Omorphi (46 page)

“For you?”

“Coming off the line is crucial for me, not only to propel myself forward but to set up for the first hurdle. If I don’t come off the line in balance, I won’t be in balance for the first jump, and I’ll play catch-up during the entire race. Not to mention, it can hurt like hell if you don’t clear a hurdle, and you can break your neck if you fall wrong.”

Christy’s brows arched.

“It’s been known to happen.”

“Why do you run the hurdles?”

Michael smiled. Strangely, no one had ever asked him that question. “Makes me feel like I’m flying, not just running.”

Christy gave him a quizzical look, and Michael laughed softly. “Let’s look at your paperwork.” Christy pulled it from his backpack and handed it to him, and he skimmed it. There was only one page that Christy needed to read. It was a list of natural reflexes. “Here.” He handed the page to Christy. “Let’s read these and make sure you understand them.”

Christy read the page and looked up at Michael. “I understand but have one problem.”

“What’s that?”

“Running away.”

“What’s the problem?”

“It says running away is the safest thing.”

“It is. It’s always better to run to safety than it is to fight.”

“I can’t do it.”

“That’s because of your bad memories.”

“No, I cannot run.”

“What do you mean, you can’t run? You ran from me that day you got upset.”

Christy shook his head. “Because of the feet, I fall.”

Michael remembered Christy tripping and falling when he crossed the field. If he fell like that on concrete, it would be all bad. “Is it because of the damage to your feet?”

Christy nodded. “Some parts of the feet don’t have feeling.”

“Huh. Let’s go talk to Coach.”

Christy gave him a fearful look.

“Don’t be afraid. Coach is great, and I’ll be right there with you.”

Michael took Christy’s trembling hand in his, and they descended the bleachers. Michael guided Christy to a bench on the field and called to Coach O’Malley, who handed the gun and stopwatch to Jake and walked over to where Michael sat with Christy. “What’s up?”

“Christy’s feet are, ah, well they’re damaged, and he can’t run real well. I’m taking him to a self-defense class in about an hour, and I want to make sure he can handle it. Would you mind checking out his feet?”

Coach’s eyes narrowed on Michael. “How damaged?”

Michael looked down at Christy. “Can I tell him?”

Christy nodded.

“The soles of his feet were burned.”

If Coach felt any emotion over the gruesome statement, he didn’t show it. He squatted in front of Christy. “Take your shoes and socks off for me.”

Christy looked up at Michael.

“He’s going to look at your feet.”

“Touch?”

“Yeah, he’ll need to touch them.”

Christy reluctantly took his shoes and socks off. When Coach O’Malley cupped a heel and raised a foot, Christy nearly shot off the bench.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Michael put an arm around him.

“Did that hurt, Christy?”

“No, Coach. He doesn’t like to be touched, that’s all. Go ahead.”

Coach raised the foot again and studied it, a deep frown contorting his brow. Christy stiffened when Coach reached for the other foot but didn’t jump this time.

Coach withdrew a pen from his shirt pocket and held it up. “I’m going to run my pen down the center of each foot to test your reflexes.” Coach did, and each foot flexed. “Your reflexes are fine. Why don’t you think you can run?”

“Parts of his feet are numb, so he trips and falls,” Michael explained.

“I’m going to touch my pen to the bottoms of your feet again. Say yes when you feel it, no when you don’t.”

Christy answered with each touch.

“Is it your right foot that causes you to trip?”

Christy shrugged.

“Put your shoes and socks back on.” Coach called over his shoulder to Jake, and he trotted over. “Yeah, Coach?”

“I want you and Michael to hold Christy’s hands and walk him a hundred feet. Start with a normal pace and increase it until you reach a slow jog. Be prepared for his right foot to give way. Make sure to keep him from falling.”

“Sure, Coach. That okay with you, Christy?”

Christy nodded.

Michael led them to the center track lane, and Coach sounded his whistle and motioned for everyone to clear the near portion of the track. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Michael looked to Jake. “Thirds?”

Jake nodded.

“Ready, Christy?”

Christy nodded.

They walked and sped their pace and reached a fast walk at the one-third mark, sped again, and were at a slow jog by the second-third mark. The third step into the jog, Christy’s right foot gave way, and he stumbled. Michael and Jake lifted him, swinging him into the air as two adults would a small child, and a giggle filled the air.

“Like that, did you?” Michael asked as he and Jake set Christy on his feet.

Christy nodded.

Coach blew a short whistle. “Back to me.”

“Here we go.” They repeated the same short trek back to Coach O’Malley and, again, a few steps into the jog, Christy’s right foot gave way.

Coach approached Christy and knelt in front of him. “When we run, Christy, our foot lands on the outward side of the heel, then the foot flattens, and the ankle flexes inward to take our weight, then flexes outward to naturally rotate the foot from what should be the center of our foot as we shift our weight to the other foot, like this.” He rotated Christy’s foot. “Because you have nerve damage, your foot is rotating out too far like this, and it’s giving way. You overcompensate when you try to recover, and your toe drags and you trip. I want you to try a couple of things. Try not to let your foot rotate so far outward. This will keep your weight in the center of your foot like this.” He rotated Christy’s foot again. “Also, remember to rotate your hips with your steps. Michael can show you how to do that. The third thing I want you to do is to practice running in a pool and on sand. In the shallow end of a pool, where the water is at waist height, run to the other side of the pool and back again. In the sand, I want you to try to stay on the balls of your feet when you run. This will help build strength in your feet, ankles, and legs. Michael, rotate his hips while he takes five or six paces.”

Michael bent and put his hands on Christy’s hips. “Take two steps.” Michael rotated Christy’s hips through the two steps. “Now take five steps.” Again, Michael rotated Christy’s hips through the steps. “Get it?”

Christy looked up at him and nodded, the afternoon sunlight shining bright in his beautiful eyes.

“Okay, try a hundred feet again,” Coach O’Malley instructed.

“Ready? Remember not to let your foot rotate out so far, and use your hips.”

They repeated the exercise, and this time Christy didn’t trip.

“Back to me, and this time work it into a slow run,” Coach called to them.

They repeated the exercise, and Christy managed a slow run without a hitch. They made it back to Coach just as both of Christy’s legs gave way. A quiet giggle floated on the air as Jake and Michael swung Christy and brought him safely to his feet.

“You did that on purpose.”

Christy nodded, shameless.

“Build strength in your legs, ankles, and feet, and keep your right foot from rotating so far outward, and you should be fine, Christy,” Coach instructed.

Christy mouthed, “Thank you.”

Coach gave Christy a lazy salute and blew his whistle, signaling everyone back to practice.

“W
E
’
LL
add ‘swinger’ to your word list,” Michael said as he drove to the R.A.D. class.

Christy grinned and nodded as he played with the guidance system. When the computerized female voice asked him to speak a command, Christy nearly jettisoned from his seat.

Michael laughed. “What did you touch?”

Christy shrugged and touched the “back” icon. He relaxed in his seat when the screen returned to the road map, and Aly & AJ’s “Speak For Myself” filled the car’s sound system.

“That’ll teach you to play with things that talk back.”

Christy laughed his silent laughter.

“Pretty cool to know that you can run, isn’t it?”

Christy nodded and whispered, “First time.”

Michael stopped for a light and leaned over to peck Christy’s lips. “You did great today.”

Christy’s eyes filled with a combination of what Michael could only call shy confidence and adoration. The car behind them honked, and Michael stepped on the gas. The car flew forward and shot across the intersection. Michael quickly hit the brakes and slowed, thanking his lucky stars that another car hadn’t been in front of them. Suddenly, an SUV loomed large in his rearview mirror. Michael recognized the gold emblem in the windshield and was relieved to know it was one of their security vehicles. Funny, he hadn’t seen security all day.

Michael pulled into the parking lot at the college and parked near the gym door. “Here we are.” Fear filled Christy’s eyes. “I’m going to be right there with you. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”

He went around the car to open Christy’s door. When Christy made no effort to leave the car, Michael leaned in and kissed him. “Hey.”

Christy fidgeted, unnecessarily straightening his scarf. Michael turned Christy to face him with gentle fingers. “You can do this.”

“If I cannot?”

“Then we go home.”

“You will not say I must do it?”

“I told you when we met that I would never make you do anything you didn’t want to do. Remember?”

Christy nodded.

“Okay. You ready?”

“What was that back at the intersection?” Tad asked as he approached.

“I hit the accelerator too hard. Sorry.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, Christy’s just a little scared.”

Tad put a hand on the doorjamb of the car and leaned in. “Are you all right, Christy?”

Christy leaned away and nodded.

Michael gently moved Tad back. “Come on. I’ll give you a piggyback ride.”

“A what?”

“Here.” Michael reached in and undid Christy’s seatbelt. He turned and sat on the running board. “Put your arms around my neck and your legs around my waist.” When Christy’s arms wreathed his neck, Michael helped Christy put his legs around his waist. “Hold on tight.” Michael clasped his hands beneath Christy’s buttocks. He stood slowly and hiked Christy once. “Okay, you comfortable?”

Christy whispered, “Yes.”

“Have your phone?”

“In pocket,” Christy whispered.

Michael turned and shut the car door. “Do you have your paperwork?”

“No.”

“Where is it?”

“Seat.”

“Tad, will you grab the paperwork off the seat and lock the car?”

“Sure. See you inside.”

“Here we go.” Michael loped down the winding walk and entered the gym with Christy laughing softly in his ear.

A grin spread across Roderick’s face when he saw them. “That’s a unique entrance if I ever saw one.”

Michael squatted and set Christy on his feet. “He didn’t know what a piggyback ride was, so I gave him a visual aid.”

“I see. How are you, Christy?”

Christy nodded an okay and coughed.

“No more laughing for you, babe,” Michael admonished.

Tad brought the paperwork in and handed it to Christy, who promptly turned and handed it to Roderick. He looked through it. Satisfied, he took it over to a desk and opened a box.

“Where are all the other students?” Michael asked.

“I thought I would work with Christy without the others at first to acclimate him to physical contact and some of the defense techniques that require one-on-one assistance.” He withdrew a neck brace from the box. “Dr. Sattler sent this over for you, Christy. While I don’t believe we’ll need it today, it may be good for you to get used to wearing it.”

“Wore one for three months,” Christy whispered.

“In that case, you’re familiar with it. Normally, I would have you dress in gym clothes. However, today we’re only going to work on one thing. Michael, please help Christy put the brace on.”

Christy bent over and gathered his long hair, tying it in a knot at the top of his head. He righted, took the brace from Michael, expertly undid the Velcro straps, placed it around his neck, and turned for Michael to reattach the Velcro.

“Too tight,” Christy whispered.

Michael loosened the straps. “Better?”

Christy turned his head right, left, then tucked his chin. He nodded an okay and released his hair from the knot. It fell in a soft golden waterfall against Michael’s hands.

“Did you read the paperwork?” Roderick asked.

Christy nodded.

“Okay. The first thing we’re going to work on is your flight response. Michael, please sit in one of those chairs against the wall while I work with Christy.”

Christy shook his head ever so slightly at Michael.

“I’ll hang close, if you don’t mind.” He turned to Christy. “Do you think you should tell him about your feet?”

“What about his feet?”

Michael looked to Christy. “Can I tell him?”

Christy nodded.

“They… someone burned the soles of his feet, and he has some nerve damage.”

Roderick studied Michael for a long moment before turning to Christy. “I’m sorry to hear that, Christy. You’ll have to show me tomorrow. Today, let’s work on your flight response. Come here.”

Christy moved to stand in front of Roderick.

“Rob tells me that you don’t like to be touched. I’m going to have to touch you to teach you. The first thing I’m going to do is deliberately startle you. Each time I startle you, I want you to run to that red line over there. If it becomes too much for you, let me know, and we’ll stop.”

Fear filled Christy’s face.

“Right here. Not going anywhere,” Michael reassured.

“Okay, Christy, here we go.” Roderick turned Christy with a fair amount of force, put his hands on Christy’s shoulders, and shouted, “Run!”

Christy froze, his eyes emptying of all emotion.

“R
UN
!”
Roderick shouted again.