This story has been in the works for a while now. I briefly mention Artie as a swimmer in "Special," because that's an idea I've always liked. This story has gone through many drafts and reincarnations. (An early, early version of this story included Puck basically asking Artie to prove that he could at a public pool.) None of them really worked, but this one just worked so well, so quickly. I'm really happy with it. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.
Right after the accident, Amy Abrams worried about the amount of physical activity her son was getting. When he came from from the hospital, after being there for three months, it was hard for both of them to leave the house. They often went through the motions, making sure Artie practiced with his chair, and working on some of the other many changes in their lifestyle.
She often blamed herself for what had happened. If she had stayed on the phone with her sister five minutes long instead of rushing to get to the store or putting her son on the right side of the car like she usually did, instead of the left like on this particular day. Something—anything—to make the outcome different.
She wanted to put her son in an activity, something that could take his mind off of everything. He enjoyed the private guitar lessons that he started getting when he was in the hospital, but she wanted him to be more active. Give him some kind of opportunity to get out of the chair. Even for just a couple hours a week.
Swimming lessons occurred to her a few days later, while she was in the grocery store. Of course, he had already taken lessons a few years ago, but she was sure that there had to be some kind of adaptive class that Artie could take.
Years later, she would never know how thankful her son was for this revelation.
Eight Years Later…
Tina Cohen-Chang fanned herself with her hand as she unlatched the lock of the wooden fence that surrounded the Abrams backyard. From several feet away, she could hear splashing and she turned the corner to step onto the concrete patio. She could see her boyfriend's form underneath the water as she began to remove her flip-flops and sundress, laying them on one of the lawn chairs so she could jump in and cool off.
The Abrams installed the pool the summer after the accident, after he had taken all the prerequisite lessons, so he at least had a basic feel of what it was like to be in the water. The first few weeks after the original lessons had been…difficult. He had been the only child in the class and the teachers just assumed that he would pick it up quickly. But Artie was so used to being able to kick his legs to propel himself across the pool and just generally keep himself afloat that he was easily frustrated by the whole concept. He absolutely hated the arm floats they made him wear in class, because they were much too tight, even for his thin arms, and it always distracted him.
Most of all, he hated that he had to be babied by his mother in the water. That she had to keep her hands on his stomach to make sure he didn't drown as they did laps back and forth, over and over again.
Every day, they would try a few laps without her standing as close. Within two weeks, she was able to back away a few feet, then a few more, and then it got to the point that as long as he had help in and out, she could sit in a chair on the edge of the pool and watch him.
Now, he didn't really need any supervision, though his mother preferred it. She had to discourage him almost daily in the summer not to swim by himself when no one was home, but that didn't really stop him from doing so anyway.
He knew all the rules. He had to make sure his brakes were locked before he, basically, launched himself into the pool. And he had keep his life-vest on the edge so he could put it on when he started to get tired. Aside from getting out, he was virtually able to do everything by himself.
Tina dipped her blue nail-polish clad toes into the water, testing the temperature. It was always perfect, just warm enough, and she knew the Abrams were meticulous about it, because if it was too cold, Artie could start shivering violently, and no one wanted that. For that reason, Artie had not swam in a lake since the summer before the accident.
He didn't mind, though. As he got older, the desire lessened because he knew how dirty they were. He preferred his enclosed, chlorinated haven.
Artie resurfaced, bringing himself to the edge where Tina was now sitting, the water up to about mid-calf. She always eased her way in, no matter how warm the water was. He held himself up with his arms. Her hand pushed some of his wet hair back and he turned his face to the side, swatting her off. She smiled at him and said, "Hey, you."
"Hey, yourself," he replied, "Come on, jump in." With that, he pushed himself off the wall with his hands. With that, he pushed off the wall, pushing against the water to make himself move. His lower body bobbed along with him, his knees occasionally surfacing. He closed his eyes, allowing the sun to warm his face.
Tina plugged her nose with her thumb and forefinger and plunged into the water, quickly coming up for air at the shock on the water hitting her skin. She shivered involuntary once and dunked herself under the water a second time before her eyes landed on Artie.
She always noticed how different he looked when he was in the water. Happier, somehow. This was his element. His moment to feel just like a regular guy going for a swim. In her opinion, he swam better than most of the able-bodied boys she knew. He was agile and almost methodical about it, while most boys would just try to splash her. Other boys had to put less thought into the act of swimming than Artie did. But he was also more playful with her when they were in the water together. His smile was impossible bigger. He was a completely different Artie in the best possible way.
She knew without asking that none of their other friends had seen him this way. So free. They didn't know that he swam—and swam so well. Tina was convinced that some of their fellow glee clubbers didn't even realize that Artie could get out of the chair. She was positive that Brittany thought Artie slept in the chair. She knew that this was a private thing for him. A special thing. And the fact that he had started to include her in this was more than she could have ever expected from him.
Artie could admit that he was a little self conscious. Every was, right? He was most vulnerable in the water, unless he was alone or when he swam with his mother, who would love him no matter what he looked like. No matter how awkward his movements sometimes looked. His body was pretty disproportioned when he wasn't sitting in his chair, covered by his clothing, because he had gained quite a bit of upper body strength in the last eight years, but had nothing going on in terms of muscle mass in his legs.
The thing was, he thought he would have worried a lot more the first time he went swimming with Tina, just a few months ago. Lima had been unbearably hot the third week of May and he offhandedly had asked her if she wanted to come swim at his house. For two days afterward, he thought about canceling. He dreaded it. But when the moment actually came, when he was sitting on the patio with her, about to get in, the nerves vanished. He could remember her face, the way she watched him with quiet interest as he peeled off his shirt and rolled his chair to the edge of the pool. He had leaned forward and did a sort of half cannon-ball into the water with a splash.
And it didn't scare her off. She didn't dote on him any more than she usually did, which was a huge relief for him. Right after he learned to swim again and was still trying hard at the whole "maintaining all the old friendship I had" thing, he had invited someone over to swim with him. But his friend had been so concerned that Artie was going to drown that he never attempted asking anyone over again.
Until Tina, of course.
They swam in silence for a few minutes, before Artie went over to the side and pulled his life vest into into the water. It was thinner than the usually orange versions that wouldn't have given him any mobility and was more like a sleeveless jacket than something that went around his neck. He held onto the side of the pool and pulled one his arms through the armhole, then switched hands and did the same with the other arm. He zipped it up and looked to his girlfriend. He said, "Tina."
She was now floating on her back and had just barely heard her name. She raised her head slightly to look at him, "Yeah?"
"Come over here," he waved her over with his hand and she flipped herself over onto her stomach, half doggy paddling over to him. When she was in front of him, he spoke, "I want to try something."
"Okay," she said easily, smiling. They had contemplated the whole idea of underwater kissing last night on the phone…
He slowly put his hands on her thighs, just above her knees, and linked them around his waist. She immediately knew what he was trying to do, and while what he was going for was completely innocent, she pulled away from him so fast one might have throat she had set her hair on fire, or something. "Artie," she said, alarmed, "Have you ever tried to do anything like this before?"
Tina wasn't a particularly heavy girl. She knew that she was weightless in water and that Artie was pretty strong, but she wasn't sure how this would work. He needed his arms to keep himself afloat and that wouldn't be very easy for him if she was attached to him.
"No, not really," he said, "But I think I can do it with my vest helping keep me up."
She hesitated. He had said things like this before and that had ended badly. She closed her eyes for a moment, remembering him pulling up on those crutches, despite her better judgment, that should have told him to stay in his chair. She had come to terms with that event more as time past, knowing that she never would have been able to keep Artie up by herself. She never would have been able to catch him when he fell. It was incredible for a few seconds, when she saw that he was taller than her, and how close they were able to get, but the despair had set in quickly when it all went downhill.
She knew that she shouldn't have encouraged to do something that wasn't something he wasn't used to, especially when it came to things like this. And she wouldn't be doing it now.
"Just once, Tee. I promise. If it doesn't work, I've never, ever bring it up again. Please?" He puffed out his bottom lip a bit.
She was wary for another long moment before she relented. "Fine. But only because you're so cute."
He grinned at her and she put her legs back in the position he had put them in before, leaving one of them on the bottom of the pool until they were completely ready. She adjusted her arms around his neck, still keeping her foot stable until everything seemed to be ready to go. Finally, she put her leg up so her heels were touching, and closed her eyes. They didn't move for a minute, making sure they would stay up.
When it seemed that everything was in working order, Artie began to move his arms, and they began to move toward the middle of the pool.
They floated in the middle, Tina's face buried in Artie's neck. She had never felt this close to him before. She had been able to to wrap her arms and legs around him so completely. Hold him so completely.
After a few minutes, Tina's limps began to get restless, and Artie's arms were getting tired—plus, as his arms slowed, they were starting to sink—so she pushed away, choosing to tread in front of him. She put both of her hands on his cheeks and their lips met in the middle.
When they parted, she said, "Artie, that was awesome. I didn't…I didn't think…"
He hushed her, smiling, "I know. Me neither."
There would always be a chance of sinking in anything they did in life. But they never knew if they would keep afloat until they tried.