Protocol 1337 by D. Henbane Read Free Book Online

pumped full of testosterone. Not so much now. I find this to be a royal pain in the butt. I drag myself along the wall and flop down to the floor at regular intervals. It takes me over 30 minutes to drag my sorry body from the pool to the central desk. A few feet from the desk, I can see Eve staring at her computer screen pretending to ignore me. She is safe behind her bullet proof glass enclosure. Her silence is broken by a phone call. I can't actually hear the phone ring, but I see her pick up the receiver.
    I never noticed it before, but her scrubs are perfectly matched. Even down here, she hasn’t lost her sense of style. Isn’t it amazing how quick things change? 40 minutes ago she trusted me and now she hates me. I know what I have to do. I have to get out of the medical wing, and there is only one way to do so. I have to walk, and it has to be now. If I ever want a chance with Eve, I need to distance myself for a while.
    I concentrate all of my strength and force myself up with the hand rail. I balance myself and begin to walk forward. Baby steps I tell myself, one foot after another, arms outstretched to help my balance. Left foot one, right foot two, left foot three, right foot four. I am now directly in front of Eve's desk and pause for a moment to gain additional balance. Eve stares at me. Left foot five, right foot six, left foot seven. My legs burst into flames, and the pain becomes intense. I feel myself losing control, trying to force them to hold up a little longer, right foot floor.
    I collapse into a heap on the floor. Eve scrambles from behind her desk and is by my side in a few moments. Not exactly what I had in mind. I was hoping for a more successful walk.
    “Hold still, I will get a wheelchair,” says Eve.
    “Don’t bother, I don’t need a wheelchair, and I don’t need any help. I can handle myself just fine.” I say. I grab the hand rail and scoot myself along the carpet. After a few feet, I bring myself to my feet and begin to slowly walk down the hall grasping the hand rail.
    “Can I at least walk with you?” Eve says.
    “I think you said enough back there. I am on my own, go back to your desk, I have this under control. I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you; I will let you know if I need a catheter.” I jerk my arm away from Eve, and creep down the hallway towards my room.
    “I’m sorry, I over reacted, it's my fault. I was just pushing the blame onto you when it wasn’t your fault.” Eve says.
    “Understatement of the year right there! I don’t know what you hoped to prove back there. You made your point perfectly clear, and it's that I am not welcome.” I say.
    Eve defiantly places her arm under my shoulder and helps me walk back to my room. I refuse to look at her, and I want her to feel pain. I want her to know that the words she said hurt me. A little guilt trip might just do her some good.
    We arrive back at my room, and Eve guides me gently onto the bed. I swing my feet up and cross my arms behind my head on the pillow. Eve stares at me like she wants to say something. I shoot Eve an angry scowl then close my eyes. After a few moments, she quietly leaves the room. I doze off to sleep while memories of the early events flash across my mind.
    My eyes open, and I glance around the still darkened room. It's four in the morning, and I can't seem to force myself back to sleep. Since I am awake, I might as well make the best of it. I don’t need Eve to help me get strong, I can do it just fine by myself. I just need a way to train my muscles. Then I remember years ago during an awkward teenage day, I ordered a guide to building muscles from a magazine. At the time, it promised to triple my muscle size in a few days. I later learned what was called calisthenics. I could get myself back into shape without machines, weights, or even the pool. I could use my own muscle resistance to achieve a full body workout.
    I scooted myself out of bed and began with short walks around the room