My note…this chapter is basically Jimmy and his "team"(as Heather calls them), working to get him mobile. I'm going the slighly emotional route with one, too… as we catch a glimpse of the ups and downs Jimmy would face during this painstaking process.
2nd note...I just want to point out that there may have been a mistake made in naming the new charater. I think now, after watching It's Tricky, that the girl pictured in the promo clips with Jimmy, is NOT the character of Anya. I believe Anya was the petite red head talking to Ashley in ep 704(there were other promo pics with her pictures), not the girl with the blonde braids smiling at Jimmy. I apologize for any misinformation, I was lead to believe the girl in those pics was the character of Anya. I'm very sorry if this possible discrepancy ruins the fic for anyone...but for story purposes, we will leave the names as is, and there will just be two Anya's at Degrassi(only mine will be featured though).
ONE SMALL STEP
CHAPTER 5: ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK
It was Spring, the sun was shinning, the birds were chirping….and Jimmy Brooks was miserable. With all the progress, or strides, as Lana called them, that Jimmy was making, the one thing he wanted to…no, needed to do...was still just dream, so far out of his reach, yet almost at his fingertips.
Anya stood at the other end of the parallel bars as she did for most of Jimmy's extra sessions, talking and joking and trying to keep his mind off of how much effort it took him to stay upright. She was still smiling at the the playful banter that had transpired between her and Jimmy, a few minutes earlier.
Jimmy was deeply focusing on his task...head down, studying his feet, still amazed that he was actually standing on them, especially when the feeling of standing could only be sensed through his arms. A small, shaky vibration from the other end of the bars caught his attention and his head snapped up to see Anya swinging her legs back and forth.
"What're you doing?", Jimmy chuckled in amusement, tightning his grip slightly to maintain his balance. "You look like a monkey".
Anya snickered playfully and kicked her legs up so she was strattling the bars, in a split position. "I told you my dad was a pt for the Russian men's gymnastic team", she reminded Jimmy and he acknowledged it with a nod. Anya jumped down and pushed up with her arms, so her feet were off the ground and flipped herself backward in a dismount maneuver, landing square on her two feet, hands raised above her head. "What I didn't tell you is that he's the assistant coach of the girls team at the gym where I take lessons".
"You're a gymanst?", Jimmy asked, highly impressed and completely stunned.
Anya nodded and blushed bashfully. "Are you surprised?", she asked shyly.
"Yeah, I guess I am", Jimmy replied with head bob, since he wasn't able to shrug at the moment...his arms were just a little busy keeping him upright. "It's just...you don't really look like the gymanst type".
Anya rolled her eyes and looked at Jimmy expectantly. "And what exactly does the gymnast type look like?", she questioned with mock offense, taking some pleasure in making Jimmy squirm a bit.
Jimmy shifted a little and cautiously brought his eyes back up to Anya's. She definitely didn't fit the stereotype, she was an average girl in most ways, both in height and build, and she had more of an eclectic type in style...baggie cargos, layered tank tops, tiny hair braids, nose stud. "I don't know...", he paused slightly before continuing carefully. "...short, petite...glittery".
Anya laughed heartly, causing Jimmy to take in a huge breath. "You're totally right, I'm not anything like the competetors you see on tv...I'm just a girl who likes the sport and is pretty damn good at it", she said confidently, but not boastfully. "I won't ever go as far as the olympics, but I hold my own at comps".
"That's cool...a girl of many talents", Jimmy smiled and nodded. Anya tried to hide her excited response to Jimmy's compliment, by taking her previous position and dismissively began swinging again. After a few seconds to compose herself, Anya's expression changed back to her professional-like seriousness he'd seen her use when she was around her father. "You'll start out like this, ya know", she stated simply.
Jimmy looked at her skeptically. "But I can't do that", he protested as he motioned to the way her legs were moving back and forth.
"Not like that silly...like this", Anya replied brightly, taking the emphasis off of her lower half and bringing to her top half. She slid her hands forward on the bars, then pushed up so her arms raised the rest of her body off of the ground. "See?", she questioned, following through with her legs, in a motion that resembled a hop.
Jimmy's expression turned downright doubtful and he shook his head. "Yeah I see it...but I still can't do it", he insisted.
"Sure you can...", Anya reiterated as she stepped in front of Jimmy. "...I've seen it done dozens of times". She laid her hands over his and slowly guided them forward.
"I don't think this is such a good idea Anya...maybe we should wait for Lana and your dad", Jimmy muttered.
"Your doing fine", she praised. "Now, just push up and forward".
"I can't", Jimmy was starting to panic when he realized he was leaning too far forward and, at that angle, didn't have the muscle control to right himself. "I think I'm slipping", he added, his voice raising slightly in hopes that the therapists on the other side of the room would hear him. Anya jumped to the ready to push Jimmy up, but his bodyweight proved to be too great for her to counterbalance and she slipped backwards onto the mat.
Jimmy was dangerously close to joining her, when a familiar face appeared in front of him and two strong arms wrapped around his waist from behind, both working together to ease him back into his chair. "Felt like starting without us, eh?", Lana asked in a sarcastically but playful way, once she could see Jimmy was relatively unharmed.
"Not my idea", Jimmy mumbled under his breath, just out of Anya's earshot.
Lana could tell Jimmy was embarassed and frustrated by the near tumble he almost took. She looked over her shoulder at Anya, who looked completely mortified, standing back at the other end of the bars. "But the idea was right", she whispered back to Jimmy as she unlocked the knees of the braces. She stood up just as Boris signaled to her that he was finished fastening the support belt around Jimmy's mid-section. "Why don't we try this the right way", she suggested, more than asked. "Anya...I need you over here...".
Anya looked hesitantly at Jimmy, who's warm smile and affirmitive nod, let her know it was alright. Lana smiled to herself...Team Brooks was back in action, "Okay on my count...".
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"You're kidding, right?", Jimmy asked incredulously, a few weeks later, when Lana handed him a long pair of forearm crutches.
Lana smirked and shook her head. "I thought you wanted to walk across that stage to accept your diploma", she stated teasingly. "How did you think we were gonna accomplish that...bring the parallel bars with us?".
Jimmy's frown made Lana's grin widen as they started on the basics...getting up and down and working up to match the time length he had achieved over at the bars.
The next month or so, was filled with Jimmy learning how to rely more on the crutches to move. The deadline was nearing, only three weeks until graduation and Jimmy was nowhere close to where he wanted to be.
Clunk, clunk...slide...thump. Pause. Make sure crutches are stable, foot position is good. Again, clunk, clunk...slide...thump.
"This isn't walking", Jimmy complained as Lana and Boris stood on either side of him, waiting for him to take his next step.
"Really, 'cause we're more than a meter away from your chair...and we didn't get there by flying", Lana joked lightly, but it did nothing to brighten Jimmy's mood. Three measly steps, if you could even consider them steps, which Jimmy didn't...and his arms were shaking, his t-shirt was damp and he was nearly out of breath. How was he even going to be ready for graduation, if three steps took this much effort?
"More like crawling", he mumbled under his breath, but Lana's proximity to Jimmy, coupled with her keen sense of hearing, caught the grouse. Jimmy's head bobbed up and his gaze followed a young man on similar crutches, at the other end of the room. "Now that's walking", he stated pointedly. "...smooth transition, one foot in front of the other...".
Lana couldn't help but smirk slightly...Jimmy was starting to sound just like her. "And a totally different level of injury", she cut in the reply. Jimmy looked away disappointedly and she reached up to put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Jimmy, you'd at least need some use of the hips for...".
"Then what are all those extra session for...or the new exercises?", he asked, interrupting sharply. "I thought I'd be 'walking' to get my diploma...not dragging my sorry ass across the stage", he snipped frustratedly. Jimmy shook his head dismissively, "I'm done with this".
Lana could see he was exhausted...both mentally and physically, so she motioned for Ayna to bring Jimmy's chair over and gently helped him into it.
"Listen Jimmy...all of this effort was to get you to where you are today", Lana explained sincerely, kneeling down to his level. "You've progressed so rapidly and you're so close to accomplishing in almost five months, what takes most six to tweleve months to complete", she added proudly, grabbing his hand for emphasis.
By the set jaw and overted eyes, Lana knew she wasn't getting anywhere with Jimmy, so with a slight squeeze of his hand and a soft, "I'd hate to see you throw it all away", she stood back up and walked away, letting Jimmy stew over her words.
Anya waited for her father to follow Lana, before she stalked up to Jimmy. "So what...you're just gonna give up now?", she scolded angrily.
"What else am I supposed to do?", he spat incredulously.
"Stand up, walk across that stage and accept your diploma like you planned to", she replied straightforwardly.
"That's just it Anya...I can't walk", Jimmy yelled back. "I can't and I never will".
"Wait...you were the one who told me that you wouldn't let your last steps in the school be the ones you took the day you got shot", she argued. "What's changed?".
"Reality", was the bitter comeback. "Those were my last step...and they always will be".
"That's bull and you know it...you've probably taken twenty or thirty steps since we've started", Anya blurted furiously. "I think you're just trying to find an excuse because...".
"Excuse?", Jimmy grumbled through gritted teeth as he struggled to stand once again. She heard the knee hinges lock into place and Anya looked up at the intmidating figure, towering above her. She watched as Jimmy determinately twisted his body to the left, trying to get his right leg to move out in front of him.
"Jimmy", Anya called nervously as she watched him to attempt to take a natural looking step and realized it wasn't going to work.
He twisted some more and fought to get that leg to comply, but couldn't maintain his balance in that position...and crumpled, face first, onto the mat.
Anya rushed over, followed by Boris, who hadn't left the room yet. They both knelt down on the mat, in front of him. "Jimmy, are you okay?", she asked concernedly, her father reaching his hand out to help.
Without lifting his head up, Jimmy swatted at Boris' hand and took in a deep breath, "Just leave me alone, please", he sighed out. Anya didn't listen and moved in a little closer. "I said get the hell outta here Anya", he yelled this time and she backed away.
Anya scrambled to her feet with her father's arm around her shoulders, escorting her to the door. "I'll help him Ani", Boris assured her as she rushed out of the room, tears streaking her cheeks. Boris turned around to see Jimmy still and silent, and only the sound of Jimmy pounding an angry fist into the mat, cut through the dead air.
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"I could change it if you want", Ashley offered to a very distracted Jimmy as they sat on the couch in her family room, the following Sunday afternoon. "Or we could go out if you want to", she suggested, sensing his distant mood.
"It's not the movie Ash", he replied shortly.
"I hope it's not the company", she stated suggestively, her eyes searching for his, but they didn't meet.
Jimmy cracked a small smile and kissed Ashley's forehead. "No, it's definitely not the company Ash", he insisted, pulling her closer to his chest, but immediately regretting the action, as it caused him to hiss in pain.
Ashley jumped back. "What's wrong...did I hurt you?", she asked worriedly, when she noticed Jimmy's hand clutching at his right side. Ashley moved his hand aside and lifted up his shirt to see what was underneath. "What the hell happened to you?", she gasped incredulously.
Jimmy shrugged dismissively. "I fell", he admitted softly.
"Fell...when, where?", she questioned frantically, studying his face for an answer.
"Yesterday, at physio", he replied as Ashley looked on expectantly. Jimmy grabbed her hand and caressed it, he was completely determined to finally tell Ashley the whole truth. "Ash, I've been...", he looked into her loving blue eyes and just couldn't bring himself to do it. "...I was...playing ball with the guys after my session, and thing got a little rough", he blatantly lied, and hated himself for it.
Ashley's worried expression softened and she lightly touched the bruise left from landing on the elbow support of his crutch. "You had it checked out though...right?", she added for piece of mind.
Jimmy nodded. "Yeah, Boris looked me over...said everything was okay", he answered, at least that much wasn't a lie...but left out the little trip to the er and the numerous tests that followed.
Ashley accepted Jimmy's answer and leaned in to kiss the purpling mark before lowering his shirt and gingerly sniggling back up against him. Jimmy let out a relieved sigh when Ashley didn't pry any further for additional injuries, because the even nastier bruise left on his hip by the hand grip, might have been just a little harder to explain away.
And explaining his injuries and how he really sustained them would be admitting to a five month old lie he'd been keeping from the woman he loved, and admitting to that lie would be acknowledging his failure and Jimmy Brooks was not about to fail anyone.
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I wanted to end it with a little JimAsh moment...which has been seriously lacking in this story. Sorry, but next chap isn't much better...well there's more interaction, much more actually...but not exactly of the good kind.
I'd like to thank Sunshyne08 and lilfiftyfour, for their support and wonderful reviews. I really appreciate it.
Degrassi does not belong to me.
