May 1992

  Chris’ mom drives the boys, along with the Thomas twins, to the TalCorp site. The main building was up now, but they had only completed the offices. They had completed the parking lot while the fence remained in pce. And the heavy machinery was gone. The foreman’s trailer and other construction workers vehicles filled the area around the building. According to Chris’s dad, the project was on track to be finished before Thanksgiving, as it was moving along faster than expected.

  Simon had set up a part of the offices as a therapy room for Elle as well. The hospital suggested they implement a room for such things for future use. Seeing as how successful the surgery was. The director of the hospital agreed to a joint venture with TalCorp as well.

  Chris gets out of the SUV with the gang. His mom saw no problem with Ivy and Paul coming along, seeing as it’s the st day of school and they were good friends too. Chris leads the procession to the lobby door.

  “Chris! Don’t forget to sign Ivy and Paul in.” Ariel calls after them.

  “I won’t.” He says back. Though he wondered why he had too, being personal friends of the family. Guess it’s best to follow protocol. Probably take away their birthdays or whatever.

  At the reception desk, the dy there has Paul and Ivy sign a registry clipboard. She thanks them and they continue on to the therapy room.

  “Ooo, Chris. Let me use the badge?” Ivy says.

  Beyond the reception area, you needed to use a badge to access the main part of the facility.

  “What? Why?.” Paul says.

  “I know it’s silly, but it’s like I’m a secret agent or something.”

  They all turn to Jerry.

  He starts. “What? I didn’t say anything.”

  “I think it’s what you were about to say.” Jackson says.

  Ivy swipes the card in the card reader. The door opens with a whoosh.

  “Geez, guys. I don’t know what you were thinking. It’s like you were expecting me to say something stupid. I’m innocent.” He grins.

  “Yeah, innocent as a fart.” Paul says. Everyone busts up.

  At the end of the hall, they reach a door that reads ‘Therapy Room’. Inside, Elle is working on her walking. She was supporting herself between two parallel bars, walking between them.

  She perks up as she looks up and sees Chris. “Hey, Chris. Hey guys.”

  “Hey, Elle.” Everyone responds. Chris can see the light in her eyes as he walks to her. Simon and Chris’s dad standing next to the therapist at the opposite end of the parallel bars.

  “Oh, Elle. The principal caught us before we left and told us to bring you your homework. The stack is out in the SUV.” Jerry tells her.

  She gives him a shocked look, then seems to remember it was the st day of school today. “Yeah? Well, why don’t you get on it. I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time in summer school.”

  “Not me, I’m a straight-A student.”

  She moves another foot down the bars, grunting a bit. “Jerry? You’re thinking of ‘F‘. ‘F‘ is at the bottom, not ‘A’.”

  Chris ughs with the rest of them. He moves to the end of the bars where she was heading. Elle was about two-thirds of the way there. “Make it to me. You get a kiss.” He adds some incentive.

  She smiles and pushes herself. Keeping her eyes on Chris. She makes it and gives him a kiss. He ignores the comments from the audience and enjoys the moment.

  “Okay, Elle. Come on back and you’re done for the day.” The therapist tells her.

  They pull apart. Elle turns around slowly, but with better ease than she has been.

  Chris looks down at the scar along her lower back peaking out from her shirt, still a little pink. It looked like a capital ‘I’. He heard that the fact that she’s up and mobile after such an injury is beyond amazing. Her spine was severed, and the adjacent vertebrae shattered. She should not be walking right now. But there she is, doing just that.

  “What’re ya looking at, Chris? Hmm?” Jerry says, nudging him.

  “Same thing you’re looking at.”

  “Eww. Jerry.” Elle turns her head to Jerry.

  “Hey, I’m not looking.” Jerry holds up his hands in defense.

  “Then how would you know what I’m looking at, if you’re not following my eyes to see what I’m looking at? Hmm?” Chris says.

  Jerry stutters, trying to come up with a response, but Chris stumped him good. Everyone agrees. Though he can’t say he didn’t enjoy a little lower either. Not that he went around comparing backsides, he had Elle’s.

  Chris walks around to the other end and catches Elle when she finishes and helps her gently into her well-padded wheelchair. She sighs an enormous sigh of relief.

  “Feel better?” Chris says with a ugh.

  Elle just smiles wide up at him.

  “Elle, you did great today.” The therapist tells her. “Remember to keep doing your at home strengthening drills. At least three times a day. A few more if you can.”

  Elle agrees with her. Her dad had some paperwork with a list of routines to do at home. To her joy, some of them required a pool.

  The doctor tells her to be here Monday around noon and to have a good weekend. They all say goodbye and head out. Chris happily wheels Elle out to his mom’s SUV and helps her in.

  “We’ll be home in about half an hour. Then it’s grilling time.” Chris’ dad tells them.

  The gang couldn’t wait. They were celebrating the st day of school. Even Paul and Ivy’s parents were coming.

  “Okay, Elle. Where you wanna go eat?” Ariel asks her once everyone is in. “We’re going to be grilling ter tonight, but what do you want for now?”

  She thinks for a moment. “Ice cream shop, please.”

  “All right. Ice cream it is.” Ariel says and pulls out.

  “You love your ice cream, don’t ya.” Jackson says.

  “Yep.” Elle responds.

  “You know, Elle. Ice cream’ll make ya fat.” Jerry says. “We’re gonna have to get one of those ‘WIDE LOAD’ stickers to put on the back of your chair.”

  “Nope. Not me. You’re the earth elemental. Earthers are the ones who get fat.” Elle pokes his stomach. “Is that a belly growing there?”

  “Yeah, fatty.” Chris has to add, this was too good.

  “Shut up. Stocky doesn’t equal fat.” Jerry says poking back.

  Chris sits back with his arm around Elle. He was so happy that everything was back to normal, despite Elle’s injury, the press, and the therapy. No more Director, no more underground base, no more psycho brats.

  * * * * *

  After a trip to the ice cream shop, they drop Ivy and Paul off at their house to get changed. They would come over with their parents in a while. Chris and Elle joke around when he hears his mom cuss.

  “Damn. Time for interview mode, Elle.” She says.

  Elle moans. Chris feels for her. They’ve been having to endure the press along with her. With TalCorp now famous for introducing cybernetic repcement surgery, the news crews were having a heyday. It was good for business, he guessed, but they could be annoying.

  At least it’s just one. The local news group. They weren‘t so bad. It was the bigger news crews that were obnoxious. They would get in your face with questions and keep hounding until you threw them out, physically. But still.

  “All right, Elle. You know the drill.” Ariel says, pulling into the drive.

  She groans. “Yeah.”

  Chris helps her out and into her chair as the news team come around the SUV to greet them. They then ask if they could get an update. At least they were polite, but still don‘t waste anytime in getting to the heart of the matter. The male reporter has his camera man turn on the camera. He then asks for an update.

  “I’m doing all right. It still hurts though. The doctors say I'm recovering super fast.” She tells them, sounding a bit like she’s tired of answering the same questions over and over again.

  “I bet. But you must be so thrilled that you can at least move your legs after such an unfortunate accident? And so soon after the surgery.”

  “I am. I know it’ll take a while to gain full use of my legs again. Hopefully, by Christmas time.” Elle tells him in an upbeat tone.

  “That will be quite the present to get. So what do you pn on doing then, when you’re able to move freely again?”

  “I was thinking about taking up dancing.”

  “That sounds great. What kind of dancing?”

  Chris reaches over and puts his hand over Jerry‘s mouth. Elle visibly stifles a snicker before continuing.

  “I was thinking formal or ballet, or something like that. I'm kind of open to anything.”

  “That sounds great. I’m sure you’ll do great.”

  Ariel cuts in and apologizes. They have a lot pnned for the day. Saved by mom. The news crew thank Elle for her time and wish her good luck before they depart.

  Chris wheels her inside. Elle beams Jerry an evil eye.

  “What?” Jerry asks her, smiling to one side.

  “Yeah. Like you need to ask.”

  Chris ughs. “Hey. Jerry was hoping you’d give him some lessons in that form of dancing.”

  They all ugh.

  “I don’t think Chippendale’s would except a tubby like Jerry. Better start working out.”

  Jerry just mocks a ugh. Ha, ha, ha.