Chapter 32: Recuperation
Ron's hip was very swollen and painful on Sunday. He felt like just staying in bed all day but he had promised KP a shopping trip and he was determined to live up to it. Besides, maybe walking would loosen the joint up a little bit. He limped down to the kitchen when a delightful thought hit him. Wrestling season was over! No more weigh-ins for nine months! He rooted through the refrigerator and the cupboards like he was reuniting himself with old friends. By the time his parents woke up, he had a massive feast waiting on the table.
While they were eating, Ron screwed up his courage and spoke up. "Mom, Dad," he said. "I'd like to talk to you about the tournament. Why didn't you guys come out and watch me?" The explanation really opened Ron's eyes.
The walk to KP's house didn't help his hip at all. In fact, he was limping so badly that the tweebs didn't even attack him. Mrs. Dr. P took one look at him and immediately ordered him to strip down to his boxers. It was embarrassing, but when a doctor put on that face, you did what she told you. She took one look at the massive bruise and banished him to the couch, with an ice pack. The 'shopping rebound activity' was cancelled for the day.
"Ronald," she said. "This isn't my specialty but I can tell that your injury is an impact injury, not something likely to happen to a wrestler. What happened to you?"
Kim and Ron explained the fight outside Yuma, without divulging Ron's Tai Sheng Pek Kwar skills or the MMP. Mrs. Dr. P was furious.
"Ronald, I'm calling your parents and we will set up an appointment for tomorrow. Right now, I can tell you that this is some form of impact injury that has been aggravated by you foolishly competing in that tournament." Ron flinched. "Tomorrow, we'll find out if it's only a muscle injury or if you've managed to damage the bones."
"Speaking of your 'rents," Kim chimed in. "Did you find out why they didn't make the trip?"
"Yeah, it turns out mom's got some real problems. I don't know if it's a bona-fide medical condition or not, but she tenses up so bad that she can barely breathe whenever she sees me in some sort of danger. Even something as tame as a wrestling match affects her."
Kim's eyes flew wide. "What about her and the missions. How does she handle it?"
"Not to worry," Ron answered. "It doesn't affect her for something she can't actually see. She's accepted the fact that I'm in danger when we answer the call and while she isn't thrilled with it, she can deal with it. But let her see her baby in some sort of conflict, even a contact sport, and she freaks. They decided to attend the Divisional Tournament, since it was here in Middleton. I guess she had a really bad time with it but she had recovered before she showed up to take all those pictures." He shook his head. "And here I was upset about them not traveling all over the state to watch the matches."
"Yeah," Kim deadpanned. "It goes to show you how keeping secrets can mess things up."
"I promise, I'll tell you what had me upset when I'm ready." Ron pleaded, "please trust me on this."
Kim thought it over. "Okay," she finally said. "I'll trust you, but I'm not happy with it."
Ron was spared further discussion by the tweebs, who showed up and demanded a move-by-move accounting of all of his matches. They took turns playing the roles of Ron and his opponents, under Ron's guidance. Ron was even able to talk them into going out for kid's wrestling. Mrs. Dr. P was, at first, appalled by the notion. Then Mr. Dr. P pointed out that two hours of hard exercise just might bring their energy levels down while they were at home. Mrs. Dr. P became much more enthusiastic at that point.
Mrs. Dr. P had some pull with her colleagues at the Medical Center, and Ron found himself with an appointment before school the next morning. He limped into Homeroom Monday morning knowing that he had a severe hip pointer. All physical activities putting a strain on his hip were on hold for a few weeks. Ron was a little disappointed since he had some vague plans about either trying out for the track team or helping with the kid's wrestling program. When he told Kim about his condition, she contacted Wade and told him to filter out any missions, which could include fighting. While she was willing to rescue cats out of trees on her own, there was no way she was going to freak-fight without her backup.
Unfortunately for Ron, one of Bonnie's posse overheard him discussing his condition with Kim. She passed the word to the rest of the gang and Ron spent the rest of the morning subject to 'accidental' bumps, always on his right hip, from the posse girls. His friends figured out what was going on and by the afternoon he always seemed to have Kim, Monique, Oscar, Felix or one of the wrestling team on his right side whenever he was in the hallway. By the end of the day, one of the posse girls tried to push Felix's wheelchair out of her way so that she could 'accidentally' bump Ron again. Monique politely shoved the girl up against the nearest wall and informed her that she was about to have an accident involving a couple flights of stairs. The bumping didn't resume Tuesday morning.
Kim and Ron also had to deal with the gossip involving him and Yori. As KP had predicted, rumors had him in a family sort of way. Team Possible reacted by telling as much of the truth as they could. They reported that the Yamanouchi Headmaster had been kidnapped and that Yori, knowing Ron, had come to Middleton to request Team Possible's assistance. Kim and Ron told about the fight with Monkey Fist, but didn't report the reasons. This quieted the rumors, and nobody was the wiser in regards to Ron's Kung Fu skills, MMP, or the real curriculum taught at the Yamanouchi School.
When Monique heard the tale she considered it for a few minutes. Then she informed Ron that because monkeys and injury were involved, he was officially back in rebound until such time that his hip healed up and he was able to buy another set of clothes. When Ron asked for further explanation, she simply informed him that she was the relationship expert and he'd be better off just listening to her. Ron let it drop; he was in no condition to deal with an accident involving flights of stairs.
Ron settled himself into a routine while waiting for his hip to heal. He still woke up early in the morning but since he couldn't sneak outside, he stayed in his room and concentrated on the meditative and spiritual aspects of Tai Sheng Pek Kwar. He would then head over to KP's and walk to school with her. Three days a week, he hit the Weight Room after school, then walked home with KP. The other two days, he went straight home after classes and practiced his various upper-body strikes. He also devoted time to homework each night.
Dealing with Kim was a dicey proposition at first. She was not happy that he had kept, and was still keeping, secrets from her. She was particularly incensed that he wasn't telling her what had upset him before he went to Japan. She had tried the PDP, pleading, and shouting but Ron had remained firm. Finally she agreed, once again, to respect his privacy. She was also interested in his mastery of Tai Sheng Pek Kwar. While she had seen him use it, once, a single observation wasn't enough to judge his abilities. Instead of trying to judge his own abilities, Ron asked her to help him train once his hip healed up. She agreed, enthusiastically.
Finally, Ron's hip healed to the point that he could resume strenuous workouts. He was slightly disappointed, again, when the Track Coach wouldn't allow him on the team. While Coach Winters had been willing to put up with him occasionally running off on missions, the Track Coach wasn't. The new Swim Team Coach had the same attitude, so KP found herself without an after school activity. Ron invited her to his house to help him train.
"Here's where I stash most of my gear," he explained as they climbed into his tree house. Kim looked around and saw a lifelike target dummy, a heavy bag, a bo, a pair of tonfa, a pair of bag gloves and a gi. "I usually practice before school, but now that the sun's coming up earlier, I might have to rethink that."
"Trying to keep your training secret?"
"Exactly. There are a few spots out in the woods where nobody can see. That's where I usually drag the dummy and the bag." Ron grinned. "The schedule may have to change. I can just about imagine what kind of call my folks will get if one of the neighbors catches a glimpse of me hauling that dummy up here."
Kim laughed at the thought. "So where do you work out?"
"Follow me." With that, Ron led her out of the tree house and into the woods beyond the Stoppables' back yard. After a few minutes, he reached his destination. "This place isn't visible from any of the neighbors' windows. I sneak out here in the mornings and do running, calisthenics, katas, and practice my strikes on either the bag or the dummy. Rufus coaches me." The little mole rat poked his head out of Ron's pocket and chirped.
"I'm impressed." Kim admitted. "You've really put in some time. What do you wear when it gets really cold? A gi doesn't keep you very warm."
"When it's cold I wear sweats, mission gear or regular street clothes. I figured that I won't always be fighting in a gi, so I might as well practice while wearing what I normally do."
"Good thinking. How about practicing after school? Will there be any problems?"
"I was thinking about that. We'll have to play it by ear, but when the weather cooperates we can practice here. Mom spends a lot of time doing volunteer work, so we can use the basement when she's gone and it's cold or rainy. There may be times we can't work out. I'd rather miss a practice than let someone besides you find out that I've been training."
"You take your secrets seriously, don't you."
"I really respect Sensei, I don't want to let him down."
"Well, partner, since we're here, why don't we stretch out and you can show me what you've got?"
With that, the two teens launched themselves into an exhausting sparring session. They learned that while Ron wasn't even close to Kim's ability; he was clearly a force to be reckoned with. Kim was impressed with how much he had mastered on his own, after only a week of formal training in Japan. She told him that she was holding back, but not as much as she had expected to. They trained, after school, for the rest of the week. Soon Ron was developing his own approach to fighting, where he excelled at immobilizing his opponent with throws and/or holds, then unleashing close-in elbow and knee strikes. This was in direct contrast to the long-range hand and foot strikes where KP excelled. The two teens discussed the situation and decided that Ron's style complemented Kim's.
At the end of Friday's training session, Kim remembered Ron's promise to conduct some 'end the rebound by buying a new set of clothes,' shopping, and held him to the promise. Of course, they had to go to Club Banana and buy from Monique. (Not only would she be able to officially declare Ron 'out of rebound' but she would also get the commission on the sale.) Here, they ran into a little friction.
"Ron, what are you talking about? It looks great on you." Monique wasn't in a very good mood. She had done her usual, fine job picking out some clothing for Ron. She had chosen dark colors, an open collar, short sleeves and a slightly elastic material in the torso. There wasn't much special about the slacks, although she did insist that he tuck the shirt in and wear a belt. Now he didn't like her work?
"I'm sorry I just…it doesn't quite feel right." Ron looked uneasy.
"Ron, don't be silly!" Kim interjected. "Monique did a great job! You look good. I don't know why you insist on those baggy shirts. You've put in some hard work to get that physique, show it off a little!"
"Yeah, Blondie!" Monique agreed. "The whole idea of the 'rebound outfit' is to make the other person sorry she let you go." And let everyone else know you're on the market, she thought. Kim's right, why can't you show off just a little? She looked him up and down. No, he wasn't buff but he was clearly athletic. The snug shirt showed off his slender build, the open neck displayed his strong neck and the short sleeves uncovered his wiry arms. The dark color contrasted nicely with his pale complexion and blond hair. What's his problem?
"I get the picture," Ron was blushing. "But don't you think this shirt's more appropriate for a guy with a little more…" Ron patted his pectorals and biceps.
AHA, mystery solved! Monique thought. He's self-conscious. He's been the skinny little guy for so long that he hasn't accepted the fact that he's got a nice build. "Okay Ron, if you won't believe the two of us, lets keep it in that color and try something with long sleeves."
Monique found the shirt she was thinking of and chased Ron back to a fitting room. Kim approached her as soon as Ron was inside.
"Why didn't you hold out for that shirt?" She asked, "it looked good on him."
"First rule of fashion," Monique countered. "If he isn't comfortable wearing it, he won't. He's still a little shy and I won't have him buying an outfit that he'll just shove into a closet. It's my job to make him look good, so I'll find something that he'll actually wear." She smiled, fine tuning his wardrobe now, are we? Kim, you're making him over whether you realize it or not. I might just have to bet Felix on when the two of you get together.
Kim agreed with her friend. There was no sense railroading Ron into buying something he would never wear.
Monique's insight proved accurate. The next shirt still looked good on Ron and he was willing to wear it. Kim and Ron thanked Monique and caught a bus back to their neighborhood. Kim kept quiet until they got off the bus and were walking home.
"Ron, do you think that you're up to missions again?"
"Sure, we'll be able to see how well you've been teaching me the new moves."
Kim giggled a little at that. Then grew serious. "Ron," she asked, "why were you shy about wearing that first shirt that Monique picked out?"
"Like I said back there, I don't have the arms and chest to pull it off."
"Are you ashamed of your body?"
"No, I just don't see it as being all that special. Why?"
"No reason, but you are going to be wearing your 'out of rebound' clothes at school Monday, aren't you?"
"Sure, I guess." He didn't quite know what to make of the look she was giving him.
Their first post-recuperation mission came down yet that evening, taking his mind off of the situation.