Fix My Feet When They're Stumblin'

Chapter 40

   "Good morning!"

    Brandon looked up from his scrambled eggs at Ryan's cheerful, breathless greeting and smiled as the therapist struggled through the door carrying a bulky set of training stairs, huffing with the exertion, but Ryan grinned even wider at the sight of the half-empty plate.

    "No rush, finish your breakfast, I know it's early. Take your time, please - eating counts as therapy too, you know!" The therapist settled the stairs by the window - just beyond the curtain, the sun was beginning to rise, painting the dark sky in shades of pink and orange. Ryan retrieved the vacant wheelchair from its place against the wall and moved it near the stairs, then fell silent and watched as Brandon ate his breakfast.

    Ryan was pleased to note that he seemed to be having a much easier time with fine motor skills than just a week ago. His hand still shook, but he was clearly concentrating hard on every movement, doing his best to control his arm, and he seemed to be undershooting the plate less often.

    Ten minutes passed before Brandon finally dropped his fork and looked back up at his therapist expectantly. "Brandon, you're doing awesome, you know that? You've done a wonderful job working with Ernie, I'll have to ask him for tips next time I see him," Ryan winked.

    "Now, it's exhausting to eat, I know, and today's a big day with me, so we're going to take a nice, long, ten minute break before we start working, alright?

    In answer, Brandon merely lay back into his pillows, closing his eyes. Ryan sat in the chair by the wall, retrieving his notebook from his backpack and settling down to review his notes. Ten minutes later, he closed the book and looked up.

    "Alright, Brandon, are you ready to work? Can you start by getting out of bed? We're going to do a lot of walking today, a longer distance than we've done yet. I think you're ready."

    Brandon sat up and slowly moved to the side of the bed, dangling his legs over the side. Cautiously, he slid off the edge of the bed, then stood, swaying just slightly in place until he steadied himself against the mattress.

    "Perfect, Brandon! I chose a slightly earlier time for today's session because we're going to take a little field trip, down the hall and back again, alright? I wanted to minimize the number of people in the halls - fewer distractions. The light is a lot brighter out there, and you'll probably get a headache at some point. I have sunglasses for you, but I want to see how long you can tolerate the light first - just let me know if you want to stop."

    The therapist led the way to the door and held it open, watching as Brandon made his way slowly toward him, and then continued past him into the hallway, blinking unhappily in the bright florescent light. His gait looked almost normal, being so fresh and well-rested - just slightly wild and unsteady, but not dangerous.

    "Great, Brandon, can you stop there?"

    Just outside the door, Ryan and Brandon stood gazing down the long hallway. Ryan fished a plastic stopwatch out of his pocket, then began to explain the exercise.

    "This one is pretty simple, Brandon - we're going to do three laps of the hallway here, and I'm going to time you on each one - but please, please, please - don't rush. You are not racing yourself or anyone else. This is more a test of concentration, stamina and balance than speed. Speed is actually your enemy - you'll be more likely to fall if you try to hurry. I don't care how fast you're walking, really, I just need to know how your speed changes as you become tired. We will take a short break between each one, but I'd like you to stand to rest instead of sitting, alright?"

    Brandon nodded, his eyes wandering down the hallway, trying to gauge the distance.

    "Awesome, Brandon, whenever you're ready - walk to the end of the hallway, then turn around and come back to this spot, okay? With the painting of the desert on the wall. Take your time, slow and careful."