Malory Towers Break Barriers

Unique New Girl

On a train platform in Coventry, a girl named Tori Moore in a yellow dress waited for a train for her new boarding school. She had polio that affects her left side she also has a clubfoot on her right side. She waited with her mum, dad and her younger sister Allissa. Her dad was a well known neurosurgeon in England.

The train arrived and she says goodbye to her mum and sister. Her dad then helped her onto the train.

Once on the train, she saw girls sitting. They saw that Tori had braces on her legs and a brace on her left hand. The girls introduced themselves as Darrel Rivers, Alicia Johns, Marylou and Sally Hope. They asked Tori to sit down. She sat between Darrel and Sally. Darrel asked her about her leg braces and hand brace. Tori explained to all the girls she had contracted polio before the war and was born with a clubfoot on her right side and the polio affected her on her left side. The train ride was quiet after that.

Once they arrived at the school, Tori, Darrel and Sally went to meet with Head mistress Miss Greyling who see all the new girls. They were nervous. Matron took them to see Miss. Greyling.

Once at Miss Greyling office, the girls were told that Tori was the first student to be accepted who was disabled. She told Darrel to help Tori not feel so alone. The three girls then agreed they would help one another. They then headed to their dorm.

Once in the dorm, Tori found her trunk. She walked over to it. She unlocked it and opened it. Darrel watched her. Tori took out a brown bear wearing green surgical garment, cap and mask like her dad wore. Tori placed her bear on her bed then closed her trunk. She then grabbed her bear and lay on her bed.

Just then, Darrel asked Tori about her polio and her clubfoot. She told Tori that she was interested medicine because her dad was a doctor. Darrel asked about the hospital she went to during the war. She told Darrel about the polio rehabilitation hospital she was at. Darrel told her that her dad was working at a polio rehabilitation hospital during the war. Tori told her that she had a doctor called Dr. Rivers that helped her. Darrel told her that Dr. Rivers was her dad. Tori told Darrel that he told her that her polio could affect her brain.

Just then, Matron came in the room. She walked over to Tori. She told her that she wanted to take her to the San to talk to her about her medical stuff. Tori looked scared. She held her doctor bear tight. Matron told Tori that she could have her bear with her. She helped Tori down the stairs and they went to the San.

Once in the San, Matron asked Tori to sit on one of the beds. Matron then went in her office. Tori sat on the bed anxiously. She held her doctor bear tight. She was worried she was in trouble. Her legs and left arm hurt. She wanted her braces off. She knew she couldn't go back to her dorm without her leg braces. She still wondered why she was in the San and no other girl was there. She felt that she was being treated differently. She didn't like that.

Then she heard Matron talking to someone in the office. It was a man's voice. It sounded quite familiar to Tori. It was Dr. Rivers. She was wondering why he was there. She thought that Darrel probably didn't know he was there.

Suddenly, she realized why Dr. Rivers was there. She figured that he was there to show Matron how to take her braces off and on. She felt her anxiety build. She held her doctor bear tight and closed her eyes.

She then felt hands on her shoulders. She heard Dr. Rivers' voice. He told her it was okay. There was nothing to be scared of. She could hear Matron tell her to open her eyes. Dr. Rivers knew Tori better. He told Matron to give Tori time. He explained to her that Tori developed anxiety regarding medical things after trauma she experience while in isolation when she first contracted polio. This made Matron quiet. She told Dr. Rivers that he was the doctor and she had no authority to deny what he told her. She knew her place.

Then Dr. Rivers asked Matron to get Darrel for him. Matron then left the San to go get Darrel from the dorm. Dr. Rivers was now alone with Tori. Tori's eyes stayed closed. Dr. Rivers understood.

When Matron entered the dorm, she told Darrel that she wanted to speak with her in the San. She told Darrel that she wasn't in any kind of trouble. Matron told her that she needed help with Tori. She told Darrel that she might be able to help her calm down. Darrel then left with Matron.

When they walked into the San, Darrel was shocked to see her dad was there with Tori. She went over to him and Tori. Darrel asked her dad why he was there. He told her that he was there to show Matron and her how to help Tori with her braces.

Suddenly, Darrel noticed that Tori was scared. She walked over to the bed and sat beside Tori on the bed. Darrel put her arm around Tori. She told her that she was okay. She told Tori that Dr. Rivers wouldn't hurt her.

Suddenly, Tori told Darrel that her head hurt. Dr. Rivers heard it also. He told Tori that he was glad to hear what was going on. Matron now was frustrated. She asked Tori why she didn't tell her when she came to get her from the dorm. Tori told her that she was afraid that she would be asked to leave due to her medical situation.

Dr. Rivers told Tori that she she wouldn't be asked to leave. He told Matron that he wanted to examine Tori right away. He asked Darrel to help. He wanted Darrel to help him keep Tori calm during her examination. Matron thought it was a good idea.

Matron helped Tori lay down on the bed. Darrel held Tori's right hand. Dr. Rivers sat on a stool on the left side of the bed. Dr. Rivers told Tori that he wanted to take her braces off and examine her legs and left arm as well as her head. He told her he would tell her everything he was going to do.

Before Dr. Rivers started his examination, he told Tori that there was something important he had to tell her. He told her that the medical examination was to medically exempt her from certain classes and certain parts of classes. He told her that Miss Greyling wanted to maximize her potential. She told him that it made sense.

The examination began with Dr. Rivers removing Tori's arm and hand brace. Tori had her doctor bear and Darrel to comfort her. Dr. Rivers then removed Tori's leg braces. Her left one was removed first. Then her right brace was removed.

Once Tori's braces were removed, her feet weren't straight anymore. Tori's left foot curved outwards. Her right foot curved inwards. Darrel looked alarmed. Dr. Rivers explained that her left foot was affected by the polio and was paralysed. He then explained that Tori's right side was a clubfoot and she was born with it. He told Darrel that the leg braces kept Tori's feet straight so, she could walk. He noticed that even though Tori's hand and arm brace was off that her hand stayed open. He was relieved that it was working well for her.

Once the feet and hand assessment was done, he did a neurological examination. He first asked Tori to follow his finger with her eyes. It went well. He then asked her to squeeze his hands. Darrel let go of Tori's right hand. Dr. Rivers took Tori's hands. She squeezed them. He understood her left hand wasn't strong due to the polio. He then decided to focus on her headache.

It was time to figure out why Tori had a headache. He looked into her eyes. He asked Matron for a flashlight. She handed it to him. He checked Tori's eyes again with the flashlight this time. Her eyes were reactive to the light. He was relieved because her eyes looked swollen. He told Matron just to monitor Tori the headache wasn't serious at the moment. He reminded Matron that the polio affected Tori's brain, but he wasn't sure how.

Next was showing Matron how to put Tori's leg braces on. He gently straightened each foot before putting them in the braces. He showed her how to tighten the straps as well. He then showed Matron how to put Tori's hand and arm brace on. He then took the hand brace off again because he felt Tori didn't need it on anymore that day. He reminded Tori that she couldn't walk without her leg braces. He told her if she tried she would fall. She told him that she understood.

She then noticed a wheelchair and a cane in the corner. Dr. Rivers told Tori that her dad sent them over to the school in case that she needed them. He told Tori that he wanted her to have the cane with her in the dorm because she could use the cane to help her walk without her braces, but that was the only circumstance she was allowed to walk without her braces.

Dr. Rivers helped Tori sit up from the bed. He told her that the examination was over. She was allowed to return to her dorm. Dr. Rivers gave Darrel Tori's hand brace and cane. They then left the San and returned to the dorm.