Daria on the Sideline

by dmsfanman

This story takes place a few months after Daria has returned to Lawndale after several years in New York City. Daria has settled into her new job and things are going well. That is things are going well until they are not. You will read about Daria's experiences over a crucial period of seven weeks. This story follows my first story, "Daria in the Ring."

4. Daria Will Fight

3. Daria Will Fight

Monday Morning

Daria sat in the living room of the Morgendorffer house staring at the TV. Tom had helped her get up and into the living room. Everyone was gone. They had all left for work. The front door was unlocked so that Amelia could get in when she arrived at eight o'clock.

Daria thought to herself, 'It probably would be more entertaining if the TV was on.' A feeling of melancholy seemed to go through every part of her body. This was the first time in a long time that she was really alone. Over the last three weeks' time seemed to be inconsistent. The days had seemed to drag on but the weeks flew by. It had really been wonderful to have Jane and Jim come down from Boston for a week to visit. Daria had never been wanting for company or at least texts on her phone. Quinn texted at least twice daily and called every few days, Jodi had dropped by a couple of times, and so had Andrea. Since Jerry Culbertson, the chair of the English Department at Lawndale State, lived just down the street he had stopped by a few times to see Daria as well. At least he didn't bring Brittany with him! And of course there were the visits by Mr. O'Neil, who was now Father Tim.

Even Daria's in-laws had been over to visit twice each week. It was almost humorous how in their own elitist way they were trying to get her motivated. They tried to get her to anticipate her return to the club. 'Daria makes her grand return to the club.' It was almost too depressing to imagine. Daria had to admit that the food was good. Still, the club at times almost seemed to be her in-laws' cult. At least Tom hadn't fallen for that.

It had been interesting to see how Jake and Helen had progressed over the time Daria had been recuperating in the dining room. They had gone from keeping the bedside vigil with Tom while she was in the hospital to taking time off of work to be with her to making certain they were there when not at work. Over the past week things had returned more to the routine. Helen worked late. Jake came home and would try to make dinner, unless Tom beat him home and either cooked or ordered take-out food. Jake had poured out his feelings to Daria in the first week. Daria thought, 'I couldn't tell which was worse, his need to prattle on about his feelings toward his eldest daughter or my injuries. Both were painful.' Daria was seeing less of them on a daily basis, which was not an altogether bad thing.

Then there were her two primary caregivers, Tom and Amelia. Amelia, her private nurse and long ago admirer at Camp Grizzly, was meticulous and made certain that Daria was always clean, comfortable, and never alone. She had even gotten Daria out into the world again. The trips to Coffee King had become a daily ritual. Sometimes it was just Amelia and Daria. Other times they had a whole group. And of course there was that silly penguin from the comic strip that Amelia always put over Daria's foot. Daria and Tom really needed to do something special for Amelia when her time taking care of Daria was done in two weeks. On the one hand Daria wondered how she ever would have gotten along without Amelia. On the other hand being dependent on someone was absolutely opposite to Daria's personality.

Then there was Tom. If she had ever for a moment doubted how much Tom loved her, well there was no doubt now. He spent every moment he could with her. Even though she prodded him to go home at night and sleep in their bed, he chose to sleep on the futon in the dining room that he and Jake had rearranged to be her bedroom. He just wanted to be with her. There was absolutely no doubt in Daria's mind that she loved her husband of five years. But did she love him as much as he clearly loved her? Would she have slept on the futon just to be in the same room with him? Would she have sat there and just held his hand for hours? In many ways she truly hoped that such a situation would never happen. Still, the thought depressed her.

Adding to Daria's feelings was her desire to start working again. She felt useless. She missed her students – even the freshmen. She had not read much over the past three weeks. She didn't have much stamina, tough it had steadily improved over the past week. She had just started to read books again within the past few days. Still, it was hard to read more than a few dozen pages without the need to take a break or a nap. Even checking and responding to email was a challenge.

The front door opened and Amelia walked into the house. "Good morning Daria! How are you feeling this morning?" Amelia said with a very upbeat tone.

"Hmm. OK I guess," Daria replied.

Amelia hung her jacket in the closet and then came over and sat next to Daria on the couch. "What's the matter Daria?" She asked. "Please, talk to me. I can tell from your face that something is bothering you."

Daria didn't know why she gushed all of her thoughts and feelings from this morning. Amelia sat and listened intently. When Daria was done Amelia sat with her in silence for a couple of minutes. Then she said, "Daria, you are a normal woman. I know how much you prize being a realist and looking at things in the cold light of day. However, we all have anxieties like these from time to time. I am sure you have pent up emotion over the accident. It is just part of being human. Look at how Jane expressed her anxiety over your wellbeing while she was here. On top of this you are healing from the accident. Feeling a little down is normal during the healing process. If you want to have a good cry, then go ahead. I am here with you and I will comfort you if you need it. I won't tell anyone you actually shed tears. It is OK to cry."

Daria looked away and then back at Amelia. The feeling reached as far as her toes and she just couldn't stop it. The tears flowed and she leaned over onto Amelia's shoulder. Daria hadn't shed tears since standing in the apartment in New York after the movers had taken all of their things. Then it was Tom who was there to comfort her. Now she had to rely on Amelia, because Tom was at work and didn't even know she was crying. "I feel so useless and stupid," Daria said as she continued to weep.

"That's OK my friend," Amelia said. "Just let it out. Don't try to stop it. You will feel so much better." Amelia put her arm around Daria and stroked her hair.

After a few minutes Daria was able to compose herself. She sat up and started to dry her eyes on her sleeve. "Thank you Amelia," Daria said. "Am I really your friend?"

"Of course you are. We may not be as close as you and Jane, but we have had our episodes together starting so many years ago at Camp Grizzly when we were kids. You are more than just a patient to me, Daria. You are someone who I have looked up to and who inspired me to think for myself and become who I am. If that doesn't make you a friend of mine, then I don't know what would."

"I think of you as a friend as well," Daria said. "I hope we can stay in contact after you leave in two weeks."

"Once you are home and able to get around my job is done, but certainly not our friendship," Amelia said. "Now let's start getting you ready for your doctor's appointment today! You should be getting that big cast off and starting physical therapy. I will be here to help you through physical therapy and your exercises. We will get you ready to go home."

Amelia got Daria bathed and dressed. For the first time since the accident Amelia put makeup on Daria not to hide scrapes and bruises, but to help her look her best and to try to get her to feel better about herself. Of course she was able to do this by not telling Daria that she didn't have to have makeup. Instead she got away with it because Daria was simply used to having the makeup applied and didn't stop her.

Then she made lunch for the two of them and they sat together and ate at the kitchen table. Amelia said, "You look really good today Daria. Are you feeling better about things now?"

"It is hard for me to admit this Amelia, but having a good cry and then getting bathed and dressed has really made me feel better. Thank you," Daria said. "You were right. I am also holding you to the promise not to say anything to anyone." In her very best deadpan she looked at Amelia and said, "I don't want to appear too human. After all I am a superwoman!" Both Daria and Amelia laughed at that statement.

"Well I'm glad. Now we need to finish our lunches. The medical transport van will be here in about 20 minutes and I need to have you ready to go," Amelia said.

"Wonderful," Daria deadpanned. "There is nothing more humiliating than being loaded up and locked down like cargo in the back of a van. At least they don't feel the need to shrink wrap me before loading."

Amelia laughed and said, "That's my Daria! Don't worry. I will follow the van to the Lawndale Medical Arts Building. With luck this will be a one way ride in the medical transport van. With your leg cast off and a new walking cast you can ride back here in my minivan."

"Can we stop at my place for a few minutes?" Daria asked. "We could at least have a cup of tea there."

"Let's see how you feel," Amelia responded. "I don't want to make a promise to you that I can't keep. Now we need to get you ready."

Amelia put the lunch dishes in the dishwasher and helped Daria into her wheelchair. Since it was a cool fall afternoon she helped Daria put on her light jacket. Just as they finished the medical transport van pulled up in front of the house. The driver came to the door and Amelia handed Daria in her wheelchair over to the driver.

The driver rolled Daria out to the van, opened the back and lowered the lift deck. Then he secured Daria's wheelchair to the lift and raised it to the height of the van floor. Going around to the front he pulled Daria into position and secured her chair. He ensured that she was buckled into her wheelchair and then secured the lift and closed the doors. They were off.

Riding in the medical van was a real treat. With her left leg sticking forward she took up two spaces on the right side of the van. Daria was certain that the elderly man in front of her and to her left needed a diaper change. This of course was in contrast to the woman next to her who smelled like some kind of rub and was wheezing during the entire ride. Daria just hoped she would survive the smell and not contract tuberculosis in the process. The prospect of coughing up a lung did not appeal to her. Eventually the van arrived at the building housing Dr. Prasad's office. Daria was the first to be unloaded. Amelia arrived a minute or two later and after parking wheeled Daria up to Dr. Prasad's office.

"You know there is nothing like being left on the curb to make you feel really special," Daria deadpanned to Amelia.

"Hey, at least they use a dumpster here and you don't have to worry about a truck coming by and a burly man throwing you in the back," Amelia said.

"I guess," Daria responded. "The medical van driver was more girly man than burly man." Amelia laughed at Daria's joke.

Amelia got Daria situated in the waiting room and then checked them in at the office window. A nurse came out and said that they had to go downstairs to get x-rays before Dr. Prasad would see them. Amelia wheeled Daria to the imaging office. After a half-hour wait Daria finally went in for her x-rays. The actual imaging took about fifteen minutes. Then it was another half hour before they were cleared to head back up to Dr. Prasad's office. The images had been successfully transmitted to his office.

Finally after another half hour wait they were ushered into an examining room. Amelia was told to return to the waiting room. It was another fifteen minutes before Dr. Prasad came in and pulled up Daria's x-ray images. He said, "Well it looks like you are healing right on schedule Dr. Sloane. How do you feel?"

"Like I am ready to get out of both of these casts," Daria responded.

"Well, I am ordering that your leg cast be removed and a new walking cast will be put on you," Dr. Prasad said. "I am also ordering two weeks of physical therapy so that you are able to walk and climb stairs again. In the meantime I want you to use a power chair if you want to go more than 20 feet or so. You need to build your strength. The cast on your forearm will remain for another three weeks. Your pelvic cracks have mostly healed. However, you are not to lift anything heavier than five pounds and I do not want anything or anyone on top of you for another two weeks. Understand?"

"Yes, Dr. Prasad," Daria said. "I understand."

"Very good. I will send in my technician to remove your current cast and then recast your leg. I will see you again in three weeks," he said and turned to go.

"Wait," Daria said. "When can I return to work?"

"I will not approve your return to work for three weeks. You were badly injured in the crash and you need to fully heal," Dr. Prasad said and left the examining room.

'Wow,' Daria thought. Half a day was spent getting here, getting x-rays, and all for less than five minutes with the doctor. How long was it going to take to do the rest of this? He had hardly even looked at her. He just looked at his computer. She was not happy that he had said it would be three weeks before he let her return to work.

The technician came in the room about fifteen minutes after Dr. Prasad left. He was a small thin man with beady eyes that kind of reminded Daria of a ferret. He carried an electric cordless saw and took a good look at her cast. At least it wasn't a chain saw and he wasn't wearing a hockey mask. He said through his nose, "Hi, I'm Simon. This should come off quickly. Never mind this saw. It vibrates rather than rotates so that it doesn't cut your skin if I go too far." With that he started cutting her cast. He started at the top of her leg and worked his way down to her foot. He was actually quite good at this.

As air once again started seeping in to her leg it felt wonderful. When he had the cast off it was such a liberating feeling. Daria was kind of disappointed at how her leg looked. The muscle tone was gone and it was noticeably thinner than her other leg. There was a lot of dead skin. Having not been shaved since the accident she thought it looked like the leg of an emaciated orangutan! Three more weeks of this and she might have to go to Tom's barber to get it shaved with a clipper! She certainly wouldn't make a grand re-entrance to the club like this. She could hear her mother-in-law Kay saying, "This is our son's wife. Just don't say anything. She is a quarter orangutan!"

Simon carefully washed and dried her leg. Once dried he started wrapping her leg and then applied the fiberglass cast to her lower leg. Once done he said, "Now you have to wait here for an hour while this finishes setting. Then you can go. I think Dr. Prasad said you have a physical therapy appointment in about an hour and a half. Do you want a magazine or something? We have 'Entertainment Monthly' if you like."

"Thanks, but would you please call my nurse Amelia in to stay with me? She has my tablet," Daria responded.

"Sure," Simon said and walked out.

A few minutes later Amelia walked into the examining room. She asked Daria, "So how did it go?"

"Not too bad. I can already tell how much lighter this new cast is compared to the old one. I am not sure what I think about all this digital medicine. Dr. Prasad hardly looked at me. His nose was in his computer screen. Data is fine, but you do kind of expect the doctor to at least examine you in some way," Daria said with a note of disappointment in her voice.

"Doctors are under a lot of pressure to see more patients. The fact is that all the digital documentation has really reduced the amount of time they spend engaging and examining patients," Amelia said. "They can't just scribble their thoughts on a piece of paper anymore." Amelia gave Daria her tablet and Amelia sat and looked at her phone. Together they passed the hour.

Finally, the nurse stuck her head into the room and said, "You can go now. You have an appointment downstairs in Physical Therapy in 25 minutes."

Amelia wheeled Daria out of the office and into the corridor. Daria thought it was nice not having her leg stick out like a knight's lance. It was down in a normal position. Daria said, "Do you think we can stop in the restroom on the way? It has been almost four hours since lunch and I really need to pee. My back teeth are about to float away." Amelia laughed and wheeled Daria to the nearest restroom with a wheelchair stall.

Physical therapy required another half hour wait, more paperwork, and additional waiting. For a world that was supposed to have electronic medical records and electronic communication Daria felt that there were an awful lot of trees being killed. Finally, she was called for her session and Amelia pushed her back to the therapy room.

The physical therapy room looked for the most part like a gym. It gave Daria flashbacks to high school gym class. She was hoping that the therapist wasn't some former cheerleader set on masking cheerleading practice as therapy! Needless to say gyms were not a place Daria chose to hang out. She was much more interested in exercising her mind.

The therapist came over and helped Daria out of her wheelchair. She looked up at the dark haired muscular man with an angular face and asked in surprise, "Joey?"

"Hi Daria," Joey said. Joey had been one of the three Lawndale High School football players always trying to date Daria's sister Quinn. One of the others was Amelia's husband, Jamie. "It's good to see you again. I was sorry to read about your accident. Let's get you up and walking again, OK? Oh, and hi Amelia."

"Hi Joey. Are you and Jamie going to the football game this weekend?"

"I think so. Jeffy is supposed to join us. I have three tickets."

Joey half carried Daria over to a bench where he had her lie down. He worked on her knee to help it move again and be flexible. "So what are you doing now? In the paperwork I got I could see that your last name is now Sloane. I kind of guessed it might be you, since I knew you dated Tom Sloane in high school. I guess you two got married at some point?" Joey said.

Daria explained, "Tom and I have been married a little over five years. It is kind of funny really. I broke up with him after high school, since we were going to different colleges in different cities. I got my bachelor's at Raft and he went to Bromwell. But, he kept in contact and in retrospect had a plan to chase me until I agreed to marry him. That only took seven years! Those accountants are a scheming bunch!" Joey, Amelia, and Daria laughed at that comment. "After college we both had jobs in New York City and then I went for my doctorate at Columbia in comparative literature. We got married just after I started graduate school. Now I teach at Lawndale State and he works at Grace, Sloane, and Paige."

Joey lifted Daria off of the table and supported her as she hobbled over to a set of parallel bars. There he adjusted one set so that she could balance herself under her right arm rather than using her broken left arm. The next set of exercises was designed to teach her to walk with her cast. Daria could tell that her leg muscles were weak from three weeks of disuse. But, she slowly gained confidence as she worked her way back and forth along the parallel bars. Even so, the work was exhausting and she really wasn't ready yet to walk unaided.

"Do you have a power chair at home?" Joey asked.

"Yes. It is charged up and ready to go," Daria replied.

"Then you will need to use that this week while we work on your walking," he commented. "I think you can walk about ten to twelve feet unaided. I want you and Amelia to go home and practice. Use your power chair to get places in the house. You should be able to walk the few feet from the power chair to a specific place. Examples would be to a place at your kitchen table or to the bathroom. If you use your chair you should be able to negotiate the bathroom on your own now."

"That's relieving," Daria said in total deadpan.

Joey and Amelia laughed. Joey assisted Daria to walk to her wheelchair. Joey added, "You should also be able to get in and out of a car so long as the front seat is positioned sufficiently far back. I will see you every day this week. We should have you moving well by the end of the week. If you work hard you might even be able to climb your first stairs by then. In the meantime be careful!"

"Thanks Joey," Amelia said. She turned Daria around and wheeled her out of the office and out of the building. They reached Amelia's minivan in the parking lot. She opened the front passenger door wide and set the front seat far back. Then Amelia helped Daria out of the wheelchair and into the car. She folded up the wheelchair and set it in the back. Getting into the driver's seat Amelia turned to Daria and commented, "Isn't this so much better than taking medical transport?"

"It is nice to sit properly in a car again," Daria responded. "I don't feel like cargo and I don't have to listen to the driver being cheery. I am totally exhausted after all of this and I just want to go back to my parents' place, but I would like to stop home first and check up on things."

"We can do that," Amelia replied as she started up the van and pulled out of the parking space. Together they drove to Daria and Tom's townhouse. It was the first time since the morning of the accident that Daria had been home. She was hoping that Tom had not made any messes in her absence.

Fortunately, there was a parking spot available close to Daria's front door. Amelia helped Daria out of the van and supported her as they walked up to the door. Daria pulled her house key out of her pocket and held it up to the sensor next to the door. The door unlocked and the two women entered.

Standing in the foyer Daria surveyed the scene. Amelia helped her past the kitchen and dining area and into the living room. There she set Daria on a couch and sat down herself. Daria said, "Things look pretty well in order here. Tom seems to be taking care of the place. Would you be able to go upstairs and do two things for me? First, there are three books I need from my office. Second, would you take your phone and photograph my office and my bedroom and then send those photos to me. That way I will have checked out the upstairs as well." Daria told Amelia which books she needed and Amelia went up to get them and take the photographs.

Sitting there on the couch it felt good to Daria to be home, even if she wouldn't be able to stay. This was her home not her parent's house. She really wished Tom was there. She would really have liked to be sitting next to him on the couch feeling his warmth as they watched TV together, talked, or did something else. Something else was on her mind as her phone vibrated indicating that she had received the pictures from Amelia upstairs. Sure enough the pictures showed what she expected. Nothing had moved in her study. The bedroom was its usual self. Neither she nor Tom were much for making the bed. He had a tendency to drape his casual clothes over a chair in the bedroom. He would wear them for several days before tossing them in the laundry hamper. The top of the hamper was a bit ajar, which seemed to indicate that he needed to do laundry. Thank goodness neither of them had particularly strong body odor. She didn't want Amelia to find the place stinky, even if she was a nurse and dealt with far worse than what might be slowly turning into a 'bachelor apartment.'

Amelia came downstairs with the three books. She showed them to Daria and Daria agreed that they were the correct ones. Then Amelia took them out and put them in her car. When she returned she said to Daria, "As much as I would love for us to have a cup of tea or something together here it is nearly four thirty. We need to get you back to your parents' house. I need to leave right at five to pick my kids up from my mother-in-law. She and my father-in-law are going out to an event this evening."

"No problem," Daria said. "Help me to the car and we'll go."

Amelia helped Daria hobble to the car and get seated. Then off they went. Daria felt some of the melancholy returning as they pulled away from the townhouse. What little traffic Lawndale experienced was starting to build and it took almost fifteen minutes to return to the Morgendorffer house. Amelia helped Daria out of the car and inside. She placed Daria on the couch facing the TV and propped her leg on the ottoman. She brought in the wheelchair from the minivan and then left. Daria turned on the TV and surfed the channels until she found an episode of Sick Sad World. While watching TV Daria dozed off.

...

Very Early Tuesday Morning

Tom looked at the clock. It was half past two in the morning. This was a great time to be picking grapes out of the futon. If he didn't, however, it would be a mushy and cold remainder of the night. It truly amazed him how good Daria's aim was with grapes. The woman who never participated in a sport and wasn't particularly fond of physical exertion that did not accomplish something she wanted could hit him in the head with a grape from twelve feet! Of course, maybe the key here was 'something she wanted.'

For the past couple of weeks Tom had been leaving a bowl of grapes next to Daria's bed at night in case she got hungry. Daria was fond of grapes and it would keep her from having to wake him up to get her something to eat. He had never contemplated Daria using the grapes as a way to wake him. This morning he awoke as he felt the small orbs bouncing off of his head.

When he brought himself to consciousness he sat up and she winged one more off of his forehead. Looking at her in the room lit only by moonlight and the faint glow of neighborhood streetlights coming through the draperies he saw her motion him to come over. Tom carefully got out from under his covers and stood up. He gingerly walked over to her bed while trying to make certain he did not crush any grapes with his feet. He leaned over assuming she wanted to tell him something.

Daria slipped her hand around the back of his neck and pulled him in for a deep, long kiss. The warmth of her hair reminded him of the first time he held her and kissed her. Then she whispered to Tom, "You realize that my parents are sound asleep."

Tom whispered back, "I sort of assumed that would be the case at quarter of two. I was expecting to be asleep as well. What I don't understand is why you were pelting me with grapes."

"Because they are silent," Daria responded.

"Granted. Grapes are silent. No grape has ever said anything to me, though they do make a distinct 'squish' if you happen to step on one," Tom whispered. "Without the squish we wouldn't have wine."

"Grapes aren't the only thing that is silent," Daria said.

"OK," Tom replied, "So are bananas and most other fruits and vegetables."

"When this bed goes up and down it is silent as well," Daria said as she pressed the button lowering the bed a bit.

"True, or at least it is nearly true. That way if you are in a room with someone else it doesn't wake them, unlike grapes hitting their head," Tom replied. "So, what are you driving at?"

"Get me something to prop by left leg on that is about three and a half feet high and I think I can show you," Daria said. "Place it at the foot of the bed. Just be silent about it. I do not want to wake my parents."

Tom quietly moved her bed table from the corner of the room to the spot Daria had indicated. He adjusted it to the height and orientation she wanted, locked the wheels, and then placed a pillow on top of it for her cast. He had figured out what Daria had in mind. With that sleepiness left his brain rather quickly.

Now as he picked up the last of the grapes he was feeling quite tired – spent was the word – and he was ready to return to sleeping on the futon. Daria and the table were both back in their original positions. She was sound asleep. Silence had never been broken in the house. Tom slipped the grapes back into the bowl. Then he slipped back between the covers on the futon and returned to sleep.