Chapter 6: A Few Small Steps

Come early December, David reached a milestone. With Arturo and Melanie supporting him from both sides, he was able to stand wobbly on his own feet in the chest-high water of the pool. Melanie was so excited that she sprinted through the cool evening air into the main house, dragging Josh to the pool and having him take pictures of David standing between Melanie and Arturo. She and David mailed those pictures to his mother that same evening. It was the happiest the two had been since the accident.

The following Sunday, they had breakfast in the guest house. Josh was out of town, and Mrs. Ling had the day off. They were expecting Arturo around eleven for an hour of exercises, but at ten, the telephone rang. Melanie picked it up.

"Yes?" David heard her ask guardedly. "Oh! I'm sorry, Arturo. Of course! How long will you ... Oh, all right. I'll tell David. You take care. Thanks for calling, and drive safely!"

The call must have ended, and Melanie returned to the kitchenette. "Arturo called. He must drive down to San Diego for two days. His brother in law had an accident down there, and he needs to pick him up. He has to cancel today and tomorrow."

"Oh, shit!" David swore. "Just when I'm on a roll."

Melanie touched his arm. "Don't worry, Davy. Two days rest won't throw you back. Besides..."

"Huh?"

"I can operate the crane. You can put on your life jacket, and I'll lower you into the pool all right. I'll help you exercise, too. I mean, we can at least do repeats of what you did all week."

David weighed that. There was one problem. "How do I change? I mean, Arturo helps me with the shower, and the changing and stuff."

Melanie shrugged. "Nothing I haven't seen before, have I? I mean, if it weirds you out, we can leave it be, but I thought you didn't want to miss your exercises."

David thought about it, but then his face cleared. "Oh, hell! I want to get back on my feet. Let's do this!"

Melanie smiled openly. "Let's wait for Christina. She can help you with your morning stuff and change you into swim trunks, right?"

"Good point," David acknowledged.

Christina Palmberg was a tall blonde of forty-five years, and she had been self-employed for five years. She claimed that her Judo training enabled her to flip and toss her patients around at will, and she made short work as usual of David's morning business. He had much better control of his body now, and that made her work easier. She even wheeled him to the pool before she returned to his bedroom to get his bed ship-shape. Melanie was waiting for him wearing a very modest one-piece suit.

David got the message. She was not here this morning to tease him, but she was trying to be his trainer. She looped the nylon belt under his thighs and locked the steel eyes into the carabiner that was attached to the double tackle of the crane. Then she checked his life jacket before she lifted him off the wheelchair using the long crank that worked the tackle. She swung the crane arm over the water and wound down the tackle until David floated in his life jacket.

He unhooked the nylon belt himself, and Melanie swung the crane arm away. With a happy smile she noted how he was scissoring his legs a little to propel himself away from the rim.

"Ready?" she asked.

"When you are," David answered, admiring the view as Melanie dove elegantly into the water. She came up at his side and dragged him back to the side of the pool, feet to the wall.

David kicked and propelled himself away from the wall.

Again, she dragged him back, and again he pushed himself into the center of the pool. Then she had him push while she pushed back. She had no good lever, but for a few seconds she held him back. With an extra effort, he could dislodge her stand. He turned with a triumphant smile.

"Hey, you're a push-over!"

She let him try again and held her own longer, but in the end he could overpower her.

"That's great, David," she encouraged him. "Ready for a little stand-up comedy?"

He made a face. This was one of Arturo's jokes, referring to his awkward stance when he tried to stand on his feet. He nodded. He let his feet sink down to the bottom. Melanie used her own feet and legs to arrange David's feet in a wide stance and then supported him as he tried to stand. This was not as easy as when Arturo supported him from the other side, but finally he stood.

"Hey, we can save a lot of money with you being my trainer," David joked.

"David, I told you. I don't care about..."

"Money, I know. Arturo's great. It's just that you look much better."

"Thanks. You're so great for my self-esteem," Melanie said dreamily. She let go of his arm and swam around him to face him. "Make a step, David!"

"Oh, crap, Mel! You know I can't..."

"Crap, right! Come on! Gimme a step! What can happen? You're in the water. You're wearing a life jacket."

David stood undecided. Melanie was battling with herself, but then she nodded.

"David, make a step! Look! I'm standing right here. I'm one step away. Make that step and you ... you get to kiss me."

David's face clouded. "Mel, I'd never force..."

"Cut the crap, David! You wanna walk? Make a step. You wanna kiss me? Make a step. Don't fucking wrap me in cotton wool. I'm offering a kiss for a step. Are you game?"

"Jeez, don't go apeshit on me!" David protested, but he tried to shift his weight on his left leg. Then he tried to move the right leg, but he lost his balance and fell to the side.

"Not bad, but no kiss yet," Melanie announced. She helped him up into the standing position and moved away. "Try again!"

It was frustrating. David simply could not balance on his left leg long enough to move the right leg.

"Try with the other leg first," Melanie suggested. "Okay, shift weight to right. Balance. Push that left foot forward! Do it!"

He did! He undoubtedly moved his left foot forward by six or seven inches. It was pathetic, but it was a step, and he gave Melanie a smug grin. He could tell that she was conflicted, and he was about to tell her to forget about the wager when she closed the gap between them and lifted her face. She closed her eyes and offered her lips. The gesture was endearing and showing the trust she had in him.

Carefully balancing on his wobbly legs, he tried to bend forward for the imminent kiss, but he misjudged the angles and fell forward, knocking her over in the process and dunking her. She came up gasping and coughing, and David helped her up as best he could.

"Sorry, I fell over," he explained sheepishly.

"Not very smooth," Mel laughed. "Does that count as getting laid?"

"Ha-ha! Maybe we need to get you something to stand on?"

"Hey, I'm not that small! Wait. I'll give you a rain check on that kiss. Try again. We'll settle the score later."

She helped him stand and moved away. Again, he used his right leg to stand and moved the left one. It worked again! Melanie held up two fingers and smiled at him.

"You're up two kisses. Wait. Maybe it's better if you hold my hands."

She offered her hands and he took them gently. It helped. With her helping him to balance, he made another step. She moved away.

"Come on! Stand on the left, move the right!"

He did.

"Davy, look at you! You're walking!" she squealed in her excitement. "Now two steps. Do it, please! Two steps! Stand on your right, move the left. That's good! Now stand on your left ... Your left I said! Now move the right. Stay on the right and move the left! Davy, three steps!"

"Yeah, it's going to be a regular make-out session," David mock-leered. "You owe me five."

"You wish! The last three were with my support," Melanie nixed that idea. "Now let go of one hand and try again!"

Holding only one of her hands was sufficient to give him stability, and he made three halting steps. She moved back then and felt the side of the pool against her back. Reaching up behind herself, she pushed herself up and sat on the rim, three steps away from David.

"I'm upping the ante. You make those three steps now, without assist, and you get to kiss one of my boobies," she challenged recklessly.

David had to dry-swallow. "No shit?"

"No shit. You'll get two kisses anyway. Make three steps unassisted, and you'll get to second base."

Taking a deep breath, David started out with the left leg again. Then the right. Then left again. Looking up at Melanie, he gave her a triumphant grin, and her face fell a little seeing her bluff called.

"I should have offered this weeks ago," she grumped. "I could be rid of you by now."

David still grinned. "Maybe. It's all about motivation, isn't it?"

"You're a sexist pig, but we have a deal I suppose. How ... I mean, what do you want first?"

David let his gaze wander from her face to her chest and then up again, taking his time. Melanie developed a major blush under his gaze.

"Kiss first," David decided.

With his hands, he stabilized himself against the side of the pool on either side of the sitting Melanie. She had to stoop a little, and again she closed her eyes while she offered her lips for the kiss. This time, no slapstick interfered. David moved with infinite care, touching her slightly trembling lips lightly at first, and then nibbling softly on her pouty lower lip. He could feel that she was holding her breath and her body went rigid, but as the kiss lingered and her lips became soft and receptive, her breathing set in again. He let go of her lips then and kissed her nose.

"Look at me, please!" he whispered.

Her eyelashes fluttered a bit, but then her green eyes opened and she looked at him cross-eyed.

"That was ... I'm..."

"Intense?" he offered.

She nodded, never letting her gaze waver from his eyes.