Finding My Feet

Chapter Eight

"Amber!" I hear my dad yell, almost angrily. "Your mom wants to go, hurry up!"
"I'm coming!" I yell, taken aback by his anger.
I quickly wheel myself to the front door, following my mom to the car.
"Who pissed in dads cereal?" I mutter to her when she climbs in.
"I don't even know what's wrong with that man anymore," she spits.
"Woah, is there something you're not telling me?" I ask.
She shakes her head, rubbing her forehead as she drives.
"You and him barely even speak to each other, mom. And when he's home, there is so much anger and tension in the house, what's going on?" I urge.
"We'll explain later. There's no time for bad feelings now. You're finally getting into leg braces!" She squeals.
I smile, it took me a whole month and a few days to start wiggling my toes again. And I could feel pressure on my legs now.
"Finally," I grin as she pulls up to the rehabilitation center.
She comes around with my wheelchair, helps me in and then wheels me into the entrance.
"You're here," Jennifer grins. "Firstly, we're gonna start with some tests. Like what can you move and where you can feel. If you don't pass these tests, you have to continue being in the wheelchair."
I nod, basically bouncing in my wheelchair.
"Okay so let's start," Jennifer says, taking the handlebars and pushing me into the room with mirrors. "Out you go."
I shuffle my way out of the wheelchair and onto the yoga mat on the ground.
"Alright let's begin," she claps her hands. "Move."
I wiggle my toes, willing my legs to move as well. They don't.
"Well you can feel your feet fully now?" She asks.
I nod, grinning like a madman.
"Well then you'll be able to stand and hopefully not trip," she says, walking over to me and kneeling. "Time to see where you can feel."
She puts pressure onto my ankles and I nod. My shins and I nod. My calves and I shake my head. My knees and I nod. My thighs and I shake my head.
"That might be a bit of a problem because all of the important muscles, you can't actually feel," she purses her lips. "But we'll try it out anyway. If it works, you can do it."
"Yes!" I yell. "Finally, finally, finally!"
Jennifer leaves the room, to go fetch the braces.
"Mom, I'm like a quarter of the way to walking on my own again!" I clap my hands.
"Don't be discouraged if it doesn't work though, honey," my mom warns. "You heard her, you can't feel your important muscles."
"I won't, don't worry," I say as Jennifer walks in. "I'll just try harder."
Jennifer is carrying a pair of crutches and a pair of leg braces.
"Just remember, you don't bath or sleep with these things. It's only meant for mobility," she advises us.
I scooch myself closer, feeling excited.
Jennifer gestures to my mom to come help her and my mom lifts my one leg as Jennifer slides the brace under my thigh.
"Alright, put her leg down," my mom obliges. "Look at how I'm strapping it because you have to do this on your own."
"Alright," I nod eagerly.
She starts at the top of my thigh, strapping the metal links in and working her way down to my ankles.
"Now, you see these knobs," I nod again. "You press it until the brace is tight but still comfortable enough to move, understand?"
She presses onto the knobs slightly to show what she's talking about.
"Let's do the other leg," my mom says.
They finish doing my other leg and I press the knobs, making them tight but comfortable.
"Alright, let's connect the waist supporter on," Jennifer grabs another metal brace and wraps it around my stomach, clicking it into the leg braces. "Same with this one. Strap it and then press the knobs."
"I feel like a robot," I joke as I tighten the waist supporter.
"Let's get you up onto your feet," Jennifer says, gripping my arm while my mom takes the other.
They haul me up and keep me standing as I wobble a bit.
"Okay we're gonna let go now," my mom says.
They slowly remove their hands, still hovering above my shoulders in case I fall. When they see that I've managed to stay upright, Jennifer quickly gets the crutches and passes it to me.
"I'm on my feet," I murmur. "I'm literally on my feet!"
"Oh, honey, I feel so proud," my mom holds her chest.
"Try come here," Jennifer takes a few steps back.
I position the crutches under my arms and slide my foot across the floor, basically taking a step. I do the same with the other foot. Until I'm where Jennifer is.
"Well you'll have to slide for a while until you can get those muscles working, but this is great," Jennifer grins. "No more wheelchair."
I continue sliding my feet around as Jennifer and my mom spoke. I felt giddy. I couldn't wait to tell Avery, Sage and even Reegan.
"Alright, ready to go?" My mom asks.
"Yeah," I grin.
We make our way out after thanking Jennifer.
"Dads gonna be so proud," I say, finally getting into the car by myself. "Like I can actually move around now."
"Don't bet on your father being too happy though, Amber," my mom pulls off.
"Well why wouldn't he be? The whole time we were in California, he kept urging me to do leg therapy. So I'm sure he'll be overjoyed," I shrug.
"We'll have to explain a lot to you tonight," she sighs. "Things are going to be changing."
"We're not moving again, are we? I only just got to know Avery," I whine.
"Well moving is actually your choice," she hints. "That's your decision. But we didn't want to involve you in what we've decided and that's why it's been kept so secretive."
"What is it?" I ask. "Just tell me now and you can explain the rest at home."
"I can't now, it's not the time," she murmurs.
"I deserve to know what's going on, mom!" I spit.
"It has barely anything to do with you so you can wait!" She fires back, pulling into our garage.
"I'm your child, I'm allowed to know the decisions you make!"
"Okay fine, you want to know?" She yells.
"Yes! I've been asking what's going on for like a month now," I shout back.
"We're getting divorced," she shakes her head, her voice low now. "You have to decide who you want to live with. Are you happy now?"
She gets out the car and slams the door, leaving me in there with my eyes wide and my mouth agape.