Watchmaker
Copyright© 2025 by Heel
Chapter 5: Awakening
The world came back in dull, muffled pulses.
Elise woke to a tight, unyielding weight around her leg. The cast stretched from mid-thigh to the tips of her toes, confining her completely. She tried to move her ankle — only to be met with a solid, immovable resistance. Pain radiated through her calf and heel, deep and relentless, throbbing beneath the plaster.
She gasped, clutching the sheets. Her fingers found the crutches leaning awkwardly beside the bed, and she realized immediately that walking would be a battle — a fight against gravity and limitation.
The nurse entered with a small, apologetic smile. “Take it slow. Dr. Kopp says the alignment is delicate. You can move on crutches, but very carefully.”
Elise wanted to shout, to cry, to curse the world. She had spent years learning control, poise, and balance — every muscle tuned to movement and rhythm — and now she couldn’t even lift herself upright without effort that left her trembling and breathless.
Her first steps were catastrophic. She teetered, her crutches scraping against the floor, arms straining, torso lurching forward. Pain stabbed with every shift of weight. She hated the sound, hated the effort, hated the way the world seemed to tilt around her.
By the time she managed to reach the small lounge chair at the end of the corridor, sweat clinging to her hair, her colleagues were waiting. They had come to check on her.
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