Tina and Gene returned to school on Thursday. They wanted to stay home again but Bob and Linda felt it would be better if they resumed normal activities. Bob and Linda were opening the restaurant for the first time since the accident and Louise was alone in the apartment. Bob had offered to bring her downstairs when he opened up but she was not ready for the world to see her in her wheelchair. Of course, she knew it would happen eventually. Especially since her doctors decided it would be best if she returned to school sooner rather than later. One week from Monday she would be back at Wagstaff. Part of her was actually looking forward to it. Even school would be better than just sitting around. She considered calling downstairs and having one of her parents bring her down, but she was still so unsure. Instead, she sat in her chair and looked out the window. It was strange having a room with a window. Especially right now when all she wanted was the darkness of her closet. Teddy had said he would install curtains when he did the rest of the work on the house. Louise sighed wondering just how much it was going to cost her parents to get the apartment accessible for her. She wondered if she even deserved it. It was her inability to control her temper that got her here in the first place.
"Louise! It's time for your catheter!" Linda called just a little too loudly.
"Super" Louise sighed.
"How are you feeling? Need me to stay up here a little longer?" Linda asked as she wheeled Louise to the bathroom.
"Nah I'm good." Louise sighed.
"Do you want anything in particular for lunch?" Linda asked.
"Can we maybe not talk about food while you are changing my pee tube?" Louise begged.
"Uh yeah sure. You want to try yourself next time?" Linda offered.
"No" Louise muttered. She knew how to do it for herself but after an unpleasant experience at the rehab hospital. She preferred. To have it done by somebody else.
"Alrighty well we are done here, and I will be back up in about an hour to check you again. If you need anything just call one of our cells or the restaurant phone." Linda explained.
"OK. Hey, maybe I should do it myself next time. I mean what's going to happen when I go back to school?" Louise asked.
"Well, we are hoping you are ready to do it yourself by then but if you still need help. Tina said she'd help you." Linda replied.
"She knows what to do?" Louise gasped.
"Of course, she does. We all learned how to take care of your needs while you were in the hospital. Your dad and Gene just think you'd feel more comfortable with me or Tina helping." Linda explained.
"How will Tina know when I need help?" Louise asked.
"Well, we've got to do the catheter on schedule. So, she knows what time you'll need it done at school and she will just go get you when it's time." Linda explained.
"OK" Louise whispered.
After the catheter was changed and Louise assured Linda, she did not need anything else. She returned to Gene's room. It was never going to be her room. She just had to figure out how to get back into her old room. She was pretty tired, and Linda had said it would be about an hour until lunch. She pulled herself onto her bed and rolled over. Before long she had drifted off to sleep.
/
Louise was back at school. She was supposed to have another week, but Bob and Linda decided it was best for her to return after the weekend instead. What was worse, they never had the meeting they were supposed to have with her teachers, Frond, and Principal Spoors. Nobody knew her needs. She had to maneuver her chair all the way to the back of the classroom. Apparently, a diorama had been assigned while she was gone, and it was due today. Just her luck she accidentally wheeled over Chloe's stupid diorama.
"Agghhhh! It's ruined! You ruined it! You stupid cripple!" Chloe shouted.
"Chloe I am sorry. It was an accident." Louise apologized.
"Bullshit! You just wanted to hurt Chloe. Because you think it's her fault you are crippled now. Well, it's not! It's your fault!" Jessica cried.
"Come on Jessica, I thought we were friends." Louise pleaded.
"We were never friends. I just was nice to you so you wouldn't tell my secret but even if you do. Nobody is going to believe a cripple." Jessica laughed.
"Rudy?" Louise called.
"Oh, come on, Louise! You have always been mean to me! I have never been happier than I was when I found out you were paralyzed." Rudy laughed.
"Rudy I never meant to. I just wanted to." Louise stammered.
"Don't lie Louise. We all know the truth and we are all happy this happened to you." Chloe taunted.
"Ms. Labonz" Louise sniffed.
"Shut up, Belcher! You ruined Chloe's project. That's ISS! Get out of here!" Ms. Labonz ordered.
"But it was an accident." Louise sobbed.
Utterly defeated Louise wheeled herself to the ISS room. At least there were no dioramas in there for her to destroy. Unfortunately, the door was too small for her wheelchair. She ended up having to get out and army crawl across the floor to the desk. She pulled herself into the chair. The desk itself was sticky and smelled bad. She set her paper on top of the desk, and it was immediately saturated by whatever was on there. Sighing, she buried her head in her arms. Eventually getting used to the stench and wet, sticky feeling. Soon it was time for her catheter, but Tina never came. Maybe she just forgot. She wheeled herself to Tina's classroom. She looked in the window and saw Tina flirting with Jimmy Junior and laughing. She knocked on the door and eventually Ms. Jacobson answered.
"Uh I need Tina's help." Louise stated.
"Tina is busy. Come back later." Ms. Jacobson replied.
"It's kind of time sensitive." Louise whispered.
"I am not changing your gross pee tube, Louise!" Tina called.
"But Tina" Louise pleaded.
"It's too late anyway! Hey everybody! Get a load of this! Louise Belcher is peeing herself!" Tammy cried.
Louise ended up spending the rest of the day drenched. At long last school was over and she would soon be home. Where at least Gene and her parents cared about her. Except she never found Tina or Gene after school. Finally, she assumed they got detention again and gave up. She wheeled to the backdoor, but it was already locked.
"Mr. Brancas! A little help?" Louise called.
"Sorry Benj is the only student permitted to use this exit after school hours." Mr. Brancas apologized.
"But I am in a wheelchair too." Louise reminded.
"Yeah, but nobody likes you." Mr. Brancas laughed.
Louise wheeled back to the front of the school. She managed to get downstairs by getting out of her chair and pushing it down the steps. Before dragging herself down. The chair ended up upside down. She had to flip it back over. It had taken a beating from the tumble, but she managed to get it to roll. She wheeled herself home. Boxes were lined up on the sidewalk and the lights in the restaurant were turned off. Except for one dim light in the kitchen. She went to open the door, but it was locked. Maybe everybody was upstairs? She wheeled herself to the apartment door but that one was locked too. She tried to ring the doorbell but was too short. She wheeled back to the restaurant and pounded on the door, but nobody came. Somebody opened the apartment door. She wheeled back as fast as she could but found it slammed in her face. There was now a note on the door.
"Louise we all hate you now that you are crippled. You are
Gross and useless to us. Plus, we can't afford to make the
Apartment accessible. We wouldn't want to even if we
Could. We have all agreed we would be happier if
You moved out. This is not a choice. We voted to
Kick you out. you will find your stuff in the
Gutter. You have one hour to get it away.
If we see you after that. We will call the
Police.
P.S. Chloe Barbash is a saint, and we know.
She did nothing wrong. We will not be
Suing her family or the school. In fact
They are suing you for defamation.
And we support them.
P.P.S, we always hated you
And are glad this happened.
Your former family."
Louise tried to collect her things, but the boxes were so heavy. People kept passing by and she begged for help, but nobody stopped. Suddenly clouds were rolling in and they broke open almost instantly. What was worse, the hour had passed, and she heard sirens in the distance. She tried to just roll away, but it was too late. Bosco grabbed her and shoved her into the back of the squad car. He sped towards the jail where she was thrown into a dank cell and her wheelchair was taken away.
"Louise Belcher you are sentenced to life in prison for trespassing." A judge declared.
"But I. I… I… No… Please. I am sorry." Louise muttered.
/
Bob made his way up the apartment steps. When Louise refused to come downstairs. Linda and he agreed to take turns going upstairs and checking on Louise. They would go up every hour and check in. Linda had made the first two trips. The first because Bob was busy in the kitchen and the second because Louise needed her catheter changed and Bob was uneasy about changing it. When it came to check on Louise a third time. He immediately agreed to be the one to go up. Louise hadn't named anything in particular she wanted for lunch. So, Bob just made her a burger of the day and fries. He figured Gene would eat it if Louise refused. He rounded the corner into the living room and walked towards Louise's room. From the door he heard whimpers and cries coming from inside. He pushed the door open the rest of the way and saw Louise tossing and turning. He moved as fast as his legs would carry him to her bedside. He fell to his knees and gently shook his daughter's shoulder.
"But I. I… I… No… Please. I am sorry." Louise muttered.
"Louise. Louise wake up! You are having a nightmare!" Bob cried.
"Daddy?" Louise called in a shaky voice Bob had not heard in at least a year.
"Yeah, it's me. I'm right here." Bob assured.
"I… It was all just a dream?" Louise asked.
"Yes, you sounded like you were having one heck of a nightmare. Do you want to talk about it?" Bob questioned.
"You guys decided to just send me back to school but, you didn't bother to meet with anybody from my school. You just sent me back. Then Ms. Labonz didn't move my desk. So, I was trying to roll to the back of the class. I accidentally ruined Chloe's diorama, and everybody turned on me. Even Jessica and Rudy. I got detention and the desk was all wet and sticky. Then Tina wouldn't change my catheter and I peed my pants in front of the entire eighth grade. Then Mr. Brancas wouldn't let me out the back door. I had to drag my chair downstairs." Louise explained, her voice trembling.
"Oh, Louise that sounds terrible. I am sorry." Bob apologized.
"That's not even the worst part." Louise whispered.
"What's the worst part?" Bob asked horrified that things had gotten worse.
"I got home, and you guys had locked me out of the restaurant and apartment. You put my stuff in boxes on the sidewalk and said that you hated me. That making that apartment accessible was too expensive and it was too much work to care for me. That you had decided to support Chloe and the school instead because they were the real victims. Then the cops came because you said I was trespassing. They locked me in jail and threw away the key." Louise recalled breaking down at the end.
"Louise that is horrible. I can't imagine." Bob gasped.
"I mean it's not that far off." Louise sighed.
"What do you mean?" Bob questioned.
"I googled it, and it is going to cost thousands of dollars just to make basic changes to the apartment and I saw how much it hurt mom's back to carry my wheelchair upstairs. Not to mention you guys lost a ton of money being closed for two weeks. So, you could be with me at the hospitals." Louise explained.
"Louise listen to me. Right now, we are worried about you. Yes, being closed for two weeks did hurt us and yes, it is going to take a while for us to catch up. Even with all the help Mr. Fishodor is giving us." Bob explained.
"Woah… Woah Mr. Fishodor is helping us?" Louise gasped.
"Yeah, uh we talked about it when you were in the hospital, but I guess you were tired and had your mind elsewhere. He is giving us a break on rent until we get caught up. He is also funding all the renovations. He uh doesn't want that to get out but he is helping us. Because of everything you did for him over the summer." Bob explained.
"OK so the finances are taken care of but what about all the work. It's going to take weeks to get the apartment modified and I am still not ready to shop for a wheelchair. That's more strain on you and mom's backs. Even after everything is done. You will still have to do more for me. I can't even reach the freezer and top shelves of the freezer." Louise explained.
"Yes, things are harder for us, and I will not lie. Your mom felt lifting your chair this morning, but Louise she doesn't mind and neither do I, neither do Tina and Gene. In fact, we are glad that we have to help you so much." Bob explained.
"Glad?! Why would you be glad?" Louise demanded.
"We are glad because you are alive. Louise when you fell. If you hadn't shifted the way you did. You would have fallen on your head. If that had happened. Best case scenario you would be paralyzed from the neck down right now. If that were the case, you would be in the hospital for months. You might even still be in the regular hospital right now. You could have hit your head and had an injury that completely changed you. Y… You could have died. I… we could have never seen you again. We could have had to go to a large confusing cemetery just to see you." Bob explained.
"I still feel bad." Louise sighed.
"I know and I guess now is a good time to bring it up. Doctor James wants you to see a psychologist. Your nurses and the staff at the rehab hospital agree, and so do your mother and I." Bob explained.
"So, I am crazy now?" Louise hissed.
"Not crazy but you have been through a lot. Even before the accident. Sometimes it is good to talk about your feelings. I actually saw a therapist for a while after my mom died." Bob explained.
"You've been to a shrink?" Louise gasped.
"Yeah a few times actually." Bob admitted.
"Can we afford therapy?" Louise questioned.
"Louise, I am not worried about money right now. I am worried about you. You mean more to me, to us than anything else." Bob assured.