suther clasped his hands together, holding my file against his chest. "Everything looks good. The bone has healed nicely, and it looks like we can proceed with getting this off."

"Good news? I grinned. "That's great news." I bounced a little in the chair.

"Let's get you up on the table, and I'll have a nurse come in and start working on that."

Dad helped me get situated as Dr. Suther left, and moments later a nurse appeared, holding a small saw.

"You ready for this?" She smiled as the saw squealed to life. I nodded just as it made contact with the fiberglass. It took a bit to get through all the layers and it didn't help that I have long legs, but soon it slowly began to split. A pungent smell filled the air from lack of washing, and a small sliver of skin appeared.

"Your leg is going to be weak from lack of use, so let me do the work," the nurse warned as she set the saw to the side. She slowly pried the cast open, lifted my leg at the ankle, and removed the cast.

"Oh wow." I gasped as I looked at it. Matted hair from not shaving, wrinkly skin like when you wear a Band-Aid for too long stared back at me, and it smelled like a mixture of sweat and garbage.

"This is normal," the nurse reassured. "A bath, shave, and some PT will have you back to normal in no time. I'm going to go let the doctor know we've got it off." She grabbed the discarded cast and left the room.

"This is bad," I mumbled as I rotated my leg. There were two small scars right above the knee from where the pins had been placed. I swung my healthy leg up onto the table, and it looked significantly larger. My injured leg had muscle atrophy, and resembled an old woman's leg.

"It's not as bad as you think. You can take a hot bath when you get home and scrub that puppy up. The muscle tone will come back with a little work. I know you, sweetie; this isn't going to hold you down." Dad nodded just as the doctor came back in.

"Whoa. Smells like fresh leg in here." He chuckled as he fanned the air. "I bet you're looking forward to a real bath."

"I'm looking forward to walking," I emphasized.

"So, walking will come slowly. You haven't used those muscles in three months. They're weak, and it will take a bit of PT before you can walk unassisted."

"Unassisted?" I sighed as I stared at the crutches. "I thought I was done with those."

"We might have something a little easier for you to use." He chuckled just as a nurse came by and handed him something. "Let's try this." He produced a small cane, and held it in my direction. "Put this on the side with the good leg, and use it to help hold your weight."

I slowly moved to the edge of the table. I placed both feet on the floor, but instinctively let my healthy leg bear the weight. I accepted the cane, and placed it on my right side.

"Balance your weight. We don't want you back in here because you've tweaked something on the right side." He smiled. I let my left foot take some of the burden, and I felt it. My leg trembled under the stress, and the first few steps were awkward and slightly painful. My calf and quad quivered as the muscles worked out for the first time in three months.

"This is bad." I panted as my leg throbbed and ached.

"It's going to be a lot of work. I won't lie about that, but it's not impossible. You've got a great team of doctors who want to see you back on the field as much as you wanna be there. Just listen to the PT and do what they say. Your most important job right now is following the regimen that's set up."

I nodded as I moved a few feet away from the table. I was going to walk to the car. I'd rest at home. "Thanks, Doc." Dad shook his hand before grabbing the crutches. "You ready?" He smiled at me. "I was thinking ice cream to celebrate?"

"That I can get on board with." I winced as my knee buckled.

"You ok?" He reached out as if to steady me.

"I can do this." I hobbled toward the door. "I might be a little slow, but I can do this." Determination was something I was known for. There were very few things that I couldn't do, and I'd learned as a child that you just kept trying until you could do it. Just ask my coaches and Madi. I laughed to myself as I thought about all the grass stains and bruises I'd had over the years from someone telling me I couldn't do something.

"What's so funny?" Dad followed behind me as we made our way to the Jeep.

"Just thinking about the time I learned how to bicycle kick," I mused as a grin spread across my face.

"I remember that day. You were so proud. Madi thought for sure I'd be upset that she taught you a skill that the older kids knew." He shook his head as he placed the crutches in the back seat and climbed in.

"I was going to learn whether she taught me or not." I laughed.

"You're right about that." He cranked the engine. "Kinda like all those days you'd stand on the ball in the sand. You've been a daredevil since you were three. That's all your mom there." We laughed as he pulled out onto the highway and headed in the direction of our favorite ice cream shop. Today was a good day, and tomorrow would be even better. PT started in the morning, and if I had things my way, I'd be walking better by the end of the week. I was going to kick ass and do everything and more that they threw at me. I was going to make this comeback and be better than ever. I just wish someone had warned me how hard it was actually going to be.