Audrey Hepburn's Pearls: Part I

Chapter 77.1: 1968, Georgina

Chapter 77.1: 1968, Georgina

"No, no... It hurts too much, I can't- I have to sit down-"

My eyes popped open wide as I suddenly lost my balance and in a silent scream fell down onto the bed, but mid-fall I was caught under the arms again by Frankie. He was looking at me in deep concern, his mouth open, too. Slowly, he rested me back onto the baby life saver on the bed. I breathed deeply, my hand on my chest and the other over my mouth in embarrassment. 

Before me was a front-wheeled walker, spread out and waiting. It was an expensive medical device, but Frankie spared no expense. This made me blush even more. 

"We've got time. Don't worry about it. Just take your time. No rush," Paulie said, on the other side of me. Both of them were here to take me home. Or rather...to my new home. Paulie's home. He'd told me all about it over the past week, my last week in the hospital. Now it was time to go there, but this walker. 

This walker was my most divine enemy and my dearest friend. 

Walking. I had come to hate walking. The pain-

"Okay, I'll try again," I sighed, looking down towards my lap in embarrassment. Frankie's gentle hand appeared on my back again, and Paulie took his position behind the walker, making grabby hands to hold me in a standing position should I need it. We'd done this over ten times already and now it was just sad. Every time made me feel even worse, even more awful for putting them in this position. 

Before I could dwell on my feelings any more, I lifted myself painfully off the life saver. The throbbing started immediately, the unhappy flesh telling me absolutely not. You will absolutely not do this, I refuse! The only thing I could equate it to would be a nightmare monster taking me by the bottom and tearing away. 

"Oh god, no, wait-" I began, but Paulie already had me by the shoulders. "No, wait-!" and Frankie had me by my back. I had no choice but to grab the sides of the walker, lean on that walker. They weren't listening to me. Like I wasn't even talking.

"Good girl," Paulie said in a tender way, his hands soft on my shoulders, "good girl, you don't have to step, just stand. That's it."

"Its okay, you're doing great," I heard Frankie in my left ear, "I'm here for you, I won't let you fall again."

And for both of them I tried to hold strong. Tiny pain tears formed at the edges of my eyes and I stared straight at Paulie who was staring into me with a kind determination. "You're doing good," Paulie assured me, echoing Frankie. It felt like ages. We were standing here for ages. My legs were shaking. They were so weak after just a few weeks in that bed. How was that possible? How was I supposed to stand here like-

"I can't do it!" I burst into tears, my legs shaking too much, in pain too much. I was overwhelmed. It was too much. 

And just like that, Frankie had his arms around me from behind and was holding me up. I completely wasn't standing anymore, rather leaning on him. My legs weren't shaking anymore. But the pain remained. It was building up and I didn't know what to do. 

"You did good. That's all. You can use the wheelchair. You just can't use the wheelchair all the time. You know what my apartment's like. But we'll manage," Paulie explained softly. 

"It hurts too much," was all I could whimper back to him. My body seemed to only want to communicate that I needed to sit down again. 

"I'm going to sit you down. You ready?" Frankie whispered into my ear. I nodded desperately and he adjusted himself to be beside me again, but supporting me no less. Like this, he lowered me back onto the life saver.