Titania Blake

Chapter 3

I woke to the sound of the blaring alarm clock and slammed it off. After feeling my way around, I pulled out some clothes that I knew were grey in color - after the accident, I took a colleague with me to find some simple clothes that I didn't have to worry about - and hopped into the shower. 'Lucky me. I don't ever have to worry about color coordinating again.' My sarcastic thoughts were cut off by a knock to the door. "Come on in." I called out. I heard the wheels of Jake's chair roll in before coming to an abrupt stop as the door slid shut.

"What the hell? Why aren't you dressed yet?"

"What's the big deal, Jake? I'm wearing underwear. I know you've seen naked women before so you really shouldn't be complaining. I may have lost my sight, but I know I look god. Besides, we're colleagues. You're gonna have to get over it because I have no shame when it comes to my body." I countered.

"Yeah, we're colleagues. I don't need to know what's going on under your clothes."

"Is it the scars? I thought they turned most men on. Oh well, look, settle down. Just close your eyes or whatever and I'll tell you when I'm dressed." I suggested in a huff.

"Look, it's not the scars. I just don't want to be turned on by someone I work with." Jake muttered.

"Are your eyes closed, Jake?" I sighed.

"Yeah. Why?"

"I need to change my bra. This one, I don't know why I packed. It's falling apart and stabbing me in the ribs. Just keep your eyes closed and I'll put a new one on and the rest of my clothes real quick." I tossed off the stabbing bra, as I liked to call it, pulled another one and latched it on right. After feeling for where I'd placed my clothes, I pulled those on as well. "Okay, we're good. Can you take this and put it in the trash? I have no clue where the can is right now." I requested. After Jake had done me that favor, I rested my palms on the handlebars of his chair and followed as he led me back to the link room.

It took some time to get moving, but when we did I started counting steps and turns trying to memorize my way to the room we would be spending so much time in. We met up with Norm at some point and I lost all the directions I had tried to capture in my head. "So how much link time have you logged?" Grace asked of someone as we entered, the link room.

"About 520 hours." Norm answered her.

"That's good. You're in there. You're here. How much have you logged?" Grace asked - though I wasn't sure if she was asking me or Jake, who I was still following closely.

"Zip, but I read a manual." Jake answered jokingly.

"Tell me you're joking." Grace pleaded.

"This is cool." Jake whispered.

"Let's go." I heard Norm comment as one of the machines came to life. 'I guess he's excited to get started. I am too.'

"Don't. I got this." Jake commented. 'I guess Grace tried to help him get his legs into the link bed.'

"So, where am I, Grace? I'm gonna need you to lead me over to the link bed this time." I felt a hand take me by the arm and pull me in a new direction, away from the sound of Jake's breathing. I heard the pressing of a finger on a computer screen, and felt my way around to lay down in the squishy, gel-like link bed.

"So you just figured you'd come out here, to the most hostile environment known to man, with no training of any kind, and see how it went?" Grace asked of the both of us.

"You don't know hostile, Grace. Trust me." I muttered.

"Maybe I was sick of doctors telling me what i couldn't do." Jake replied. I listened to the thump of Jake's body on the ling bed, then Grace telling Jake sarcastically to clear his mind, before she came over and did the same for me. I felt more than heard the lid of the be closing and after a moment of clearing all thoughts from my mind, I felt a warmth run through me.