Title: A Walk To Remember
Rating: M (for language)
Summary: A car accident changes everything for Beca Mitchell, the once star soccer player for Barden University. Three years after the accident, her life is about to take another turn, due to an experimental surgery and a driven physical therapist named Chloe. (Not based on the movie, obv.)

A/N: This is just a thought, maybe will turn into a full blown story. Let me know what you think. I'm taking a lot on, attempting to juggle two stories with my busy ass life, but I can assure you that I am not abandoning See Her On The Weekends. Elevated and Darling, You'll Be Okay have both been put on temporary hiatuses. I hope you enjoy this, it kind of just came to me (seeing as I'm a very injury prone person and have had many opportunities for experimental surgeries).


May 27, 2011

'Car Accident in Atlanta, Georgia Leaves Collegiate Soccer Player Paralyzed.'

A car accident last week has left collegiate star soccer player, Beca Mitchell, in a wheelchair. Mitchell, 19, was driving down Howell Mill Rd when a drunk driver speeding down Huff Rd NW in a SUV struck her car on the driver's side. She was thrown 180 feet, suffering many injuries. She was reported to have slipped out of her seatbelt when the car rolled over, causing her to be ejected out of the driver's side window. She was transported to Piedmont Surgery Center where she underwent a 5 hour surgery to repair a lacerated lung and a broken sternum. It was found during surgery that she had also endured an incomplete spinal cord injury. Dr. Mitchell, the victim's father, has officially confirmed that his daughter now suffers from paraplegia.

From what we know of the injury; an anterior cord syndrome in thoracic spinal cord injuries are extremely difficult, causing the motor function in the lower region, mainly the legs, to completely or partially immobilize while some (if any) sensation remaining.

Beca Mitchell was the center forward for the Barden Knights, claiming 7 goals and 4 assists in her calendar year that ended the night of the accident. She was on her way to becoming a professional soccer player, many clubs already scouting her. With our knowledge of her injury, it looks like this star soccer player may never walk again.

The driver of the SUV has been arrested for aggravated DUI, and reckless/negligent BAC two times the legal limit. He is still pending investigation.

Beca sighs as she reads the article that made everything a reality to her. It was one thing for doctors to tell her she'd be damned to a wheelchair, but when it was all over the news, it really hit her. It had been a little over three years since the accident that put an indefinite halt on her soccer career, that forced her to not be able to walk at her graduation. But all of that was about to change, she hoped.

Being confined to a wheelchair has been one of the most life altering aspects of Beca's life. She had never known how difficult it could be, how trying to get yourself out of bed physically and emotionally weighs on you. Beca thanked God for the days she was able to walk because she couldn't begin to imagine how people who were cursed with paraplegia their whole felt.

Beca graduated from Barden University a month ago with major in music composition and audio recording. Since her soccer days were over, Beca had channeled all of her depression, anxiety, and pending anger into music. She had composed music for her school's acapella team, the Barden Bellas, getting recognition for her innate skill for creating perfect mash-up set lists. Barden University had hired her for their upcoming spring semester.

But her fresh-out-of-college job was the last thing on her mind. Beca glances at the calendar; August 30, 2014. Today was the day that she was getting surgery. Beca jumped on the opportunity for an experimental surgery that would relocate olfactory ensheathing cells from her nose (weird, right?) to her spinal cord, hopefully allowing the nerve to repair itself and be able to send the signals it's supposed to so that her motor function is restored.

It's a risky surgery, and she's their first patient, but Beca would give anything to be able to walk again. Beca understands that the surgery can be unsuccessful and it's a risk she was willing to take. Just a chance, that's all she wanted.

Beca hears knocking on her bedroom door and she knows it's her best friend, Stacie, coming to pick her up.

"Come in!" Beca yells as she slams her laptop shut, not wanting Stacie to see the article. Stacie saw it when it first came out, but Beca hated dwelling on the past, and that's exactly what she was doing and she wouldn't own up to it.

"Hey, Becs. You ready?" Stacie breathes out.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Beca smiles halfheartedly. The anxiety was rising in her chest, and Beca knows she has to stop it so that she doesn't wuss out in the last minute.

"Let's go, then."

xxx

Beca wheels herself into the surgery waiting room, Stacie allowed to come back with her. She helps her friend undress and replaces her clothes with a hospital gown. She lays Beca down on the bed and Beca feels her leg twitch. This happened from time to time, as her injury was incomplete and allowed her to have some voluntary movement in her legs, but it was mostly along the lines of leg twitches and the occasional ankle bending.

"Hospital gowns are the new black, huh?" Beca jokes trying to lighten the mood.

"For you? No. You're always wearing black, so..." Stacie smirks.

There's a small 'are you ready?' at the curtain and Beca grunts in confirmation. In walks a nurse, who's there to prep Beca for the anesthesiologist and the surgeon.

"Okay, Beca... I just need you to confirm your information on this band is correct." The nurse flashes the band and Beca's eyes skim it; Rebeca Taylor Mitchell. DOB: 04/06/1992.

"Yeah, everything's right." Beca nods as the nurse smiles, placing the band around her wrist.

"All right, let me take your vitals."

Thirty minutes had passed, Beca already visiting with the surgeon and anesthesiologist. She had been given her dose of anesthesia and knew she'd be out soon.

"I'll see you on the other side." Beca smiles, holding her hand out to grab her best friends.

"Good luck, short stack." Stacie replies, a tear falling down her cheek.

The effect of the anesthesia were slowly taking over Beca as the nurse starts wheeling her towards the operating room. Beca's hand was still sticking out of the bed, causing the nurse to sternly tell her to keep her hand inside.

Loopy, Beca replies with, "NO! I'm a rebel. Screw you," before passing out.

xxx

Beca woke up from surgery 5 hours later feeling the grogginess cloud her head. She could feel that her nose was bandaged, probably from them scraping the cells out of it. She was hoping the surgery was successful, but patiently waited for the surgeon to come talk to her.

Beca moves her eyes side to side, looking around the room, spitting a nurse.

"Miss..." Beca tries to call out, her throat dry from the tube they had to insert to help her breathe.

"Oh, Beca! You're up! Good news. Let me tell the doctor and grab your friend." The nurse exclaims.

Beca waits for a few minutes before the surgeon comes walking in with another woman who was not the precious nurse. Beca's eyes widen as she steps into frame, her red hair glowing in the lowlight of the recovery room, her piercing blue eyes glistening as well. If Beca thought it was hard to speak before, she was totally speechless now at this girl's beauty.

"Hey, Beca!" Dr. Fitzgerald says happily. "Glad to see my warrior patient is awake! It's going to be difficult for you to talk because of the breathing tube, so I want you to answer by nodding 'yes' or shaking your head 'no'."

Beca nods, pressing her lips together in a small smile as the redhead in the white coat watches her.

"We won't know for a couple of weeks if the surgery was successful or not, so we have to keep you here under supervision. Do you understand?" A nod. "Excellent. I take it you're feeling okay?" Another nod. "Great, great!"

"Hi, Beca! My name is Chloe Beale. I'm going to be your physical therapist for the duration of a few months so we can get those legs working again." The redhead's smile beams and Beca may have just melted on the inside. "I will be working with you 5 days a week, we'll be starting with sensation for two weeks, and then when you get your MRI to see if the surgery was successful, we will start on your motor function, okay?"

Beca nods, her eyes filling up with tears. She didn't mean to start crying, but the fact that these doctors were so dedicated to her recovery made her an emotional wreck. Chloe's smile falls when she sees Beca's tears, knowing the patient would be way too weak to move any of her limbs. Chloe makes a swift decision to pull a handkerchief from her mandatory lab coat pocket and leans over Beca. She places her hand on Beca's leg gently, using the cloth to wipe away her tears.

"There, all better." She smiles. "Though, it's perfectly okay to cry."

Chloe gives Beca's legs a small squeeze, causing the brunette's eyes to widen. She felt that, hardly, but she could tell it was there by the small spark she felt for the first time. Sure, she had some touch sensation left in her legs, but it was mostly just if something skimmed the surface of her skin the right way. She had never once felt pressure sensation.

"Pres-pressure." Beca croaks out.

"Pressure?" Chloe's eyebrow rises before realization floods her face. "YOU FELT THAT!?"

Beca nods, mouthing 'barely, but yes' and Chloe squeals and tries to contain herself from hugging her patient in excitement.

"Beca! This is great! Already showing some progress. It means some of your cells have regenerated a small section of your injury! Let's hope they fuse fully!" Dr. Fitzgerald exclaims happily. "Okay, well we have to go, but the nurse will take you back to your private room for recovery.

"I'll see you, tomorrow, Beca." Chloe smiles, waving goodbye. Beca nods, her arms way too weak to attempt to wave back.

Beca watches as Chloe and Dr. Fitzgerald make their exit and sees that Stacie is entering as they leave. Stacie doubles takes as she passes them, pointing back at them as she approaches Beca.

"Who's the hot red head?" Stacie asks.

"Physical therapist," Beca manages to get out.

"She's attractive and she's going to be touching you a lot in the days to come," Stacie wiggles her eyebrows, smirking. Beca rolls her eyes at her best friend's antics, the words settling in her stomach. Beca's face becomes unreadable and Stacie freaks out. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I..." Beca's throat dries up. "I felt her..."

"You what, now?" Stacie questions, confused.

Beca breathes out loudly, pushing herself to produce enough words to get her point across. "Her touch. I felt it... Like a spark."


So, when I got surgery last year on my middle finger (sustained animal bite wound that tore my nerve), I was saying goodbye to my best friend as I was being wheeled away to the operating room. I was so damn loopy and tired that I really did scream 'NO, I'M A REBEL. SCREW YOU!' when they asked me to keep my arms and legs inside the bed.

To this day, she won't let me live that down.

Hope you enjoyed this. The chapter for SHOTW will be out in a couple of days!

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