Barry finished the last piece of the leg. It was definitely his best work, designed to adjust and stay strong in combat, but not be too heavy. He had already prepared Reina for attachment, so he had his two assistants come over to help him put it on. He trotted up the stairs on light feet, and into Reina's temporary bedroom. She was sitting on the bed with her back against the wall, sound asleep. There was a notebook in her lap, and a pencil in her hand. He looked at the paper and couldn't believe the skill. It was an exact replica of her view from the window, but drawn in pencil.
"Reina…" He gently shook her shoulder. She opened her eyes and focused on him.
"Hey." She stretched.
"The leg is done."
"Really?!"
"Yep. But first, can we talk about this drawing?"
"Oh…" She blushed. "I was sketching."
"This is incredible."
"…Thanks. It's a nice view, so I decided to capture it."
"I think you succeeded. Anyway, the leg is done if you want to give it a go?"
"Yes!"
Barry watched her balance expertly on the crutch and hop out of the room. She barely falls anymore, and can move at a normal pace. He had Reina lay down on the cot placed in his work room for this exact purpose, then told one of his assistants to hold her down, and the other to hold the leg in place.
"We've talked about this part." Barry warned her. "This is going to really hurt, but I need you to stay as still as possible."
Reina nodded.
"On three. One. Two. Three!" He twisted the wrench that connects the nerves. Reina clenched her fists and clamped her eyes shut, but didn't make a sound or move at all.
That was one of the most painful things Reina had ever experienced, but it was bearable. The pain subsided in a few minutes. She sat up slowly and swung her legs to the floor.
"Nice and easy now. It's going to take some getting used to." Barry said. He helped her stand up, and gave her the crutch. "I still want you to use the crutch for a little while. Once you get the hang of the leg, the arm should be done."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, but I should be thanking you. I have a new line of auto mail because of you."
Reina adjusted her balance for the new weight and carefully walked up the stairs. Though she could move the leg, it was weird and she would have to learn how to use it. She spent the rest of the afternoon wiggling the toes and flexing the ankle. It was awkward to walk in because the heel stuck off the bottom almost an inch, but Barry said she would learn, and it would help a lot in combat. When Roy visited her that evening after work, he was happy to see her walking with very little help from the crutch. She was still a little unsteady, but doing good the next day. By the end of the week, she was walking without any supports, and ready for her arm. Barry presented it to her on Monday. They hooked up the nerves, which hurt just as bad as the leg.
"There we go! You are officially whole again!" Barry exclaimed as he polished the arm.
"Yay! Thank you so much for doing this. I know you've been working really hard."
"My pleasure. It's been a while since I've had the pitter patter of crutches above my head." He smiled as Reina walked up the stairs. She did the same thing she had done with the leg; practiced moving the joints. The fingers were the hardest part, but she could almost pick up her pencil by the end of the day.
Reina spent two more days at Barry's so he could make sure everything was working properly, then Roy and Riza came to take her home. She slipped on her tall boots. She had fixed the inside of her left boot so her leg would fit properly. With her black jacket on, her arm was barely noticeable. Reina shouldered her bag and thanked Barry again. They stopped at her and Roy's apartment first so she could drop off her things, then went to Central. Everyone was happy to see her again.
"Hey kiddo!" Havoc greeted her. "How are you?"
"Pretty good. You?"
"I'm okay, though it's been really boring without you here causing trouble."
"You know, I never really caused that much trouble."
Havoc laughed. "Not yet, but you will."
Everything went back to normal, though Reina rarely wore short sleeves anymore. She was allowed to go on a few missions with supervision, but mostly worked at Central doing research. After her twelfth birthday, she went on her first mission alone. Roy was worried the entire time, but she made it back unharmed.