Mark and Rose sat on Mark's sofa, in his spacious living room. To Mark's grateful surprise, Ross and Lily had agreed that Rose should spend some time with Mark as he was closer to her than any of her friends, and because he was like family to her. They didn't mind that mark was 33 and Rose was only 19. They had trusted him ever since he had moved into the neighbourhood. They had let him take care of Rose since she was a very little girl.
The two sat eating icecream and watching King Kong, one of Marks favourite films. LUckily it was the new version, so Rose didn't mind. Rose was still unable to walk.
Rose was tackling her condition with all the rage and independance of a woman with permanent PMS. She refused all help she was offered, determined to get by on her own. She sometimes let Mark help her around and other things, but she was determined not to let herself get down and dependent on others.
"Mark, let go of me!" she had argued as Mark had tried to lift her to the comfortable sofa. "I'll do it myself!"
"Suit yourself," Mark answered to a giggling, kicking Rose. Then he promptly released her. Rose had leaned back into the chair, then the phone had rang. Mark had gone to answer it, and while he was gone, Rose dragged herself out of the chair and landed in a heap on the floor. Instead of lying there feeling sad and sorry for herself, she had actually laughed. And she reached, inch by inch, for the DVD player. Her tongue had stuck out a little bit, as though she were a kid trying to get to the cookie jar.
Finally she had managed to put the DVD into the player and hauled herself back onto the sofa.
When Mark had came in, the look on his face had been hilarious. Complete shock and wonderment. If he hadn't been at the hospital for the diagnosis then he might almost have thought she was making the whole chair-bound thing up. He laughed and asked her how she had got to the sofa. Rose had dodged the question and instead asked for ice cream. And that was how they had ended up watching King Kong and munching on Raspberry Swirl.
"You finished with the ice cream yet, short stuff?" Mark asked, licking his bowl clean.
"Yeah I am," Rose returned, watchinghim lick the thing clean. "King Kong."
Mark growled, which made Rose burst out laughing. He let himself smile. He loved that sound. THe sound of her being happy. The sound of determination and a blatant sign that the accident had done nothing to break her spirits.
He put the Ice Cream away and came back into the living room, sitting next to her.
"SO," he said in a voice which made Rose jump a little. "What d'you want to do today?"
"There's not much I can do, is there?" Rose said. Her voice suddenly sounded distraught.
"What do you mean?" Mark asked, genuinely mystefied.
"I can't walk, can I?" Rose clarified irritably.
"So?" Mark said. "It doesn't mean you can't do stuff girls your age usually do."
"Yes it does!" Rose retorted. "I can't.. I can't do anything!"
"No, It doesn't!" Mark replied, his voice raised a little. The sound of it sent Rose into shock. She had never heard Mark shout before. She shut up straight away. "Rose Lewis," he went on, "you have NEVER been a quitter. And I sure as hell am not gonna let you start now!"
"Why?" Rose said, overcoming the shock and looking sad.
"Because since I first saw you, I knew that you would become a strong young woman."
""For what?" he said, his voice calm and curious.
"For believing in me."
Mark wrapped an arm around her shoulder and hugged Rose tightly. "Come on," he said, shaking her a little so she giggled. "What d'you wanna do?"
"Hmm..." Rose mulled it over, before answering in a way which made Mark's heart drop. "I wanna go shopping."
"I wish I hadn't mentioned you doing things girls do," Mark said defeatedly with a comical sigh.
"Too bad," Rose said, suddenly cheery again. "You just did."
"Damn!"
"Now," Rose said, giggling. "Do you want to help me into my wheelchair, and we'll get going?"
"How about this instead?" Mark said. And before Rose had a chance to object, Mark picked her up off the sofa and walked through the house, right out the front door. He opened his truck with one arm, leaving Rose looking momentarily like a ventriliquist's doll. He then put her into the passenger seat with deliberate care. After closing her door, he went back inside, picked up her wheelchair, folded it and carried it back outside, before stowing it in the back of the truck.
They drove to the mall, whereupon Rose insisted that Mark did not push her. They both got a lot of looks, and understood why. Mark was seven feet tall. With Rose pushing 4 feet in the wheelchair, the size difference was surprising and left some people wondering how she had been confined there in the first place. The situation only got more bizarre after Mark answered some people with "she had her legs taken out from under her and was on her back for 6 hours," referring of course to how long she had been in hospital.But Rose laughed almost too loudly as she managed to twist what Mark had said.
Rose stopped at a shoestore, staring at a pair of leather boots. "I love those boots," she confessed to Mark. "I've wanted them for god-knows how long."
Mark insisted on buying her the boots as a "get well soon" present. Rose was too overwhelmed with happiness to feel any stubborn wanton rejection. She cradled the bag containing her new footwear so close to her heart it may as well have been a child. Mark could have sworn he even caught her sniffing the leather.
When Mark eventually took Rose home, her parents were overjoyed to see Rose happy again. After Rose had went to bed, Mark stayed in the living room with Lily and Ross, to ask if he could take Rose on tour with him after his Two Month vacation was over. To his surprise and happiness, Lily and Ross didn't hesitate to give him permission. Even though there was originally skepticism in their eyes about the violence.
Mark sat back, and wondered what Rose would say. But he also had an ulterior motive. Rose had been strong, unbelievably strong, these past few weeks. He had an idea for a new career for her, but that would be his secret.
Until the time was right.