CH10 (91)
It was now one month later:
Kate had undergone her knee replacement surgery about 3 weeks ago. Madison was hoping it would be Kate's last one.
Rick, Alexis and the girls along with Shawn were all in the medical area. Today was going to be a big day.
They had spent the last 3 weeks giving shots once a week directly into her leg muscles of both legs. They had been exercising her legs getting her to push a little over the last week.
It had caused Kate a little pain but her leg didn't feel like a dead weight at the moment.
Today they were going to get her out of bed and try and see if she could stand and see how much of her weight she could handle.
Madison and the nurses were doing all the work while the others, plus Lucy looked on from a distance.
The nurses got her uncovered, However both her legs were covered since Kate didn't want her girls to see what her legs looked like now. Even Kate didn't want to see what they looked like now. In fact only the nurses and Madison had seen her bare legs.
They had the bed tilted up as high as it would go and had gotten Kate to a sitting position with her legs dangling over the side of the bed. "Let us do all the work Becks. I don't want you putting any weight on your bad leg until I tell you. … clear?" Getting Kate to nod her head.
They had to be careful with the wires that were still connected to her monitors. The food tube and oxygen tube were long gone. Rick had been making her meals specifically for her as directed by Madison.
"Ok, here we go." And with Madison on one side and a nurse on the other with the other nurse standing in front of her waiting to catch her.
Madison and the nurse had most of her weight. "Ok I'm going to start letting go. I want you to only use your good leg for now. Got it." Madison glares at Kate to show she means it. "I want you to tell me if the pain gets to be too much." And Madison starts relaxing.
Kate's face starts to show pain almost instantly. Madison hasn't let go yet. "Hows the pain?" As they all hear the beep, beep of Kate's heart rate increase.
"It hurts, but not bad." Kate tells her and the beep, beep slows a little.
"Ok, I'm going to let you take the weight from me. …. Ready?" Madison relaxes but doesn't move, ready to move in and take the weight away from Kate in a second.
Kate feels a little more pain but it lessens after a few seconds. "Hows the pain?" Madison wants the truth and hopes she gets it.
"The pain is manageable." Kate tells her, truthfully.
"Ok, now for the other leg. Relax a little and let her have some of her weight. Ready?" Madison nods her head at the nurse who relaxes just a bit.
Kate moans and the beep, beep of her heart rate increases instantly.
Madison and the nurse move in and take her weight away from her. "Sit Kate." Madison tell her.
"NO, let me do this." Kate wants it to work and get a chance.
"SIT DOWN BECKS!" Madison puts force in her words. "If you tear one of those muscles lose, I'll have to go back in there and re-attach it. That will set you back weeks, and that's the good news. NOW SIT!" Madison is serious.
Kate sits on the bed dejected. "I warned you this was going to take time Becks. We'll continue to exercise your legs and every day we will get you out of bed again, just like today. Day after day.
"If you'll listen to me, we'll have you standing on your own in no time." Madison tries to reason with her.
Madison leans in to whisper so the girls don't get scared. "I don't think you understand just how little muscle mass you have in that lower leg area now." Madison looks into Kate's eyes to convey her point. "We do it my way Becks." Madison speaks up louder.
The nurses help Kate back into bed and when Kate is down and ready Madison goes over to Kali. "Ok sweetie."
Kali is instantly over to the bed and climbs up to lay down next to Kate like she has been doing for the last week. Trading days with Emily who has been doing the same thing.
They're not allowed to sleep with Kate, but they do get to stay for about an hour each day. While Kate soaks up the love the give her each day.
Emily had even offered Kate some of her muscles yesterday, getting Kate's heart to break and fill with love. Break because Kate had done this to her, and love that her baby wanted to help so badly.
Kate was relishing these moments with her girls. This was the only way she got to hold them close and whisper in their ears that she loved them.
However Kate tired quickly and they couldn't let the girls accidentally disconnect Kate from the monitors, so they both only got an hour to hold and cuddle each other.
To Kate it was like a piece of her was being peeled away each time it was time for them to leave. Kate just wanted it to be back to the way it was.
Kali was gone when one of the nurses came over to give Kate's legs one of her daily physical therapy sessions. As the days passed they increased the number and duration each day.
"Is this even working?" Kate asks as she bends her legs. However before she can respond. "The movement of your legs along with the steroid shots allow your muscles to work and grow stronger. Think of it as doing body builder exercises to build up muscle mass. In this case it is restricted to your leg muscles. It will take time, but the practice is sound and produces results." Lucy responds for the nurse.
"What she said." The nurse smiles and bends Kate's leg.
"Dad, have you seen mom's legs?" Alexis asks Rick while the girls are in bed sleeping.
"No, Madison won't show me and I haven't tried to look, why?" Rick wonders where this is going. Though he has his own fears.
"Mom has really long legs and now they are damaged, what if she thinks, …. I don't know, …. That she's ugly and we don't want her anymore." Alexis has fears.
"Then I guess we'll all just have to make sure she never thinks that, won't we." Rick offers a solution then turns to look at Emily and Kali. "And I think I know just the two that can convince her." Getting Alexis to start smiling. Love conquers all.
"How are the greenhouses doing?" Rick changes the subject.
"Kinda like the summer house when mom showed up. I've got everything started but it's going to be a few months before we get anything, we just need time." Alexis explains.
"It's ok pumpkin, we both know you're good at this, but even you can't make it grow faster. Just prevent it from dying and bring it back to life if somehow it does." Rick smiles and bumps her. Getting Alexis to grin.
"Mom will be find dad, and we're going to help her." Alexis is sure.
"Yes we are pumpkin, and those two I think are going to be the ones she listens to most." Rick nods to his sleeping daughters.
At first Alexis was taken back that her dad thought Kate wouldn't listen to either her or her dad. They both loved Kate, but then it occurred to her that her dad was referring to the innocence of their love.
Kate wouldn't think if was some platitude, something they were telling her just to get her standing and walking. Emily and Kali were too young to think like that. They just wanted their mother, as much as Alexis did.
"Dad, maybe if we tell Madison and only send the girls tomorrow for when they try to get mom to stand again. Maybe we should only go every other day while they go each and every day. Mom may fight to stand and not just accept defeat." Alexis offers.
"Leave it to these two to do or say something that reaches Kate's heart. Makes her want to succeed?" Rick ponders the pros and cons.
"If we coach them what to say? …. Or they may let slip that we are using them to get Kate to fight to stand. …. It has risks pumpkin." Rick kinda liked it, but the risks.
"Only question, do we start now or what till mom has said she doesn't want to try standing anymore?" Which timing of this would work best?
"Kate can be stubborn, if we let her think for a moment that not trying to stand or walk anymore, …. We may never reach her." Was Rick's primary fear.
"Emily and Kali go alone tomorrow. We need Madison." And Alexis heads for the nearest monitor.
Half an hour later Madison was leaving the Castle dome agreeing to their plan. There was a risk this could blow up on them, but Madison agreed that Kate needed something to fight for. A light at the end of the tunnel. A reason to achieve her goal of standing and walking.
Rick was going to drop off Emily and Kali early so Madison could talk to them. They needed to make sure they both didn't just stand there and quietly watch. Kate needed cheerleaders, these two were going to be that light at the end of the tunnel.
Rick was cooking for the colony when Alexis dropped of Emily and Kali with Madison half an hour before they were going to get Kate standing again the next day.
This time however without Rick or Alexis there to hold them back, they were both right up next to the bed, ready to help their mom stand. Ready to use every muscle they had.
"Ok Kate just like last time, we are going to get you sitting in bed with your legs over the side. We are going to take all your weight. We're going to start with your good leg until you are standing just like last time. Then we are going to let you take weight on the other leg, ever so slowly.
Ready girls?" Madison asks looking at Emily and Kali, who instantly raise their arms ready to catch her if she starts to fall. It was symbolic only and Madison knew that. Kate might to if she thought about it, but it looked good, and Kate was smiling at them.
They soon had Kate up and Madison started to let Kate take her weight, slowly. "How's the pain?"
"It hurts, but it's not bad." The beep, beep of the monitor tended to confirm Kate wasn't lying to them.
"Ok, now for the other leg." And the nurse eases off a little and both girls stiffen knowing it was up to them to catch her.
However today was a repeat of the day before. The pressure became too much and Kate was forced to sit.
"Just remember Becks, this is going to take time. Your muscles need to grow and the connection points need to get used to being tested. Physical therapy may be a pain in the, …" Madison catches herself. "But you need it. A month from now Lucy can show you what you were doing versus what you are doing. You'll see. …. Ok girls, hop up." After they have Kate back in bed.
Emily takes one side and Kali the other.
Madison and the nurse are gone. "You'll get better mom." Emily whispers to Kate. She wasn't crying about it anymore, much. She trusted Madison to be telling the truth.
Kali however was still crying. She wanted her mom the way she remembered her. Not the one stuck in a bed all day.
And Kate spends the hour she gets with them each day softly crying too. Kate could use the love they give her, but she wanted to be strong for them. Not stuck in bed and can't even stand on her own two feet.
Madison was in the Castle dome while the girls were sleeping. "How is she doing, really?" Rick wants a straight answer.
Madison looks at Alexis and wonders just how much she should say. "I'm not sure either of you know just how much or in this case how little muscle mass we are working with here. …. That croc did a real number on her.
Beck's leg is likely to be tooth picks for the rest of her life. However having said that, I know girls with eating disorders that have equally thin legs who can walk and run.
This is going to take time, but she can get there if she is willing to fight to get there.
Right now the problem is physical. Eventually the problem is going to be mental." Madison warns.
Alexis gives Madison an 'I don't understand look'.
"Do you have any shorts you can wear sweetie?" Madison has an idea to get her meaning across. Getting Alexis to nod her head.
"Good, go put them on and maybe I can show you." So Rick and Madison wait.
Alexis comes back in a minute wearing shorts. "You see your legs? …. Now feel them. Place your hands together sort of and run them down your leg.
Do you feel the size of them? That is part fat and part muscle. Fat isn't bad unless you have too much of it based on your body size.
Beck's has always been thin, but she was toned. She was in good shape and I'm guessing running to help keep it that way.
Now feel again. … Do you feel the bone in your leg? …. That with a very little fat and a little muscle is all Kate has in that one leg now.
With work we'll have her walking and maybe some light running, but that one leg is always going to likely look like that. It'll eventually look better than it does now. However never like the other one.
Would you wear these shorts knowing one leg looks like bone covered with skin, while the other one looks mostly normal?" Madison asks Alexis. Rick might do it, but women are conscious of how they look. To others and to themselves.
"I think I understand." Alexis whispers out.
"The old Beck's is gone sweetie. This is the new Beck's. She loves you just as much as the old one, but she's not going to feel as good about herself. That croc took something more than just part of her leg. It took part of how she sees herself too.
Maybe she'll come around and not care what other people think. Maybe she isn't as vein as the normal female. Just be ready for her not wanting to wear a bikini again and go to the beach. Exposing her leg like that might be more than she can handle.
You're going to have a problem too Rick. She is likely to think she isn't sexy anymore. You may have to come up with a grand plan to get her to think otherwise." Madison warns him.
"Actually that's the easy part. She could be 90 years old and in a wheelchair and I'll still think she's sexy. She isn't getting off that easy. I married her and I'm keeping her, fat, thin or in-between." Rick would think of something. But he was going to love her till the day he died, he knew that much.
Shawn catches up to Rick in the kitchen. "How you holding up?" He knows Kate's injury is probably hurting him.
"Fine I suppose. …. It's painful knowing she is lying there and can't help her. I should have been closer to her. I left her to go to the shuttle. I should have been there." Rick still thinks it's all his fault.
"We've all used Lucy to know how fast a croc can move and how they kill. It was quick Rick, even if you had been close it still would have gotten her. Maybe not have dragged her to the bottom of the river, but the damage would have been done.
It's not your fault Rick. You knew when you started hunting them that they were dangerous." Shawn takes her arm. "She's alive and Madison says she will recover. Give her time, she's still Kate."
Break to look at Earth:
The President had a headache. Maybe better make that a migraine. Until the ship from Tellus arrived and blew out hundreds if not thousands of windows all over the planet, only the United States knew about aliens on their planet. Or anything about Bracken, and even then only a select few.
Now every country on the planet knew and was demanding answers from him. What he presently had was a political nightmare. If it wasn't bad enough that their enemies hated them, but now so did their supposed allies.
They all wanted access to Bracken or they wanted his head, or both. Britain, France and Germany were already sending a delegation to speak to Bracken. They hadn't even asked, they were just coming, period.
And if that wasn't bad enough but China was screaming at him. They had already detained all of the WHO and CDC people that were still in country chasing down the latest bug problem. Admiral Quast was essentially helpless when it had happened.
Sure he had 3 navy seal teams at his disposal, but you needed to know where and when to send them.
Quast still had the where since their transponders they had on them were still functional, and even now he was working on a plan to extract them, by force if necessary. Of course that would only piss off the Chinese even more, which had already shown they were more than willing to play with nukes. If he sent a team in to extract them, they would likely use still more.
And then there were the Russians. They however weren't screaming. No, what they were doing was even worse. They had gone silent! Completely silent.
Their ambassador in DC hadn't left his compound. Worse, Russia for only the second time in history had failed to send anyone to the UN assembly. Plus Putin himself was nowhere to be found. He hadn't made a public appearance since he obviously got one of the USB flash drives.
The President was going over his daily briefing paper about the oil refineries finally being operational, gas stations being open and prices coming down, grocery stores being open, the few demonstrations that were lightly attended, and other things. When his aid coming rushing in after knocking.
"General Campbell is on a secure video call. He says it's urgent." And escorts the President down to the basement. Where he already finds the Secretary of State.
"Mr. President." Campbell greets him.
"General." The president responds back.
"As you know Russia has been quiet lately. Their little border skirmish with the Chinese notwithstanding. Their push into the Baltic States has floundered lately and our air force with NATO's help has been doing damage to their ground troops. We effectively own the skies.
Because of this, thru the help of satellites and our J-Stars, Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System, we have detected a missive mobilization of ground and air forces. We have also seen evidence that the Black Sea fleet is making preparations of getting underway.
We have already noted that all of their boomers have already left port. Ours and the British attack submarines are attempting to shadow them." General Campbell gives his report.
Not what the President was hoping to hear. "What do you mean by ground forces? Infantry, tanks, artillery? What?" Seeking clarification.
"Those units yes, however the ones that worry me most are the RT-2PM Topol." (The RT-2PM Topol (Russian: РТ-2ПМ Тополь ("Poplar"); NATO reporting name SS-25 Sickle; GRAU designation: 15Ж58 ("15Zh58"); other designations: RS-12M Topol]is a mobile intercontinental ballistic missile designed in the Soviet Union and in service with Russia's Strategic Missile Troops.)
"How many?" Maybe they were just moving them around as a show of force.
"All of them sir. We are also seeing extra vehicles at all of their hard ICBM sites as well." General Campbell tells him. Inside he is nervous, but you would never know that looking at him. Campbell is all business.
"A first strike." The President isn't questioning.
"Based off of the information on that USB flash drive our alien friends dropped off, it is possible Putin is getting ready to implement an old phrase back in the 50's, sir." Campbell offers up.
"And what is that General?" The president can guess, but there is too much at stake to guess.
"BETTER RED THAN DEAD, … sir."
The phrase, "better red than dead", is often credited to British philosopher Bertrand Russell, but in his 1961 Has Man a Future? he attributes it to "West German friends of peace." In any event, Russell agreed with the sentiment, having written in 1958 that if "no alternative remains except communist domination of the human race, the former alternative is the lesser of two evils," and the slogan was adopted by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, which he helped found.