Chapter 11- A Pair

We seem to be having some technical difficulties with the comments. I receive the emails that you guys have commented but they never post. But I do see them and thank you so much! Hopefully this issue gets resolved soon. We've come a very long way for this moment. I may shed a tear here I'm so excited and ready for this. This is going to begin with something very dear and end with another very special thing. I'm so, so ready for this. Let's go!

It was a situation of going back before moving forward. A time to look over the shoulder and appreciate the view before taking that first step into the next phase of things. Leading up to this he talked himself in and out of it over and over again. Seriously on the car ride to the location he wanted to tell Will to veer off course several times before the car came to a stop right at the front steps. Will offered to come with but Jay shook him off. This was his burden to bear, the ghost to face head on. It wasn't totally a ghost, but this looming grey cloud he couldn't have over him anymore.

The steps were fun on crutches, but since the last time we checked in on Jay a lot has changed for the better. He's maneuvering rather well on crutches, stairs and various flooring no match for him any longer. On top of that he was becoming more relaxed, less anxiety and stress about leaving the apartment and actually wanting to move around again. But this place, this brick and mortar building was one he avoided like the plague. Hailey would ask and he come up with some excuse. Will would mention it here and there but a plan was never put into place. They all knew the very likely outcome that would come about with things, fully preparing for the earth shattering news whatever that day was. Jay was the most aware of all, this flat out balking of coming over here. But that all changed on this day, this random burst of desire flourished inside him and he knew he had to act. Plus, he knew everyone was out of the office today on a manhunt so there wouldn't be anyone upstairs. He wanted to visit, but didn't want to see people. Baby steps, everyone; he'll get there.

Standing at the top of the entrance steps was very de ja vu to every other day he'd made the trek up there. It was the same cast of characters and their costumes and the same set life that this place amazingly went through each day. Just as it was that day before it all went belly up, there was the hustle and bustle of the life in a police precinct, even if it was almost noon by now. Jay stood in place and just absorbed things, fully appreciating the beauty of this way of life. It was chaotic and insane to the outside, but to him it felt like going home for the holidays. It was time to catch up with cousins and get annoyed by creepy uncles before eating way too much food. This was the first time ever that he felt like a visitor and not one of the tribe. It had been so long that he felt as if he'd slept through a lifetime, waking up to something that he kind of understood but not really. Certainly he knew the people and the place, but the inside jokes or everyday banter was past him, leaving him very out of the loop and alone.

But the thing he loved the most about this moment was how invisible he was. Literally since he woke up from the second amputation he'd been an eyesore and sight to behold. Everyone and everything was focused on him and his appearance. Even in the weeks since coming home, each outing was met with the points and looks and double takes from people on the street or in a store or just in his own apartment building. He knew there weren't ill intentions in it, but the invisibility he once had was robbed in the removing of a leg. So to stand in this place and not have the world stop and stare was exactly what he needed, especially what was going to happen right after this stop in with the old days. It all was beautiful and movie-like and perfect when a voice, very unfamiliar to Jay, shrieked his name.

"JAY!" Jay's head snapped in the direction of the front desk as Trudy all but bounded around the pine countertop and towards him.

"What an amazing surprise," she choked while embracing him. Going back to the holiday scenario, she was the peppy, fun aunt that always acted like seeing you made her world.

"How are things," Jay replied back, doing his best to keep things calm and normal. It wasn't his intention for them to roll out the red carpet, so he thought if he kept things even then Trudy and everyone else would follow suit.

"Oh gosh, just not the same without you." Trudy stepped back while wiping under her eyes, clearly she missed her detective even if she'd never admit it. She did a quick once over of him. We'd reached the time of year where a jacket was still necessary but not one that weighed a million pounds. Starting at the top he looked fine, same hairstyle and slight facial hair as he normally had. A white t-shirt was underneath a nice, loose fitting jeans jacket. He was in black Nike joggers with the left leg scrunched up and tucked underneath with a sneaker on his foot. He looked very relaxed, tired, but much better then the night at the airport; overall looking good.

"So what brings you here today?"

"Just wanted to stop by and see if the place was still standing. I'm kind of in between doctor's appointments and this just so happened to be on the way to the next place."

"How are things looking?"

"Good, really good according to the doctor. There's still the pain and soreness and lingering swelling, but things are looking good. So far no long term side effects from the whole falling incident."

"Well that's great! Where are you headed after this?"

"First visit with the prosthesis." Her eyes lit up, like it was some green light to independence.

"Wow, I can't believe you're already there."

"Yeah, I'm ready to ditch these," Jay spoke while gesturing to the crutches. Oh what he didn't know was that those things were now lifers with him.

"So, do you want to head upstairs? The guys aren't up there but.."

"-Yeah, that's kind of the whole reason I came in now," Jay slowly cut in. Trudy immediately got it, fully understood he wasn't all the way back just yet.

"Okay, well can you go up the stairs?"

"Yeah! Not a problem." The two of them worked their way through the crowds, Jay checking all around as he relearned faces and things and everything. With a weirdly shaky hand he planted his palm on the scanner, sighed as it lit up green and the gate sprung itself free. Now standing at the base of the steps he internally groaned at how many there were.

"We should get you one of those sweet old people chairs," Trudy joked before leading Jay.

"HA!" Jay was right behind her.

Standing at the top of things, taking in the view of his unofficial kingdom was like a giant exhale. On top of the fact that Jay was doing likewise, it felt as if the rest of the room was doing the same. There was so much anticipation and speculation built up into this moment that part of Jay figured he'd crumble in a heap of wet emotions. But instead all he felt was relief, again that feeling of coming home and just being him. The place was a time capsule, a messy one at that. Each desk had a thick coating of papers and clips and coffee cup stains from countless late nights. The board at the very end of the walkway was doused in intel and trinkets of information, yet more proof that whatever was being worked on was both massive and important. Jay was almost afraid to move, doing so would awaken him from this perfect dream of being one with the team. He took another scan and breath before his desk beckoned him over. It had only been eight weeks since he last sat in the swivel chair, it was high time his butt landed in that seat.

"What are they working on," Jay quietly asked as he a Trudy plowed further in.

"Oh, the usual gang banger, drive by to start a war stuff. This one is a doozy though so it's going take some time."

"They all do." There was another large exhale as Jay relaxed in the chair, tilting himself back as he slowly rocked back and forth. Cue the upbeat, sweeping, sweltering tune because this moment called for it. He was the prodigal son returning home. This was his perch for so many years, his mark on the room and his reign of the land. It felt perfect yet weird, a deep, dark secret keeping him from being truly himself again. All was exactly how he left it, Jay looking around for some booby trap or missing item, but came up empty. It must've become a remembrance token for the one that wasn't there, that was the only explanation for the pristine nature to the desk. It was the random photo of the team that had him pause. It was right after a bust, all of them lined up with outstretched arms around each other. He was in the middle, Adam and Kim on each side of him. The shot was a full body one, revealing the leg that wasn't there anymore. He had to do a double take basically, remembering that he actually had two of those at one point in his life. It was crazy how quickly he'd become accustomed to things.

"I really want to get back up here," he eventually announced. Trudy looked away from her peering of the board to face him.

"But I think we both know that's never happening."

"Jay, nothing has been decided yet. Nothing has been ruled out."

"Yeah, but we both know what's going to happen here. I can't do the stuff I was once able to. So I really want to be up here, but more then anything I just want to be here. This is home in a sense and now not having it…gosh I really miss it."

"Well as much as you missed it, we've missed you even more. Don't give up on what we don't know yet, okay? Just keep focusing on getting better." Their little moment was interrupted by the phone, as always. It was Will first apologizing before reminding Jay of their tight window they had.

"I've got to go." Trudy nodded, offering a hand to assist Jay and he accepted. The two of them slowly and silently made their way back down to the steps, Jay pausing as Trudy shut the lights off. You could pick up the trickling of the dust, the lifelessness cascading back down on the quiet room. It was a room without people and without joy and life in it. In a very strange way Jay saw it as a good point for the end. It was the equivalent of placing the cleats in the end zone, a signal of things coming to a perfect and wonderful close. He had no clue what lay ahead, but something deep inside told him this was the end and he needed to recognize it.

"Do you need help?" Jay did a final glance around, the realization that he'd done this mental snapshot thing before, before nodding his reply. They were a two man show, each holding onto the other as both hopped their way down the stairs. From there she followed behind him to the front door, waving to Will before saying farewell to her person.

"Don't go so long between visits, alright?"

"Yeah, next time it'll be on two feet."

"I look forward to it." Jay turned away, taking that first step down before Trudy held him up again

"Don't give up, Jay."

"Trying. Also, let's keep the visit between us right now?! I just….I mean.."

"-Lips are sealed." She didn't move till Jay was in the car, and even then she only took a step back as the brothers raced back into the city. Her house was not well, let the mind gears start cranking.

…

He hated everything about the waiting room. From the decor to the color to the layout he despised the entire thing. It was all uplifting and positive and a sea of overachievers and Jay just didn't see where he fit in. He wasn't in the market for speech tours about how what happened to him turned out to be the best thing ever, he just wanted to be able to walk around on his own again. Perhaps if he got really good he'd get a run in every now and then. He fully understood that he was in the minority on this one, that a lot of people relied heavily on this atmosphere of things, but he wanted to get up and run if at all possible. To say there was a lot of squirming and adjusting and deep heaves was an understatement. Will let it happen at first, but ten minutes into the waiting game he couldn't take it anymore.

"Seriously stop moving."

"I want to get up and leave."

"What?!"

"I can't do this today."

"Jay…" but Will trailed off as he saw the desperation in Jay's eyes. He instantly got it. While they'd been talking about this step for so long, actually acting it out was a lot. Jay was still going through things so it was understandable that he wasn't fully ready to jump in. This all was a lot and a big adjustment once again. As much as Will wanted to push, the very last thing he wanted to do was pressure Jay.

"It's up to you. Whatever you want to do I'm down for." Jay looked around the room, noted the annoying posters and positive messages on the walls and tables of the place. His head went downward, fascinated that his hands twirl and interlock with each other.

"We'll stay," he eventually whispered. Will patted Jay's back, assuring him that he got that this wasn't a small thing they were waiting on. For the remainder of the wait Jay kept his head down, rolling his right foot from side to side. It felt good to feel floor under him, watch his remaining foot do things. Even with the addition of a prosthetic he wouldn't be able to do this on the left side. So suddenly the little, random things intrigued him; made him appreciate what he had that much more. It wasn't till his name was called did he look up. The person who called was a very built female who was barely above five foot four. She was short in stature but had this air of being in charge. She smiled at the two of them as they approached, knowing to not look at Jay in that way everyone else did.

"We're going down to the third door on the left," she told them, not moving from the doorway till both of them were through. It all felt like a normal doctor's office from here on out, which oddly enough made things better for Jay. Gone was the happy aesthetic to things, it was all about getting down to work.

"Have a seat on the table," she instructed as she pulled up a swivel stool. It was odd walking into a room with extremities displayed around. All different kinds of arms and legs were along the perimeter of the space, each ranging from basic designs to looking like something out of an MIT robotics project. To the average person it was weird, but for Jay it was a whole new world he was just beginning to comprehend.

"I do apologize but we're down a member today. He was working out this morning and pulled a muscle and thinks it actually might have torn. He's at the doctor getting checked out but he'll be here next week for the first walk around session. But don't worry, you're still in good hands," she confidently concluded, smirking as she pulled out an iPad Pro and began scrolling through now very familiar scans and x-rays.

"Going through everything from all the doctors you've dealt with, you've had quite the adventure with things. How did we get started on this journey?"

"Stepped on an IED somewhere out in the dessert of Afghanistan."

"And was the leg still in tact after that initial explosion?"

"Yes, for the most part. I wasn't conscious for the assessment but basically everything from the knee down was shattered." Jay was a bit surprised how easily that rolled off the tongue.

"Okay, so the first amputation was below the knee and in Dubai, correct?" Both brothers nodded in agreement.

"So what made them go ahead with the above knee amputation?"

"There were some post-op complications with sensation and reflex so they made the call to cut to where things would be viable for a prosthetic and just overall where things were healthy."

"And that second operation took place in Italy?" Again more nods from the Halsteads.

"Any complications after the second surgery? And how have things been since being discharged?"

"Overall fine. Other then the normal pain and swelling there hasn't been anymore sensation or reflex issues. In fact I kind of wish there was," Jay joked, to which the woman chuckled.

"Phantom pain is a bitch."

"Tell me about it." She raised her eyebrows while scrolling over the paperwork from the hospital.

"Well, no case is ever open and shut, but I have agree with everyone else on your team, you are an excellent candidate for a prosthetic and I don't see where you'll have too many problems. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I need to look at the residual limb and mark stuff. Can you remove your pants?" It was like being a kid all over again and having to do the dreaded part of the yearly physical, but Jay did as was told. We should update the state of things. Since we last check in, all stitches and staples have been removed from the base of the leg. The scars are now a nice shade of red and pink and a little enlarged from the newness of things, but he no longer has any bleeding or bruising, for the most part things look very normal. But perhaps the best part is that the sensitivity is just about gone, the final hurdle before he was told he could move on to this prosthetic step. Granted if he pressed on the wrong spot or put all his weight on the leg, pain would ensue, but overall things had significantly died down and were in a state of normal. Jay was still wearing the shrink wrap each day and doing small strengthening exercises, but things were appearing so odd to him. He was getting better, but sitting on the table now watching this strange person feel around was an out of body experience.

"Can you stand up? I need to make marks for pressure points and nerves sites." She offered Jay a hand and he accepted, beyond proud of his balancing skills as she peered rather close and around things. Occasionally a Sharpie would come out of nowhere and mark along the Y shaped incision on the leg but Jay didn't care.

"This will wash off in a day or so in the shower."

"I don't care."

"You're like the only person so far." Jay laughed. From there she'd poke and ask if things hurt and Jay would reply, the two of them doing this over and over again. By the time Jay was asked to sit back down about half with leg was a vision of dots and circles and weird outlines. From here she took pictures and measurements before going back to the questionnaire checklist. Here came the fun part.

"Next comes the casting of the leg, so we can tailor the socket exactly to your leg. But first, let's go over what you want out of this." Jay perked up a bit at that one. At last they were throwing things into his court.

"The biggest thing is being active. I like walking around and running and just being active."

"I'm guessing this in-between stage of things has been torture."

"Yeah," Jay laughed back.

"So that's very understandable and we can certainly accommodate that. We have many patients that go on to run marathons and triathlons and climb mountains. Just as the technology field has exploded over the last decade or so, prosthetics have grown as well. There are very few things we can't accomplish these days. Is there anything you don't want?"

"I don't want a running blade."

"Jay," Will interrupted.

"No, that's fine. Not everyone that runs uses one. It's all personal preference. Now I will say that it's a harder running gait without it, just because of how the foot naturally moves when you run, but we can certainly work around a blade. Anything else?"

"Is it possible for it to look as normal as possible?"

"Meaning you don't want to see all the components and rods and stuff." Jay nodded.

"Yes, we can build things and then cover it in carbon fiber and shape it to look like a calf and ankle and then have access points where you can tweak things. It's a little bit heavier then a traditional prosthetic leg but if you're up for it."

"Definitely."

"Great! Based on what you're wanting, I'm going to recommend a traditional socket with a lot of padding and cushioning and then also a sleeve and vacuum seal. It's a small pump that it's about halfway down the back of the hamstring. You can sit on it and you won't feel it. As you move around and the leg contracts and expands as you're doing things, this pump will adjust the pressure and seal in the socket to keep you attached and comfortable. In the beginning you'll feel it adjust but eventually you'll get used to it."

"Is it loud?"

"Not at all, it's very silent. And it'll feel like a muscle twitch and maybe some pressure but again, you'll get used to it. Almost all our athletic patients choose this option and we've yet to hear bad things about it."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Excellent! Did you bring the running shoes?" Will pulled them out of a bag and handed them off, the woman feeling the weight of them before looking in the left sneaker.

"Yeah, this is a great mold for the foot. So I'm going to get the stuff for the cast. Sit tight guys." She went and returned in under a minute, tops, returning with the ingredients for casting the residual limb. It's exactly how one would cast a broken limb. It's the same gauze and strips and quick drying cement that creates a complete application mess. It took everything to not freak out and laugh over how unpleasant and awkward the whole thing was, but Jay managed to get through the ordeal. The final instructions were to not move for twenty minutes before the two of them were left alone, Jay shutting his eyes while Will wanted to pry into things.

"Feeling better about stuff?"

"Sure," Jay shrugged.

"Wow, a man of many words."

"Oh good grief. Yes, I think everything will be great and I'm glad we didn't leave." Will was silent, his lack of speaking his approval of Jay's answer. The room resumed its' quietness for a few more minutes, Jay just starting to think about drifting when Will cleared his throat. Cue more eye rolling.

"How did going back to work go." Jay knew he had to answer, he was literally glued in place and unable to move. Despite not wanting to rehash that subject, there wasn't a way out of this.

"It…was weird."

"Weird?"

"Yeah, like I wasn't really supposed to be there."

"Did someone say something?"

"No, the team was out so it was just Trudy but..I don't know. It just felt different."

"Different as in you can't work there or different just knowing all that's happened since you were last there."

"It's a combo of both. I just don't see how I can get back upstairs again. There are certain basic physical requirements you have to meet and I don't see where they're going to give me a pass on it."

"I wouldn't rule anything out right now."

"Will, it's not that hard to figure out."

"Jay, weirder things have happened. Maybe they'll bring you back with special requirements or restrictions."

"Then in that case I'd rather not go back."

"Again," Will huffed.

"Do not rule anything out. You've gotten this far in recovery without worrying about things, don't start now."

"Fine." A soft knock on the door interrupted the brotherly banter, the casting session coming to a close. Pants were reapplied and sleeve re-adorned before Jay and Will were on their way. A date was given to them before they left: next Thursday afternoon, eight days from now, was when the leg would be ready and Jay could start walking. It was a happy car ride back home.

A Week Later

Where would you want to take your first steps into a new life? For me it would be a city, a quiet, tree lined street with brownstones or city specific, beautifully aged buildings surrounding me. I'd want to sense the quiet calm of the city's energy, feel that life and pace of things as I excitedly and gingerly braved the unknown, taking things slowly one step at a time. Others would want a field or a parking lot or the ocean, but for me the city is everything. It is where I get my passion and my drive and it would be there that I would want to embark on this new path of life.

Well for our dear Jay Halstead, his first steps would not take place where he wanted. Certainly as time went on he'd get to explore the world in his now very unique way. But for today, on this very historic and exciting time in his life, his moment would go down in a beige colored, padded walled space in the rehabilitation part of the prosthetic facility. It wasn't pretty or happy or something worth photographing and placing in a brochure, but it was his time in this space. More then anything he just wanted to get things going. That morning he was antsy, something Will and Hailey hadn't seen out of him since he left for Afghanistan those months ago. There was a pep to his step, this light in him that had been hidden for so long. Independence was being regained today and he could not wait any longer.

The three of them walked into the room with the assistant from the other day. In the middle of the room were these parallel bars that were made for humans and not the giant height bars you see utilized in the Olympics. At the left end of the bars was a chair and in front of that a swivel stool. The one who pulled his muscle last week was there today, healed and ready to strap things on Jay. Apparently its' code at this place to be insanely buff because, just like the assistant, this guy was rather jacked; no wonder he pulled something since there was very little un-stretched skin on his body. He waved to the small crowd as they filed in, extending a hand to Jay before urging him to the chair.

"Rex, nice to meet you Jay."

"Likewise." Hailey found a seat somewhere around the other end of bars, Will taking a stand next to where Jay was instructed to sit, collecting the crutches as Rex left to get the item of the hour. He returned in moments with the prosthetic in a long box, obscured its' final appearance from the onlookers.

"First things first, for everyday when you're not using the leg you'll wear the sleeve you have on now. But when you do put the leg on you have to switch to this." Rex pulled out a gray sleeve that was thicker then the others.

"Keeping things tight and dry is the key to being able to wear this for a long time. If things get wet or humid then that will create this atmosphere of moisture which could lead to blisters and other aggregations. So before putting this on I'd recommend rubbing the leg off with a towel, some people even apply alcohol wipes on their leg or hand sanitizer. That way things are very dry and ready to be applied." Rex extended Jay a dose of hand sanitizer and he accepted, gently rubbing it on his leg before going to the next step.

"Now, once things are dry you'll put this on the same way as you would every other sleeve. Now I'd say to put it on slowly, making sure you don't have any bubbles or seams. Again, we're trying to make things smooth and padded for when you slip into the socket of the leg. Less friction means fewer complications." The three of them watched Jay do as was told, silently rolling the new sleeve up the leg. It was rather tight and stiff, but so far Jay wasn't complaining. Anything was worth getting the chance to walk on his own again.

"And now…" What fell out of the box was something to make you cry. Just as Jay requested, it was a entirely carbon fiber leg shaped very much like the original. Circling the place where Jay's leg would sit were several rounds of padding and a small, rectangular box on the back of the upper leg. Of course things would never look entirely like it once was, but this was a close as it was going to get. People might call it a robotic leg or something you'd see in a movie, but to Jay it was his. A part of him was coming back in a weird and wonderful way. Rex bent the knee to a level to where Jay could slide things on, cradling it in his hands as he lined things up.

"Very slowly you're going to step into this, so to speak. Just put your weight on this side and push things in. Like you would with a shoe." This was such a foreign task all of the sudden, Jay standing there in place and not getting the act at all. The oddest part was the weight of the leg. After however many weeks of having nothing there, this now felt to be several hundred pounds strapped to his leg. Part of him wonder what this would do to the residual limb.

"Jay, I'm going to hold onto your hand and just lean a little to that side and force things in," Will offered, extending a hand and Jay taking it. Again, this was all so weird and awkward, but after a couple failed attempts he understood, soon feeling the satisfying thud.

"Did you feel the leg hit the bottom?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, good! Now we're going to slowly pull the sleeve on the leg up and you're ready to go." Jay nodded as he watched the final step be completed, all taking a step back and allowing him that moment of realizing. For the first time in weeks, months, a pair of legs was under and supporting him. The little things one takes for granted. The best of all was that it was the same pair of running sneakers he wore that fateful day, proving that thought of never running again to be wrong.

"This is so weird, seeing two shoes," Jay remarked as his eyes remained glued to the floor. If he wanted to cry he could've, but he didn't want the memory of that in this space. Meanwhile he looked up to Hailey who was entirely bawling while recording the whole thing.

"If you start crying then I'll start crying and then it'll be a whole thing," Jay joked, making her laugh a couple times.

"Sorry, you look good!" Jay smirked while Will patted his back as Rex got them all back to the business of things.

"This is the point of this where you give us feedback. Any discomfort or pain or anything that needs tweaking let us know. This is just for the rest of time so we have to make sure things are right. So right now, how do things feel? Do you like the level of padding you have?"

"It's pretty tight but nothing is hurting."

"Tightness is good. It's not damaging anything. At first it's all going to feel tighter then it should, but as things keep shifting and changing that will feel normal. You just have to remember that it's not doing any damage." Jay nodded, a slight shake and shock as he felt the body immediately go back to its' learned 50/50 weight distribution. It was incredible how quickly the mind and body return to the ways of old.

"Alright now take a couple steps."

"Really?"

"Yup! You're ready to go. Now we tell this to all our patients before they start walking. That leg is not going anywhere. With the sleeves and seal on there you could run a marathon on that. Seriously."

"Don't give him any ideas," Will teased. Jay rolled his eyes as Hailey giggled.

"A wrong step or quick gait isn't going to do anything to that. It's extremely durable." Jay wanted to be the judge of that, which he began seconds later. Lifting the left leg was a chore, but to feel resistance under him, weight get planted on an ankle and knee and his actual leg was oddly pleasant. He never realized it till just now, but walking and standing on two legs is a real treat, a small joy in this world. He took that first step with held breath, then three more before the feedback piled on.

"It's really tight. I can't get the knee fully extended and it's super stiff." Rex swiveled his way under the bars and whipped out a screwdriver looking device, fiddling around the knee. That was a weird moment, watching someone attack the knee and Jay not feeling a thing. That actually was going to be the hardest learning process of this whole walking dilemma, he couldn't feel any of this. He saw that a knee and foot were there, but he couldn't feel it, which was a huge disconnect.

"Try that." Rex scooted out of the way as Jay picked up his foot again, experiencing a much better resistance and spring to things then before. It all still felt strange, but he didn't feel as stiff as before. He made it all the way to end, standing inches in front of Hailey who was still wiping away tears.

"Come here," he encouraged with open arms, everyone going silent as the two embraced for a moment. To Hailey this moment was everything, finally having Jay taller then her when they hugged. It felt good to embrace him around his waist and rest her head on his chest. Things were just beginning to fall back into place.

"I'm so proud of you," she whispered.

"Thanks," he spoke back. Rex cleared his throat, turning things back again to the task at hand.

"Sorry to interrupt but…"

"Knee feels a lot better, maybe still a little looser. I just want it to flex more like a normal knee. Also the ankle is a little tight. Like when I walk it just lands flat on the whole foot and not flexing heel to toe like a normal gait And I think the socket is a little too high? It's rubbing right near the groin and I think any form of exercise will cause something."

"Okay! That's good feedback. The knee is as loose as it's going to get so I'm going to switch it out for a whole other part that's geared more to the flexing that you want. The one on there is more for people who run and walk everyday, but what you're wanting is more like what serious athletes use. People who do track and field or snowboarding. You want that ability to bend and squat and jump without a lot of resistance."

"Correct."

"Alright, so we'll switch things out for the knee and then we'll match the ankle to that. Also we can shave the socket down a couple inches and see where that goes. Now, let's leave the bars and have you walk on the floor." Everyone shifted as Jay moved further into the middle of the room. It was strange how unbalanced he was. Despite being on two legs he found himself leaning more on the right, all weight going that way as his body wasn't totally ready to trust the left. By doing this he had a serious limp to his walk, all of them quick to point it out.

"Take smaller steps."

"Lift the left leg a little more."

"Maybe try with the crutches a couple times." Jay was appreciative of their help, but it was too much at once. He stood in place for a second and breathed, closing his eyes and escaping to somewhere quiet. When he opened he was back in reality, calm and ready to try again. The leg was lifted more then before, Rex reminding him that because he couldn't feel the foot and ankle he was going to have to get in the habit of lifting so that things could flex. It was going to require activating the glutes and hamstring more, but that was going to be how he'd walk more normal from here on out. As the scheduled hour ran down, the time came to separate himself from his new companion. As he went back to having one and a half legs, Jay all of the sudden hated leaving things behind. It was like loosing the leg all over again, getting used to the old before having to part ways. But it was all for the best and one day he'd get to take his prized possession home. The best was yet to come. Or was it? That my friends is a tale for another time. Stay tuned.

So I had one ending for this story and it was a good one. But as is the case with me, I'm always thinking of how to make stories better and more exciting as I work through a piece. Another twist has worked its' way into this and oh I can't wait to share. I'm very excited for it and I hope you guys like it. Thanks for reading!