A/N: I am so sorry for not finishing this sooner - especially because it's the final chapter, but hey it's finally up. Good news, I'm out of school now so you can expect a lot more out of me within the next three months. I have a couple one shots up my sleeve, and maybe even a full story or two that I plan to start - so stay tuned. Until then, happy reading. :)
With her left hand molded over the back of my shoulder, Tina paced herself beside me up the trail we came down seven days ago. The rest of my able-bodied family marched a good fifteen feet ahead of us, but that was expected. It took a very patient and understanding person to walk with a kid in a wheelchair, soft footing aside. I definitely questioned my parent's judgment when they first brought me here, I thought that it was going to be another failed family outing, but it took Tina to make me realize that just because there wasn't a wheelchair friendly sticker marking a territory – didn't mean I couldn't concur it.
"What'cha thinking about?" She asked retracting her hand to meet the other one in front of her thighs.
I snapped out of meditation and adjusted my glasses that were slipping down my nose, "Just how fun this has been," I said.
"I agree." She smiled, looking down at me. "Lets do it again."
"Good luck with that." I said shaking my head on a push forward.
"Fine," She said after a pause. "Bonfire in my back yard and a makeshift tent?"
"Sure beats climbing your stairs." I smirked. She smiled and rolled her eyes before returning the back of her forearm to back of my neck. Sadly enough, I wasn't kidding about the whole stair deal. I've been up to my girlfriend's bedroom once throughout our time together – and that includes the period where we were just really close friends.
Mid sentence, Tina got her foot caught in a displaced root. Stumbling, she tried to catch her balance, and in a blink of an eye she plummeted with a thump against the forest floor. I let out a small worried gasp and turned ninety degrees towards her. With her yellow beanie covered head was face first into the dirt, and her hands were flat against the ground as if she was doing push ups.
"A-are you okay?" I asked bending at the waist. She picked up her head and spit out an emerald green maple leaf and a few wood chips.
"Splendid." She dryly said.
"Are you sure? Should I get help?" I panicked.
"Artie, I only tripped." She laughed picking up her torso. "Now help me up."
"Right." I nodded backing myself up to her. After brushing debris off the front of her shirt, she pulled herself up to a standing position using my armrest to aid her. She winced once she got both feet on the ground and favored her left ankle.
"Tina," I started looking up at her over the rims of my glasses.
"It's fine." She cut off, taking a step forward. "Ow, ow – okay"
"Come here." I said rolling my eyes as I wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her onto my lap. "Get comfortable."
"Artie, no." She sweetly said bracing herself on the armrests.
"Nuh-uh, you're hurt." I said wrapping my arms around the top of her pelvic bone to prevent escape.
After she insisted that her injury was nonexistent, and could indeed walk, I let her go. As predicted, she let out a squeak of pain and immediately settled back down in my lap. With a satisfied smile I started forward once again, this time a tad slower, but equally steady. She kissed the side of my face out of appreciation and for security; linked her fingers behind my neck and leaned into my chest. Just by the way she looked up at me, I could tell exactly what she was thinking: "How did I get so lucky?"
"Tina what happened?" Mom asked closing the trunk of our car as Tina and I emerged out of the forest.
"She got acquainted with the forest floor." I smirked.
"Oh ha-ha." She dryly chuckled.
"Mark, get her some ice from the cooler." Mom said to my father.
Because the wheelchair accessible opening to the van wasn't wide enough to carry Tina though without banging her up even more, she held onto the doorway and hopped up the ramp on her good leg. I rolled in after her, and before I got the chance to close the door after me, dad threw a Ziploc bag filled with ice in my lap. Maneuvering the chair and locking it in place to face Tina, I made a plan to take care of her. Holding the bag by one of the stronger corners with my teeth, I bent at the waist to gently bring her injured ankle into my lap. I removed her yellow lace less shoe to fully uncover her already swollen injury.
"Looks like a sprain." I said dropping the plastic bag out of my mouth.
"Okay, Dr. Abrams – well what now?" She asked.
"This will help the swelling." I said flipping the ice onto her ankle. She shivered and Goosebumps began to appear up her shin.
"Sorry." I sympathized.
"Oh great." Nora said stepping into the van. "Two cripples."
"Nora!" Mom scolded turning back from the passenger seat.
"What?" She asked the seat furthest from Tina.
"You know what." She said staring at my sister with a serious face before turning around to face the front. I bit my lip and looked down from the corners of my eyes. Tina lightly tapped my arm with the end of her foot and sweetly smiled at me. Out of everyone in my immediate family, Nora was the least understanding of my disability. Sure people called me worse things at school, but hearing it from family was different.
On the way home, Tina and I shared a set of headphones and listened to the playlist entitled "favorites" on Tina's music player. When a song we both knew well came on, we mouthed it to each other while jamming out in the back. Nora only complained about 'not being able to hear herself think' when we actually did sing – and nobody wanted to upset the queen.
Because of a bad accident that happened across the highway, and no available detours, we were stuck in traffic for hours. My throat constricted when we passed the crushed silver Sedan and the shipping truck that lay on its side close by. We had had a car just like that once.
It took twice as long then it should have to reach home. The sun was almost completely hidden by the horizon once we pulled into the driveway. On the bright side though, Tina's ankle was less swollen – but no less bruised. She still couldn't walk well, and I honestly didn't want her to anyways, so I carried her and her bags inside.
"Home sweet home." I said rolling into my neat and tidy bedroom.
Before checking up on my fish tank, I let Tina transfer from my lap to my bed. She tossed the, then completely melted, bag of ice in the trashcan and laid across the width of my bed with her head against the wall.
"Ah – a real bed." She sighed happily. I smiled at her joy and rolled myself across the room to where she was – shifting from chair to bed. Tina opened one eye before she copied the way I was seated. Nudging at her shoulder, I non-verbally asked her to lie down, and she did so after collecting her hair to one side. Once I was situated behind her back, she curled up her legs on the surface of my plaid comforter.
"You know what I'm gonna miss the most about camping?" I asked resting my top arm over her waist.
"What?" She giggled, looking back at me for a moment.
"Waking up like this." I said.
"Eh." She said scooting back into my chest, taking my hand into one of hers, and closing her eyes. "The Summer's still young."