The Road To Recovery

Chapter 1: Routine and A Favor

Lu Zhilan sighed as she sat outside in the hospital courtyard. She had already been in Germany for about five months. Five, long, painful months. She had a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) that required surgery and lots of physical therapy. It was luck that her older cousin, Su Jian had connections to this hospital.

It would have taken her months to get a spot and she would have been waiting for much longer than necessary. Zhilan got here almost immediately after she was injured. Even though she was making progress in her recovery, she still had a way to go before she could think to set foot on a court. She missed playing so much. She missed running around the court. She missed the satisfying strike of a tennis ball against her racket.

This was the longest she had gone without playing tennis. She couldn't remember a time in her life when she didn't play tennis. The moment Zhilan picked up a racket, she fell in love with the sport. It was impossible to imagine a life where she couldn't play. All the more reason to keep moving forward. In a way, her situation could have been avoided.

If she hadn't been so reckless in the last match she played, she wouldn't have been glued to a wheelchair with an ugly knee brace. If I had just given up the match. Not like it matters. The sky could've been falling and I would have played until there was a final score on the board.

Zhilan stared at her right knee as she slowly rolled around the courtyard. Even though she would get calls from her cousins and aunt and uncle, she couldn't help but feel lonely. So many months of seeing only doctors, nurses, and therapists would sometimes make her feel dejected. She wished her situation was different.

"Zhilan, there you are! It's time for your therapy." A nurse said and she turned her wheelchair around to make her way to therapy.

Therapy was mostly tedious and often boring. Zhilan would test her balance or lie on the floor extending and bending her right leg. Sometimes, she would attempt to walk. It didn't always turn out great though. She didn't complain because she knew doing these exercises would help get her back on the tennis courts.

"Every day, you make progress." Her physical therapist, Anna praised as she balanced herself on her right leg. She panted softly from the exertion. "I hope so. It'd be a shame to do all this for nothing."

Anna chuckled. "Oh, by the way, the hospital has a request for you." Zhilan raised an eyebrow at her. "What is it?" "Well, this week we're receiving a boy from China. He's your age and we were wondering if you could accompany him while he stays here."

She grimaced at the idea of meeting a complete stranger and even worse, a boy. Boys lived to flirt with her and it was irritating. "Don't make that face. I'm sure you'll get along fine if you give him a chance. We just thought that perhaps you could help him feel comfortable. You have a couple things in common. It won't hurt you."

Is that even necessary? I really don't feel like it. Zhilan sighed. "Are you sure?" Her therapist just smiled. "You'll be fine." She didn't respond. She simply continued with the rest of her therapy. You'll be fine. That's a bold assumption.

Author's Note

Well, that's one chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! Please feel free to vote or comment!

- Violet