Chapter 1 – Phone Call
I was at home, playing online chess when my phone started to ring. It was Jill. I felt blood rushing to my face. My heart was already galloping. I hadn’t seen her more than three months. Back then she told me that we should stop dating and should just be friends. It was very hard for me, but there was nothing I could do.
“I need your help, George,” she said.
Her voice was strange. As if she had problems breathing. And somehow tremulous. That frightened me.
“Jill, are you all right?” I asked.
“No, I am not. Sorry for disturbing you, but would you please come as soon as possible,” she said and explained where she was.
I knew the street. Just two blocks away. I put on my shoes, and ran out.
The street looked deserted. A couple of second later, I saw her. Jill was standing on the sidewalk, leaning against a tree trunk. She was wearing a simple dark green dress that was accentuating her slim figure and black high-heeled pumps with pointed toe. I drew closer. She managed a faint smile as she saw me. I noticed that her face was very pale, her blue eyes frightened and confused. There was moisture on her cheeks.
Still leaning on the tree, she bent her head down looking at her feet, as if ashamed of something.
“Jill, what happened?”
She hiccupped. Then I saw that her left leg was bent at the knee as if she was trying not to put much weight on it. The heel of her pump wasn’t touching the ground. I couldn’t help glancing at the delicate curve of her calf. As I got beside her, she reached out, took my hand and looked at me. The tears in her eyes were disturbing to me, the pain in them, even more.
“Jill, did you hurt your ankle?” I asked.
“My ankle! No it’s fine.”
It really looked fine. The black stocking made it look more seductive than ever.
“I can’t believe that such thing could happen to me. It was a big pick-up truck. I think the driver was drunk. I was about to cross the street when he nearly ran me over. I jumped aside but…the bumper caught me. He didn’t even stop…”
With trembling hand, she touched cautiously her left thigh. Her hand jumped back as if she had laid it on burning embers.
“I should call…” I started.
“I already called 911. They are coming. I just wanted you to be with me. That’s why I called you. Sorry for…” Jill said.
“Let me help you sit down.”
“At first it didn’t hurt much. I felt just an unpleasant numbness. I was even able to put weight on it but after a couple of minutes…”
Supporting her back, I helped her sit down. She started to moan as I was doing that. Then I kneeled beside her and hugged her. Her perfume woke up pleasant memories. She snuggled against me as a frightened pet. Her fitful breathing was tickling my neck. Gradually, she calmed down a little. A dark blond lock of hair was hanging before her eyes. I brushed it away, then kissed her temple. She whimpered.
Finally, the ambulance appeared. I moved aside as the paramedics brought a stretcher and placed it beside Jill.
“Her leg is hurt,” I explained.
Jill pointed at her thigh and looked aside. Her chin was trembling. One of the paramedics pulled her dress up and revealed the source of pain. Her black stocking was laddered. Under it, her thigh looked bruised and slightly swollen.
“Give me the splint!” the paramedic said to his colleague.
Then he removed Jill’s elegant pump, and tossed it casually aside. My eyes fixed on the delicate arch of her foot, then on the outlines of her toes, visible through the black stocking. I bent down and took the pump. The heat of her tootsie was still inside it. Pleasant leathery smell reached my nose. At the same time, the paramedics slipped the splint under Jill’s leg. She shuddered and looked at me plaintively.
“Could you help us placing her on the stretcher?” the paramedic asked.
“Of course. What can I do?”
He told me what to do, and I moved behind Jill. Then I slid my hands under her armpits and easily lifted her 110 pound body. She moaned softly at the movement. I felt her muscles tense. At the same time, the paramedics cautiously elevated her legs and placed the stretcher under her. Jill tossed her head back. Her wet eyes fixed on me, staring at me. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then shook her head and remained silent.
I hopped into the ambulance without asking for permission. On the way to the hospital the paramedics gave her painkillers and took her blood pressure. I felt oppressively useless.
When we got there, the stretcher was taken out of the ambulance and wheeled down a long corridor, then into a spacious room. There was a nurse sitting in the corner. She looked bored and sleepy.
“You can wait outside,” the nurse said.
“I would like to be with her.”
She glared at me and pointed at a plastic stool beside the door. I patted Jill’s hand and paced to the stool. I sat down, and then realized that I am too nervous to sit and stood up again. The nurse’s mouth twisted into a wry smile.
“Where is the doctor?’ I asked impatiently.
“Don’t worry, George! I’m better now,” Jill chirruped.
The briskness in her voice seemed false. I sat down again, and tried to wait patiently. The time stretched like a rubber.
The doctor came in just as I was about to stand up again. He was in his sixties, short and plump, with ruddy cheeks.
“Well, let’s see what we have here now? A beautiful, young lady!” he said and adjusted his glasses.
Jill awarded him with a faint, tortured smile. The doctor came closer and got ready to remove the splint. A minute later, he slipped his hand under her calf, lifted her injured leg slightly and pulled the splint out. Jill’s lips parted as she emitted a soft moan.
“I am Doctor Pratt. Where do you feel pain, young lady?” the doctor asked.
“My thigh,” Jill responded.
“I have to cut the stocking.”
“I am not going to complain about that.”
He pulled her dress up to her hips. His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the bruise. Starting at the top, he began cutting the stocking laterally with a pair of scissors. As the stocking was removed, my eyes fixed on the rosy sole of her foot. I had always wondered how something human could be so perfect. Then, I felt her eyes on me, and looked down at the floor.
“Now we have to X-ray your leg,” Pratt said, and threw the torn remnants of the stocking away.
“Do you think it is something serious, doc?” I asked.
“I hope it to be just a stretched muscle,” he replied, “but whatever it is, we will fix it.”
“Great,” Jill said with a tremulous voice.
“Connie, could you please take her to the X-ray room,” Pratt said to the nurse.
I took the plastic bag containing Jill’s purse and pump, and stood up.
“You can wait here if you want. I don’t mind that,” the doctor said.
“Thank you very much,” I said and smiled at Jill as she was wheeled out.
A futile effort to return the smile twisted her lips. Her face was even paler than before.
Half an hour later, the x-rays were ready. Pratt adjusted his glasses and examined the X-rays. As far as I could see from my vantage point, Jill’s femur looked fine. A minute later, she was wheeled back in.
Chapter 2 – La Donna e Mobile
“We have to place her on the table over there!” Pratt said to the nurse.
There was a low examining table in the corner. Jill looked around her, obviously wondering what was about to happen. I tried to meet her eyes, but she avoided my gaze. Connie wheeled the stretcher near the table, and smiled forcefully at Jill.
“Could you please ask Moira to help us?” the doctor said.
The nurse nodded and left. A minute later she returned, followed by another nurse.
Jill was lifted up and her upper back was placed on the table. At the same time, Connie slipped something resembling a high stool under Jill’s posterior. The doctor pulled a padded bar from under the stool, and adjusted it so that it propped up the calf of her injured leg. Her right leg was pushed sideways, her foot rested on a low stool.
“What are you going to do?” I asked worriedly.
“Her femur is broken. She will be put in a cast,” Pratt said.
I studied Jill’s face, waiting for her reaction. She just took a deep breath and sighed.
“The good news is that the fracture is not displaced and there is no need of surgery,” the doctor added.
“This makes me brimming with joy,” Jill said scornfully.
“Very good! The joy is always helpful, young lady.”
“I am just nervous and scared. Don’t pay attention to my words!” Jill replied.
“I know how you feel, dear,” Pratt said and smiled in pure Santa Claus manner.
The doctor dismissed Moira and cut a length of stockinette. He slipped it on Jill’s toes and pulled it up her foot, then over her ankle. As he reached her calf, he had to lift her leg slightly. Jill winced and clenched her teeth, stifling a scream. The doctor excused himself and waited for the pain to abate. A minute later, the upper part of the stokinette was drawn up to her panties.
“Nice leg. What a shame that you broke it.” Pratt said.
“I was reluctant to do it myself so I asked a big pick-up truck to help me,” Jill explained mockingly.
“The truck did a great job, making such a nice fracture.”
“It seems you are serious,” Jill said and looked intently at the doctor.
“Of course, I am serious. The fracture is not displaced, and there is no need of surgery. I am not being paid to make fun of the patients,” he said and laughed.
“This truck obviously had the penchant for making things nice, but I would like to find the driver nevertheless.” I interjected.
“I am sure I won’t be left jobless,” Pratt said.
Jill giggled, then willed herself to lie still as the pain intensified.
“I have to do something that may cause you some embarrassment,” Pratt announced.
“I think I will live through it,” Jill said slightingly.
“I hope so. I will have to remove your panties.”
Her blue eyes widened in surprise.
“Is it really necessary?” she asked.
“I can’t apply the cast with your panties on.”
“Why?”
“You won’t be able to take them off and that could be a big problem if you have to go to the bathroom.”
“I thought that only my leg…” Jill started.
“Your hip joint has to be immobilized. I am going to place you in a single hip spica cast.”
“Do what you have to do!” she said nervously.
Pratt pulled her dress up over her waist, cut her panties off, and quickly covered her vagina with a strip of gauze.
“Thank you,” Jill said softly.
Pratt nodded and began wrapping her delicate ankle with wadding. At the same time, Connie wrapped a large stockinette around her waist and taped it in place.
“We have only white fiberglass now,” Pratt said as he finished with the wadding.
“Girls are supposed to like the rose, aren’t they?” Jill said with disgust.
“In most cases, that’s what they really like.”
“White will do fine.”
“I am of the same mind with you,” the doctor said and began to roll the wet fiberglass around her instep.
“What a bad day!” Jill exclaimed.
“I will try to make up for it by putting you in a nice cast.”
“I don’t think it is funny at all,” she said and glared at the doctor.
Pratt smoothed the fiberglass covering her calf, and then moved up towards her knee.
Chapter 3 – Charming Clumsiness
Pratt took his time smoothing the fiberglass around Jill’s waist. I wondered if he wanted to make a perfect mould or just was enjoying the lovely curves of her hips. Jill was lying motionless, her eyes partially closed. Her fingers were locked together as if she was trying to suppress her nervousness. I was glad to see that her face had more colour than before. The doctor finished the upper part of the cast, then smiled at Jill and patted her casted knee.
“Just a minute and your cast will be finished,” he said
“I’m not in a hurry. I decided to postpone the hiking trip for tomorrow,” she said sadly and glared at the massive cast that held her leg perfectly straight.
“I am sure you will get used to the cast in a couple of days.”
“How long I have to wear it?”
“At least 10 weeks.”
Jill’s lips flinched, but she concealed her displeasure with a weak smile.
“Well, let us see if your pink toes are still there,” Pratt said and pulled the stockinette back, revealing Jill’s toes. Then he secured it, applying the last roll of fiberglass around her instep.
“Just like a magician pulling a bunny out of his hat!” Jill said with mock admiration.
The doctor laughed heartily and removed his gloves.
“You are the most charming girl that I have ever placed in a cast,” he said, then stepped to the sink to wash his hands.
Jill pulled down her dress, covering her thighs. The fiberglass wrapped around her waist was clearly visible under the green fabric. I noticed something that looked strange to me. The cast started at the middle of her instep. Actually, not only her toes were fully exposed, but the ball of her foot as well. The sight was quite impressive and I enjoyed it for a while.
“Do I have to undergo any other procedures?” Jill asked and propped herself on her elbows.
“No. Just wait for the cast to dry. Then you can go home,” Pratt said.
“This “go” seems a very difficult verb.”
“You will cope with it by using crutches,” he said.
“I hate being on crutches!” Jill exclaimed.
“Have you ever walked on crutches?” he asked.
“I have never had the pleasure.”
“Well, you have the chance to do it now.”
“I am sure you will look great on crutches,” I interjected.
“Yea, I am going to win the Miss Crutch contest.”
A couple of minutes later, the doctor made sure the cast was dry and waved to the nurse. Jill was lifted cautiously and placed on the examining table. The cast held her leg at such an angle to her upper body that she wasn’t able to sit or lie comfortably. She had to put her hands on the table for support. Her face was tense; her anxious eyes were fixed on the cast.
“Connie, this young lady must be supplied with crutches.”
The nurse nodded and hurried out. A minute later, she came back in, carrying two aluminum crutches. Pratt handed me a sheet of paper containing cast care instructions and patted my shoulder.
“She needs rest and good care,” he said.
“I will do what I can to help her heal faster.”
“Very kind of you, George,” Jill said and smiled broadly.
“Help her stand up!” the doctor said to me.
As I headed to the examining table, Jill was already trying to swing her legs around. The cast was jutting stiffly over the edge of the table like a barrel of a gun, pointing at me. I took it and gently lowered it. Her casted heel clanked on the floor and her toes curled up gracefully. A soft moan escaped her lips.
“It hurts,” she said and clasped her hands around her thigh.
“The pain will subside in a minute,” the doctor said.
“Are you sure? It’s bad, really bad.”
“Trust me!”
I took Jill’s hand and squeezed it lightly. Her eyes were directed at me, but didn’t seem to be focused on me.
“Jill!” I said worriedly.
She flinched and withdrew her hand from mine.
“I think I am better now,” she said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yep. Please, help me stand up!”
Taking hold under her arms, I easily lifted her up. As I was supporting her back, she steadied herself, balancing on her good leg. Connie tucked the crutches under Jill’s armpits and bent down to adjust them.
“And remember, you are not supposed to put weight on your broken leg,” the doctor said.
“I couldn’t do that even if I wanted to. The way my leg is extended in front of me…”
Jill was right. The angle at which her hip was immobilized made sure that her foot will be safely elevated above the ground, even if she wasn’t wearing a high-heeled pump. She took a tentative step, stopped for a second, then took two more cautious steps. The awkward way she was crutching was in great contrast with the graceful gait I remembered. She had always been confident, even a little arrogant, but now she looked so painfully vulnerable and fragile. I moved ahead, following her close behind, watching her steps. She reached the opposite wall and clumsily started to turn around. Her right ankle wobbled precariously. For a moment, I thought that it will snap and grabbed her around the waist to steady her.
“Obviously, I am not going to win the crutching contest,” she said and smiled sadly at me.
Chapter 4 – On the Way Home
The ambulance stopped in front of the apartment building where Jill lived. I helped her get out and handed her the crutches. She tucked them under her armpits and headed slowly toward the entrance without saying a word. The cast seemed much more out of place here than in the hospital. The people walking along the sidewalk were staring at her as if they had seen a ship in the desert. Feeling their unhealthy interest, she tried to move faster. I stepped up behind her, fearing that she may trip. As she reached the entrance, she stopped and looked back over her shoulder.
“Are you coming with me?” she asked.
There was something that puzzled me. She looked confused and slightly scared, which wasn’t typical of her. Her eyes were boring into mine, as if she was trying to read my thoughts.
“Of course, if you don’t mind my company…my dear Miss.”
“You are so kind to me…sir,” she said and playfully stuck out her tongue at me.
“Oh my God! What have they done to you, my poor child?” an old woman cried out, startling us.
I quickly recognized her as Susan, one of Jill’s neighbors. She was staring at the cast with undisguised curiosity, her eyes twinkling merrily.
“I broke my leg,” Jill answered dryly.
“I warned you that you would eventually hurt yourself riding that little moped of yours,” Susan said.
“It has nothing to do with my scooter,” Jill explained and hopped toward the entrance.
“You have a new boyfriend I see,” Susan said and squinted at me through her thick glasses.
“No, I’m one of the older ones,” I said amiably.
Jill looked accusingly at me and pulled a face. Susan nodded, smiled knowingly, then continued on her way.
“I don’t think I can climb these steps,” Jill said flatly.
There were two concrete steps in front of the entrance. I realized that if she tried to climb the steps, she would probably trip. Her immobilized hip joint made her dangerously clumsy. Actually, she was able to move her casted leg only by moving her upper body.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Are you going to help me or not?” she said with irritation.
“Sorry, I was contemplating some mechanical problem.”
She leaned the crutches on the wall, then I wrapped my hands around her back. We stepped up onto the steps in an awkward dance. The feeling of her body pressed against mine awakened sweet memories. Then, her face contorted as her casted leg bumped against my shin.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I muttered.
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” she said and retrieved her crutches as I was holding the door open for her.
In the elevator, I noticed a strip of white gauzy material hanging under the hem of her dress. I took it and crumpled it in my hand.
“What’s this? What are you doing?” Jill asked and knitted her brows.
“Uh… the doctor used it to cover…”
“Aha,” she said and blushed.
The elevator stopped on her floor and I pushed the door open. A little girl of around 4 or 5 years was standing outside. She saw Jill and her chin dropped, leaving her mouth wide open.
“Auntie Jilly, what is this on your leg?”
“A cast,” Jill said with a smile and made her way out of the elevator.
“Did you get hurt?”
“I am not wearing it for fun, my dear, but I’m fine now.”
The girl’s eyes welled with tears.
“Oh Erica, please don’t cry. Everything is all right.”
“The way you walk scares me,” the girl said, sniffing pitifully, then added,” Are you going to walk like that all the time?”
Jill seemed to be at a loss for words.
“Where is your mom, Erica?” Jill asked and headed to the door of her apartment.
“She had to buy something, told me to wait here. Is your leg broken, auntie Jilly?”
“Yes, but am better now.”
“When my Barbie doll broke her leg, daddy fixed it,” the little girl said proudly.
“My leg was fixed too,” Jill said.
I took the key out of her purse to open the door.
“It doesn’t really look fixed,” Erica said distrustfully.
We got into the flat. Jill took a deep breath and sighed as I closed the door.
Chapter 5 – On the Couch
With my help Jill made herself comfortable on the couch. I propped her casted leg on a stool, stole a glance at her toes and handed her the remote control. She looked at it as if she wasn’t sure what to do with it.
“What am I supposed to do now, watching TV?” she said indignantly.
“You are supposed to rest. You decide how to do that.”
She kicked her pump off and rested her right leg on the couch, then glared angrily at the cast.
“I have to go to the drugstore to buy the prescribed medicines. What do you want to eat?” I said.
“I am not hungry.”
“Jill, you have to eat!”
“You started treating me like a baby!” she said with subdued anger.
“I just want to make you feel better.”
“I cannot stand myself today,” she said and knitted her fingers together.
I bent over and kissed her cheek, then walked out, leaving her alone.
Making the necessary purchases took no more than half an hour. After buying some Chinese food, I hurried to get back. Jill had been crying. Turning aside, she tried to hide her tears from me, but I saw them.
“Jill! Is the pain bad?”
“No,” she answered and quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
“What’s the problem? Can I do something for you?”
“This is absolutely unbearable,” she said irritably and burst into tears again.
“What?”
“Can’t you see?” she mumbled, glaring at me.
Then I noticed that she had tried to put on a pair of panties over the cast. They were stuck at the top of her casted thigh.
“Impossible,” she complained, “the cast is too big.”
“I think you should stop worrying about it,” I replied.
“Do you know how uncomfortable it is to be bare “down there”?”
“Nice rhyme,” I said with a smile.
She threw her pump at me. I manage to catch it.
“Are you angry at me?” I asked cautiously.
“No, I developed the habit of throwing my shoes when I’m calm.”
I helped her get the useless panties off and sat beside her on the couch. She put her hand around my shoulder, then pulled me towards her.
“George!”
I looked at her, drowning in her blue eyes.
“What are you really thinking?” she asked.
“About what?”
“About my predicament.”
“I like this predicament of yours,” I said and knocked on the cast.
“Really! Why?”
“You can’t run away from me.”
She tensed visibly.
“I know you can’t forgive me,” she said and withdrew her hand.
“Well, let’s not talk about the past,” I said.
“You avoided my question,” her eyes pinned me again.
“I think you need someone to take care of you. I want that someone to be me.”
“So, you will stay with me?”
“Yes!”
“Great! Give a kiss to your broken girl now!”
I complied, trying not to be too eager.
“My toes are itchy,” she said wiggling them.
“That’s just what I expected. I think I can help you.”
“Do something, please! I can’t reach them.”
I ran my hand over the hard surface of the cast and kneeled on the floor to rub her toes.
“They are all yours,” she said.
“Yes, I know what to do.”
Chapter 6 – Bath
We ate on the couch, watching TV. Jill looked much calmer than an hour ago. She seemed to be lost in thought, but I could tell she was trying to hide it from me. She avoided looking at the cast, as if she wanted to ignore it, and to forget the accident. But the cast was there, huge and white, mercilessly immobilizing her entire left leg and hip, and rendering her vulnerable and dependent.
I carried the dishes to the kitchen and washed them. When I returned, I saw her trying to stand up. Balancing on her good leg and swaying precariously, she tucked the crutches under her arms. Her casted leg jutted out in front of her, looking grotesquely large compared to Jill’s slender body.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Do I have to explain all my actions?” she said, glancing at me with a raised eyebrow.
“No, I thought you might need a hand.”
“I have to pee,” she said matter-of-factly, “and I don’t need help with this”.
I nodded, watching her unsteady movements. Her graceful gait was completely wiped out by the hip spica cast. She looked nice though, my little broken doll. So painfully fragile, and so mouthy.
“What are you staring at?” she asked, looking over her shoulder.
“Your graceful gait.”
She stopped and slumped on the crutches to free her hands. Then, she wagged her forefinger at me which she accompanied with a broad smile. Her smile evaporated as she realized that the crutches were about to slip down. She managed to grasp them just in time to prevent the fall. I noticed I had jumped to my feet.
“Sorry,” she said, looking at my face.
“Jill, please be cautious!”
“Ok.”
She reached the bathroom door without breaking another bone. I ran to the door and open it for her.
“Thank you,” she said with an unfamiliar seriousness.
A minute later, she flushed the water. I waited for her to come out. She didn’t. Instead, I heard empty vessels rattling. Then, I could hear water pouring into the tube.
“Jill, you must protect the cast,” I cried out.
“I am giving myself a sponge bath,” she cried out.
“Do you need something?”
“Nooo,” her voice echoed in the bathroom.
“Do you want me to rub your back? I said loudly.
I heard her saying, “I don’t hear you.”
Some time later, she called me.
“Bring me a t-shirt to change into.” she said through the closed door, “A big one.”
I went to the bedroom, opened her wardrobe and rummage through her clothes. Then, I choose a light blue t-shirt and got back to the bathroom. Her hand was groping blindly in the slot between the partially opened door and the door frame.
“George, how long do I have to wait?” she said just before I handed her the t-shirt.
Five minutes later, she appeared, leaning on her crutches, and dressed only with a t-shirt and a cast.
“I’m so deadly tired,” she mumbled, then slowly crutched past me.
“Are you going to bed?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
“Call me if you need something.”
“By the way, we can both sleep in my bed tonight. This couch can be used only as a torturing device,” she said mildly.
“Are you sure …”
“Oh, come on George! Don’t be silly!” she said, and her casted toes curled up as if to convey some kind of emotion.
“You will need much more space than before.”
“We can fit in.”
“Ok.”
She crutched toward the bedroom, her bare right foot squelching on the floor. I followed her.