Page 16 of Trussed In Hope
I didn't need that.
HARDISON
Iwoke up to Emberlynn moving around in the kitchen. I didn’t have my phone to figure out the time, so I hit the home screen on the TV. It was almost 9 a.m.
I jumped up because the therapist team would be here soon, and I didn’t want them waiting for me.
“Rise and shine,” Emberlynn said as I rushed by her.
“Morning. I need to get ready really quickly, and then I’ll be back.” I didn’t want to be rude, but I couldn't miss this appointment when the director was nice enough to get me back on the list for visits. I’d been up all night tossing back and forth my feelings about what I’d heard last night from Emberlynn’s conversation. Exhaustion finally won out around 5:30 a.m.
I got showered, dressed, and was lacing my shoes when there was a knock on the door. Emberlynn must’ve gotten it because I heard voices moments later. I brushed my hair quickly and then exited the room to hear them discussing the exercises I’d been doing.
“Hey, that was quick.” Emberlynn smiled.
“Military mornings. Sometimes you only had a moment or two before you were on to something else. Had to make sure that you were ready for anything.” I moved further into the living room, where I sat down opposite the therapist. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“It wasn’t long. I’m Amanda, your new PT. How are you feeling today physically?” She asked.
“Good, now that I’m stretching every day. The aches that have built up seem to disappear by the day as long as I keep working my leg.”
“Want to tell me what happened?” Amanda asked.
I looked at Emberlynn, and she nodded before getting up and going back into the kitchen.
I told the story, and when I was done, Amanda flipped through my chart that she had.
“I have a few exercises I want to try so we can see what your range is. Where do you normally do them?”
I motioned to the space on the floor.
“That’s perfect.”
I grabbed the blanket I used, and she placed her mat on top, giving me more stability. We stretched and worked out my muscles for almost two hours before I rested. She pushed me in ways that both aggravated me–because it highlighted my limitations–and challenged me–giving me a sense of something to work toward. Just as we were finished up, the head doc–Dr. Hertz–knocked on the door. Emberlynn let her in and showed her where I was. Then let Amanda out, chit-chatting with her the entire time. She brought me back a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast. Then she handed me a cup of coffee, just the way I preferred.
Grateful, I took everything from her and began eating while the therapist got settled. She insisted that I finish my food tofocus fully on our session. I quickly got it down and then jumped right into her agenda. Initially, we discussed my day-to-day life, and then she asked me one question to which I thought I knew the answer.
“Why are you in therapy?”
My answer wasn’t sufficient. “Because I have PTSD.” What other reason would I?
“Try again.”
“Because I want it to go away.” I shrugged.
“No, try again.” She spoke calmly, reminding me of the natural wisdom one develops as one ages.
Her salt and pepper hair didn’t tell me her age, just that she’d probably earned every strand she had. Her eyes twinkled with an all-knowing look that made me wonder why she was asking the question. What intel did she already have?
I sighed, feeling like all my answers were going to be wrong. “So I can stop having these damn nightmares.”
“Sounds like you want to control your episodes. Tell me about the dreams,” she insisted as Emberlynn walked out of her room wearing walking gear. She was moving her head to the sound of something only she could hear with headphones.
“Last night, it was the same one I keep having. Reliving the accident on repeat. It all seems so real, like I’m back there. The explosive pain in my leg, the burning fire on my face from the gash, and the weakness I felt as it all unleashed. My brothers tell me I was lucky I fell on my face. It saved my life. If it had been the back of my head, I would’ve died. And if I had remained standing, that shot would have hit me in my chest.”
“Did anyone else get injured?”
“Yes. Men died too. I was lucky, I guess—the only one who made it out of that ambush. The rescue team saved me. Without them, I’d be a dead man. Then there was–”
