Thursday, September 8th

"How does it feel?"

"Amazing-weird-strange-great-wahoo." Sofia let go of the edge of the table. She could walk. She walked. On her own feet. Well, one foot was hers and one was her prosthesis. Step by step the room was hers, she was tall, she was able to get things out of the shelf. She could reach the chocolate now! The world was hers again. A free person.

She was in hospital, had an appointment with the orthopedic there to get her prosthesis and because doctor Bendler had helped her the whole time, she asked her to be there too. Two opinions were better than one. If one made a mistake the other could correct it. She wanted this prosthesis to be perfect, take it home and learn to make it one with her body. Her transtibial prosthesis, or how the doctor called it, her BK – below knee prosthesis. Carbon granite, extremely strong and apparently ready to do everything with her, she did before.

"Wow! A small step for mankind a huge step for me. Doc I can walk." Sofia smiled at doctor Bendler. Screw the protocol, she hugged the other woman. After all she was one of reasons why Sofia could walk again. Was alive at all.

"I can see that." Doctor Bendler smiled.

"Thank you so much."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you're happy again and walk."

"Do you feel any pain?" The orthopedic asked. He was in his late fifties, his short gray hair hadn't seen a comb in the morning, of that Sofia was sure. Crazy hair, just like somebody she knew. Was this the older and doctor version of Greg?

"No, no pain. It feels strange, unusual but it's because I'm not used to it. Like a new shoe you wear."

"Does the shoe fit?"

"If this was a sexy red high heel I could tell you, I know how they feel when they fit. I never wore a prosthesis before. I don't feel any pain, so the socket should be good. Can I go out and show Sara I can walk again?" Her lover sat outside, she was here to see Sofia walk again. Of course she was here.

"Okay, walk around a bit with her, take her in with out and we check on your leg again. The way you walk tells me your right and left leg have the same length, that's very good."

"Yeah otherwise I need two different pair of high heels. One two inches and one three inches."

"Try sneakers, they're better than high heels." The orthopedic advised.

"Boring. Explain him why women need high heels, doc." With a smile Sofia walked to the door. It was time to show Sara how she walked. With one last deep breath she opened the door and stepped outside. Maybe her steps were a little bit shaky now and then but she walked and she…she fell into Sara's arm.

"Are you all right?" Sara worried, holding her lover tight. Not that it wasn't a nice feeling to have Sofia in her arms, this wasn't part of the plan.

"Absolutely." Maybe she needed a little bit more practice and had to build up some muscles again. "I can walk. Most times without stumbling. Do I look sexy?"

"Yes."

"You can come in after we walked a little bit to see if I have any pain when I walk. You're allowed to stay with me. They want to check my prosthesis. I can't tell if it fits or not so they've to answer this question themselves. I want you with me, it's an important moment."

"Do you have any pain?" Sara took Sofia's hand walked with her down the hallway. It felt great to have her lover next to her side, they were at eye level again. Finally. No more bending down to look into these deep blue eyes she loved so much. No more bending down to kiss the woman she loved.

"No. I feel there's something – which I think should be good, my nerves are working around my wound – but it's not pain. You feel new shoes and when you walked in them for a while you don't feel them anymore."

"New shoes?"

"Yes. Do you think I can wear high heels with the prosthesis?"

"Why would you want to do that?"

"To have long and sexy legs." Why did she ask Sara? Her girlfriend wasn't a fan of these sexy shoes.

"You don't need high heels for that."

"Don't you want me to dress up for you?"

"No, you're not my toy, you're my girlfriend. I want you to dress in a way that keeps you healthy. And I prefer when you undress yourself for me. Get used to your prosthesis, walk in flat shoes and when you walk like before, feel safe and think you need high heels, do it."

"You have almost two inches of me, with heels I can be as tall as you are."

"I love you just the way you are."

"Thanks." Hand in hand they walked back into the room. With a wide grin Sofia stopped and turned around herself. Back and happy.

"How does your new leg feel?" The orthopedic asked. He wasn't impressed by her smile or her turning. "Do you have any pain?"

"Good. No pain, feels comfortable. I need to practice a little bit more, when I walked out I stumbled and ended in the arms of this wonderful woman."

"Hello Sara, you saved her again?" Doctor Bendler smiled.

"Hi, yes I try to do my best like she would do for me."

"And we try to do our best for her. Have a seat, Miss Curtis, we check on your leg again."

Sofia sat down and let the orthopedic check the prosthesis again. No, he wasn't a fun man, he was a matter-of-facts-man. Boring. She liked doctor Bendler more. The surgeon had some humor when she wasn't playing bad ass doctor. A bad ass doctor and a bad ass cop. They were so cool.

"You need to come in for regular checks."

"Can I go back to work?"

"Of course but please don't chase suspects. You can't climb and jump down walls, get in physical fights or do anything else that endangers your prosthesis. Especially at the beginning it's important to start slowly."

"Basically you tell me I can't continue my job, I've to be a pen pusher." Sofia stayed in the office the last weeks and she hated it already. Caught in a building, on a desk and the highlight of the day was the trip to the copier. If this was her future too she had to change something.

"Yes"

"Other people want to run at the Olympic Games."

"With a special prosthesis and only running, no fighting, not jumps from higher buildings or walls. You can play basketball later if you want."

"I've to become something very boring…like Deputy Chief."

"You will make your way. All right, everything looks good, you're free to go."

"Thanks. And thanks for being here, doctor Bendler."

"You're welcome. If you have any problems call us."

"I will. Come Sara, we can leave and I know exactly where I want to go first."

"A café to get some muffins?"

"No, a much better place." Sofia took Sara's hand. She had thought about what she wanted to do when she was able to walk again for a long time. There was one place she wanted to go first, a very special one.

"You must be kidding!" Sara starred at the building in front of the car. This was the place Sofia wanted them to go to first?

"No, I'm serious." She unbuckled her seat belt, got her arm around Sara's right arm, snuggled onto her shoulder and watched the building. The five star restaurant in Malibu, the place they had dinner one night. The dinner Sofia won in a club. The restaurant next to the ocean, with high prices, high end view and a menu to die for. More important: the night, the place they kissed for the first time. When they were here their relationship changed from friendship to love. For a long time Sofia wanted to come back to here, celebrate what the evening had given them, enjoy the view again. Now, almost two years after the first kiss and the first day she was able to walk again, this was the place she wanted to be with Sara. Here and nowhere else.

"You want us to have lunch in there?" Did she missed her girlfriend winning the lottery? They couldn't afford a lunch in here. After spending so much money on the new rooms, Sofia's medical treatments and the blonde not being on full money it was crazy to eat here.

"Absolutely. With a walk on the beach later. And a kiss. Or more than one. I need breaks when I walk."

"Sofia, it's…"

"Expensive? I'm aware of that. Compared to the fact I can walk again it's cheap. Please, we don't need a three course menu, lets have something small, a salad. We have dinner later anyway."

"A salad here is a three course menu somewhere else." Sara could remember the prices and she saw no need to pay a lot of money for a little bit of salad. Of course the restaurant was great, the look was priceless but they could also get something else and drive with the car to another nice place on the beach.

"Please. It's a special place, our first kiss place. It means a lot to me."

"Okay. If this is what makes you happy."

"No, this is what makes me really happy." Sofia kissed Sara gently. "The restaurant is only the ambience to be happy, has a romantic background story."

"Did you book a table?"

"Yes. I hoped I can talk you into going here."

"You're crazy."

"Crazy in love with you and very happy. Come on, we might also share a cocktail on the beach. Remember the little bay they have? The perfect place to snuggle up, feet in sand and sunshine on our face."

"For a cop you're very romantic."

"Use it for your advantage please." Sofia got out of the car. She was able to get out and stand up, could walk around the car, open the door for Sara and offer her a hand. Being able to walk made her feel like a grown up again.

"We aren't dress the way we should for this place." They both wore long skirts and tops. Sofia had beach shoes while Sara wore sandals.

"We look good." It felt a little bit strange to walk stairs again. Mostly because of the prosthesis, she felt it every time she moved. Not a bad feeling, still no pain only… there was something that usually wasn't there. With one hand on the railing and one holding on to Sara Sofia managed the twelve steps and needed a break. Who would have thought she was in such a bad shape? Twenty yards from the car to the stairs, twelve steps and she felt like she ran around the reservoir. From tomorrow on she'd exercise harder and more. Daily walks to the reservoir or the dog's playground.

"Until we can make long walks on the beach it will take some time."

"That's okay. When we take the dogs our we simply take the new wheelchair with us." Sofia was able to push herself in the wheelchair so they exchanged her old one today for a new one. Lighter and with no electric motor. She was supposed to walk as much as possible with her new leg but for long distances she needed a wheelchair.

"I hate to say this but you're right. My personal torturer will have a lot of fun with me. Treadmill and all the other things he has in his room."

"You practice a lot at home." They had half a dozen exercise machines on the third level and Sofia worked out a lot. Their personal gym was very handy for her and her favorite spot in the house next to their new bedroom. This looked the way they had planed. A big glass door led them to the balcony, big enough for a table, a little garden swing and two chairs. On wall in their bedroom were two wardrobes and shelves for their clothes and shoes, the desk next to the glass door was the whole day in light. Two dressers next to the door to the hallway and the bed under the window. Every night they could watch the stars before they fall arm in arm asleep.