by kowlooner » Sat Aug 16, 2014 1:08 pm
Chapter 4
“What time is your appointment today, Lex?” yelled Sarah from her bedroom. She frowned as she looked at her 172 pound figure. At least that’s what the scale said this morning. Sarah’s figure was that of an exaggerated pear. The one silver lining about putting on so much weight is that she was nearly a D cup now, which pleased her immensely. They even remained fairly perky. However, that joy was offset by the label inside most of her jeans, which either read 12 or 14.
“Right after lunch!” replied Lexi. Lexi was excited for her follow up appointment today, as she was finally going to get out of the walking boot and begin to move around again. It had been three weeks since her injury, and other than her ill-fated attempt at cleaning the house, she had been following the orders of her doctor. She was staying of her injured ankle, keeping it elevated, and getting plenty of rest.
Deep down, Lexi was a bit frightened at how easily she adapted to being more sedentary. Lexi really hadn’t been out much, save for a few trips to get out of the house to break up any cabin fever. She was a free lance programmer, so she was able to do almost all of her work from the house. Though, in her recent bout of relaxation, she had fallen a bit behind on a few projects. However, her reputation was impeccable, as her clients understood as she mended from her running injury.
Sarah checked out her ass in the mirror. It was big, round, and full. Some men really fancied it. For Sarah, it was a love/hate relationship. The blond had a nice round bum when she was 135 pounds. Now much heavier, Sarah felt it was getting out of control.
“If I sat on my ass for three weeks, I would gain 15 pounds without even trying,” Sarah mumbled to herself as she grabbed her jeans.
Just then, the door opened.
“HEY!!!! Can’t you knock first? I’m in my freaking underwear.”
Lexi knocked open the door with her crutch, seeing her friend clad in a pair of matching white bra and panties. This was the first look Lexi had really had at her friend’s chubby physique. Sarah was careful not be seen in a bikini in front of Lexi. Thankfully, there hadn’t been any trips to the pool. This served a dual purpose. First, it kept Sarah’s bloated form out of the public eye. Secondly, it had faded Lexi’s tan a shade or two paler.
The brunette had to admit, her friend’s weight gain had given her quite a nice chest. However, it came with a price of much fatter upper arms and a cherubic looking face, albeit still a pretty one. Lexi’s eyes were drawn to Sarah’s lower half in particular, which had ballooned out significantly. Her thighs seemed enormous to Lexi, who treasured and valued the fit and firm nature of her own gams. Even though Lexi was a few inches shorter than Sarah, her thin form and beautiful legs served to almost make her seem taller than her friend, even though the laws of physics dictated that was a fallacy.
“Oh shit! I’m sorry! But it’s not like we haven’t seen each other in our underwear before!”
Sarah turned bright red. She wanted her friend to leave the room in order to save her the embarrassment of wiggling into her tight jeans.
“Yeah, when I was a size 6!!! I don’t want you to see me wiggle into my fat pants.”
Lexi felt bad. She had embarrassed her friend. However, Sarah’s retort did foster a morbid curiosity. After all, she had never seen a fat girl try to dance her way into a pair of jeans.
Another pang of guilt resonated through Lexi’s core. She felt bad thinking that. Then again, it wasn’t like her cognition was incorrect. Sarah was fat. Lexi wished that she could get Sarah to follow a better diet.
Lexi subconsciously suppressed the fact that her diet hadn’t been much better, though, she had been mixing in more healthy choices in the past week.
“Okay, I’ll be out in the kitchen waiting,” Lexi said as she shut the door.
A few minutes later, Sarah emerged in a basic t-shirt and jeans. She looked at her friend with envy. Lexi looked so cute in her loose, flowing sundress. Though, she did note that Lexi’s hair was tied up in a ponytail and that her makeup wasn’t quite done up. If she didn’t know her friend so well, she wouldn’t have thought anything of it. However, even a bit paler and less done up, Lexi still looked great.
This was also the first time Lexi hadn’t been wearing sweats since getting injured.
“Can we stop for coffee on the way, Sarah? I’m still tired.”
Coffee had been a recent addition to Lexi’s morning intake. It seemed strange, since she was burning so little energy during the day.
“Of course we can.”
Forty minutes later, Lexi and Sarah were waiting at the physicians’s office. Lexi gave Sarah money for the copay and had her bring the requisite paperwork over to fill out. Soon, a pretty young nurse came in with a wheelchair to bring Lexi into her appointment.
“I dont need that,” said Lexi.
“It’s just a precaution. Besides, we can’t weigh you on the standing scale. So we’ll use the wheel chair instead.”
“I’m 110 pounds, there is no need for that,” said Lexi, defiantly.
“I’m sure you are, but it’s part of the precaution,” replied the nurse.
Lexi felt silly being wheeled in for her check up. The past few weeks had left her feeling helpless and useless at times. This was a strict departure for what she was used to. After all, she was a success alpha female.
A few moments later, they made it to the wheel chair scale. What happened next, Lexi didn’t pay much attention to. However, Sarah did.
The scale read 152.5 pounds.
Sarah new that the nurse would account for the weight of the wheel chair on the scale. It didn’t take a laboratory scientist to know that. However, she wondered as to the actual weight of the wheel chair.
The nurse followed up with some questions and told the pair that the doctor would be visiting them shortly.
The doctor arrived, greeting Lexi, and immediately removing the air cast.
“The swelling is all but gone and you look like you’ve followed everything that I’ve told you. I’m going to clear you to begin walking, but don’t over do it. I still want you to occasional use the crutches. Furthermore, I am going to give you a packet of simple rehabilitation exercise you can do to restore the atrophy in your lower leg and ankle.”
Atrophy? Lexi knew what that word meant. She hadn’t atrophied. That’s too strong of a word.
“When can I start running again?” Asked Lexi.
“Might be a few more weeks. You had a pretty nasty sprain. Start by walking and doing these rehab exercises. I would say you’re 10 to 14 days away from attempting light jogging. You’re going to experience pain intermittently for the next six months to a year. You’re also going to be a bit more prone to ankle rolls than other people. The occasional ibuprofen treatment after exercise is advisable from time to time. As long as you can deal with a little discomfort, you’ll be fine, and will be able to resume all your other activities without an issue.”
“See Lexi, that’s great news!” said Sarah.
“But what about my race?”
Lexi did not hear a silver lining in the doctor’s prognosis.
“You should be fine for that. Just take it slow. You’re not going to be setting any PRs at this one,” replied the doctor. “If anything, I’m quite pleased with your progress! If you have anymore problems, call me. Otherwise, I don’t think I’ll need to see you again.”
Sarah and Lexi both thanked the doctor and made their way out to the receptionist to clear up the final bit of paperwork.
“See, good news!”
“Ehh, I’m going to run that raise come hell or high water, Sarah,” said Lexi. “Enough sitting on my ass, it’s time to get to work.”
“Just listen to the doctor or you’re going to end up right back where you started,” replied Sarah.
Lexi ignored her friend. “Alright, I need to fill out the final paperwork and get my rehab package.”
For the first time in three weeks. Lexi was cleared to walk. It felt as freeing as it did awkward. Her foot was incredible sore and week. The brunette felt like she was dragging a ball and chain around her leg.
Sarah thought about the scale reading again. One of the nurses walked by as Sarah pondered.
“Excuse me, nurse?”
“Hi, how can I help you?”
“Just curious, but how much does the wheel chair weigh?”
“We subtract 35 pounds off the scale reading for the wheel chair, according to what the factory specification regarding the chair weight states,” replied the nurse, baffled by the bizarre nature of the question.
“Thanks,” said Sarah. She tried to do the mental math in her head. However, she numbers were never her strong suit.
Later that day, the pair were back home in the apartment, pondering some dinner options. Lexi had been up on her feet all day long, much to the chagrin of Sarah, though she wasn’t about to scold her friend. After all, she was an adult.
“You know Sarah, now that I’m back to 100%, maybe you can exercise with me?”
“You’re not back to 100% Lexi,” retorted Sarah, holding back the swell of desire to play mother to her best friend.
“Like 99%… Besides, I feel great,” said Lexi, as she limped to the refrigerator to fill her glass with water. “It feels good to be mobile again. In fact, I think I am going to go for a walk later.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Lexi?”
“It’s just a walk, Sarah.”
An hour later, Lexi emerged from her bedroom wearing the same scandalous lycra shorts and a sports bra. This was the exact outfit she wore the evening she got hurt. Everything looked the same, save for a faded tan.
“I’ll be back!”
Before Sarah could reply, Lexi was out the door. That wasn’t an outfit for someone going walking. That was the outfit of a young woman going for a run, trying to show off her best assets.
“Were those shorts pinching her sides a little?” Sarah thought out loud. Maybe it was just the fact she was a shade or two lighter that was giving the illusion of a very slight, infinitesimal softening around her friend’s waist.
“No, it couldn’t be.”
Lexi pounded the pavement with aggression. While she was beyond thrilled to have snuck out for a run, something didn’t seem right. It wasn’t the fact her ankle throbbed, and that her gait was changed because of it. She simply felt tired, winded, and sluggish in a way that hadn’t been present in her life since her final college hangover. Though she would never admit it, Lexi felt out of shape.
Granted, she was still maintaing a rapid pace for someone three weeks removed from an injury. Lexi even managed to pass a few other familiar faces, much heavier faces, on her run. These were residents of her own apartment complex that would also try to come out and take in a jog. Deep down, Lexi judged these people as she ran by them.
Up ahead, Lexi could see the turn for the trail she had originally gotten hurt on.
“I’m going to show this trail who’s a bad bitch!” Lexi said to herself, getting pumped up for the run.
Three weeks of afternoon naps, imbibing, and guzzling pain killers hadn’t done Lexi’s wind any favors. However, she pushed along down the trail, even making it past the dreaded stump. She felt a wave of satisfaction wash over her as she past it.
“I’m back,” Lexi mumbled to herself again, albeit in a labored fashion.
Meanwhile, back at the apartment, Sarah sat in front of the television. She decided on a sensible salad for dinner this evening. Entertainment Tonight was on again. Sarah had to admit it was nice to watch it without the running jibes of fat commentary from her best friend. She was again reminded of the weigh in earlier in the day.
“Hmmm…” murmured Sarah, opening up her laptop and Googling “calculator.”
“152.5 minus 35 is…. 117.5 pounds?”
Had her friend gained 7.5 pounds over the past few weeks? Lexi had spent so much time in sweats, and today in a flowing sundress, that any evidence of that alleged weight gain was concealed. Maybe her eyes HAD NOT deceived her when Lexi wore that revealing jogging outfit earlier?
Speaking of Lexi, she had been gone for an awfully long time.
The sun was setting and visibility was poor. Lexi’s loss of conditioning, combined with the atrophy in her lower leg combined to alter her stride and change her form. Had her running form been better, and the sunlight a bit more prevalent, perhaps she would’ve seen that rut in the middle of the trail. Not only had she tumbled, but she managed to fall into a mixture of high grass and weeds by the side of the trail.
Lexi sobbed. She had re-injured her right foot. She reached for her phone and called Sarah, blubbering into her phone as begged her friend to come find her.
Lexi spent that evening on the couch, finishing the two painkillers she had left in the bottle. She had an appointment scheduled in the morning. Sarah refrained from scolding her friend. Instead opting to order a pizza and pick up Love Actually from a local Red Box instead.
The morning came quickly, as Sarah fetched Lexi for her trip to the doctor.
“Look, I’m only going to say this once Lexi. But that was so stupid, it’s unbelievable,” said Sarah.
Lexi immediately fired back, “Sarah, you just don’t get it. Exercise is a way of life for me. That’s why I look and feel great all the time.”
Sarah turned red with anger. “What the hell does that mean?”
Just like she had a few weeks earlier, Lexi knew she had insulted her best friend.
“I’m sorry, you’re right. I am an idiot.”
Sarah squelched her anger. There was so much more she wanted to say to her friend but couldn’t bring herself to do it. Now was not the time for a fight.
“Is that a rash on your left leg?”
Lexi looked down at her leg. There was a bit of a rash forming.
“It looks like poison ivy, Lexi.”
Lexi thought back to the night before. Perhaps that brush pile she fell into contained poison ivy, which provides a nasty and itchy rash that lasts for a few days.
Finally, they were at the doctor’s office. She was brought right in for an X-ray and a thorough scolding from her doctor.
“You would’ve been better off breaking your ankle, Lexi. This is pretty bad. You’re looking at a minimum of four to six weeks of recovery. And that’s just so you can walk again. In the meantime, I’m putting you back in the air cast and prescribing bed rest and elevation for the next week. I implore you to listen to me this time.”
Lexi nodded her head like a guilty child.
“Also, I’m writing you a 7 day prescription for prednisone. It’s a steroid used to help counteract the consequences of a poison ivy rash,” replied the doctor. “And I’ll write you another script for two weeks worth the Vicodin, as I know this is painful acute sprain.”
Prednisone. Sarah had gone on that once. She remember it made you absolutely ravenous and nearly impossible to sleep. She had read horror stories of the long term impact of prednisone on one’s waistline. It wasn’t pretty.
One could only be left to wonder how ravenous it might make the 117 pound Lexi?
Once the remaining paperwork was settled, Lexi and Sarah made their way home. Sarah promised Lexi that she would fill her prescriptions at the drugstore so she could go home and begin the mending process.
“Do you know anything about prednisone?”
“Nope,” lied Sarah.
That evening, Lexi had taken her first round of medication.
“Can you make a grilled cheese, Sarah?”
Sarah smiled. “How about two?”