“No… uff… caah. No… uff… caah.” Gini turned around and yanked her hand out of Debbie’s.
“It’s okay,” Robert said, dropping the bag and grabbing her. He immediately walked her back to the enclosed bridge where the car sound was muffled.
“No… uff… caah.” Her hands were flexing.
“We’re safe, baby. Nothing is going to hurt you.”
Robert got down on one knee and rubbed up and down her arms. “The car’s gone. We can go now.”
“No… uff… caah.” There was no convincing her to go back in the garage. They gave up to try another day.
Ric was counting the days until he could be with Gini again. Even though a date hadn’t been set, he knew it would be soon. He had longed to wake up with her at his side and see her when he got home from work. She would enjoy the trips to Florida, and all her friends there were anxious to see her.
She constantly talked about the birds in the building, so Ric took her hand to take her to the atrium; he hadn’t been there yet. When they got out into the hall, she reached to take the rail as Dr. Young had taught her. Ric pulled her away.
“You don’t need that rail, Gins. You’re not crippled.”
Gini started walking very slowly—her arm still out. It caught Debbie’s attention, so she watched through the window. She couldn’t hear what Ric was saying but could see Gini was hesitant. There was no reason for her to be; she and Dr. Young had been to the atrium several times. After a few more steps, Gini stopped. Ric faced her and said something. Gini turned around, edged toward the wall, and took hold of the rail to walk back to the unit.
“Gins, you’re going the wrong way.”
They were closer, and Debbie could hear them.
“No… uff… bur. No… to…day.”
He slapped his arms to his side in frustration and then caught up with her.
Debbie smiled. She saw a bit of an attitude in her baby. Whatever Ric was requesting, Gini wanted nothing to do with it.
“What’s up?” Debbie asked.
Gini hugged close to Debbie. “No… uff… bur… to… day. Dee… bee… lah… uff.”
“I have no idea,” Ric said.
Later, Gini took her mug off the coffee table to drink. She gingerly slipped her hand under the handle and around the cup. It was slow going because it took great concentration for her to get it to her mouth.
“Honestly, sweets!” He took her hand and put the cup up to her mouth.
“She can do it,” Debbie said.
“I know, but it… Why doesn’t she use the handle the right way?”
“With it on her hand, it makes it easier for her to lift.”
He kissed her on the forehead. “I’ve got to get going.”
On his way out, he told Debbie he was going to be in Florida for a few days to tie up loose ends so when they moved he could be with Gini all day.
A few days later, Robert walked in. “Deb, I brought you an article from the medical journal I thought you might be interested in.”
“Bir… uff… fa-lie.”
Dr. Young looked at his watch. “Okay, sweetheart, I have a few minutes, let’s go.”
In the atrium, she sat in the bench swing and started signing.
“Wait a minute, Gini, I’m just learning how to use sign language. Do again.”
She started over and said the words as she signed. “Thee… bur… uff… seen… pity.”
“It’s because they’re happy, they are warm and know they’re safe in here. Which flowers do you like best?”
“Geez… men… uff… smeel.”
“Open your eyes, sweetheart, and look at all the flowers, there are so many.”
She opened her eyes, and the lids slowly closed after a few seconds.
“What other flowers do you like?”
She just smiled but didn’t answer the question.
They stayed a bit longer, and on the way back, she said, “oak… hid.”
“Yes, I agree, the orchids are beautiful.”
The article was about a woman who was in a skiing accident on her honeymoon and sustained brain trauma. When she became conscious, she had no sexual desire, not even for kissing. Her husband vowed to stand by her and take care of her. After six months, she started examining her body and rediscovering her sensual parts. He told her about kissing and showed her how. They became intimate once again, and five years later, they were enjoying a happy, normal life with their two kids. The statement at the end of the story:
Never underestimate the human spirit, the power of love or the amazing human brain. With the new therapies and developing technologies, we continue to find ways to retrain damaged brains.
Maybe Ric was right, maybe Gini will go back to her life, Debbie thought.
She looked up and saw Robert and Gini coming back. Gini took her hand out of his and signed, “Someday I’m going to fly like a bird.”
He laughed, and she looked up at him and smiled.
“Yes, Gini, I think you will fly like a bird someday.”
They were going to miss each other.
She sat on the couch. “Ock… tor… rob… ber… ong… pa… lay… bray… caad.”
“I can’t now, sweetheart. I have a meeting in fifteen minutes.”
“Are we still on for the ride tomorrow morning to the condo?” Debbie asked.
“I’ll be here at ten o’clock.” As he walked out the door, he mentioned, “She saw the orchids today.”
The strategy changed for the ride; they would take her to the car in her wheelchair. While Debbie got Gini settled in the back seat, Robert put the chair in the back of her SUV. Debbie drove, and he sat next to Gini. She
