WODELL

“Are you ready?” True asked Bronagh.

She did not look as such, entirely, but she nodded.

He turned and looked to Bram and Florian, Wallace and Luther.

“And you?”

They nodded as well.

He turned to his wife at his side

“Here goes,” he whispered.

Her eyes shining bright with hope and happiness, she leaned into him, coming up on her toes, and touched her mouth to his.

“You are perfect,” she whispered back when she pulled away.

“I’m afraid you are wrong, my sweet, for you are.”

“For the gods sakes,” Florian complained. “You both can be perfect. And what’s more annoying than you being ridiculously in love, is that as far as I can tell, you both actually are. Now, can we do this?”

True chuckled as he gave his queen’s waist a squeeze, caught her smile before she aimed it at Florian, and then he turned and walked down the hall to Alfie’s door.

He knocked, and when his friend called out, he entered.

These past days, Alfie was sitting far more up in the bed than he’d been in the beginning.

Then again, although Bronagh had taught the other nurses how to exercise his captain’s legs, for she did this no longer (and now Alfie was complaining about the fact she barely came into his room, stating she was shirking her duties, instead of the other way around), she had also set up what was right then in the corner.

A folding screen beyond which was a commode with handles at the sides.

She, nor the nurses, said a word.

It was Alfie who dragged himself from the bed to beyond that screen and back.

And now it had been reported he was dragging himself out of bed for other purposes, to heft himself about the room just to do so or in order perform his own exercises to strengthen his chest, shoulders and arms.

This was all very hopeful.

And as it was, the ones who loved him felt that hope.

True just worried they might not be right in these feelings and that their hope would be dashed.

“What are those?” Alfie asked.

“Greetings to you too, my friend,” True teased, leaning the sticks he was carrying against the side his bed.

They were not like any either man had ever seen, for Cora and Maddie had asked after Alfie, and then shared in their world medicine was more advanced. Therefore, when they’d explained a variety of things to True and Farah, and then directly to Bronagh, the nurse had ordered some adjustments.

“Sorry, True, I’m in a foul mood,” Alfie muttered.

“Would this foul mood have anything to do with a pretty nurse no longer exercising your legs?”

Alfie shot him a killing look.

True grinned at him.

He then answered belatedly, “Your sticks.”

He watched his friend’s brow knit in confusion as he stared down at the sticks.

He understood the confusion because the others they had seen did not have the forearm guards curving about the top, and at the bottom, instead of coming to a point, they came out to three with resin pads on them for better sticking to whatever they touched. All of which, as Bronagh explained delightedly, would make them more stable.