Paths of Absolution: Part Three
25 Jul 2022Dixon-Phyre
Ramona sat in a wheelchair, looking very apprehensive. Glanced down at the healed stump of her leg, with the mounting points - one central, three smaller surrounding it - projecting from where mid-thigh would once have been.The nurse, short red-haired lass probably about the same age, freckled face, squeezed her shoulder.
“It’s okay to be nervous,” the woman said, “you’ve been through a lot.”
On a table next to them sat the leg. She could have had one that looked realistic, be almost indistinguishable from a flesh-and-blood leg, but it would have seemed a bit creepy. Besides, she really couldn’t have afforded it.
Indeed, she didn’t actually have the money for this one, but Mikael had slapped the the table next to her bed and glared at her - the first time he’d displayed anything like anger with her.
“Have the model you want,” he had insisted, “and don’t fret about the cost.”
“But I can’t afford it!”
“You can’t. I can. Don’t argue, Ramona!”
And so what she was getting was a limb that was obviously artificial, matt gunmetal grey, visible joints at knee and ankle. Internal hydraulics and motors would provide ease of motion, avoid tiring the other leg and even if the power ran out, it wouldn’t simply lock up.
The nurse gently lifted the leg off the table and manoeuvred it over to Ramona. She saw the corresponding sockets within, nestled inside a layer of shock-absorbing gel. She gripped the arms of the chair as it gently clicked into place. The nurse consulted a small datapad, tapped the screen.
“Okay, Ramona. Powering up now…”
Felt a slight humming in the stump of her leg. “Should be ready to go!”
Gingerly, she willed herself to lift the leg; seemed almost surprised when it responded smoothly.
“Oh gosh,” she whispered.
“That’s good. Bend the knee back and forth a few times…”
She did.
“Now ankle, back and forth, side to side…”
After a few minutes, the nurse was satisfied everything was responding as it should. She moved behind the chair and wheeled Ramona over to a set of parallel bars. “Right, dear. The big moment. Up you get!”
Ramona reached out and grasped the bars, paused because she couldn’t stop shaking. The nurse stood close by.
“I’m here. Support yourself on the bars. Try and keep the weight equally on both legs; remember, your left leg has been out of action for a while.”
Took a deep breath and slowly hauled herself up. Almost staggered at the unaccustomed sensation of the stump settling into the socket on the prosthetic.
Her left leg trembled.
“Can you take a couple of steps?”
She clenched her teeth and swung the prosthetic forwards, followed by the left. Even supported by the bars, it felt like the hardest thing she had ever had to do.
“Brilliant, Ramona. Now sit back down if you want; there is absolutely no need to rush this process.”
She slumped back into the wheelchair and let out a shuddering breath. The nurse took her through the various procedures she would need to know; removing it, recharging the internal batteries, using the supplied datapad for diagnostics and so forth.
Returning to her room, she carefully manoeuvred herself onto the bed and lay back, staring down at the new leg and moving it around . Checked the time - another hour until visiting. Until Mikael arrived.
What an enigma he was. Such a kind, thoughtful man, not at all like the gossip she had dredged up after some searching. ‘Dixie’, a hard-boiled bounty hunter, ruthless to his prey, who left a trail of broken hearts behind him in whatever system he passed through. Gossip and hearsay. That’s all it was, she kept telling herself. Picked up the teddy he had brought for her and cuddled it to her breast with a sigh.