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jeriendhal“It’s been a week.”
“Yes.”
“I’m not as tired as I was when we first arrived.”
“Yes.”
“I think I’m ready.”
“Yes.”
“Are you just going to keep saying ‘yes’, Nick?”
“No. Ow! Now I know you’re feeling better,” he said, rubbing his bicep where she’d punched it.
Judy looked up at him, foot tapping impatiently in the grass. “Are you going to let me start exercising or not?”
He spread his paws out, “You never needed my permission to get started. I’m just here to tell you when to stop.”
“Right, I knew that.” Judy flexed her arms and legs, feeling her underused muscles complain in the cool morning air. She was wearing her blue training singlet from her days at the police academy, for luck. Which was clearly magical thinking, but anything that helped her get into the right mindset was good as far as she was concerned. “Okay, I’m going to get back into shape. I can meet the goals. I can beat the goals.”
“Which are?” Nick prompted.
“Half-marathon, first part in a sandstorm simulating Sahara Square, second part in 20 degree weather simulating Tundratown,” she recited. “Complete the ten meter overhand bars. Complete the ice wall climb. Complete the vine climb. Demonstrate ability to physically subdue a large mammal suspect. Achieve passing accuracy scores with taser, knock out darts, and pistol.”
“And what else?”
“Try not to die!” they shouted together, then they both burst out laughing.
“Let me get into character,” Nick said, regaining his breath. From his back pocket he pulled out a dark blue ball cap with ZPD emblazoned across it, settling it between his ears. He drew in a breath and shouted in his best Major Friedkin imitation, “You’re dead, longears!”
“Don’t!” Judy choked back a laugh, holding her stomach with one arm as she waved a finger at him with the other. “If I start laughing I’ll never be able to do this!”
“Sorry.” Nick grinned at her. “First things first: Endurance.”
“Right,” Judy agreed. “Once around the farm, then stop for breakfast.”
“One foot in front of the other.”
“Right! I can do this!”
Fifteen minutes later…
Judy flopped face first onto the ground, ears lying flat on the grass, her whole body aching. “I can’t do this!”
Nick squatted down beside her. “It’s your first day, Carrots,” he tried to reassure her. “Give yourself a break.”
“I didn’t even make a half-mile.”
“Yeah, and four weeks ago you couldn’t even get out of bed. Imagine where you’ll be four weeks from now.”
She turned her head to look up at him, lifting an ear out of the way so she could see him. “You’re being patronizing,” she accused.
Nick nodded. “Yep, I learned from the best. I’m a real patronizing fella.”
“Articulate patronizing fella,” Judy corrected. She rolled over onto her back and let out a sigh. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate it. It’s just that I’m too tired to bite your ears off.”
“Ah, the savage saber toothed bunny, reverting to her primitive instincts.” He pulled a water bottle out of his pocket. “Drink up, Og, you need the fluids.”
“Oog, yar!” she muttered, taking the bottle and sipping the nearly ice cool water. “You’re going to make me walk back to the house, aren’t you?”
“Unless you want me to haul you in a wheelbarrow, that’s your only option,” Nick told her.
“No thanks.” She took Nick’s pre-offered hand and pulled herself up to a sitting position.
“Where’s it hurt exactly?” he asked.
Judy grimaced. “My stomach and shoulder mostly, also my hips. Why my hips I don’t know. They’re one of the few places I didn’t get injured.”
“Because you haven’t been using them much recently,” he told her. “Haven’t you been reading all the aftercare printouts Doctor Weissmouser gave you?”
“Yes, mostly,” she admitted. “I just… I had trouble with the physical stuff at the academy too, but it was because I had to figure my own way of overcoming the obstacles, not because my body was betraying me.”
“Denial’s not just a river in Mississippi,” Nick advised, and she gave him a weak smile for the equally weak joke. “Being able to move faster and jump higher than most everyone was your main physical strength. Now you’ve got to start with baby bunny hops all over again, and it’s driving you nuts.”
“Yes,” Judy agreed through clenched teeth. “If I can’t…” She didn’t finish the sentence. ...I don’t know what I’ll do.
“You can, you will. Heck, you did just now. Yeah, you only walked a quarter-mile, but that’s a quarter-mile more that you could have done two weeks ago, and tomorrow you’ll go even further.”
“This afternoon,” Judy countered. She got her feet under herself and stood up, holding onto Nick’s shoulder to steady herself. Hips, ow, hips, ow!
“Tomorrow,” Nick repeated. He smiled and shrugged amiably, “Or this afternoon, if you take it easy the rest of the morning.”
“Deal,” she agreed, then smiled determinedly, “After I walk back to the house.”
“Deal,” he agreed, and shook her paw.
Every step of the walk back hurt, but she walked it without pause, Nick watching her all the way.
“Yes.”
“I’m not as tired as I was when we first arrived.”
“Yes.”
“I think I’m ready.”
“Yes.”
“Are you just going to keep saying ‘yes’, Nick?”
“No. Ow! Now I know you’re feeling better,” he said, rubbing his bicep where she’d punched it.
Judy looked up at him, foot tapping impatiently in the grass. “Are you going to let me start exercising or not?”
He spread his paws out, “You never needed my permission to get started. I’m just here to tell you when to stop.”
“Right, I knew that.” Judy flexed her arms and legs, feeling her underused muscles complain in the cool morning air. She was wearing her blue training singlet from her days at the police academy, for luck. Which was clearly magical thinking, but anything that helped her get into the right mindset was good as far as she was concerned. “Okay, I’m going to get back into shape. I can meet the goals. I can beat the goals.”
“Which are?” Nick prompted.
“Half-marathon, first part in a sandstorm simulating Sahara Square, second part in 20 degree weather simulating Tundratown,” she recited. “Complete the ten meter overhand bars. Complete the ice wall climb. Complete the vine climb. Demonstrate ability to physically subdue a large mammal suspect. Achieve passing accuracy scores with taser, knock out darts, and pistol.”
“And what else?”
“Try not to die!” they shouted together, then they both burst out laughing.
“Let me get into character,” Nick said, regaining his breath. From his back pocket he pulled out a dark blue ball cap with ZPD emblazoned across it, settling it between his ears. He drew in a breath and shouted in his best Major Friedkin imitation, “You’re dead, longears!”
“Don’t!” Judy choked back a laugh, holding her stomach with one arm as she waved a finger at him with the other. “If I start laughing I’ll never be able to do this!”
“Sorry.” Nick grinned at her. “First things first: Endurance.”
“Right,” Judy agreed. “Once around the farm, then stop for breakfast.”
“One foot in front of the other.”
“Right! I can do this!”
Fifteen minutes later…
Judy flopped face first onto the ground, ears lying flat on the grass, her whole body aching. “I can’t do this!”
Nick squatted down beside her. “It’s your first day, Carrots,” he tried to reassure her. “Give yourself a break.”
“I didn’t even make a half-mile.”
“Yeah, and four weeks ago you couldn’t even get out of bed. Imagine where you’ll be four weeks from now.”
She turned her head to look up at him, lifting an ear out of the way so she could see him. “You’re being patronizing,” she accused.
Nick nodded. “Yep, I learned from the best. I’m a real patronizing fella.”
“Articulate patronizing fella,” Judy corrected. She rolled over onto her back and let out a sigh. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate it. It’s just that I’m too tired to bite your ears off.”
“Ah, the savage saber toothed bunny, reverting to her primitive instincts.” He pulled a water bottle out of his pocket. “Drink up, Og, you need the fluids.”
“Oog, yar!” she muttered, taking the bottle and sipping the nearly ice cool water. “You’re going to make me walk back to the house, aren’t you?”
“Unless you want me to haul you in a wheelbarrow, that’s your only option,” Nick told her.
“No thanks.” She took Nick’s pre-offered hand and pulled herself up to a sitting position.
“Where’s it hurt exactly?” he asked.
Judy grimaced. “My stomach and shoulder mostly, also my hips. Why my hips I don’t know. They’re one of the few places I didn’t get injured.”
“Because you haven’t been using them much recently,” he told her. “Haven’t you been reading all the aftercare printouts Doctor Weissmouser gave you?”
“Yes, mostly,” she admitted. “I just… I had trouble with the physical stuff at the academy too, but it was because I had to figure my own way of overcoming the obstacles, not because my body was betraying me.”
“Denial’s not just a river in Mississippi,” Nick advised, and she gave him a weak smile for the equally weak joke. “Being able to move faster and jump higher than most everyone was your main physical strength. Now you’ve got to start with baby bunny hops all over again, and it’s driving you nuts.”
“Yes,” Judy agreed through clenched teeth. “If I can’t…” She didn’t finish the sentence. ...I don’t know what I’ll do.
“You can, you will. Heck, you did just now. Yeah, you only walked a quarter-mile, but that’s a quarter-mile more that you could have done two weeks ago, and tomorrow you’ll go even further.”
“This afternoon,” Judy countered. She got her feet under herself and stood up, holding onto Nick’s shoulder to steady herself. Hips, ow, hips, ow!
“Tomorrow,” Nick repeated. He smiled and shrugged amiably, “Or this afternoon, if you take it easy the rest of the morning.”
“Deal,” she agreed, then smiled determinedly, “After I walk back to the house.”
“Deal,” he agreed, and shook her paw.
Every step of the walk back hurt, but she walked it without pause, Nick watching her all the way.
