I wave at her, ready to get this thing over with. A tall slender man with blond hair and brown eyes strolls in my direction. He’s holding a patient chart, most likely mine.
As he approaches, he extends his hand out to me with a smile. “Hi, I’m Tom. You must be Roman.”
I take his hand and shake it firmly. “Yes, nice to meet you. So, what’s the plan of attack for today?”
I wheel myself forward, following him inside the center.
“Well, first let’s give you a quick tour. The center is about 3500 square feet with all sorts of areas to focus on key elements of training. There are ten therapists, each with specific backgrounds and certifications in certain aspects. Down the hall and to the left are the restrooms and the right side is the meditation room.”
My brow arches. “Meditation?”
“Yes, we believe that relaxation and meditation are key elements to regaining the use of the lost components of your body.”
I shrug. “Hmm, never thought of it that way.”
Tom continues the tour and introduces me to a few of the other therapists. Everyone is warm and welcoming. I have a good feeling about this place and so far, I am confident in their work. Tom leads me to an open floor area that is already occupied by two instructors and their patients.
He guides me to wheel close to a wooden bench. After I approach, he helps me to sit on it as he takes a squat on the ground. The ground is padded with what looks like yoga mats, absorbing and cushioning from below.
He reaches out for my left leg. “Okay, let’s stretch you out first.” For the next few minutes, he pulls on my leg, extending up and down, left and right. The tension burns but feels good at the same time. I brace myself with my hands firmly placed on the bench so I won’t lose my balance as he continues to stretch. He does the same with my right leg.
“How does that feel? Any pain?”
I shake my head. “Nope, no pain. The stretch is pulling the muscle which is uncomfortable, but not painful.”
He nods. “Good. This is what we need, to wake up your legs again and get them back into shape. The injury to your spine left you on bed rest for a while, so we are going to focus on building up that leg muscle again. Another goal is balance. With the spine injury, balance may be a little difficult for you at first, but we’ll work on it.”
He lets go of my leg and hops up to stand. “Now, can you lift yourself up and stand with me?”
“I can try. I might be a little shaky.”
“Just do your best. Come on, I’ll hold you steady.”
I reach up for his hand and grab hold. Lifting my butt off the bench, I use my legs to push upward. My legs wobble as they adjust to the weight of my body and I try to concentrate on keeping my back straight. I’m still wearing the back brace so it adds to the difficulty. Slowly but surely, I come to a stand with the help of Tom.
“Ready for me to let go?”
I start to panic slightly. “Wait don’t—”
His hand immediately lets go of mine and I stare out, trying to keep balance. The fear of falling flashes into mind as my knees start to buckle. My shaky legs give way, causing me to fall toward the mat.
Just before I hit the ground, Tom catches me, lifting me back on the bench. Anger seethes out of me as I give him a death stare. “What the fuck man? You can’t just do that and expect me to handle it. This is the first day.”
“Roman, we are here to rebuild you, not reinforce your disability. We will push you like you’ve never been pushed before. This is the easy part.”
“I understand that, but at least let me get into it first. I can’t be caught off guard with shit like that.”
“I was just evaluating your reaction time. That’s all. Come on, let’s start building those muscles again.”
He helps me back into my wheelchair and I follow him to the weights room. There, he sets me up on another bench.
I watch him, thinking he might pass me a weight, but he doesn’t. “So, am I going to do leg curls or something?”
He shakes his head, sitting next to me. “Nope, this is what you’re gonna do. Lift your leg up so that it’s parallel to the bench. You are going to do this for thirty minutes on each leg.”
My jaw drops. “Thirty minutes each leg? That’s the entire session. I thought we were working on muscle.”
“We are. This is how you are going to gain it back. Now let’s start with