Chapter 10 - Learning to Walk Without Fear
As Claire regained her physical strength, she had to rebuild herself from the inside out. The physical therapy was grueling; her muscles had atrophied, and the neuropathy made her feet feel numb and uncertain. Yet she refused the wheelchair whenever possible, forcing her legs to remember the rhythm of a normal life.
In the hospital gym, her physical therapist set up a short course marked by orange cones. To the therapist, it was a routine balance and endurance test. To Claire, it was the exact length of the hallway between the front door and Lily’s bedroom. She focused her gaze on the far wall, imagining the pale floorboards beneath her feet and the sound of little footsteps approaching.
With each completed lap, the phantom coldness in her chest began to give way to genuine warmth. Her appetite returned; the color crept back into her cheeks; and the faint shadow of soft new hair began to emerge beneath her beanie. She spent her evenings writing a final letter—not one describing the funny birds or funny socks, but one detailing the exact moment she planned to open the front door and step across the threshold.
