Legs apart, arms supporting his head, he laid on his bed, trying to organize his thoughts. Boxes were piled all around the room, but the loft was very spacious, and with no furniture yet, it felt rather empty. There were no curtains on the windows and door that opened to the balcony on the living room, so the cloudy afternoon was visible, giving notice that rain would soon be here.
The apartment had been a bold decision, considering his tight budget. But he was done with living in a place too small to stretch your own legs. Hell, he thought, leaving the US had been even bolder. But he was also done with the life he had built in New York.
He loved the city. That he did; the noise, the energy, the opportunities. He loved the feel of the city, its buildings and its people. The city had never been a problem. But somehow, he began to change the moment he moved there. At first, he faced the demands from work as part of it; part of starting a new job, part of moving to a new city. But, last summer when his sister had come to spend a few weeks with him, she had been appalled by him and had mercilessly shoved the truth he was trying to ignore down his throat.
“When did you start living like a hermit?”
“Hermit?”
“You’re right. Hermits avoid people. You seem to be avoiding yourself. Besides, your apartment is a mess and your kitchen smells like something died there. What happened?”
“I’m just too busy. Don’t worry.” He looked over at his baby sister and for the first time, realized how much she had grown. “You look exactly like mom.”
“What?! Kill me now. No, wait; you’ve already been doing that. Making me sustain this smell. I can’t stand it anymore.” Satyana rose from the couch where she had been sitting among dirty and clean clothes, and walked over to spread the windows open. As fresh air came in, her long hair flew around her face. “What happened?” She asked with her back to him. “Is it Gabriella again?”
“Brie and I are fine. Sat, just leave it alone.”
“I know I’ve said this before, but I don’t like her. She’s always making you do things you don’t want to. Why do you let her?” Satyana turned and knelt in front of her older brother. “And you’re working too much. You should come home.” She framed his face with her hands and looked right into his eyes that were just like hers. He was twelve years older, which should put quite a distance between them, but from all his siblings, they were the closest.
“I left home for a reason. And I’m okay here. Really.”
But he wasn’t. Really. He was spending his whole day at the office, dealing with clients and the projects, while, at night, instead of sleeping, he worked on his designs. He was in a bad mood, tired and hadn’t time to eat real meals, so was basically fueling on junk food. As he stared at the ceiling, rain began to fall. He sighed, and turned on his side and shut his eyes. But the biggest problem of all, had been realizing how much he had started to hate his work. One Friday, he had woken up on his desk and had realized he hadn’t lied down once all week.
It still left him astonished to realize how long it had taken him to wake up and look around the mess he had made.
With Gabriella it had been the same. Natural, he could say. They had met in the elevator from his office’s building. He had been mesmerized by the beautiful red head with gorgeous blue eyes. She had accepted his invitation for coffee and things had run smoothly from then on. Or maybe, he just wanted to remember it that way. As quickly as they had matched each other’s rhythm, they had started to grow apart. The practical answer had been to move in together, and so they had.
The first few months had been a dream. They left together for work and at night, tried to eat together as much as their schedules allowed. But, as Brie was a reporter and ended up being summoned at any time of day or night for a story, and as his nights were for his work, whenever they were home, they slept.
So, after five months, she had suddenly decided that they should get married. To him, it had been an impossible situation. How could they get married when they barely saw each other? As much as it had been a clear solution to her, it seemed the worst one for him. And, to his shock, after he realized that, it had been really hard to admit, even to himself, that he might still love Brie.
“Crap.” Okay, why was he thinking about this depressing stuff again? He was tired as hell, had been up since 5 in the morning, cleaning the apartment for the boxes that would be arriving later, and still couldn’t manage to shut down his mind and sleep.
Grunting, he sat up and caught the floormap. He thought about the furniture he'd be buying soon and sighed. His clothes were still on suitcases that, he suddenly remembered, were stuck beneath some of the boxes. Great. No clothes to change, tons of boxes to unpack and he couldn’t sleep. Getting up, he left the room. If he couldn’t sleep, he’d start the damn unpacking.
***
“But… I’d lose my scholarship, right?”
“Yes.”
“And how much is the tuition?”
“Around £15.000 for the academic year.”
“Hmm... that makes...”
“U$23.509” the representative from LSE pushed his glasses back up on his nose and continued to stare at Anne with indifference.
“And close to… R$41000... Oh God…”
Without my scholarship, there was no way she’d manage to pay that tuition. What was she going to do? As much as it had been her dream to study at NYU, LSE was the place to study her field of research. Whoever had sent her application, and she had an idea of who had done that, hadn’t really worried about financial issues.
“Miss? If you give me your name and passport number, I can check our data base and see what type of student you have qualified to be.”
London was still cursed for her; she hadn’t been able to stay, how would she live there? Would she be able to attend classes where he died? She probably should just get up and leave, finish her Masters where she had already built a life and think about doctorate and stuff later. Truth was, she wasn’t even going to come but Lumi had bugged her out of the apartment. In the end, she just came to see what was what.
“There seems to be something wrong.”
“Ah… It’s okay, I…” I just wanted to get up and leave, she thought desperately. She was settling her bag strap on her shoulder when everything changed.
“It seems that you were granted a thirty percent scholarship, making your tuition £14.000, which has already been paid.”
“What?”
“Your LSE education has been paid off. Completely. The only requirement is for you to cancel your attendance at NYU as soon as possible and attend the beginning of term by the start of November. There is, however, another matter that seems to be waiting for trial by the administrative department. You’ve applied for the Masters Program but wished to have been accepted for the Doctorate Program, is that correct? The decision is scheduled to be published in two weeks.”
“What? I…”
“It is not very unusual. However, it only happens when your master thesis has been of interest to the School, with a sole approval of a Professor with PhD on the same matter. If that is the case, you’d be authorized to finish your masters at NYU, even required to, having the obligation to finish it by the end of the current month, being granted the excuse to miss the first two weeks of the Doctorate Program.”
“I… don’t know what to say. Doctorate at LSE?”
“Yes.” The representative seemed to be annoyed at the idea of someone so slow to have been granted a place and worse, a scholarship at LSE.
“And… how can I get a Professor with a PhD on my thesis subject to approve my transference?”
“You can only apply if that’s the case. It is. Dr. McCarthy has signed your request. I’m sorry, but am I to understand that it was not you who applied?”
“Er… no. I’m just… confirming the details. Okay, how much is the tuition?”
“Minus what has already been paid, would be approximately £14.890 per academic year. The Doctorate on your area can take from two to six years. It all depends on your interest.”
“Ha. Six. Okay. Let’s pretend that I have this money. What do I have to do now?”
I pushed the door open, an hour later, and took several deep breaths. I couldn’t believe it. Dr. McCarthy signing approval for me? It had to be a joke. But then, it made pretty clear who had applied and done the whole work for me.
Her heart felt suffocated. She felt suffocated. How had this happened? Why? And… live in London? She hadn’t managed to stay there after the accident, how was she ever going to move and live there? What was Eli thinking? And he paid her tuition? Was he crazy?
Or was she? She had noticed that Eli was making plans ahead. Serious plans ahead. Moving back to London had been one of his dreams. One he had often mentioned that would be perfect if he got to teach where he had studied
Maybe… what was it with this now? Anne thanked the representative, got up and left.
***
Noah hated the first day at work. Any work. But he had an idea that an American’s first day among British would be quite harder. You had no idea how things worked, you didn’t know anybody and you couldn’t count on anyone. It was like walking on eggshells. As he worked on his tie knot, he glanced at his clothes spread over his bed. He desperately needed to work on the closet. If he were home, he’d just buy wood and make himself shelves and a hanger. Maybe in a couple of months, he’d be able to find a shop that would let him use the space to build whatever he wanted.
His father had been a carpenter his whole life. Noah and his siblings had worked on their father’s shop on their summer vacations throughout their teens. Ethan and Seth had hated every second of it. You could see on their faces how much they loathed spending their mornings working with wood. In time, his father had given up on them. But Noah and Satyana stayed. Satyana had shown a real talent for it, the furniture she built was not only well made, but beautifully done. It was no surprise when she chose Industrial Design for her career. But Noah, although not as good as her, had found his love for designing and building in the carpentry. As much as other people just went into a store and bought cabinets and balconies, to Noah, it meant an opportunity to build something fitting to each of your needs.
Locking the door behind him, he rushed to the stairs. A little blonde was just coming from upstairs and stepped aside to let him pass. He signaled for her to go first.
“Thanks.” She gave him a bright smile.
“You’re welcome.”
“Are you new on the building?”
“Yep. Just moved in.”
“Ah, you’re American?”
“Yeah.”
“I love Americans.” She said climbing back one step and rubbing her body against his. Noah stepped back.
“Hmm. Right.”
“Are you single?” She asked again stepping forward and trapped him against the wall.
“You’re very… direct.” And was making him uncomfortable. Aggressive women did not attract him at all. In the beginning was nice and enticing, and any man would be at least curious to see where it went. But to him, felt like desperation. And desperate women were never good.
“I do not see the point in being otherwise. I’m Bridget.”
“Ah… Yeah. I’m single... I mean Noah.” And Bridget mistook Noah’s discomfort for pouting.
“Brilliant. Hmm, Noah, why don’t we have dinner at my house tonight?”
“Sorry… I…” The entrance door opened and a family of three entered the hall. Noah smiled with relief and stepped out with a little wave. Bridget smiled back while her index finger trailed from her bottom lip to her cleavage. Noah’s smiled died and he had to bite his lips to keep from laughing at the absurdity of it.
Why did he only attract the crazy ones? There had to be a reason; some sort of pheromones he expelled that only crazy women captured. Two days in, he already had someone to avoid.
He crossed the street and had the impression that the traffic was a little less crazy than New York’s. Until a taxi nearly ran over him coming from the wrong direction in a one way street. If he ended up in the Hospital on his first real day in a new country, he wouldn't sustain the shame.
As soon as he stepped in front of building, he felt how different the atmosphere was. The five-floor building was all made of glass and you could see from outside, the lights and colors and people. It felt alive. A huge body where you could see each of its parts working and moving, living. He had no idea what waited for him inside, but from this perspective, he had made the right decision to come. On a deep breath, Noah stepped in.
***
Anne arrived home close to 6p.m. Lumi had a doctor’s appointment at seven-thirty, and she desperately wanted to lie down before living the house again to face New York. It felt like ages ago when going out to take a loaded subway or bus, or to fight for a cab felt like an adventure. Now she was desperately missing the practicality of getting your own car and getting to wherever you wanted to go with no other worries. She deliberately ignored the problems of where to park, traffic and insurance.
While she sulked in the couch, Lumi sat on the chair across from her.
“So? How was it? When are you leaving?”
“I…” Anne sighed, “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“What? Why?”
“It’s too much.” Anne closed her eyes and sighed again. “Eli paid for it. Had his ex-girlfriend sign a request for his new girlfriend’s doctorate. I’d have to finish my masters here by the end of October and be in London ready to start by November 5th. What else? Oh yeah, Eli was ran over by a car and died bleeding in the middle of a street.”
Lumi watched Anne and tried to calm herself. Her sister was suffering. She had just lost a man she loved. She… was being offered a chance to get a PhD in London and was complaining about life. If there was stage where you had to oversee any other problems, to step over and shake someone up even someone that was hurting, it was now.
“Hey. Stop sinking in self-pity. What do you have to do to go to London?”
“Self-pity? What the…? What’s the matter with you?”
“The matter with me? I was also run over by a car. I’m missing practice, missing classes and I’m getting fat, because all I do all day is eat. I can’t do anything else in this house but sleep, watch TV and eat. My ass is the size of São Paulo. My left leg is useless. I’m scared of not recovering in time for the end of the year presentation. I’m scared to death of not recovering at all. I know you’re hurt. I know you’re sad. Eli died and I’m really sorry. But it’s enough. You said he paid for your tuition?”
“Part of it. I got a scholarship and he paid the rest. Is he crazy?”
“Apparently he was crazy for you. And you’re here telling me you’re not going? Over my dead body.”
“Lumi, I can’t live there. I couldn’t stay there. I’m… thinking about going back home.”
“Home?!”
“Yeah. I’m tired. I miss everybody. I miss my stupid brother that loathes me. I miss my never happy about anything I do mother. I miss driving a car. I miss people speaking Portuguese.”
“Fuck that. I miss them too. Sometimes I miss my mom so much I cry myself to sleep. But you want to drive a car? Doesn’t Mel have one? Borrow it. You miss people speaking Portuguese? Best Buy has Portuguese speaking attendants. Go there. Seriously. I know it’s hard. It’s hard watching you deal with it. I can’t imagine how hard it is. But he left you a gift. Maybe he was planning on moving there with you. Either way, it’s a chance you’ll never have again. Finish the stupid masters you and Eli worked hard on doing during summer.” Anne that had been staring at Lumi with a mouth hanging open, raised her brows in surprise. “Yes, I know. You two only talked about that crap all the time. Dedicate it to him. Finish it. Apply for a Student Visa for the United Kingdom and go.”
Anne simply stared back. She didn’t know what to say. Usually, she was the one doing the ass-kicking speech to get Lumi out of the couch, whom sprawled in it very much like the way Anne did now. But Lumi was there. I wanted to cry. So much that I started laughing.
“You’re definitely crazy, did you know that?”
“Bossy mean bitch is on.”
“Whatever. The hospital’s a little far and it’s rush hour. I’m going to be late and I hate being late.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Anne got up and helped Lumi put her coat on. On an impulse, she threw her arms around Lumi and hugged her tight. “But how am I going to leave you behind here by yourself?”
“I can take care of myself. And with you there, I’d have great excuses to visit London.”
“Hmm.” Anne put on her own coat and tried to think fast. “Why don’t I ask Victor to take you tonight?”
“Victor? No. Are you crazy? Why?”
“I could repeat the same speech you just gave me. Stop fighting against it so badly. He’s worried about you. Kit told me he asks about you several times a day. Just call him, won’t you? Or I will. Hmm, in fact, I’ll do it now.” Anne said and fished her cell from her purse. Lumi tried to take it from her, but she ran to the other side of the living room with Lumi’s cluster.
“That’s unfair. And politically incorrect.”
But Anne had already dialed.
“Victor? This is Anne. Yes. I’m sorry to call you so out of the blue but I wanted to ask a favor. Hmm. No. Yes, she’s fine. Actually it’s about her. Yes. She has an appointment back at the hospital in an hour and I can’t make it with her. Can you take her for me?”
“No! I’m going by myself!” Lumi shouted from across the living room with an annoyed expression, and limped her way to the door. Anne ran, closed the door with her foot and stood there.
“No, she’s right here. You’re at Juilliard right? Great. Okay. Thanks!”
“I hate you.” Lumi said out of breath from the limping.
“It’s okay. You’ll love me later. Someone had to do something, or you two would take another 20 years to get together.” Anne planted a kiss in Lumi’s cheek and ran to her bedroom. “He’s coming. Let’s fix your hair a little. That knot’s a little sad. And put on some makeup.”
“I hate you more.”
***
Lumi sat on the couch sulking, her arms crossed over her belly, trying to figure how to escape. Anne had taken the keys and she had an appointment in less than forty-five minutes twenty blocks away. She thought about calling to reschedule and then having Anne deal with Victor, but she couldn’t stand the damn casket anymore. Her leg itched so much she couldn’t sleep at night. And the sooner she got rid of it, the sooner she’d start rehab and go back to dancing. She missed it as much as she missed walking. When the interphone rang, her heart skipped a beat.
Anne came running from her bedroom where she had been taking refuge from Lumi for the past fifteen minutes. She signaled the release from the entrance and went to wait by the open door. Lumi considered running past her but she’d encounter Victor in the stairs, and it would have been pretty hard to escape him. Resigned, she put on the coat she had thrown on the floor and stood leaning on her crutch.
When Victor appeared on the door, Lumi deliberately ignored his presence. She limped her way to the door and passed by him.
“Call me after!” Anne called from the door next to Victor. Lumi ignored her.
“Hmm, she’s pissed. This is going to be fun…” Victor said quietly with sarcasm. “Is she okay?”
“She’s been complaining a lot from pain whenever she raises her leg up while lying down. She’s been having difficulty wriggling her toes as well. I’m worried. But I think you two need to spend a little time together. You let me know about the outcome?”
“I think you should go with her.”
“I do too. I want to go. Believe me. But I don’t think there’s much I’ll be able to do. I haven’t been a lot of help for her to hang on. And you look as worried as I am. It’s okay. Just be sure to call me, okay?”
“All right. I will.”
“Hey, are any of you ever going to help me get downstairs?” Lumi shouted from down the hall.
“She looks really pissed.” Victor whispered.
“She is. Just give it a little time. It’ll wear off. She’s been missing you. Bye.” Victor turned with a smile and ran to get to Lumi. Love, Anne thought, funny weird little thing.
***
“This way, please.”
Noah had been waiting for twenty minutes in the lobby. The atmosphere was so energetic he had little time to worry about anything else. He loved to observe people and here, it had been even more interesting. Young or old, everybody wore suits. Englishmen and their love for suits. But, surprisingly, it had not been the tweed he thought he’d see. There were every color and every texture walking by. Interesting. He was not a fan of fashion or anything. But he believed that when you stepped out of your comfort zone for clothes, it meant something. Some sort of statement. He considered interesting the statements people were giving here.
Now, he followed the secretary in the aubergine suit, passing by closed offices. Beautifully fit, he thought. Well, he liked textures, but he was also a man. Remembering it was probably bad to be caught staring at the secretary’s butt, he glanced around. He had passed by the architect’s desks before and hadn’t realized some architects had their own offices. He recognized some of the names on the doors and definitely recognized a lot of the works that were exposed along the walls. Nearing the end of the hallway, one framed work caught his attention. It was a residential design signed by Artemis Harris and it was one of Noah’s favorites. He hadn’t realized it was Artemis Harris from Lucas Harris. In awe, he stepped closer and admired the lines and the complexity of the house.
“Are you familiar with my work?” a male voice called from behind Noah. He turned surprised, and faced the tall man in front of him. He knew he was on his late forties, but didn’t look older than Noah himself at all.
“Yes, sir.” Noah tried to see the secretary had gone but couldn’t find her at all. Crap, now he was lost and apparently the boss had just found him. “I’m starting here today. I’m Noah Archer, nice to meet you, sir. I’m a fan of your work.” Noah added offering his hand.
Artemis had been quite surprised to find the new architect examining that work in particular. It had been made by him many years before for a special person. It was his favorite, although very simple and very different from the other works exposed on the walls. Usually the Human Resources took care of showing new employees around but he had wanted a personal view on Noah Archer. His portfolio had impressed him a lot. He thrived in work with wood and his designs felt fresh even without the crazy newer projects had. Which made an even bigger impression on him. Artemis considered himself a good judge of character and Noah Archer had tickled his curiosity. He wanted to see what was what.
“Yes, Ms. Bellows just informed me. I was going for some coffee, you came on a good time. Might you join me in a cup?”
“Of course.” Noah hadn’t brought his portfolio with him. It had downed on him that maybe someone would want to see his work before letting him work on any project. All in all, he only had a name in Architecture for the last three years. And that had been in America. Here it was starting over. He walked along Harris and found himself a little intimidated; many architect students had one or a few of renowned famous architects that inspired them. Artemis Harris had been one of them to Noah. Alongside Renzo Piano, Norman Foster and, specially, Peter Eisenman, Artemis Harris was one of Noah’s idols. And now he was walking in the halls of his office getting ready to work under his name. “I saw a Peter Eisenman design on the walls. He made a design for Lucas Harris?”
“Oh, no. Peter Eisenman’s a personal friend. He gave me that design when I studied with him on Cambridge. He was my professor.” He liked this fellow, Artemis decided. He didn’t have much patience with the new architects that appeared nowadays. They had so many colors on, earrings and horrific clothes, he couldn’t quite decide if the person wanted to show he could wear architecture on himself. And when you analyzed their work, it usually had that crazy factor that made it bad to the eyes. He was all for modern, for avant-garde, for nouveau, for new concepts. But just because it looked interesting in imagination did not mean it’d look and function in reality. Didn’t Universities teach that anymore? Noah’s designs had shown an intensity he hadn’t seen in a while. “Are you a fan of Eisenman’s?”
“Yes.”
“Which of his designs you like the most?”
“Hmm, I know how this is going to sound, I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but I’m not really a fan of his designs. I’m a fan of his concept. His… approach, you could say.”
Interesting guy indeed, Artemis thought. Critics were always commenting his controversial ways but usually overlooked the depth the concept had behind them. Eisenman was an anti-humanist, master of deconstructivism. His designs weren’t meant to be enjoyed. They were to be admired. There was a big difference. And it seemed the boy knew it.
“I’m a fan of Niemeyer’s as well. Have you heard of him?”
“The Brazilian? Yes. I’m not a big fan of the jungle of concrete. I prefer the organic, functional concept.”
“I see. Here, the cafeteria’s this way.”
“You don’t sound British, sir.”
“I grew up in Brazil. After that, my father, who was a diplomat, became British Ambassador in Germany. When it comes to accents, I don’t really have on that fits anywhere. I quite like that. But don’t call me sir. Makes me feel old. Everybody calls me Harris.”
“All right. I hope to meet Mr. Lucas soon as well. I like a few of his designs too.”
“His…” Artemis said with a laugh. He was about to correct him, but decided it’d be more interesting this way. His wife had that coming, he thought, remembering when they first decided the name of their joint offices. She had demanded that her last name was put first, since after they got married she had always been referred to as Kadri Harris.
“Sir, madam Kadri’s on line two”, Ms. Bellows said from the door.
“Thinking of the devil… It was nice to meet you, Noah. Welcome to UK and welcome to Lucas Harris. Laurel will show you around and lead you to your desk. You can reach me in my office if you need anything.”
Noah sighed after Artemis left. The coffee was good, the boss was nice and the atmosphere was making him want to get to work. As first days went, this one seemed pretty awesome so far. When Laurel, Ms. Bellows, Noah corrected himself, came back to fetch him, he followed her with a content smile.
***
“Stop trying to push me away, please. It’s making it harder to help you.”
“I don’t need your help.” Lumi said when she nearly was hit again by someone rushing by them in the Hospital hall. They had been silent the whole cab ride over. “Actually, you can go. Thank you for bringing me here. I can take from here.”
“No. What floor is it?”
“Fifth.” Lumi said with disgust. Each second it passed, she felt more uncomfortable. She despised Anne for it. Glancing to her side, she saw Victor’s serious face. He did seem worried. On a sudden move, he caught an empty wheelchair and had Lumi sit. As much as she was annoyed with him, she was grateful not to have to walk anymore. The crutch hurt her wrist after a while and her right leg was swelling from the effort.
“I don’t think I’ll ever understand why you loath me so much.”
“Loath? I don’t hate you.”
“You act like it. In fact, you’ve been acting like it since the record store.”
It made Lumi smile. She remembered the Hey, Soul Sister incident and nearly laughed out loud from the stupidity of it. Victor caught her smiling and softened his expression. When the doctor called her name, they entered the room in silence. Lumi laid down on the gurney and the doctor analyzed it with a serious face. It made Victor’s concern climb up a notch, but he didn’t say anything. The doctor seemed a lot younger than him, but instead of worrying about knowledge he felt a little more comforted. He had grown up surrounded by older people that always acted like they knew more because of their age and rarely did.
“The nurse will take you to get some X-rays and get a blood sample and then, we’ll discuss your development, okay? Do you have any questions?” The doctor said without looking up. Victor was annoyed by it, but Lumi seemed undisturbed by it. She nodded and when the nurse came, she went without saying anything. “I thought her sister was coming with her”, Doctor Andrews said.
“She couldn’t make it. I’m a friend. You can tell me everything and I’ll let her sister know.”
“Hmm. I’m really worried about how swollen her toes are. Muscles, when they are not used for a long time, they atrophy. Hers are swollen. It can mean a simple inflammation.”
“Or?”
“Or the bones did not glue back together right. It may need surgery. If that’s the case, we’ll need to use metal pins. Her recovery would take much longer. You see, her ankle was severely broken, to put in simple words. It’s a rather difficult recovery either way. Her sister mentioned she was a ballet dancer.”
“Yes”, Victor replied with a sick fear in his heart. He already knew what the doctor was going to say. If something happened to his fingers and he couldn’t play anymore, he’d be as good as dead. “She came from Brazil to study Ballet here.”
“I see. Well, I don’t want to scare you anymore than I have to before seeing the test results. We should just wait for them.”
“But what is the worst case scenario?”
“If she walks normally again, it’ll already be a great thing. It’s not that she won’t be able to walk. She will. But her ankle probably won’t sustain the body weight.” The doctor looked right into Victor’s eyes and saw what kind of friend this was. He hated giving this kind of news.
“And… if that’s the case, isn’t there anything else we can do?”
“I’m afraid not.”
The nurse opened the door and pushed Lumi in. The moment she saw Victor’s face her stomach fell. His hands were fisted over his thighs and his back was tensed up.
“Just tell me.” She said looking at the doctor.
He got up and examined the X-rays on the monitor. He did it so quickly that Victor wondered if he actually saw anything.
“I was just telling Mister…”
“Allen. Victor Allen.”
“Mr. Allen about the possible outcomes. It is better than what I feared.”
Lumi glanced at Victor. She had tears swimming in her eyes. He reached and grabbed her hand. Her first instinct was to pull it free, but he held tighter. Her world was crumbling down, she desperately needed to hold on to him. “Can you just tell me?”
“I feared we would have to break your bones again to have them… glue back together the right way. It still needs surgery, but we won’t have to break any bones. The problem, however, is that there seems to be a stroke on your ankle. Haven’t you felt pain in the last days?”
“I did. But I thought it was normal.”
“It’s not something to really worry about. I’ll open, have the source fixed and it’ll be fine.”
Lumi let out the air she had been holding. But something in the doctor’s expression told her that was not all of it.
“About the recovery…”
“Will I be able to dance?”
“That we’ll only be able to know after you’re healed and have had the physical therapy. There’s nothing that can tell me you won’t be able to. But… it’ll be a long recovery.”
“How long?”
“We’re looking into ten months, maybe a year.”
“What? My sister broke her leg when she was six and after half that she was walking normally.”
“Children heal a lot faster. And your ankle was smashed. The foot has a lot of little bones. It’s different than the leg. You had fractures on your foot too. I’m very sorry.”
Lumi wanted to cry. Hell, she already was crying. She wanted to get up and leave. The thing is… she couldn’t get up. She looked at Victor with pleading eyes and he got up. After he thanked the doctor, he pushed her out.
“I’m sorry.”
“Can you... take me home? I just want to go home.”
“Okay.”
