Legend's Apprentice

Routine

Mom and Dad were able to meet about half of my teachers, and apparently the meetings went well; Dad said they spoke highly of me, which is so much better than the opposite. They went home the next day and I went back to school.

I'd been busy with texts from Aslyn, who was at work, and phone calls from Rill and Karen the night before, so they all knew to expect a new hair style; Aslyn snapped a pic at lunch and sent it on. I got a lot of complements from classmates. "My head feels about five pounds lighter," I said to Aslyn.

"It looks pretty," she said, fingering the ends of the cut. "But it's such a big change. Are you going to grow it back out?"

I considered this. "Not  as long as it was," I said. "But longer, yeah. I don't really like all the layers and it practically feels like a crew cut." She laughed.

"So you were pretty noncommittal," she said after a pause. "But if your hair is like this, then the accident had to be more serious than you said."

"It scared the crap out of me," I said frankly. "But once they got all the chemicals neutralized and washed off, it wasn't that bad." So I lied.

"What are you going to do now?" she asked. "Are your parents going to let you still work there?"

"Yeah, I'll be put into a different lab, though. I feel sorry for the chemists. They're down to zero lab assistants. I have to go to the tower every day for a couple of weeks, though. The medical staff want to monitor me to make sure I'm ok."

"That's a downer," she said. "Are the doctors cute?"

"Fortunately, not that I saw." She looked at me in curiosity. "Can you imagine getting in-depth exams or treatment from a hot guy?" I asked. "Plus, I'm the idiot who tipped a cabinet of chemicals onto herself. Yay me."

"I see your point. Well, we can walk over together, then," she said placidly.

"It's going to take me longer because of the crutches," I warned her.

"Word got around about the accident, not who was involved or anything, just that there'd been a serious accident and yesterday there were additional safety regulations. Don't apply to me, though, the most hazardous duty I have is turning my computer on and off." I laughed. 

It wasn't far to the tower, but it seemed longer on crutches, even with Aslyn carrying my messenger bag. I was tired when we made it to the lobby. Barney waved me over, so Aslyn gave me a hug and returned my messenger bag before going up to her work station. "Mr Stark wanted to be alerted when you came in," Barney said. He looked sympathetic. "Do you need some help up to the clinic?"

"No, thanks, it's not far now," I said. "Could you see if Emma or Bucky is available, though?" I couldn't remember if Barney knew that they were my aunt and uncle. He nodded and got on the phone as I crutched toward the elevator. I didn't have time to relax before the elevator was at the clinic floor. I settled gingerly on the arm of the waiting room sofa to wait my turn and sighed. I was glad I didn't have to work today.

Mr Stark strolled in and observed me. "You look tired."

"It's a longer walk from school on these crutches. I wish I had just a walking cast."

He frowned. "I'll send a car to pick you up after school for your checkups."

I tried to fend him off. "I'll get used to it. It's my first time on crutches, is all."

"But you had stress fractures in your foot," he said, puzzled.

"Nobody bothered with those," I smiled.

"I would," he muttered. I grinned.

"You're not a dancer."

"Dancers are weird," he muttered, and I shrugged in amusement. Couldn't argue with that. "Well, come up to my office when they turn you loose," he commanded, and I nodded. Uncle Bucky came into the clinic then and accompanied me back. He waited in the doctor's office while I got an examination; they also drew my blood and took a tissue sample.