“Comfortably six months.” She looked directly at Reid as she talked. “This isn’t going to be a cookie cutter prosthetic, not something you can pick up off a shelf and put on. No, this will be custom made to fit your body and what you need.”
“In the process, you can help me with my leg rubbing my stump raw in places?”
“I can. How many socks are you wearing?”
“Five. Well, two are doubled up, and I use a whole one to cover them, but it still slips around them. That’s where it’s rubbing raw.”
“The only thing I can tell you right now is to stop by my office tomorrow and I’ll take a look. Without examining you, I won’t be able to help you.”
“What about if the prosthetic you were given at the VA never fit properly to begin with?” a woman asked as she came forward, and that’s when Staci saw she didn’t have her left arm from what she assumed was above the elbow. “I’m Opal, I was in the military, but I didn’t lose my arm while serving my country. I was home on leave when it happened.”
“But you are former military? You have the proof that you served right? You have your discharge papers?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then you’re a veteran, and I can help you, ortry. I’m not saying I can fix you or Reid overnight, but I will do the best I can to help you.”
“I’d like to come see you,” another woman said as she stepped forward. “I’m Adele, and I was driving a Humvee when a roadside bomb went off. I lost my right foot in the explosion. I’m not saying I need a new one, but I would like it tweaked if it is possible.”
“What is it doing?”
“It seems to be looser than when I first got it, and sometimes, if I’m not paying attention, I find myself dragging my foot and I’ve even been known to stumble.”
“Again, I can help with that, or do my damnedest to help you.”
“What will this cost us?”
“Nothing, like I said, I received a government grant, and that money will be paying for everything. I’m not telling you that you have to do this, but I would recommend that if you come to see me about your problems, then you’ll need to see Caleb and work with him. You might not know it, but if your prosthetic is causing you problems, and has been for some time, then you’ll be walking differently in order to accommodate whatever hitch you might walk with. The new prosthetic won’t work if you don’t fix whatever you’ve done to change your gait.” She saw understanding dawn on their faces and nodded.
“That’s all I have to say for now. If you come overto see me, I’m there from eight to six Monday through Friday.” She turned to Tony. “Your turn.”
“Thanks. How many of you here know Marcia’s story?” Most of the people there raised their hands. “So, if you know her story, then you knew she hit the side of a mountain when an entitled asshole fucked with our parachutes. Sorry for the language, but it still pisses me off. I was the person that slammed into that slab of rock right beside her. I am Sergeant Anthony Jacobs. I prefer to go by Tony. I thought I had it easy because I only broke or shattered four joints, while Marcia broke all the bones in her body. I was wrong. She healed and got on with her life. This was almost six years ago, I’ve had nine operations to get to where I am now. Yes, I do work over at New Double, and you can ask Cole, I’m slow, but steady in my work. Since being here for a week, I’ve found myself more relaxed, though I’m stiff and sore, I’m also happy that I can finally be a productive member of society again. That’s all I have to say about myself. I served my country proudly, paid my dues, now I’m ready and willing to give back.” He turned toward Erin and gave her a nod.
“Thank you for allowing me to come work for you. I will do everything in my power to prove that I’m worthy of your trust. I’ve gone through a lot of trials and tribulations since hitting that rock wall, and I will do my best to overcome any other obstacle I encounter while still trying to heal from my ordeal.”He stepped back, and it was Marcia that came over and hugged him. That broke the tenseness, and then others came up to the two of them to introduce themselves. Phones were passed around, and everyone either stood or sat around to talk. When three older men entered from the back of the barn with platters of meat, several of the other men rushed over to help. Once they were placed on an empty table, everyone stood to start to fill their plates so they could eat, and Erin told Staci and Tony to go first, since they were the guests of honor.
They filled their plates then found a table in the middle, and settled in. Marcia and Lloyd joined, then, and so did Katherine and Caleb. There wasn’t a lot of conversation as they ate. At one point Erin looked over at Tony.
“Hey, Tony, that name you gave me?”
“Yes, what about it?”
“Passed with flying colors, whenever Shay gets out of the service, tell him to come my way.”
“I will, thanks,” Tony said, and looked over at Marcia with a grin. “It will be good to be able to work with Shay again.”
“Shay?”
“Hall.”
Marcia shook her head and shrugged. “Do I know this person?”
“Oh, shit, yeah, you do. It’s Commander Hall,Commander Shay Hall. For the last three years, he was there waiting for me in the hospital when I underwent another surgery. We became friends. He’s retiring soon, and didn’t look forward to sitting around doing nothing, I told him about what you and Lloyd told me about this place. I had his information with me and Erin passed it to the people who do the background checks.”
Lloyd looked at Marcia in concern. “Is there a problem with having this person come work here?”
“No, not at all, please don’t think that. It’s just that I’ve never seen him outside of my Guard duties, or as a real person.” She shook her head and chuckled. “I know he’s a real person, but he was my commander, as I said, he was my boss.”
“He’s a great guy,” Tony said, and pointed toward Lloyd. “He sort of reminds me of Lloyd here.”
