Mira had been wheeled to yet another therapy room by one of the nurses and been told to wait; someone would be with her shortly. Mira used the opportunity for a look around. This room held an assortment of exercise equipment and was larger than any of the therapy rooms she had been to so far. There was even enough room for a table and a few chairs here and there. And, of course, there were people. Several looked to be staff in white coats, directing patients through their exercises; others obviously were patients in hospital robes or some other comfortable looking clothing. An older woman was concentrating on sorting blocks by colors, a man with a bandage around his head had problems attaching clothe pins to a rope. Several patients, one of them a boy that could not possibly have been any older than eight, forced themselves through various exercises with balls and small weights.
One of these coat-wearing folk, as strange as it seemed, was Skid. He had come with his own to visit, apparently, and the all white clothing, coat, and mask, just made him look so very official. As he walked in through the doors to the physical therapy room, he pulled a clipboard with nothing but blank papers on it into his arm, and strolled up to Mira.
"Well, Miss Mira, it seems we're going to have to do a whole lot of work. Those pretty little legs aren't going to get themselves back into candy-selling order, are they?"
Mira turned to look upon the 'therapist' with wondrous surprise. The man sounded just like Skid.
"How did you manage to sneak in here?" She chuckled when she realized that not only did the therapist sound like Skid, but actually was Skid. Which probably also meant he wasn't a therapist at all, at least not officially. "I mean, hello Skid, it's nice of you to visit again. Are you really going to take over for the therapist?"
"Doc loves me, and Chryrie's a bigwig here, so getting in is as simple as....Pie." He nodded, and then smiled and settled a hand on her shoulder at her query. "I wish." A snerk. "I just came to keep you company while they stretch out those legs. And to make sure you got enough sleep last night. I hope we didn't keep you up too terribly long, hm?"
"That is very kind of you. I'm sure it won't be anything as spectacular and entertaining as coming to watch and cheer for someone at the duels, but I will appreciate your moral support at least as much." Mira gave Skid a warm and thankful smile.
"I slept wonderfully." She had, just not for very long. "I'm glad I got to meet with you, Lerida and Stitch. That was definitely worth a few hours sleep. I'm sure Anya and Chryrie appreciate their pies." Mira grinned.
"I don't like the duels much, to be perfectly honest." Skid moved to get one of the stretching balls, massive things that they were, and settled onto it as a seat. "And, I didn't give them pies. But, Chryrie's my girlfriend and the Doc totally loves me. That makes visiting really simple when you've got them to vouch for you." He smiled, and began to bounce here or there, enjoying the room more than any other location in the hospital with an obvious overtone to it. "So what?re they doing to you today' Just stretching" Or are you going to try to walk" Oh, are they going to use one of those zappy electrical things that make the muscles work without you getting up?" He inched the ball closer and closer, with more and more questions of the like.
"I'm to stand up and walk around, or as close to it as possible." Mira tried not to even think of those zappy things Skid had mentioned. They sounded too much like torture devices. Instead she nodded toward the contraption in the center of the room. "My best guess is that I'm to try that over there."
The contraption consisted of a carpeted area that reminded Mira of a red carpet - it even was dark red - with a wooden bar at either side. The stretch of carpet between the hand rails couldn't possibly be any longer than 12 feet. Beside it, in a similar set up was a much shorter, elevated stretch of straight walking surface with a ramp on one side and stairs on the other side. Four steps, Mira counted.
"Ah, looks a little....Armsy." Skid couldn't help but inspect the thing with his eye, before turning back towards Mira. Even the patch on his mask had a little red plus upon it over the covered eye. "What are you thinking on doing once you can get around and such' I'm sure you'd love to be able to spend more nights sitting around with Stitch and I, discussing relationships and fairy princesses." Skid asked with a snicker, his mien lightening.
"That does sound like fun." Mira chuckled softly. She had very much enjoyed their conversation outside the inn the previous evening. "I think I should make the most of whatever convalescent leave from work the doc will prescribe. Though getting back to being able to earn a living can't be put off for too long."
"I'm sure that you lock-permitting landlord will give you at least a little bit of a break, if you need it." There was a certain simplicity in his comment.
"I'm sure he will, but I'd rather not have to do that. He's been ever so very generous already."
"I'm sure everything will work out in time." He gave her knee a pat, and then turned and stretched out over the ball to continue his observations of the room in general. "You'll have so many things to choose from to do once you're better. It's maddening."
"You think so?" It appeared to her that she had more or less the same amount of options as she had before.
The therapist, a balding man wearing glasses, chose that moment to interrupt their conversation.
"Miss Mira" My apologies for the wait. If you would please follow me, we'll get you started." He nodded to Skid while he waited for Mira to make to follow him.
"It looks like the show you came for is about to start." Mira winked to Skid.
"I suppose it is." Skid grinned to her and the therapist alike, and then took up a nurse position, pushing Mira's chair after the therapist until they reached whatever destination he chose to set for them. The therapist stopped at the red carpet, and once the wheelchair was secured, helped Mira up and guided her hands to the railings.
"Walk at whatever pace you're comfortable with and let me know should you feel dizzy or experience any kind of difficulty. Try to only use the railings for balance. Your legs are to do the walking, not your arms." The therapist instructed.
"Does standing up count as a difficulty?" Mira grinned though. She had no illusion that this was to be as easy as pie. Skid snickered at her little joke, and let his arms fold tight against one another as he began to watch. He kept his distance close enough to lunge. Couldn't have her falling now, could he"
The therapist must have had thoughts similar to Skid's. He certainly remained close to Mira and even had set down his clip board in Mira's chair to have both hands free. Now he quietly fed Mira instructions of just how to set one foot in front of the other and encouragement when she managed a step.
At first Mira's bones and muscles protested rather violently. But with each little battle Mira's will won over them, adding another step became a little easier. None the less, by the time she reached the end of the walkway, she felt as if she had been mountain climbing for hours.
"Now turn around and once you're back to your chair we will let you rest for a while." The therapist announced cheerful.
For a moment Mira wanted to refuse. She glanced down to the end of the red carpet after she had turned around with the therapist's help. Never had a few yards appeared quite that far.
"Come on, Mira. You make everyone else's walking look like sitting." He grinned, and rolled her chair into place at the end of the rails. "The chair's right here and relaxation with it. Maybe you'll even get a foot rub, eh?" Snickering ensued, simplifying the situation, making it all kinds of juicy.
Mira couldn't help but chuckle at Skid's cheering. For a moment she wondered if that was it felt like to Maranya or Sivanna when she was cheering them on while they were boxing Outback or casting spells on the Isle. Then she needed to focus on getting her legs to move.
"So, what?re you waiting for?" Skid stood, waited, and a grin slowly began to take over the mask. "Walk, walk, walk!"
One of these coat-wearing folk, as strange as it seemed, was Skid. He had come with his own to visit, apparently, and the all white clothing, coat, and mask, just made him look so very official. As he walked in through the doors to the physical therapy room, he pulled a clipboard with nothing but blank papers on it into his arm, and strolled up to Mira.
"Well, Miss Mira, it seems we're going to have to do a whole lot of work. Those pretty little legs aren't going to get themselves back into candy-selling order, are they?"
Mira turned to look upon the 'therapist' with wondrous surprise. The man sounded just like Skid.
"How did you manage to sneak in here?" She chuckled when she realized that not only did the therapist sound like Skid, but actually was Skid. Which probably also meant he wasn't a therapist at all, at least not officially. "I mean, hello Skid, it's nice of you to visit again. Are you really going to take over for the therapist?"
"Doc loves me, and Chryrie's a bigwig here, so getting in is as simple as....Pie." He nodded, and then smiled and settled a hand on her shoulder at her query. "I wish." A snerk. "I just came to keep you company while they stretch out those legs. And to make sure you got enough sleep last night. I hope we didn't keep you up too terribly long, hm?"
"That is very kind of you. I'm sure it won't be anything as spectacular and entertaining as coming to watch and cheer for someone at the duels, but I will appreciate your moral support at least as much." Mira gave Skid a warm and thankful smile.
"I slept wonderfully." She had, just not for very long. "I'm glad I got to meet with you, Lerida and Stitch. That was definitely worth a few hours sleep. I'm sure Anya and Chryrie appreciate their pies." Mira grinned.
"I don't like the duels much, to be perfectly honest." Skid moved to get one of the stretching balls, massive things that they were, and settled onto it as a seat. "And, I didn't give them pies. But, Chryrie's my girlfriend and the Doc totally loves me. That makes visiting really simple when you've got them to vouch for you." He smiled, and began to bounce here or there, enjoying the room more than any other location in the hospital with an obvious overtone to it. "So what?re they doing to you today' Just stretching" Or are you going to try to walk" Oh, are they going to use one of those zappy electrical things that make the muscles work without you getting up?" He inched the ball closer and closer, with more and more questions of the like.
"I'm to stand up and walk around, or as close to it as possible." Mira tried not to even think of those zappy things Skid had mentioned. They sounded too much like torture devices. Instead she nodded toward the contraption in the center of the room. "My best guess is that I'm to try that over there."
The contraption consisted of a carpeted area that reminded Mira of a red carpet - it even was dark red - with a wooden bar at either side. The stretch of carpet between the hand rails couldn't possibly be any longer than 12 feet. Beside it, in a similar set up was a much shorter, elevated stretch of straight walking surface with a ramp on one side and stairs on the other side. Four steps, Mira counted.
"Ah, looks a little....Armsy." Skid couldn't help but inspect the thing with his eye, before turning back towards Mira. Even the patch on his mask had a little red plus upon it over the covered eye. "What are you thinking on doing once you can get around and such' I'm sure you'd love to be able to spend more nights sitting around with Stitch and I, discussing relationships and fairy princesses." Skid asked with a snicker, his mien lightening.
"That does sound like fun." Mira chuckled softly. She had very much enjoyed their conversation outside the inn the previous evening. "I think I should make the most of whatever convalescent leave from work the doc will prescribe. Though getting back to being able to earn a living can't be put off for too long."
"I'm sure that you lock-permitting landlord will give you at least a little bit of a break, if you need it." There was a certain simplicity in his comment.
"I'm sure he will, but I'd rather not have to do that. He's been ever so very generous already."
"I'm sure everything will work out in time." He gave her knee a pat, and then turned and stretched out over the ball to continue his observations of the room in general. "You'll have so many things to choose from to do once you're better. It's maddening."
"You think so?" It appeared to her that she had more or less the same amount of options as she had before.
The therapist, a balding man wearing glasses, chose that moment to interrupt their conversation.
"Miss Mira" My apologies for the wait. If you would please follow me, we'll get you started." He nodded to Skid while he waited for Mira to make to follow him.
"It looks like the show you came for is about to start." Mira winked to Skid.
"I suppose it is." Skid grinned to her and the therapist alike, and then took up a nurse position, pushing Mira's chair after the therapist until they reached whatever destination he chose to set for them. The therapist stopped at the red carpet, and once the wheelchair was secured, helped Mira up and guided her hands to the railings.
"Walk at whatever pace you're comfortable with and let me know should you feel dizzy or experience any kind of difficulty. Try to only use the railings for balance. Your legs are to do the walking, not your arms." The therapist instructed.
"Does standing up count as a difficulty?" Mira grinned though. She had no illusion that this was to be as easy as pie. Skid snickered at her little joke, and let his arms fold tight against one another as he began to watch. He kept his distance close enough to lunge. Couldn't have her falling now, could he"
The therapist must have had thoughts similar to Skid's. He certainly remained close to Mira and even had set down his clip board in Mira's chair to have both hands free. Now he quietly fed Mira instructions of just how to set one foot in front of the other and encouragement when she managed a step.
At first Mira's bones and muscles protested rather violently. But with each little battle Mira's will won over them, adding another step became a little easier. None the less, by the time she reached the end of the walkway, she felt as if she had been mountain climbing for hours.
"Now turn around and once you're back to your chair we will let you rest for a while." The therapist announced cheerful.
For a moment Mira wanted to refuse. She glanced down to the end of the red carpet after she had turned around with the therapist's help. Never had a few yards appeared quite that far.
"Come on, Mira. You make everyone else's walking look like sitting." He grinned, and rolled her chair into place at the end of the rails. "The chair's right here and relaxation with it. Maybe you'll even get a foot rub, eh?" Snickering ensued, simplifying the situation, making it all kinds of juicy.
Mira couldn't help but chuckle at Skid's cheering. For a moment she wondered if that was it felt like to Maranya or Sivanna when she was cheering them on while they were boxing Outback or casting spells on the Isle. Then she needed to focus on getting her legs to move.
"So, what?re you waiting for?" Skid stood, waited, and a grin slowly began to take over the mask. "Walk, walk, walk!"