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xp_logsDarcy accompanies Laurie to physical therapy. Laurie is less than happy with the progress she's making
It had been a long few months for Laurie, not just the loss of her arm but the fact that so far she'd found no leads on repairing the damage she'd taken from not just the nanites but the electrocution from the taser when she came to Darcy's rescue.
She was trying hard not to resent the other woman, especially when she had been such a great help making the entire process of learning to exist as painless as it could be. Frankly, Laurie wasn't sure she'd been able to handle it without Darcy's solid presence. There were many times when Laurie had been ready to throw something, or possibly go down darker paths to get back what she'd lost.
"Okay, I'd like you to try closing a fist."
Laurie brought herself back to the present as the physiotherapist spoke, unable to look at the current prosthetic she'd been forced to use. It was...brutal looking, and archaic. She could barely make a fist with the claw at the end.
It was beyond frustrating, and if she'd been alone she might have shed a few tears for the unfairness of the world.
"Can we be done for today?" she asked instead, looking between Darcy and her therapist.
Darcy had had to drive her, yet another thing Laurie could no longer do for herself.
"One more fist, and we'll stop on the way home for a treat," Darcy replied after a glance at the therapist. "And I'll make you something nice for dinner, too." Laurie's therapy didn't look comfortable, and while the guilty part of Darcy just wanted to indulge her friend, the pragmatic part knew the therapy would at least be helpful during the stretch before they could get something more advanced working.
"You're doing good today. Your muscles are getting there. One more time like your therapist asked."
"Darcy, please be less encouraging," Laurie murmured with a grimace at Darcy's words. She knew her friend was trying to be helpful, but she wasn't a child and this was...less than optimal progress than she might have liked. "I am not in need of 'treats'."
"Just think of it as an immediate advance on the gold star chart and bragging rights once some of the other scientists who are less good about shit like food and taking care of themselves return from their time away. Good practice makes you better. Do it again."
“I’ve been ‘practicing’ for a month. I think if I ‘practice’ anymore I’ll go mad.” Laurie replied through slightly gritted teeth. She did as asked though, thinking of clutching something as she glared at the ‘hand’. “Will you be able to take me to the specialist next week? I know you have other things you need to be doing rather than looking after me.”
"And you'll practice for another month, and another, until you can pinch me like the world's angriest crab," Darcy replied. She gathered their things and thanked the physical therapist as they checked out and moved towards the parking garage. "I told my boss the truth wrapped in the corner of a white lie, so I'm mostly working from home right now to be available for you. So yeah, I'll be available to help you do anything. Appointments, going out, hair washing, any of the shit you can't do well with one hand yet."
Anger speared Laurie in the gut with an intensity she rarely allowed herself to feel, the fingers of her remaining hand twitching slightly before she silently straightened them out and buried the resentment and fear that had been riding her since she woke up in the Medlab.
She would not drive away the people attempting to help her. She would not allow herself to lash out no matter how deeply she wanted to hurt everyone and everything right now. Just because things were hard was no reason to be a bitch, she could be a good person. She could be a person and not a robot as Kyle was want to remind her.
“Thank you, Darcy.”
"Nothing to thank me for. A really shitty thing happened to you while you were saving me from those damn nanites, and I'm returning the favor. Plus I like to think we're friends." Darcy backed the car smoothly out of the parking spot, navigating the lot until they were on the road and heading home. "This might be a little heavy for a car ride conversation, but I would do a lot for you just for being friends. You got a significant injury to keep me alive. I can be extra arms for you in return. You are asking me for time and sometimes assistance when I would do so. much. more." Her fingers flexed on the wheel.
"As I said, heavy for the car. Would you like to get a drink? We'll pass the coffee shop and that new bubble tea place."
“I think I would very much like a drink. Maybe something a little stronger than bubble tea though. How about we stop by Harry’s? He has mozzarella sticks that are particularly artery clogging.”
Laurie had turned her head to stare at the houses flashing past outside the passenger side window. She didn't know how to be okay with talking about what had happened. It was better to change the topic.
"One something stronger to minimize any reaction with the pain killers and deliciously melty fried cheese sounds great." She directed the car towards the edges of Salem Center, and soon enough they were parked near Harry's and headed inside. "If you'll get the table in the corner I'll get our drinks and put in for our mozzarella sticks. What do you want?"
"Wine, please," Laurie replied as she sat with a happy sigh.
Harry's was normally somewhere she avoided given that Garrison hung out here regularly but given the hour he'd probably still be at work or doing something else spectacularly heroic. Coming here was almost an up yours to that truly overbearing bullshit he'd pulled with her right after she'd woken up from being injured.
Seriously, who threatened newly traumatized people because they happened to get a little negative with their friends? It wasn't like she hadn't apologized to Jean, and it wasn't like she hadn't been trying hard ever since to make the best of this situation.
Still, if she could just find a solution to the nerve damage, then she could go back to not depending on anyone but herself and frankly, that was by far the better course of action. Needing anyone was like an itch in her brain that never went away, and it was starting to drive her mad.
"Alright, wine and water for you, ginger ale and water for me, and a basket of cheesy death for both." Darcy set the drinks down gently, then plopped the basket of fried cheese between them as she slid into her seat. Grabbing one of the sauce cups and a cheese stick, she pushed the basket closer to Laurie.
Laurie smiled and grabbed her own cheese stick with her good hand, letting the dark thoughts that had been haunting her fade in the light of friendship and good food and drink.
“What would I do without you?”
It had been a long few months for Laurie, not just the loss of her arm but the fact that so far she'd found no leads on repairing the damage she'd taken from not just the nanites but the electrocution from the taser when she came to Darcy's rescue.
She was trying hard not to resent the other woman, especially when she had been such a great help making the entire process of learning to exist as painless as it could be. Frankly, Laurie wasn't sure she'd been able to handle it without Darcy's solid presence. There were many times when Laurie had been ready to throw something, or possibly go down darker paths to get back what she'd lost.
"Okay, I'd like you to try closing a fist."
Laurie brought herself back to the present as the physiotherapist spoke, unable to look at the current prosthetic she'd been forced to use. It was...brutal looking, and archaic. She could barely make a fist with the claw at the end.
It was beyond frustrating, and if she'd been alone she might have shed a few tears for the unfairness of the world.
"Can we be done for today?" she asked instead, looking between Darcy and her therapist.
Darcy had had to drive her, yet another thing Laurie could no longer do for herself.
"One more fist, and we'll stop on the way home for a treat," Darcy replied after a glance at the therapist. "And I'll make you something nice for dinner, too." Laurie's therapy didn't look comfortable, and while the guilty part of Darcy just wanted to indulge her friend, the pragmatic part knew the therapy would at least be helpful during the stretch before they could get something more advanced working.
"You're doing good today. Your muscles are getting there. One more time like your therapist asked."
"Darcy, please be less encouraging," Laurie murmured with a grimace at Darcy's words. She knew her friend was trying to be helpful, but she wasn't a child and this was...less than optimal progress than she might have liked. "I am not in need of 'treats'."
"Just think of it as an immediate advance on the gold star chart and bragging rights once some of the other scientists who are less good about shit like food and taking care of themselves return from their time away. Good practice makes you better. Do it again."
“I’ve been ‘practicing’ for a month. I think if I ‘practice’ anymore I’ll go mad.” Laurie replied through slightly gritted teeth. She did as asked though, thinking of clutching something as she glared at the ‘hand’. “Will you be able to take me to the specialist next week? I know you have other things you need to be doing rather than looking after me.”
"And you'll practice for another month, and another, until you can pinch me like the world's angriest crab," Darcy replied. She gathered their things and thanked the physical therapist as they checked out and moved towards the parking garage. "I told my boss the truth wrapped in the corner of a white lie, so I'm mostly working from home right now to be available for you. So yeah, I'll be available to help you do anything. Appointments, going out, hair washing, any of the shit you can't do well with one hand yet."
Anger speared Laurie in the gut with an intensity she rarely allowed herself to feel, the fingers of her remaining hand twitching slightly before she silently straightened them out and buried the resentment and fear that had been riding her since she woke up in the Medlab.
She would not drive away the people attempting to help her. She would not allow herself to lash out no matter how deeply she wanted to hurt everyone and everything right now. Just because things were hard was no reason to be a bitch, she could be a good person. She could be a person and not a robot as Kyle was want to remind her.
“Thank you, Darcy.”
"Nothing to thank me for. A really shitty thing happened to you while you were saving me from those damn nanites, and I'm returning the favor. Plus I like to think we're friends." Darcy backed the car smoothly out of the parking spot, navigating the lot until they were on the road and heading home. "This might be a little heavy for a car ride conversation, but I would do a lot for you just for being friends. You got a significant injury to keep me alive. I can be extra arms for you in return. You are asking me for time and sometimes assistance when I would do so. much. more." Her fingers flexed on the wheel.
"As I said, heavy for the car. Would you like to get a drink? We'll pass the coffee shop and that new bubble tea place."
“I think I would very much like a drink. Maybe something a little stronger than bubble tea though. How about we stop by Harry’s? He has mozzarella sticks that are particularly artery clogging.”
Laurie had turned her head to stare at the houses flashing past outside the passenger side window. She didn't know how to be okay with talking about what had happened. It was better to change the topic.
"One something stronger to minimize any reaction with the pain killers and deliciously melty fried cheese sounds great." She directed the car towards the edges of Salem Center, and soon enough they were parked near Harry's and headed inside. "If you'll get the table in the corner I'll get our drinks and put in for our mozzarella sticks. What do you want?"
"Wine, please," Laurie replied as she sat with a happy sigh.
Harry's was normally somewhere she avoided given that Garrison hung out here regularly but given the hour he'd probably still be at work or doing something else spectacularly heroic. Coming here was almost an up yours to that truly overbearing bullshit he'd pulled with her right after she'd woken up from being injured.
Seriously, who threatened newly traumatized people because they happened to get a little negative with their friends? It wasn't like she hadn't apologized to Jean, and it wasn't like she hadn't been trying hard ever since to make the best of this situation.
Still, if she could just find a solution to the nerve damage, then she could go back to not depending on anyone but herself and frankly, that was by far the better course of action. Needing anyone was like an itch in her brain that never went away, and it was starting to drive her mad.
"Alright, wine and water for you, ginger ale and water for me, and a basket of cheesy death for both." Darcy set the drinks down gently, then plopped the basket of fried cheese between them as she slid into her seat. Grabbing one of the sauce cups and a cheese stick, she pushed the basket closer to Laurie.
Laurie smiled and grabbed her own cheese stick with her good hand, letting the dark thoughts that had been haunting her fade in the light of friendship and good food and drink.
“What would I do without you?”
