The Tower — Ch 11

(Access all available chapters in the publication The Tower Book)

Sweat poured down Sheryl’s face. Her arms burned, and her legs felt raw from being dragged, despite the pants she wore.

Sheryl reached up, grabbed another knot on the rope and pulled, easing herself a few more inches up the ramp. After what felt like an eternity she reached the platform and pulled herself onto it. She rested, breathing heavily before using the rope to pull herself over to a button. She dropped her hand onto it, and a buzzer sounded.

“Forty-five minutes,” a trainer declared. “Better than I expected, all things considered.”

“What do you mean?” Sheryl panted.

“Your arms are stronger than your legs for sure, but they’re far from fully recovered. How often did you use them to drag around your full body weight before? I expected you to make it no farther than halfway,” the trainer replied.

Sheryl stared up at the ceiling. “I didn’t know quitting halfway was an option. It won’t be for my run.”

The trainer chuckled. “An interesting way to look at it. Either way, you’re done for the day. I’ll let your physical therapy team know how you did. They’ll probably focus on gentle exercises considering the strain you put yourself under.”

Sheryl nodded and closed her eyes, the cool of the platform refreshing against her sweat drenched back.

The trainer made a few notes, then helped her back into her wheelchair. “Should I call somebody?” he asked. “You probably don’t want to strain your arms any further.”

Sheryl considered refusing, then nodded. She still had physical therapy ahead of her and already wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed.

At least the therapy pool would feel good.

The trainer paused for a minute as he put in the request, then turned to Sheryl again. “I agree that disability training would benefit you more now than later, but you’re still too early in your recovery for it to be regular. I’m going to schedule your next session for two weeks from now. I’d prefer a bit more muscle mass on your legs to assist since you’ll be making an able-bodied run.”

Sheryl bit her lip. “But what if I’m injured?”

He shook his head. “Injured doesn’t mean gone. You’re not going to lose your legs. Even if you’re moving with semi-repaired bones you’ll probably have the help of the other leg. I think we can really start this training once you’re able to make it from one end of the parallel bars to the other without assistance.”

Sheryl grimaced. “Ok.”

The trainer sighed. “I can schedule more, but I don’t want to overexert you so much that it impacts your recovery. I’ll see you again in two weeks, then we can reevaluate.”

“Ok.”

A few minutes later an orderly wheeled her a few buildings down into the physical therapy and diagnostic center. Sheryl changed, but was surprised to see Monica in the pool, sensors attached to her as she moved.

“Monica?”

Monica startled, then smiled shyly. “Hi Sheryl.”

“Is this part of your evaluation?”

Monica nodded. “They need a lot of physical data before surgery. They had me on a treadmill earlier.”

“Seems like a lot.”

Monica shook her head. “Not for what I need.”

Sheryl hesitated, and bit her lip. “I… I don’t want to pry, so please feel free to refuse if this is too personal, but you’re not here for cosmetic surgery, are you?”

Monica climbed out of the pool and sat on the side as an orderly helped Sheryl in.

“No. They’ll be doing some cosmetic work at the same time, but I can’t even start the rigorous training without surgery. It could kill me.”

Sheryl’s eyes widened.

Monica dangled a foot into the water, swinging it lazily. “I was born with a serious heart defect. They were able to do enough repairs to keep me alive, but it was always known that I’d need another procedure once I’d reached adulthood. At the time minors with major disease were exempt from the lifetime caps on insurance, and my parents were planning to get my final procedure done just before I turned eighteen. They wanted me to have my full lifetime limit as an adult.”

“Then the new insurance laws eight years ago…”

Monica nodded. “I was part of that strange group that they decided had been promised too long, but not long enough to be exempt from the changes: over ten, but under fourteen. Instead of having my full lifetime cap available, the surgeries that saved my life as an infant took half my limit.”

She sighed. “Even if I’d had the full cap, there would have been barely any left for emergencies. With half the cap gone my life was always going to be at risk. I couldn’t do anything… not even the hormone therapy or cosmetic procedures that would have made other things in my life easier.”

“Oh sweetie…”

Monica shook her head. “I’d… I’d sort of gotten used to the idea that I’d have to make do. Don’t overexert myself, don’t strain my heart. Makeup and clothing to express my true self. I… I think that’s why I accepted this without deliberation. They promised to fix my heart, and to give me the other therapies I’d thought I’d never have. I could have everything I’d wanted… I just have to live. Even if I die, I’ll die as me. Me, with the full potential of what I could be, for the first time in my life.”

“I’d hug you if I could stand right now.”

Monica smiled and hopped back into the pool for her hug.

“You know you’re always you, right?”

Monica nodded into Sheryl’s shoulder. “I know, but this is the way I’ve wanted to present myself for years: with a heart that works properly. I’ll be able to do things I’ve never done before. The other surgeries and therapies are almost like icing in comparison.”

The therapist came in and started guiding Sheryl through her exercises. Monica moved back to the edge of the pool after confirming that it was ok to stay.

“It was weird growing up,” Monica said. “All the kids around me would always argue about who would be selected for a tower run among them. The kids who played sports touted their strength or stamina, while the smart kids would try to reason that the puzzles were the more challenging parts. A few times they tried to ask me, but the concept felt foreign. I’d never be selected. I’m ok with puzzles, but the physical exertion and stamina… I’d never have that. That’s what I thought anyway.”

“Do any of them know you’re here?”

Monica laughed. “No. A few family members is all I told. I don’t even have a proper support team yet. My mom will be here for me, that I know. But my father has already said that he wants to be in church that day so that he can pray for me. He’s a devout man, so if that’s how he wants to support me then that’s how he will.

“I’ve got time to think about it though. The doctors don’t think I can start serious training until three months or so after surgery, when my heart will be healed enough to take the strain. Then they figure at least another three months, maybe longer, of training for the run itself. At minimum they expect me here for seven or eight months.”

Sheryl nodded. “We’re on similar timelines. I’ve been told I’ll be in medical care housing until I can get in and out of the wheelchair on my own, and can walk unassisted for ten minutes. They think a month or two just for that. They think after three months I should be able to walk short distances on my own and will no longer need the wheelchair. But…”

The therapist spoke up. “It’ll probably be six months before you can start the intense training. And you’ll be in it longer since your baseline will be lower.”

Sheryl nodded. “I’ve been told I’ll be near the end of the season.”

“What about Vivienne?” Monica asked. “She’s extremely fit and ran simulations regularly.”

“She’s teaching a class while a regular staff member is on maternity leave. They bumped her from early season to late. Otherwise she’d have been on a three month training track.”

Monica smiled. “So we’ll all be here together for a while?”

Sheryl nodded.

“Come on, you got it, you got it, you got it…” Sheryl urged as she and Monica watched Vivienne make a four-story simulation run.

Vivienne grabbed a ledge and hoisted herself up and over a divider. She rolled her landing, looked for dangers and slammed her hand down on the buzzer.

The doors opened, and Vivienne strolled out to meet them. Monica handed her a towel, which she used to wipe the sweat from her face.

“That was a good workout!” Vivienne grinned.

“You’re not feeling it at all, are you?” Sheryl teased.

Vivienne shook her head. “Not at four stories.”

Monica shook her head and looked at the clock on the wall. “One hour, ten minutes.”

Vivienne made a face. “Damn, I need to shave off another five at least.”

“Seems like good time to me,” Monica replied. “You had ten minutes left on green.”

Vivienne shook her head. “Remember, there’s more to a real run than just the puzzles and obstacles. You’re going to be looking for money and prizes too. Granted, a lot of that happens at the same time, but don’t ever discount those few extra minutes. I’d personally like to be at fifteen minutes per floor on escape, and five on prizes.”

“Really?”

Vivienne nodded. “If you plan in your prize time, and train with it in mind, then if you get behind you can ditch the prize hunt in favor of living. If you tell yourself you have twenty minutes per floor during training, then you run the risk of forgetting the prize time it when it matters.”

Monica took a deep breath and released it slowly.

“You ok?” Sheryl asked.

Monica nodded. “Just reminding myself that I can do this.”

Sheryl smiled. “Yes, you can.”

Vivienne tossed an arm over each of their shoulders. “We all can. Now, how shall we spend the rest of our afternoon? I heard about a great little cafe down in the town.”

Both Sheryl and Monica nodded.

“I think getting away from the core for a bit sounds perfect,” Sheryl replied.

“Great!” Vivienne declared. “I’ll call for a cart.”