Wheel Smooth

Dan stared up at the three storey Georgian town house, he could see why its occupant needed to move to somewhere more accessible, even the six steps leading up to the front door would be impossible to negotiate by someone with mobility problems.

He rang the doorbell; he could here the sound of footsteps rushing down the stairs. A girl maybe a few years older than him answered the door she had a wide smile and a friendly face, her glossy hair the colour of a conker tied back in a ponytail at the nape of her neck.

“Hi, I’m Sarah”. She smiled broadly at him offering her hand to him as she stepped aside to let him enter. He shook it warmly

“Daniel Gamble”. he introduced himself.

“Would you like a drink Daniel before I take you to meet Cass?” Sarah asked him.

“A coke would be great if you have one?” he responded.

As he disappeared Dan admired his surroundings, the hallway and also what he could see of the lounge were both tastefully decorated, both modern but at the same time enhancing the houses period features.

There were some photographs on a sideboard further down the hallway and he examined them closely it was always useful to glean as much information about their clients as possible. There were several of groups of drunk looking girls dressed up to the nines in designer clobber clutching champagne glasses, one of some guys in tuxedos and a large photo of a girl and boy aged about six and twelve standing in a garden with a spaniel laying panting at their feet, he placed the photo back on the sideboard as he heard Sarah’s footsteps approaching.

She handed him a glass with some ice in and a bottle of coke. “Sorry I forgot to ask if you wanted ice”. She said.

“It’s fine”. Dan replied as they made their way up a long flight of stairs to the first floor. Sarah went along the corridor right to the end and opened the last door. Dan stepped inside the room it was very large and airy with pale cream walls, lots of rugs and a sofa and a window seat heaped with pastel coloured cushions. On the opposite wall facing the window there was a large hospital bed, in the bed there was a young girl somewhere in her late teens or early twenties sitting propped up by pillows, her skin was very pale and her rich brown eyes looked huge in her elfin face, her hair hung in loose golden curls around her shoulders and she would have looked like something out of a fairytale if it hadn’t been for the pink t-shirt she wore as a nightdress and the supports encasing her hands and wrists.

“Cass this is Daniel Gamble from Gamble and Brown’s”. Sarah told the girl.

She smiled warily at him.

“Please take a seat”. She said nodding towards the chair positioned next to the bed. Daniel sat down and unzipped his briefcase taking out his laptop he switched it on.

“Our search showed that there are three properties that match your criteria in the local area”. He placed the laptop on the bed between them.

“Here are the shots of the first property a three bedroom converted stable block in the village of Ashwin it has a large kitchen diner, large lounge, master suite with dressing and en-suite shower rooms and two further good sized double bedrooms and a family bathroom, outside there is parking for two vehicles and a small court yard garden to the rear of the property.

On the downside the ceilings are low and the majority of the doorways need widening and some of the windows look out onto the main road”.

He waited for some type of reaction from Cass but she just stared intently at the screen and seemed not to be paying attention so he moved on to the next property.

The next cottage he explained was on the edge of Homestead Park with views over the woodland; it has two large bedrooms, a family bathroom and a lounge diner. The kitchen was very small Dan explained and they would need to get planning permission to knock down two walls to make a fully accessible open plan living area, the driveway was built on a slope making it hard to access the cottage in a wheelchair from the road.

He closed the accompanying slide show and clicked to open the slide show that accompanied the final suitable property he and Mike had located.

This property, he explained was a three double bedroom bungalow over looking fields and pastureland, it has a large kitchen and open plan living dining room, a master suite with a large bathroom and adjoining study/nursery, a family bathroom a sunny conservatory, patio and lawned areas, there are some mature trees and shrubs on the boarders.

“I like this one best” Cass told him without waiting for Dan to finish describing the building and surrounding area.

“It’s a good choice”. Dan agreed. “It has the largest accommodation, and is light and airy with large windows in every room and is in a very quiet area but just a five minutes drive from the town centre”.

His eyes lit up, his passion for his work evident as he carried on.

“It needs minimal structural changes, lowered switches and door handles, a refitted kitchen and bathrooms and ramps to replace the front and back steps to provide easy access to the garden and driveway. I thought the study area could be converted into a dressing room with storage space for any adaptive equipment, the bathroom is large enough for a large shower cubicle and bath”. He paused for breath, looking up from the screen he caught Cass’s eye and she looked quickly away.

He continued. “We like our clients to be involved as much as possible in the design process, we have hundred of catalogues and samples of fabrics, colours and finishes”. He looked at Cass trying to gauge her reaction, she looked thoroughly overwhelmed. “We can leave all of those decisions until after the completion of the sale, I do need to make some notes about your disability though, and I need to make sure we order the correct adaptive equipment that will best suit your needs. Is that ok?” He checked with her, she nodded in response her eyes large and frightened. He resisted the urge to reach out to her instead he packed up his laptop and altered the position of his chair so he was sitting nearly facing her.

“You don’t need to answer anything you feel uncomfortable with or that you don’t know the answer too because with your permission we can contact your doctor”. He told her in an effort to reassure her. “

Do you use a manual wheelchair or an electric one?” He asked her.

“I’m learning to use a manual one at the moment”. Cass replied her voice little more than a whisper.

“How much movement do you have in your arms and hands?”

“My arms are quite strong but I can’t grip or hold anything in my hands because my fingers don’t work”. Dan nodded.

“Can you sit up unaided?” He asked.

Cass shook her head in response. Her expression was unreadable.

“Would you rather I spoke to your doctor?” Dan asked aware that his questions seemed to be upsetting her.

“Yes, no, I don’t know. It’s just that I’m not used to all of this stuff myself yet and I don’t really know the answers to your questions”. She turned away to try to hide her tears from him. “Maybe you should ask Sarah?” Cass suggested her voice muffled with tears “She knows more about what is happening to me than I do”.

“I sorry if I’ve upset you in anyway” Dan said as he quietly got together his things and left the room.

Sarah was sitting at the bottom of the stairs waiting for him.

“How did it go she asked?”

“She picked a house but she found it difficult to answer my questions about her disability”. Dan replied.

“She would”. Sarah answered picking up one of the photos Dan had been looking at earlier, with the group of drunken, giggling girls. She indicated to a petite blonde in the centre.

“That’s Cass; it was taken three months ago”.

He would never have recognised that the bubbly confident girl in the photo was the same person as the one he had just met. “I assumed she had SCI from her brothers comments on the phone but she doesn’t does she?” Dan asked

“Cass has something called transverse myelitis, it’s a swelling of the spinal cord which causes altered sensation and weakness in most cases but paralysis in the worst cases like Cass’s. In most cases at least a partial, if not full recovery is possible. Sarah replied.

“It has a rapid onset of between a few hours and a couple of weeks in Cass’s case it came on literally overnight”.

“You mean she just woke up paralysed one morning just like that, without any warning or anything?” Dan asked.

“More or less, yes. She had flu like symptoms, a fever, loss of appetite, she said her legs and arms felt like lead and they were tingling but numb, she had a terrible pain in her back that felt like a vice tightening around her chest, and just assumed it was also part of the flu or some virus so she went to bed but was unable to sleep, when she tried to get up she couldn’t make her legs respond so her boyfriend rang for an ambulance. By the time she got to hospital she had lost all control and feeling in her hands and from the chest down and only had minimal use of her arms”. Sarah explained.

“Jesus that must be awful”. Dan swore.

“It is. In most cases there is significant improvement in the patients condition within the first three months and recovery can continue for up to two years. Cass’s neurologist believes that she will probably never regain her ability to walk as although she has recovered the majority of sensation in her body she remains completely numb from the thighs down, she has recovered much of the use in her arms and some use of her hands and the doctors believe that this will continue, however she has very poor balance and co-ordination due to her lack of trunk control and has not regained any mobility in her lower body, she has limited bowel and bladder control and suffers from altered sensation and has chronic pain especially when she is tired. At the moment Cass is receiving both occupational therapy to help her to complete simple tasks such as feeding herself and also daily physiotherapy to help maintain her muscle tone and range of movement”. Sarah finished.

“Ok”. Dan responded. “That answers most of my questions, it’s very important that you inform me of any improvements in Cass’s condition because we aim to make our clients as independent as we can and make all aspects of their homes as fully accessible as possible”. Dan paused thinking what a heartless jerk he sounded. “Hopefully we should be able to arrange a quick sale as the property Cass has picked is currently vacant and I should be in touch with you with a completion date in a couple of weeks”. Dan informed Sarah.

Cass listened to the sound of the front door shutting and a car engine start, deep inside her she new her tears of frustration had upset Daniel and she new he was her only hope of ever getting out of this room out of the goddamn house that imprisoned her and into a place where she could have a limited amount of control over the tatters of her life even if she was going to be stuck in a wheelchair forever.

Part of her wished she had died! She hated that she had lost her dignity, that she had to be dressed and fed and changed like a bloody baby, that she might never be able to do the simplest of tasks like brush her own hair or put on make-up.

Both Sarah and her brother had told her that people in wheelchairs played sports, had families and even ran successful businesses. But none of those people were her; she had preferred to be the life and soul of the party at university rather than working at her studies.

Over the past three months she had shut out all of her friends because she couldn’t bear their false cheerfulness and their sympathetic comments, she had even pushed her own brother away, Sarah was all she had and Sarah was paid to take care of her. She couldn’t comprehend what the rest of her life would be like and she wanted to distance herself from everyone and everything that reminded her of who she had once been.

It was another three weeks before Daniel visited the town house again, this time he was weighed down with folders containing wood, paint and fabric samples and brochures with different types of furniture and adaptive equipment for Cass to look at.

The sale had gone through smoothly and Daniel and Mike had received the go ahead on their alterations from Cass’s brother two days ago.

Cass was sitting in her wheelchair next to the small table staring blankly out of the window.

She showed very little interest in the plans Dan and Mike had painstakingly drawn for her approval and just said everything that she had seen looked ok.

It seemed like she didn’t believe that with adaptive equipment she could use a kitchen or bathroom or that she would even be able to sit on a sofa.

She showed no interest in Dan’s carefully research equipment until he mentioned a bath that was.

He had labelled the plans and had asked her what type of bath she wanted when instead of her usual she didn’t mind response she looked at him her voice wavering and said “There’s no point me having a bath though I can’t use one”.

“Sure you can”. Dan responded. “One of the hoists I’ve been showing you can be used to lift you in and out”.

“I can’t use a bath because I can’t sit up; I told you that”. Dan could hear the evident frustration in her voice as she responded.

Dan flicked quickly through the pages of the brochure they had been looking at. “There are baths like this one that have an air filled back and neck rest which supports you as if you were in a chair and can raise you into a sitting position or lower you so you’re reclining in the water”.

“And that would work for me?” She asked.

“That would work”. He said. “The baths come in lots of shapes, depths and colours and you can even have one with warm water jets”. He informed her.

For the first time he saw her smile. “I would like that”. She said.

Cass’s concentration wavered as she thought about being able to lay soaking in a bubble bath instead of having to be lifted and washed by other people; she couldn’t begin to imagine how good it would feel.

After the brief breakthrough earlier Dan thought Cass might start showing a little more interest in choosing the decoration and furnishings for her new house, but that didn’t seem to be the case, she was as disinterested as she had been before and it was starting to really annoy him, he and Mike had put hours of work into this project and she didn’t seem willing to appreciate what her brother was doing for her or the work that they were all putting in to make her life easier.

“Did you decorate this house yourself?” Dan asked Cass interrupting her bubble-bath filled thoughts..

“Yes”. She responded.

“Then clearly you were interested in colour and fabrics and style”. Dan argued deciding the tough approach might work.

“What colour is my shirt?” He demanded.

“Black”. She answered.

He reached out covering her hand with his own and gently squeezing it. “You can feel this?” He asked.

Cass nodded unable to respond.

“Then there’s nothing stopping you becoming involved in creating your house. Your hands, the chair they are not going to stop you from being involved in this project, ok?” Dan told her.

Cass nodded, she looked down at his hand still covering her own, it was the first time she could remember anyone other than Sarah or a nurse or doctor had touched her since this whole nightmare had begun.

Dan moved his hand away so that he could place the samples of fabric in front of Cass.

“You have to work with me; I find the best way to do this is with your eyes closed”. Dan said.

“Really?” Cass asked.

Dan nodded and Cass shut her eyes.

Dan stood up sliding one arm around the back of the chair so that he could cover her hand with his own and use his free hand to turn the pages of his sample book.

“How does that feel?” He asked as he ran her hand slowly over the soft chenille fabric.

“It feels nice, soft, kind of comforting” Cass responded almost sighing in pleasure. They repeated the process several times and Cass picked out the cool crispness of cotton and the textures of Italian leather and plush velvet as her favourites. Reluctantly he let go of her hand and sat back down next to her.

“I have to go now; I have another appointment in half an hour”. Dan admitted. “I have tomorrow afternoon free, if you like I could show you some video Mike took at your house if you want?”

“That would be nice”. Cass replied trying to smile.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then”. Dan smiled back at her as he gathered his folders together and rushed out of the room.

Cass sighed, it had felt so good having someone touch her, someone hold her hand, she like Daniel’s easy manner it made her feel normal and it was a long time since she had felt that way.

Dan sped down the country lanes as he hurried to his next appointment; his mind however wasn’t focused on his next client. There was something about Cass that touched him in a way none of his other clients ever had, he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was but when he had taken her small hand in his own his heart had raced. He tried to push any further thoughts of Cass from his mind as he attempted to concentrate on the task ahead.