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Fixing a Broken Heart with Casts - Chapter 72

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Chapter 72

The first thing Gail did when the women from the OCW left was to mentally assess the situation. She was truly alone for the first time. No one was supervising her or would have any record of what she was doing. It was liberating and terrifying at the same time. Given the chance to do whatever she wanted, she truly tested the limits of her cast. Damaging it on purpose, taking it off, or anything like that would violate the agreement, but she could probably just say it was an accident and get away with a few hours of freedom. Even moving more than she was supposed to was probably breaking the rules, but there was no one around to see. Gail began to tense her muscles, try to bend her joints and even hit the cast against things. Nothing made the slightest difference. The cast looked identical and her feeling inside was unchanged, other than the realization setting in that this was her life. She was in a huge cast she couldn't remove and completely alone. In despair, she collapsed on the floor and began to cry. She sobbed and her body shook uncontrollably with the sobbing, but if she could have looked at herself, the outward appearance of her body was the same. Her slight movements inside the thick fiberglass shell weren't even noticeable from the outside of her cast, which still held her body the same way, no matter what she did. It was stoic, like a statue unaffected by the rain, wind and noise of a storm. No outside factor would change it from holding her upper body rigidly, from waist to chin and her arms bent at the elbows and supported by bars away from her body. She could relax her muscles, but there they remained. She could strain to reach something just barely out of her grasp, but still- unchanged. She looked in the mirror of her bathroom and tried to break free, staring at herself, willing herself to get out of the cast, but exhausted she finally gave up after lowering her goal to only being able to bend the cast to show that she had control over it.

Her muscles sore from straining and feeling defeated, she looked at herself in the mirror. Gail was disgusted in herself for being the person she was to end up this way and hated the cast. She had never hated anything so much in her life as the way she hated this cast she hated the way her life was while she was in it, hated the way she looked, the way she felt, the way other people looked at her- everything from the time she got out of bed with difficulty to the lengthy time she tried to get into a position to fall asleep. Dejected, she slowly slumped her weighed-down body to the couch and fell onto it like a doll being tossed, then repositioned herself with great difficulty until she could finally relax with less discomfort, finally falling asleep.

She awoke the following morning with pain in her abdomen, from hunger- having neglected to feed herself since being dropped off the previous day. Her bladder felt full and she rolled her legs off of the couch to stand and amble to the bathroom. Her hair was in her face and there was nothing that she could do to brush it aside. The Risser extension even prevented her from bending her neck or shaking her head to flip it out of her eyes and mouth. Only able to bend at the waist, she made a final effort by doubling over forward and quickly standing bolt upright, flipping most of her hair over her head and decided that it was the best she would be able to manage. Shimmying out of her elastic-waisted shorts, by leaning against the counter and slowly using her thighs and knees to work them down from her waist until they fell to her ankles, Gail was finally ready to relieve herself and sat in the commode with not a moment to spare. Standing was always a challenge and she sat a moment after she finished to regain her energy and composure. As she took a few deep breaths, she heard a noise at her front door. Hoping that it was a scheduled visit from that day's aide, she called out. The door opened and the home care nurse replied to announce her presence. They had been given a copy of the apartment key for visits, which was helpful for instances like this.

Gail stood naked, apart from her massive cast that covered her entire upper body from waist to chin. The aide found her in the bathroom and looked her over momentarily before greeting her in a very professional tone. This was a different woman than she had ever had care for her previously. The women introduced themselves and the aide reported that she had reviewed Gail's file and records. The cast had surprised her obviously, but all she noted to that effect was mentioning how unusual it was for a patient to be in a double shoulder spica, not to mention the Risser portion and that she was being left alone to take care of herself.

When asked how she was feeling, Gail truthfully answered that she was sore, hungry, lonely and frustrated. The woman responded with an authority that Gail had not expected, saying that she could not change the situation and would need to change her attitude instead. Rather than complain about being hungry, find a way to feed herself. Instead of just saying that she was lonely, get out and interact. Even though she was embarrassed, she had to choose which to overcome. After a brief walk through of the house, the aide installed the bidet she had been given to put in the bathroom, gave Gail a sponge bath, then pulled on her shorts for her mercifully before reiterating the motivational words she delivered previously and emphasizing that Gail would have to take care of herself because the arrangement dictated that no one else would be coming to do it for her. The only other thing that she was persuaded to do prior to departing was getting the blender out of the cupboard and placing it onto the counter where Gail could reach.

After the woman left, Gail's hunger pains returned when there was no longer something to distract her. Being gone for so long, there was no fresh food in the house and she would need to leave her apartment on her own for the first time while casted. There was no alternative because she had to eat. During her suspension and the time she would be casted, the OCW would still be depositing a portion of her salary into her bank account weekly since she had no alternative to make money for living expenses. She was so hungry that she decided that she had to eat right away and would stop at a smoothie shop, then run other errands before buying some groceries and returning home. She really did not want to be seen in this large and unrealistic, attention-grabbing cast that made everything a time-consuming challenge. Despite this, she chose to heed the words imparted upon her this morning and overcame her feelings to meet her needs. She slipped on a pair of sandals and ventured out of the house, purse in hand, with her wallet, keys and phone as well as other necessities she thought she may need like the straps to pull her shorts back on.
A story by Recaster, being reposted by me as part of an ongoing art trade.

Chapter 72

Prev:  Fixing a Broken Heart with Casts - Chapter 71
Chapter 71
Gail was scheduled to be released after one week of occupational therapy to learn how to take care of herself in the Risser double shoulder spica to the best of her ability. After six days, the staff overseeing her punishment developed a checklist of things that she should be able to do if she were to live alone. If she was able to do each thing, they would send her back to the apartment. After the initial shock of being in such a large and immobilizing cast, she became less dependent on the nurse aides, even if they offered her help when she struggled. Although she would have preferred to have them help, she knew that she had to learn to be independent if she was going to be left by herself for the duration. Life in the cast was extremely challenging. Moving any part if her body was more difficult, even if it wasn't contained by the cast. Everything she wanted or needed to do took longer and was frustrating. The cast itself was extremely thick and heavy. It felt soft agains
  Next:  Fixing a Broken Heart with Casts - Chapter 73
Chapter 73
The first stop, just as planned was a nearby smoothie shop. Gail had never been there before, but came to find that drinking her meals was the most effective method while in the Risser double shoulder spica. She kept the words of the aide in mind and swallowed her pride, taking a deep breath as she walked out if her apartment building and to the end of the block. She struggled with the door until another customer was leaving and pushed it open from the inside for her, gawking as she thanked him and passed. Approaching the counter, the very energetic woman at the register exclaimed her surprise to see someone in a cast like Gail's and asked what happened.
This woman spoke her mind and did not seem concerned about what was socially acceptable. This initially made Gail uncomfortable, but her matronly tone was calming and friendly. She had long, wavy gray hair and wore clothes with beads and fringe, giving off the vibe of an aging hippie. Gail only said that she had been in an a
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