Lizzie gulped down a breath past the voluminous blockage that was clogging
her airway. Her hair was matted to her forehead with sweat and her eyes
were stinging with tears. With one final thrust she finished her final leg
exercise and instantaneously collapsed onto the floor. Burke was
immediately at her side.
"Wow, Lizzie! You're doing wonderful! All this improvement after only a month!"
Lizzie groaned reflecting on the month of torture that had brought her to the edge of her sanity repeatedly. Physical therapy was getting more intense by the day, and though Burke and Lizzie had developed a comforting friendship, his visits were still nothing short of hell. Gordo had only visited Lizzie four times all month, all with Miranda accompanying him. He hardly ever spoke with her one on one and he had never mentioned the night that they had shared in the bathtub.
While Gordo's visits had decreased dramatically, Ethan's were steadily becoming more and more frequent. While Lizzie enjoyed the company of another human, his visits made her nervous. It was painfully obvious that Ethan's intentions were purely romantic. The boy who had once been so cool and collected turned into a bumbling idiot whenever Lizzie was near. He brought her flowers and present regularly and even her own mother assumed that they were dating.
Burke slapped on Lizzie's thigh. "Look at the muscle that you're gaining! You're boyfriend is gonna be really impressed...no guy can resist a girl with sexy legs." Burke smiled knowingly.
"Ugh, for the last time derk! He is not my boyfriend" Lizzie hissed from in- between her teeth like an angry snake and Burke laughed so hard his face turned red.
"derk? That's some word. You California girls sure are weird" He shrugged as he rose to his feet.
Lizzie remained on the floor and placed her arms behind her head to serve as a pillow. Her arm therapy was virtually complete and she could move her arms in any which way she pleased. Burke took this opportunity to tickle her bare armpit. She squirmed and tried to fight him away. Burke's hand froze suddenly causing Lizzie's giggles to cease. He sat on the gymnastic mats, his mouth hung open and practically touching the floor.
"What's wrong?" Lizzie asked.
"Liz...look."
Burke raised his hand and began to tickle her again as her fight against him resumed he gestured with his free hand toward the lower half of her body. Lizzie couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her stomach was pulsating with laughter and her legs were kicking. Her legs were kicking. Lizzie began to laugh again, this time, however, it was a laugh of disbelief. "Lizzie..." Burke began. "Let's try...I think you may be able to walk."
Lizzie smoothed her hair nervously. "What if I fall?" she thought to herself, "Even when I was used to using my legs I fell at the drop of a hat."
Burke had obviously sensed her apprehension "Lizzie, even if you can't do it, it doesn't make you any weaker. The rate of your recovery thus far has been nothing short of incredible." Lizzie loosened a little and her frown slowly washed from her face. "And besides," Burke added, "I wouldn't ask you to do anything I didn't think you could handle."
Lizzie forced a smile as Burke took several steps and positioned himself directly in front of her. He reached his hands towards her and she held onto them. Burke tried hard to ignore the electricity he felt when their two hands met. Having a crush on your patient is unprofessional. He had told himself that very statement time and time again, and yet every time he found himself in the vicinity of the sunny girl with the infectious laugh his feelings grew stronger and stronger.
Using all the strength his arms could muster he tugged Lizzie's body upward and slowly steadied her on her feet. She placed her arms on his shoulders as she struggled to find her center of gravity. She began to teeter back and forth and Burke grabbed her around the waste to keep her from tumbling. Slowly she lifted her hands from his shoulders and placed them at her side. She bit her lip and nodded her head. Slowly, very slowly, Burke removed his grip. There was a moment of uncertainty were Lizzie's body began to sway, but she quickly recovered and stood in front of Burke beaming widely as tears shone in her eyes.
"We did it!" she whispered through the suffocating lump that had remained in her throat. In that moment Lizzie realized how much had been taken away from her. She'd lost her friends, her family, and even her mobility. "But now, "She thought, "I'm on my way to getting it back." Lizzie fell to the ground as her sobs overcame her. She wasn't quite sure if they were tears of sadness due to her loss, or happiness due to what she had just accomplished, but either way she knew that those tears would end with hope. Hope to gain what she had so unfairly been robbed off.
Burke watched helplessly as Lizzie's cries racked her body. He knew that he needed to be professional, but there was no way he was going to let Lizzie cry like that. He fell to his knees and gathered her in his arms. She clung to him and cried heavily onto his shoulder. It felt good to have a friend. Burke gently rubbed her back, as her sobs became hiccups and her sniffles lessened. Then he gently pulled her from him and looked into her eyes.
"I don't know why you're crying" He remarked as he nonchalantly removed a piece of hair from her face, "But I do know one thing."
She looked at him with question in her eyes.
"You're an amazing girl, Lizzie McGuire." And with that a smirk came over his face and his hand extended and plunged ferociously into her ribs, once again starting a tickle war.
"Amazingly ticklish!" He squealed as Lizzie wriggled on the floor.
"Stop it you bastard!" she yelled through choked laughter.
Gordo scowled as he slammed his phone down on top of the receiver. He brought his hands to his face and gently massaged his forehead as if he were coaxing it into telling him something that he was unaware of. He had just entered the first six digits of Lizzie's phone number into his phone again. That was the tenth time today. He had been relatively successful of physically steering clear of his best friend. But, mentally, Lizzie danced through his head at every waking moment, torturing him to the point of tears.
"She doesn't want you anyway" Gordo told himself "She's back with Ethan again."
Gordo grimaced as though a foul taste had fallen upon his taste buds. That ass hole. He had dumped Lizzie on her prom night. Gordo had held her all night long, his heart aching in unison with hers, for they both wept for someone that they were never to have.
"What good is this Gordo? Being with her is just as bad as wanting to be with her, so why don't you just do yourself a favor and go visit her. Gordo struggled with the thought, trying to rationalize himself out of going. But in the end desire became the victor. Desire to see her, desire to smell her, desire to hold her, desire to feel her soft skin under his hands. Without another moment's hesitation Gordo scooped up his keys and scribbled Miranda a hurried note, about going to eat dinner with his parents. He fed Gizmo and slammed the door behind him. The car peeled out of the driveway just as the sun was going down.
"Wow, Lizzie! You're doing wonderful! All this improvement after only a month!"
Lizzie groaned reflecting on the month of torture that had brought her to the edge of her sanity repeatedly. Physical therapy was getting more intense by the day, and though Burke and Lizzie had developed a comforting friendship, his visits were still nothing short of hell. Gordo had only visited Lizzie four times all month, all with Miranda accompanying him. He hardly ever spoke with her one on one and he had never mentioned the night that they had shared in the bathtub.
While Gordo's visits had decreased dramatically, Ethan's were steadily becoming more and more frequent. While Lizzie enjoyed the company of another human, his visits made her nervous. It was painfully obvious that Ethan's intentions were purely romantic. The boy who had once been so cool and collected turned into a bumbling idiot whenever Lizzie was near. He brought her flowers and present regularly and even her own mother assumed that they were dating.
Burke slapped on Lizzie's thigh. "Look at the muscle that you're gaining! You're boyfriend is gonna be really impressed...no guy can resist a girl with sexy legs." Burke smiled knowingly.
"Ugh, for the last time derk! He is not my boyfriend" Lizzie hissed from in- between her teeth like an angry snake and Burke laughed so hard his face turned red.
"derk? That's some word. You California girls sure are weird" He shrugged as he rose to his feet.
Lizzie remained on the floor and placed her arms behind her head to serve as a pillow. Her arm therapy was virtually complete and she could move her arms in any which way she pleased. Burke took this opportunity to tickle her bare armpit. She squirmed and tried to fight him away. Burke's hand froze suddenly causing Lizzie's giggles to cease. He sat on the gymnastic mats, his mouth hung open and practically touching the floor.
"What's wrong?" Lizzie asked.
"Liz...look."
Burke raised his hand and began to tickle her again as her fight against him resumed he gestured with his free hand toward the lower half of her body. Lizzie couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her stomach was pulsating with laughter and her legs were kicking. Her legs were kicking. Lizzie began to laugh again, this time, however, it was a laugh of disbelief. "Lizzie..." Burke began. "Let's try...I think you may be able to walk."
Lizzie smoothed her hair nervously. "What if I fall?" she thought to herself, "Even when I was used to using my legs I fell at the drop of a hat."
Burke had obviously sensed her apprehension "Lizzie, even if you can't do it, it doesn't make you any weaker. The rate of your recovery thus far has been nothing short of incredible." Lizzie loosened a little and her frown slowly washed from her face. "And besides," Burke added, "I wouldn't ask you to do anything I didn't think you could handle."
Lizzie forced a smile as Burke took several steps and positioned himself directly in front of her. He reached his hands towards her and she held onto them. Burke tried hard to ignore the electricity he felt when their two hands met. Having a crush on your patient is unprofessional. He had told himself that very statement time and time again, and yet every time he found himself in the vicinity of the sunny girl with the infectious laugh his feelings grew stronger and stronger.
Using all the strength his arms could muster he tugged Lizzie's body upward and slowly steadied her on her feet. She placed her arms on his shoulders as she struggled to find her center of gravity. She began to teeter back and forth and Burke grabbed her around the waste to keep her from tumbling. Slowly she lifted her hands from his shoulders and placed them at her side. She bit her lip and nodded her head. Slowly, very slowly, Burke removed his grip. There was a moment of uncertainty were Lizzie's body began to sway, but she quickly recovered and stood in front of Burke beaming widely as tears shone in her eyes.
"We did it!" she whispered through the suffocating lump that had remained in her throat. In that moment Lizzie realized how much had been taken away from her. She'd lost her friends, her family, and even her mobility. "But now, "She thought, "I'm on my way to getting it back." Lizzie fell to the ground as her sobs overcame her. She wasn't quite sure if they were tears of sadness due to her loss, or happiness due to what she had just accomplished, but either way she knew that those tears would end with hope. Hope to gain what she had so unfairly been robbed off.
Burke watched helplessly as Lizzie's cries racked her body. He knew that he needed to be professional, but there was no way he was going to let Lizzie cry like that. He fell to his knees and gathered her in his arms. She clung to him and cried heavily onto his shoulder. It felt good to have a friend. Burke gently rubbed her back, as her sobs became hiccups and her sniffles lessened. Then he gently pulled her from him and looked into her eyes.
"I don't know why you're crying" He remarked as he nonchalantly removed a piece of hair from her face, "But I do know one thing."
She looked at him with question in her eyes.
"You're an amazing girl, Lizzie McGuire." And with that a smirk came over his face and his hand extended and plunged ferociously into her ribs, once again starting a tickle war.
"Amazingly ticklish!" He squealed as Lizzie wriggled on the floor.
"Stop it you bastard!" she yelled through choked laughter.
Gordo scowled as he slammed his phone down on top of the receiver. He brought his hands to his face and gently massaged his forehead as if he were coaxing it into telling him something that he was unaware of. He had just entered the first six digits of Lizzie's phone number into his phone again. That was the tenth time today. He had been relatively successful of physically steering clear of his best friend. But, mentally, Lizzie danced through his head at every waking moment, torturing him to the point of tears.
"She doesn't want you anyway" Gordo told himself "She's back with Ethan again."
Gordo grimaced as though a foul taste had fallen upon his taste buds. That ass hole. He had dumped Lizzie on her prom night. Gordo had held her all night long, his heart aching in unison with hers, for they both wept for someone that they were never to have.
"What good is this Gordo? Being with her is just as bad as wanting to be with her, so why don't you just do yourself a favor and go visit her. Gordo struggled with the thought, trying to rationalize himself out of going. But in the end desire became the victor. Desire to see her, desire to smell her, desire to hold her, desire to feel her soft skin under his hands. Without another moment's hesitation Gordo scooped up his keys and scribbled Miranda a hurried note, about going to eat dinner with his parents. He fed Gizmo and slammed the door behind him. The car peeled out of the driveway just as the sun was going down.