"I can´t fucking do it!" she screamed, the frustration clearly getting to her.
He raised an eyebrow at her words but spoke in a calm composed voice, "There is no need for language like that. Just try it one more time."
It annoyed her how he was always so calm and composed. "That's easy for you to say when you're not the one stuck in a bloody wheelchair!" she scolded, resting her hands on the beams in front of her and trying to pull herself to her feet again.
He chuckled as he watched her put up a fight, "You hardly seem stuck to me." He knew she was stubborn and getting her frustrated would only feed that stubbornness and her determination to stand up.
-----
It had been six months since the accident had happened. What had started as a fun night out with her then boyfriend, Joshua, ended in weeks in the hospital and hours of therapy. The car crash had caused - what was thought permanent- nerve damage, paralyzing her legs. But to her doctor's surprise Leah had started feeling pains and tingling sensations in her feet after a few weeks.
As her body slowly recovered, Leah started regaining power. Due to intense physical therapy she was now able to stand on her legs for a few moments. Even though she still needed to support herself by holding onto the wooden beams or the back of a chair, it was a progress that made her and her family feel hopeful. Even the doctors were impressed by her improvements. Some of them even believed that if she wouldn't have had the mental set back in the beginning, Leah would have been up and running again by now.
Joshua had visited her almost daily the first week she was in hospital. But as time passed and things didn't seem to change, he panicked at the idea of a girlfriend in a wheelchair and dumped her without any warning. Like it wasn't bad enough that his reckless driving had caused her so much hurt while he only had a few bruises. He added an extra layer of emotional pain by leaving her. When she needed him the most, trying to recover, he disappeared and left her to deal with things on her own.
They had been together for almost two years and then he broke her heart. Crying was too much, her body still hurt from the impact of the crash, but she didn't feel like eating for days. The idea of getting physical therapy was only making her more depressed. What was the point if she'd never walk again?
After a week of her refusing to do any exercises Paul had walked in, a young physical therapist in his mid thirties. He was specialized in physiotherapy for children but due to budget cuts at the hospital he was now forced to treat grownups as well. Leah had been his first adult patient and initially he had been just as unhappy with the task at hand as she was. From the very first minute of therapy she had been reluctant and uncooperative. But the more she protested and refused to take his advice the more resolute he had become to help her. She was now able to stand up and walk a few steps, be it while resting her weight on the wooden beams next to her. Paul was quite satisfied with the progress they had made so far.
-----
After an hour of therapy Leah had become tired and most power was gone from her arms and legs. "There! I'm standing again. Happy now?!" she exclaimed.
A small grin was showing on Paul´s face as he nodded his head. "Yes...yes I am happy for you," he said, supporting her as she lowered herself down into her wheelchair again. She had to bite her lip to keep quiet and not respond to his words as she slumped into her seat again.
Paul kneeled down in front of her and started undoing the straps of the braces around her legs. "So, have you considered that hydrotherapy I suggested last week?" he asked without looking up at her.
