CHAPTER 3
"Walk…walk…keep on walking." Barbara guided Helena by the sound of her voice. Helena was taking her first baby steps alone out of her room towards the railing. Her hands were waving in front of her, trying to find the railing but so far she felt nothing. It was a very nerve wracking experience walking without being able to see where she was going.
Reese was close behind her, in case she had tripped and fell. "You're almost to the railing, Helena. Take two more normal steps."
Helena took a normal step when she tripped on something on the floor. She began to fell forward when Reese caught her. "Damn it!" Helena cursed.
"It's okay, Helena! It's going to take some time to adjust."
"There's got to be a better way. I refuse to trip over everything that's on the floor."
"Perhaps this will do, Master Helena!" Alfred approached Helena with a walking stick.
Alfred took Helena's hands and placed it in the palm of her hand. Helena wrapper her fingers around it and slid her right hand up and down the stick. "A stick?"
"Yes, a walking stick, Master Helena. You use it to feel what's on the floor before you trip."
"Oh, for a minute there, I thought it was for beating the crap out of the bad guys while I'm in this condition."
"I'm glad to see you in good spirits, however there is no way you are going to go out and do crime fighting in this condition. Now, you are a few feet away from the railing. See how that walking stick works for you."
Reese helped her position the stick. She didn't show it, but it was already starting to get to her that she was so dependant on Reese even for the simplest things like positioning a walking stick in her hands. When the stick was in position, she rubbed the floor with the walking stick. Helena took a step forward when she felt nothing in front of her. As soon as she had taken the step, she felt the stick reflect off something metal. "The railing?"
"Yes, Helena," Reese replied.
Helena raised her walking stick to find the top of the railing. "No, Helena. The stick is only meant to help you find a path without tripping. You can hurt someone sticking the walking the stick high up. All you have to do is walk up to the railing and reach out with your hand."
"How the hell am I suppose to know where the railing pole is? I can miss it and hit the railing, and… let's just say I don't want to become a pancake."
"You will learn distance by where your pole is reflected."
"The hell with that, I don't plan to learn how to live life blind. When this wrapping is taken off, life is going back to normal."
"I hope you are right, Helena, I really do, but until then, I don't think you will want us waiting on you hand and foot."
Barbara was right, she hated relying on others this much. It would kill her to be totally reliant. Helena stepped out with a leap of faith; blind faith. She swiped the bottom of the railing one last time before stepping out with her hand stretched out. Out of no where, she felt the coldness of the railing pricking her fingers. She wrapped her hand and around the railing pole.
"You got it."
Barbara and Reese may be enthusiastic about this accomplishment, but their enthusiasm made her sick to her stomach. How can she be happy by a pathetic thing like walking to a railing?
"What's wrong, Helena?" Reese asked. The direction of his voice was no longer behind her but by her side. It appeared that he was reading her reaction. "This is a big step for you.
"A big step? Pardon me if I'm not overjoyed about walking a few steps. It's really the highlight of my life."
"Helena, I know what you must be going through…"
"Like hell you do!" Helena snapped. "You don't know what it's like seeing nothing but black. I can't do anything on my own without help! I've tried to convince myself that this is temporary, but let's face it, there's a chance that it's not."
"Helena, I may not know what it's like to see nothing but darkness, but I know all to well what's it's like being helpless and not being able to do anything without assistance." Barbara rolled her wheelchair up to Helena. "I went through this seem feeling that you right now when I thought I would never walk again. I've been given a second chance, but that second chance has not been just handed to me. I am having to work my ass off, exercising, trying to rehabilitate myself. You've got to fight as hard as you can, right now, and don't give up. You will get your sight back."
Helena's voice began to crack. "This is driving me insane. I only walked a few steps from the room, and that's a major accomplishment? I have to relearn everything I've known since I was a baby."
"Trust me, Helena, I know how frustrating the learning process is, especially during the first few weeks. Hopefully you will not have to go through this for that long."
"So how about it? You want to continue?" Reese asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.
Helena sighed, thinking about what Barbara had said. "Let's do it," Her reply was less than enthusiastic.
"Very good," Barbara said. "Now, you do have one advantage is that you were not born blind so you have a good idea about approximately where things are. You remember which direction the kitchen is in?"
"It's to my left," Helena replied.
"Exactly. That is where you are going to go now. Do you remember how many steps it took to get you from your room to where you are now?"
"Twenty something," Helena replied. "I'm sorry, I can't remember exactly."
"Don't worry about it, you will get another chance. From now on, walk at a steady, consistent pace and remember how many steps it takes to get you where you want to go. This will help you know where you are and how far it is to get to where you want to go."
Helena thought this whole thing was stupid, then again it made sense why she had to do this. She sighed as she took her first step towards the kitchen, counting each step she took on the way.
"Walk…walk…keep on walking." Barbara guided Helena by the sound of her voice. Helena was taking her first baby steps alone out of her room towards the railing. Her hands were waving in front of her, trying to find the railing but so far she felt nothing. It was a very nerve wracking experience walking without being able to see where she was going.
Reese was close behind her, in case she had tripped and fell. "You're almost to the railing, Helena. Take two more normal steps."
Helena took a normal step when she tripped on something on the floor. She began to fell forward when Reese caught her. "Damn it!" Helena cursed.
"It's okay, Helena! It's going to take some time to adjust."
"There's got to be a better way. I refuse to trip over everything that's on the floor."
"Perhaps this will do, Master Helena!" Alfred approached Helena with a walking stick.
Alfred took Helena's hands and placed it in the palm of her hand. Helena wrapper her fingers around it and slid her right hand up and down the stick. "A stick?"
"Yes, a walking stick, Master Helena. You use it to feel what's on the floor before you trip."
"Oh, for a minute there, I thought it was for beating the crap out of the bad guys while I'm in this condition."
"I'm glad to see you in good spirits, however there is no way you are going to go out and do crime fighting in this condition. Now, you are a few feet away from the railing. See how that walking stick works for you."
Reese helped her position the stick. She didn't show it, but it was already starting to get to her that she was so dependant on Reese even for the simplest things like positioning a walking stick in her hands. When the stick was in position, she rubbed the floor with the walking stick. Helena took a step forward when she felt nothing in front of her. As soon as she had taken the step, she felt the stick reflect off something metal. "The railing?"
"Yes, Helena," Reese replied.
Helena raised her walking stick to find the top of the railing. "No, Helena. The stick is only meant to help you find a path without tripping. You can hurt someone sticking the walking the stick high up. All you have to do is walk up to the railing and reach out with your hand."
"How the hell am I suppose to know where the railing pole is? I can miss it and hit the railing, and… let's just say I don't want to become a pancake."
"You will learn distance by where your pole is reflected."
"The hell with that, I don't plan to learn how to live life blind. When this wrapping is taken off, life is going back to normal."
"I hope you are right, Helena, I really do, but until then, I don't think you will want us waiting on you hand and foot."
Barbara was right, she hated relying on others this much. It would kill her to be totally reliant. Helena stepped out with a leap of faith; blind faith. She swiped the bottom of the railing one last time before stepping out with her hand stretched out. Out of no where, she felt the coldness of the railing pricking her fingers. She wrapped her hand and around the railing pole.
"You got it."
Barbara and Reese may be enthusiastic about this accomplishment, but their enthusiasm made her sick to her stomach. How can she be happy by a pathetic thing like walking to a railing?
"What's wrong, Helena?" Reese asked. The direction of his voice was no longer behind her but by her side. It appeared that he was reading her reaction. "This is a big step for you.
"A big step? Pardon me if I'm not overjoyed about walking a few steps. It's really the highlight of my life."
"Helena, I know what you must be going through…"
"Like hell you do!" Helena snapped. "You don't know what it's like seeing nothing but black. I can't do anything on my own without help! I've tried to convince myself that this is temporary, but let's face it, there's a chance that it's not."
"Helena, I may not know what it's like to see nothing but darkness, but I know all to well what's it's like being helpless and not being able to do anything without assistance." Barbara rolled her wheelchair up to Helena. "I went through this seem feeling that you right now when I thought I would never walk again. I've been given a second chance, but that second chance has not been just handed to me. I am having to work my ass off, exercising, trying to rehabilitate myself. You've got to fight as hard as you can, right now, and don't give up. You will get your sight back."
Helena's voice began to crack. "This is driving me insane. I only walked a few steps from the room, and that's a major accomplishment? I have to relearn everything I've known since I was a baby."
"Trust me, Helena, I know how frustrating the learning process is, especially during the first few weeks. Hopefully you will not have to go through this for that long."
"So how about it? You want to continue?" Reese asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.
Helena sighed, thinking about what Barbara had said. "Let's do it," Her reply was less than enthusiastic.
"Very good," Barbara said. "Now, you do have one advantage is that you were not born blind so you have a good idea about approximately where things are. You remember which direction the kitchen is in?"
"It's to my left," Helena replied.
"Exactly. That is where you are going to go now. Do you remember how many steps it took to get you from your room to where you are now?"
"Twenty something," Helena replied. "I'm sorry, I can't remember exactly."
"Don't worry about it, you will get another chance. From now on, walk at a steady, consistent pace and remember how many steps it takes to get you where you want to go. This will help you know where you are and how far it is to get to where you want to go."
Helena thought this whole thing was stupid, then again it made sense why she had to do this. She sighed as she took her first step towards the kitchen, counting each step she took on the way.
