***Two weeks later***
Jennifer was getting stronger every day. The downstairs guest bedroom was now a workout room/therapy room, just for her. There was an inversion table, a motorized exercise bike, and several balance machines.
The wedding was in 6 weeks, so she was trying to focus on that. Jonathan was returning to work today. He had called the wedding venue and had explained everything. They had promised they would make everything accessible.
She had a lengthy to-do list for his first day back at work. She was going to type up their wedding programs, write her vows, and figure out the music for the ceremony.
She woke up when he did and went to the kitchen to take her turmeric. She had gotten so much better balancing on the hand poles and had even started shifting her hips as she moved forwards.
"Darling, take it easy today, ok? Try not to overdo it".
"I'll be fine, darling. I promise".
"Do you have physical therapy today?"
"Yes, at 1".
"Good. I hope it goes well. I will be home around 5".
He leaned down to kiss her.
"I love you".
"I love you too".
Jennifer had completed her to-do list except for the vows by the time the physical therapist got there.
"How about some pool work today?"
"Yes, I would like that".
She went to the bedroom and changed into her suit, and then grabbed a towel.
They went out back to the side yard where the pool was.
"Ok, so it looks like you have an endless pool. That's great, that's very helpful. So, I'm going to get in the pool with you, and then we will figure out how many strokes equal a lap".
It didn't take them long to get started, and Jennifer was a fast swimmer, which was very helpful. It worked out that 12 strokes equaled a lap.
"Ok, so let's see how many laps you can do. I'll stay in the shallow end, just in case you need me".
The therapist wrapped the flotation belt around Jennifer's waist and then let her start swimming. She swam for 2 ½ hours straight, without stopping.
Afterwards, the therapist took her back into the house, helped her get settled into bed, and then got her set up with the TENS machine.
"Ok, I'm going to set an alarm for you for 1 hour. When it goes off, turn the machine off. When this light on the machine turns red, you can take the nodes off".
"Thank you".
Jennifer was looking forward to the nap she was about to take.
Max showed the therapist out, and Jennifer fell fast asleep.
When the alarm went off, she reached over, turned it off and kept sleeping.
Jonathan got home at 6 thanks to a late meeting, and found her still asleep.
He leaned over and kissed her and woke her up.
"Hi".
"Hi gorgeous".
She sat up and realized that the TENS unit was still on.
"Oh no! I was supposed to turn this off". She switched it off and then pulled the nodes off.
"How about some dinner?"
"Yes, please".
She used the hand poles to go into the kitchen.
"Darling, sometimes at the office, we have people come in to talk to our employees about various things. Today was one of those days. I had a lovely chat with a lady who is an acupuncturist. I explained to her that you and I had been in an accident and that you had lost sensation in your legs. She mentioned that acupuncture might help your nerves start to regain the feeling".
"Oh? That's interesting. I never thought about acupuncture".
"Well, she's coming here tomorrow at 10, to talk to you about it. I asked her to explain it all to you, and let you decide. If you decide yes, then your first session will be tomorrow while she's here".
"Are you getting it done too?"
"No, she said that she can't do much for a broken foot".
"I see".
"And I was also thinking, tomorrow night, why don't you and I go to dinner? We haven't had a date in a long time".
"Sure".
"I'll make all the arrangements".
After a nice dinner, they climbed back into bed and turned on a movie.
Jonathan pulled Jennifer in front of him and gave her a nice backrub.
"Oh, that feels amazing".
"Your shoulders are so tense".
He rubbed on her shoulders for a good while and then they switched. It took some maneuvering but she was able to swing her legs to the side so he could lean back against her. She rubbed his shoulders for about an hour and then gave him a chest rub.
"What do you have planned for tomorrow?"
"Well after the acupuncturist leaves, I think I might go do some shopping. Maybe get a pedicure".
"Is Max going to take you?"
"No, Susan is. She called today and asked me if I wanted to, and I told her I would let her know in the morning".
She stopped scratching his chest to scratch her back for a minute.
"You ok?"
"Yeah, my back just itches, that's all".
He moved behind her and scratched her back. She eventually fell asleep on his chest.
He covered them with the blanket and held her all night long.
***The next morning***
Jennifer and Jonathan had breakfast together and then he headed to the office.
"Have fun with Susan, I'll see you tonight. I love you".
"I love you too".
She gave him several kisses and then he left.
The acupuncturist arrived right on time. Max let her in.
"Hi, I'm Jennifer".
"Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Amber".
They sat down on the couch and Jennifer explained everything to her.
"Ok, so I have a massage table out in my car. I'm going to run get it".
"Oh no need. I have one in the guest room right here".
They slowly made their way in there.
"Oh, this will be perfect. Ok, so I'm going to give you a few minutes to get undressed. You can keep your bra on, but I will need your lower back to be completely uncovered. We are going to start face down, and do treatment on that side first".
Jennifer undressed and then managed to get on the table. She was all ready when Amber came back in.
"Ok, so I want to do some cupping techniques on your lower back."
"What is that?"
"I take a glass jar, oil your skin, introduce heat to the jar, and then put it on your skin and it pulls the trapped blood up to the surface".
"Interesting".
She cupped several places all over Jennifer's lower back, and then let her sit there and rest for about an hour.
Afterwards, she removed the jars, and then had Jennifer turn over. She placed some needles in various points along Jennifer's body. Some places Jennifer felt the needle, and others she did not.
"Ok, so I'm going to have you rest like this for about 45 minutes. And I'm going to give you these crystals to hold".
As soon as she put them in her hands, Jennifer felt vibrations running through her arms.
"Um….am I hooked up to electricity or something?"
"No, that's the energy moving. Your chakras are completely blocked, sweetie. We are unblocking them".
Amber set up some diffusing oils in the corner and then turned the lights out and went and sat in the living room.
Jennifer could hardly keep her eyes open while she laid there.
Amber came back when the time was up and took the needles out.
"How do you feel?"
"Good, good."
"Wonderful. Now you're back will probably be a little tender tonight, that's normal. And the marks will go away in a few days".
"So how often do you think I should see you?"
"Every other day for a month or so".
"Sounds good. Thank you".
Max saw her out and then Jennifer went and changed clothes and called Susan.
"I'll be there in an hour".
"Wonderful".
For convenience sake, she decided to take her wheelchair.
She transferred to the car easily, and folded the chair down and put it in the floorboard next to her.
They started with a pedicure. Jennifer picked out a sparkly pink for her toes and had no problems lifting herself up into the pedicure chair. After a glorious pedicure, they were ready to go. Everyone stared at her while she got herself into her chair and wheeled herself to the door. They headed to lunch next.
"How about L'Orangerie?"
"Oh, I haven't been there in ages! That sounds divine".
Susan valet parked the car, and Jennifer got herself out and rolled up to the door. Susan held the door for her and then Jennifer rolled inside, with Susan right behind her.
"Hi, two please".
"Yes, Dr. Kendall. Well unfortunately, your regular table isn't available, will another table be suitable?"
"Sure".
Jennifer noticed that the host had not looked at her directly one time in the 5 minutes they had already been there.
"Right this way".
He led them all the way to the back of the restaurant by the kitchen.
"Here is a nice, quiet table for you ladies. Enjoy".
They tried to make the best of it and had a nice lunch.
Susan paid the check, even though Jennifer objected.
"No, this is my treat. Now, what stores would you like to hit up?"
"Well, I was thinking. Jonathan wants to take me to dinner tonight, and I think I might want a new dress to wear for the occasion."
"Perfect, I know just the place".
They made their way to the front of the restaurant. Even the host was watching them, Susan was the only one who bothered to move chairs out of the way for Jennifer.
"Thank you ladies, please come back soon".
Susan just glared at him as they made their way through the door.
She got them settled in the car and then drove them to this new little boutique that had just opened.
"What is this?"
"Scarlett Vines. They are from New York. Their slogan is "Let the world see you from all angles". They have lots of really cute stuff".
"Wonderful".
They went inside and checked it out. Jennifer found several really nice dresses.
"I think I'm going to get a fitting room".
She wheeled over to the fitting room attendant.
"Hi, I need a fitting room please".
"I'm sorry, we don't have one available".
The attendant turned and walked away before Jennifer could protest.
She wheeled back to Susan.
"They don't have any available".
"What? We are the only ones in here. Of course, they do."
"That's what she said".
"Hang on, let me ask them".
Susan took the dresses from Jennifer, and shuffled them a bit in her arms.
She walked up to the attendant, while Jennifer pretended to look at the sunglasses rack.
"Hi, I'd like a fitting room please".
"Right this way, ma'am".
Jennifer was incensed.
The attendant gave Susan a number to hang on the outside of the door and they made their way to the fitting rooms.
Susan hung the dresses in the fitting room and then Jennifer rolled inside.
"I'll be right out here".
"Thank you".
While she was waiting, Susan looked in the other dressing rooms. They were all a tight fit, especially if you had a wheelchair. There was one larger one that was marked as the handicapped dressing room. She touched the door to see if it was locked and it swung open. It was filled with old mannequin's, and empty racks.
Jennifer decided to get two of the dresses. She came out and held them up for Susan.
"Oh, that's darling. I think I might get that one too".
Susan ran to get one off the rack and met her at the register.
Jennifer was talking to the saleswoman.
"I'm sorry. The tag says that dress is $84.99, not $124.99".
"I'm sorry, ma'am. Whatever it rings up is what the price is".
"I see".
Jennifer decided to get it anyways and paid the bill.
Susan was at the next register. They scanned her dress and it rang up $84.99.
"You know what? I've changed my mind. Thanks anyways".
She and Jennifer made their way to the door and Susan held it open for her. After they were in the car, they headed back to the beach house. Jennifer had become very quiet.
"Jennifer, I'm sorry. I feel like I picked the worst places possible for us to go today".
"What do you mean?"
"Well, everyone stared at us at the pedicure place, and the host was dismissive of you at the restaurant and then the treatment of you in the boutique was horrible, absolutely horrible".
Jennifer turned to look out the window.
"You noticed that too, huh?"
"Yeah, I did. And I'm calling their corporate office. They had no right to deny you a fitting room and no right to upcharge you".
"How do you know they upcharged me?"
"When I got to the counter, you were telling the lady it should have been $84.99. She told you there wasn't anything she could do about it. But when they rang up my dress, the exact same dress you had, it was $84.99".
"I see".
"I just refuse to support discrimination like that, so that's why I put the dress back".
She pulled them up into the driveway and honked the horn. Max came and opened the garage and she pulled on in.
He helped her out of the car.
"Bye Susan, thank you for a lovely afternoon".
"I'll talk to you soon. Enjoy dinner with Jonathan".
She wheeled into the house and went straight to her bedroom.
Max was in the living room when the phone rang.
"Hello, may I speak to Jennifer Edwards?"
"One moment, let me see if she's available".
He went to her bedroom door and saw that she was laying on the bed crying.
He crept back to the phone.
"I'm sorry, she's not available. May I take a message?"
He wrote down the message and then hung up.
He called Jonathan at the office.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Mr. H. Listen, there's something wrong with Miss Edwards. She left with Susan and when she came back, she headed straight to the room and she's in there upset".
"Ok thanks Max. I'll be home soon".
He hung up and called Susan. She filled him in and his heart sank.
"I'm sorry Jonathan, I feel so responsible".
"It's not your fault, Susan. I just hate it happened to her. Thank you for taking her out though, I appreciate it".
He got home around 5:30.
"Hey, you ready to go?"
"I guess".
She wasn't crying but she wasn't happy, either.
"So, I asked a few people at the office about restaurants we should try, in hopes of finding a new place. They suggested one about 30 minutes away from here, called The Cactus Blossom. They said it's really good. They also recommended one a little further out, that's a seafood restaurant. I called ahead, and they are both wheelchair accessible".
"Let's go to the one farther out".
"You got it".
He leaned over and gave her several kisses.
"I missed you today".
"I missed you too".
They got ready and made their way to the car.
"We will be home later, Max".
"Have fun you two".
She told him all about the acupuncture appointment while they drove. He was skeptical but glad that she was willing to give it a try.
"What does it feel like?"
"Darling, when we get home tonight, I'll get my sewing kit and poke you with the straight pins. It's kind of like that".
"Are you crazy?! That hurts".
She chuckled.
"It wasn't too bad. The crazy part was the vibrations".
"She made you vibrate?"
"Yeah, she said my chakras are blocked, and that holding the crystals after the needles were in place would unblock them".
"Interesting".
They had a lovely dinner at the seafood restaurant. It was called Anchor, and it was upscale food in a dive bar setting.
"We need to come back here, darling".
"I agree. This is the best seafood linguine I've ever had".
They looked over the dessert menu and decided to order some.
After the waiter walked away, Jonathan took Jennifer's hand.
"Darling, I have to tell you something. There's a meeting that I had today, about Hart Industries acquiring a couple of plants in Wisconsin and Texas. I have to go check them out. Unfortunately, the only time that I can meet with the plant supervisors is the week of our wedding".
"You're going out of town the week of our wedding?"
"Just for a few days. I'll leave Monday and come back Thursday".
"Can I come with you?"
"I don't think that's wise, darling. You'll miss your physical therapy, and I have no idea what the facilities are like".
She thought about it and nodded.
"Also, I talked to the director of the inn where the wedding is today. She said that moving the chairs over to make the aisle wider isn't an issue. But it's a cobblestone aisle, so she thinks you should use your wheelchair to come up and down the aisle for safety reasons. I agree with her that it would be safer".
She nodded.
"Are you sure you don't want to postpone the wedding till I can walk again?"
"I will if you want to, but darling, if we postpone it for say 3 months, and nothing changes, what then? We can't keep postponing it forever".
"You're right. I guess it's time for me to just accept that this won't be the wedding or the honeymoon I had planned".
They ate their dessert and then headed home. He put the top down on the way home and held her hand the whole way.
When they got home, she headed to the bedroom to put on her nightgown. He spent a few minutes talking to Max and then went and joined her.
He climbed into bed and wrapped his arms around her.
"Darling, you didn't tell me how shopping with Susan went".
"I don't want to talk about it".
"Was she ugly to you?"
"No, she wasn't. But everyone else was. Oh darling, it was just awful. Nobody looked at me. They all looked away from me or above me. We went to get our toes done first. And everyone stared as I got myself in the chair and out of the chair. And I quietly explained to the lady that I couldn't feel what she was doing, so she could just put my feet in the water and take them out when she needed to. And she gave me the most awkward, pitiful stare. Then we went to L'Orangerie, and they had like 4 tables filled. But they insisted on seating us at the very back of the restaurant out of sight. And the host saw that chairs were in the way of where I was going, but made no effort to move them. He wouldn't even look at me directly, darling. It was like I was invisible. And then, we went to a boutique. And I found some things I wanted to try on. So, I asked for a fitting room. I was told they didn't have one. Susan went and asked, and they let her have one right away. So she gave it to me and then nosed around and discovered that the handicapped stall was filled with mannequins. And they overcharged me for my dress. She bought the exact one and they didn't overcharge her. I've never felt so dismissed and alone in my life".
He wrapped his arms around her and held her.
"I'm sorry, darling. I hate that happened to you".
"I suppose if I had driven drunk or dove into the shallow end of a pool, that I wouldn't have any right to complain. But I didn't ask for this, you didn't ask for this and people shouldn't be treated this way".
"I completely agree with you. Want me to buy the places and fire them?"
She gave him a slight grin.
"No, but it will be a long time before I go back to L'Orangerie or that boutique".
"I don't blame you".
He climbed out of bed and put on his pajamas and then came back.
They watched the news through the sports and then turned the TV off.
She snuggled up to him.
He rolled them onto her back and kissed her.
"Want to give it a shot?"
"I'm scared".
"It's ok. If we can't, we can't. But we'll never know till we try".
She nodded.
It was slow at first, but they managed to make love and Jennifer was actually able to enjoy it. There weren't any fireworks like normal, but it was nice.
They fell asleep together, all snuggled up.