When Cinder opened her eyes, the room was the same. The same dreary white drapes over the window, the same white furniture. The heart monitor still beeped in the same rhythm. Cinder tried to sit up, using her hand to do it. The stump of her arm hurt.
Finally she looked up, and saw that someone was standing against the door, looking at her. He was a short man, with a bald head and a slender face, and a white beard and mustache. He smiled when he noticed her gaze.
"Good morning. How are you, Cinder?" the man asked. He had an accent that Cinder couldn't place.
"Fine," she replied, unconsciously rubbing the stump of her arm where the skin was the most burnt. The man's face softened.
"I'm Dr. Erland. I'll be helping you with you prosthetics," Dr. Erland said pointedly. Cinder nodded. She hoped having prosthetic limbs wouldn't be as bad as people thought they were. "They're not so bad, once you get used to them. At least, that's what my clients have told me," Dr. Erland said, as if reading Cinder's mind.
"Don't you have to measure my… ummm… stumps?" she asked. She wished she didn't have to do this. She wished everything could be the way it was, despite not remembering anything about her life.
Dr. Erland shook his head. "Dr. Daniel already did that when you were first amputated. I've been working on your limbs for quite a while. You've been my biggest project yet."
Cinder didn't like the way he said, "you've been my biggest project". It sounded like she was a machine that was being built. She opted to stay silent while the doctor opened the big orange suitcase he had beside him. From inside it, he pulled out many things. There were wires, markers, pliers, and of course, the limbs.
They were made of white plastic, connected at the joints with metal. There were wires sticking out of the ends, all different colors. There were little markings against the plastic, in bright magic marker. Cinder couldn't make out what they said. Dr. Erland placed a paper on the edge of Cinder's bed, right at her foot. The doctor then patted the two prosthetics gently.
"The newest and best technology. Once they are fitted, you'll be able to feel with them. You're very lucky, you know," he said. "Not many people have limbs like these. Would you like to try them on?"
Cinder nodded. Dr. Erland took the sheets off the bed. He carefully picked up the plastic leg, and held it next to Cinder's real leg. He clucked his tongue, nodding. Then, he put it against Cinder's stump. She could feel the electricity of the wires inside of it. The doctor put two velcro straps on her upper leg, muttering something about how they were "just for today". The wires were then placed under the velcro, against charred skin.
"Okay, all set up," Dr. Erland finally said after a few more minutes of adjusting. Cinder looked down at the strange device. It didn't feel right, but she figured she would get used to it. She felt something heavy on her leg that wasn't the limb. When she looked, it was a small box with wires. Dr. Erland followed her gaze "That's where the wires from the limb will be connected." Then he began to fidget with the wires, weaving them under the velcro straps, then connecting them to the wires of the same color that were sticking out of the box.
"Alright, now we can test it. I want you to imagine your ankle twisting. The limb is programmed to interpret your brain signals. While you test out a few motions, I'll attach your new hand."
Cinder did what he told her. She imagined her ankle twisting to the side, and sure enough, she felt the limb do the motion. She let out a shocked gasp. "It worked!"
Dr. Erland smiled and laughed. "That's the normal reaction I get from clients. Are you ready to test your arm?"
"Yeah, I guess so," Cinder responded. It was weird to have two heavy plastic things hanging off of her arm and leg. She imagined her wrist moving to make her hand move. The device responded. The testing went on for about an hour, until Cinder felt confident that she would get used to the new limbs.
"Get out of bed. It's time for you to meet one of my other clients. For now you'll have to use a crutch until you get used to your leg." He handed Cinder a crutch from the pair of crutches that were set against the wall. Cinder refused them stubbornly.
"I'll walk on my own," she said forcefully. It came out in the same voice she had spoken with to Dr. Daniel when she asked him to tell her about the fire. Dr. Erland shook his head, smiling.
"I'll let you try it, but you'll fail. None of my clients have ever been able to walk on their prosthetic legs at first."
"Then I guess I'll be the first," Cinder huffed. She had moved the legs to the edge of the bed, and was now inching downwards. It took a little while, but she got her feet to touch the marble floor. There were two hospital slippers waiting for her. She slipped one onto her fake foot, but lost balance when she tried to put it on the other. When she started to walk, her knees gave way, and she fell. She caught herself on the bed, and stood up again. This time she was able to take two steps. She fell Three steps. She fell again.
"Just take the crutch," Dr. Erland urged. She denied it once more.
"I can do this," she said through gritted teeth.