Chapter Four: Not Giving Up
Jason paced outside his wife's hospital room. He had immediately called the squad after she had collapsed. She hadn't woken up since then. He was getting pretty worried. He'd called their friends in Angel Grove, and some of them had been able to come and see if Kimberly was OK. His best friend Zack was in the waiting room, along with their friends Tommy Oliver, Kat Hilliard, Tanya Sloan, and Adam Park. He couldn't sit with them. He knew they were just trying to help and be supportive, but they just didn't understand, and they never would.
Zack came down the hall. ''Hey, Jase. Has she woken up yet?'' He and Jason had been best friends since they were babies practically. He knew Jason liked to work through things on his own. Zack had always tried to help him anyway, because he always knew how much his friend could actually handle better than Jason did himself.
Jason weakly smiled at his best friend. ''They expect her to wake up, they just aren't sure when. She's got a concussion, but it's not serious. She's going to be OK physically, but mentally, Zack, I'm not sure. I think she might be bullemic. I am so worried for her, Zack. I don't know what to do. She hides the fact that she doesn't eat from me. She thinks I don't notice, but I do.''
Zack said, ''She'll be OK, Jason. You can get her help. She shouldn't continue with her gymnastics, probably, but she'll be OK. I just can't believe that this happened. Kim always used to be OK. She never worried about being too skinny.''
Jason shrugged. ''It's the Olympics. David Blair has been filling her mind with the idea that you have to be skinny in order to win. She weighs under a hundred pounds, Zack. If the wind blew, she would fall over. She needs help. I just don't know how to make her get it. What do I do?''
Zack wasn't sure what to tell him. ''I'm not sure, man. I guess you'll just have to talk to her. But maybe this will have scared her into getting help.'' He commented.
The two boys were interrupted by Kimberly waking up and calling for Jason. He hurried into her room. ''Oh, Kim, you'll be OK. I'm so glad that you're awake.'' He pressed kisses all over her face.
Kimberly kissed him and asked, ''So when can I get out of here? I want to start training again.'' She ran a hand through her caramel colored hair.
The couple was joined by Zack and Kat, who came over to give Kimberly kisses. ''I'm so glad you're alright, Kim.'' Kat expressed in her soft Austrailian accent.
Kimberly smiled weakly at her friend. ''I'm OK, I just want to get out of here so I can go train.'' She caught the worried looks everyone was giving her. ''What's going on?'' She asked.
Jason said, ''Honey, you could have died today. If you had hit your head harder, I just, I think that you should stop for right now and get some help. You're out of control.''
His wife took her hands out of her husband's. ''I am going to finish my training and go to the Olympics, Jase. I love it and I'm not going to give up.'' She shook her head defiantly.
Zack said, ''Kim, I think Jase's right. You've gotten really thin, and you need to get some help. We're all really worried about you.''
Kimberly sat as far up as she could. ''Zachary Taylor, I'm glad that you're so worried about me, but this is my one shot, and I AM NOT GIVING IT UP!''
After this announcement, everyone stopped trying to get her to see reason and left to formulate a plan, whilst Kimberly reluctantly fell asleep.
The next morning, the doctor cleared Kimberly to go home. Jason made her go home in a wheelchair, which Kimberly fought. She wanted to walk. Jason told her they'd have a comprimise, just to get her in the chair. He told her that she would have to ride in the chair if she wanted to train again. He was going to try his best not to let her back into that gym. He didn't want her to be there until she could handle it. He didn't know why she was having so many problems, other than maybe it was David Blair, her coach.
Kimberly was feeling a little better; because of the medication they'd given her at the hospital, she actually had a good night's sleep. She understood Jason's concern, and knew that she did need help. She just didn't know how to stop her bullemia/anerexia. She couldn't bring herself to eat, and when the hunger overtook her, she couldn't keep it in her stomach.
As soon as they reached their apartment, Kimberly jumped out of the chair and ran to the bar they'd had put in on the balcony and immediately began to do chinups. Jason couldn't find a plausible reason that she shouldn't do them, so he just let her do them. It pained him to do so, but he didn't have any other choice.
Stephanie came up the walk and went up the stairs, where she saw Kimberly working on her chinups. Stephanie commented, ''Already? Didn't you just come home from the hospital?'' She smiled a sickly sweet and totally fake smile at Kimberly.
Kimberly let go and dropped gently on her feet. ''Hello, Steph. What did you want? Don't tell me you're on a social call.''
Stephanie shook her head and didn't even bother to correct the girl's wrong usage of her name. She said, ''I came to see Jason, and express my condolences at his loss.''
Kimberly stood with her hands on her hips. ''What do you mean, his LOSS?'' She hated Stephanie. She had never hated anyone in her life, except for this girl.
Her adversary smiled that same sickly sweet smile. ''I wanted to tell him that I'm sorry that his wife won't be going to the Olympics.'' She was baiting Kim, and she knew it.
Kimberly asked, ''Why would you do that? I am going to the Olympics. This was a small setback that is going to be under control. Why don't you just mosey along and go train yourself? You need the work.''
If Kim had struck a cord, Stephanie's face didn't show it. She just said, ''You shouldn't try if you can't handle it.'' She turned and left, hollering that she would come back to see Jason later.
Jason came out, holding a plate of hamburgers he was going to make on the grill. ''Who was here?'' He asked his wife.
Kimberly was fuming. ''Stephanie Cowell. She wanted to express her sorrow to you that your wife won't be going to the Olympics.'' She turned to her husband. ''Jason, I know that you think I shouldn't continue until I get help, but I need to do this. If not for me, but to prove Stephanie Cowell wrong. I know I don't have to, I want to. I won't feel myself until I do.''
Jason put the plate of burgers on the side of the grill. He turned to his wife. ''I just can't watch you do this to yourself. I'm going to fix these burgers for lunch, and then I have to go to work until Thursday. Can I trust you to eat while I'm gone?''
Kimberly kissed him. ''Of course, Jason. Why wouldn't I?'' She went inside the house, to shower and change. She had lied through her teeth, but she didn't know what to do, and she thought she never would.
Jason paced outside his wife's hospital room. He had immediately called the squad after she had collapsed. She hadn't woken up since then. He was getting pretty worried. He'd called their friends in Angel Grove, and some of them had been able to come and see if Kimberly was OK. His best friend Zack was in the waiting room, along with their friends Tommy Oliver, Kat Hilliard, Tanya Sloan, and Adam Park. He couldn't sit with them. He knew they were just trying to help and be supportive, but they just didn't understand, and they never would.
Zack came down the hall. ''Hey, Jase. Has she woken up yet?'' He and Jason had been best friends since they were babies practically. He knew Jason liked to work through things on his own. Zack had always tried to help him anyway, because he always knew how much his friend could actually handle better than Jason did himself.
Jason weakly smiled at his best friend. ''They expect her to wake up, they just aren't sure when. She's got a concussion, but it's not serious. She's going to be OK physically, but mentally, Zack, I'm not sure. I think she might be bullemic. I am so worried for her, Zack. I don't know what to do. She hides the fact that she doesn't eat from me. She thinks I don't notice, but I do.''
Zack said, ''She'll be OK, Jason. You can get her help. She shouldn't continue with her gymnastics, probably, but she'll be OK. I just can't believe that this happened. Kim always used to be OK. She never worried about being too skinny.''
Jason shrugged. ''It's the Olympics. David Blair has been filling her mind with the idea that you have to be skinny in order to win. She weighs under a hundred pounds, Zack. If the wind blew, she would fall over. She needs help. I just don't know how to make her get it. What do I do?''
Zack wasn't sure what to tell him. ''I'm not sure, man. I guess you'll just have to talk to her. But maybe this will have scared her into getting help.'' He commented.
The two boys were interrupted by Kimberly waking up and calling for Jason. He hurried into her room. ''Oh, Kim, you'll be OK. I'm so glad that you're awake.'' He pressed kisses all over her face.
Kimberly kissed him and asked, ''So when can I get out of here? I want to start training again.'' She ran a hand through her caramel colored hair.
The couple was joined by Zack and Kat, who came over to give Kimberly kisses. ''I'm so glad you're alright, Kim.'' Kat expressed in her soft Austrailian accent.
Kimberly smiled weakly at her friend. ''I'm OK, I just want to get out of here so I can go train.'' She caught the worried looks everyone was giving her. ''What's going on?'' She asked.
Jason said, ''Honey, you could have died today. If you had hit your head harder, I just, I think that you should stop for right now and get some help. You're out of control.''
His wife took her hands out of her husband's. ''I am going to finish my training and go to the Olympics, Jase. I love it and I'm not going to give up.'' She shook her head defiantly.
Zack said, ''Kim, I think Jase's right. You've gotten really thin, and you need to get some help. We're all really worried about you.''
Kimberly sat as far up as she could. ''Zachary Taylor, I'm glad that you're so worried about me, but this is my one shot, and I AM NOT GIVING IT UP!''
After this announcement, everyone stopped trying to get her to see reason and left to formulate a plan, whilst Kimberly reluctantly fell asleep.
The next morning, the doctor cleared Kimberly to go home. Jason made her go home in a wheelchair, which Kimberly fought. She wanted to walk. Jason told her they'd have a comprimise, just to get her in the chair. He told her that she would have to ride in the chair if she wanted to train again. He was going to try his best not to let her back into that gym. He didn't want her to be there until she could handle it. He didn't know why she was having so many problems, other than maybe it was David Blair, her coach.
Kimberly was feeling a little better; because of the medication they'd given her at the hospital, she actually had a good night's sleep. She understood Jason's concern, and knew that she did need help. She just didn't know how to stop her bullemia/anerexia. She couldn't bring herself to eat, and when the hunger overtook her, she couldn't keep it in her stomach.
As soon as they reached their apartment, Kimberly jumped out of the chair and ran to the bar they'd had put in on the balcony and immediately began to do chinups. Jason couldn't find a plausible reason that she shouldn't do them, so he just let her do them. It pained him to do so, but he didn't have any other choice.
Stephanie came up the walk and went up the stairs, where she saw Kimberly working on her chinups. Stephanie commented, ''Already? Didn't you just come home from the hospital?'' She smiled a sickly sweet and totally fake smile at Kimberly.
Kimberly let go and dropped gently on her feet. ''Hello, Steph. What did you want? Don't tell me you're on a social call.''
Stephanie shook her head and didn't even bother to correct the girl's wrong usage of her name. She said, ''I came to see Jason, and express my condolences at his loss.''
Kimberly stood with her hands on her hips. ''What do you mean, his LOSS?'' She hated Stephanie. She had never hated anyone in her life, except for this girl.
Her adversary smiled that same sickly sweet smile. ''I wanted to tell him that I'm sorry that his wife won't be going to the Olympics.'' She was baiting Kim, and she knew it.
Kimberly asked, ''Why would you do that? I am going to the Olympics. This was a small setback that is going to be under control. Why don't you just mosey along and go train yourself? You need the work.''
If Kim had struck a cord, Stephanie's face didn't show it. She just said, ''You shouldn't try if you can't handle it.'' She turned and left, hollering that she would come back to see Jason later.
Jason came out, holding a plate of hamburgers he was going to make on the grill. ''Who was here?'' He asked his wife.
Kimberly was fuming. ''Stephanie Cowell. She wanted to express her sorrow to you that your wife won't be going to the Olympics.'' She turned to her husband. ''Jason, I know that you think I shouldn't continue until I get help, but I need to do this. If not for me, but to prove Stephanie Cowell wrong. I know I don't have to, I want to. I won't feel myself until I do.''
Jason put the plate of burgers on the side of the grill. He turned to his wife. ''I just can't watch you do this to yourself. I'm going to fix these burgers for lunch, and then I have to go to work until Thursday. Can I trust you to eat while I'm gone?''
Kimberly kissed him. ''Of course, Jason. Why wouldn't I?'' She went inside the house, to shower and change. She had lied through her teeth, but she didn't know what to do, and she thought she never would.