Page 50 of Dark Shaman: Love Found
"Just get dressed, Tim."
"Help me?"
She'd seen everything there was to see, had washed him when he couldn't wash himself, and had dealt with every humiliating aspect of his human biology while he was unconscious.
There was something liberating about having no secrets from her. No pretense, no carefully maintained walls. She'd seen him at his absolute worst and still seemed to like him.
The clothes fit, which was its own kind of surreal. Roni's t-shirt hung loose on Tim's skeletal frame, but the length was right. The sweatpants needed the drawstring pulled tight, but they didn't look like he'd stolen them from a child.
"Decent," he announced.
Hildegard gave him an appraising look. "Not bad. Very grunge chic. Here." She handed him what looked like hospital slippers on steroids. "Booties. They'll grip the floor better than socks."
"Fashion forward."
"Function over form. You can worry about looking pretty later."
He slipped them on, surprised at how even that simple action winded him. "So, what's the plan? Marathon? Triathlon? Or are we starting with something easy like climbing Mount Everest?"
"We're starting with walking to the door without holding on to furniture."
"That's it?"
"Trust me, that'll be plenty for now." She positioned herself beside him. "Ready?"
Tim swung his legs over the side of the bed, taking a moment to let the head spin pass. Standing was easier than it had been yesterday—his muscles were remembering their job, even if they protested every movement.
"Good," Hildegard encouraged. "Now, one step at a time."
They made it to the door with only minimal support, Tim concentrating on each movement.
Left foot, right foot, don't think about how the ground seems farther away than it used to, don't think about how my arms feel too long and my legs too unsteady.
"Excellent. Now the hallway."
The clinic's corridor stretched before them, blessedly short.
"You're doing better than expected after such a prolonged coma," Hildegard said as they progressed slowly down the hall. "Not to mention the dramatic height change and its associated balance issues."
"I'm motivated," Tim said. "I have a hot nurse to impress."
"Flatterer. Take a left here."
Hildegard held the door open to a section of the clinic Tim hadn't seen before.
"The belly of the beast," Hildegard explained. "Most patients never see this area. But it has a long corridor that's perfect for physical therapy."
There was no one there, and their footsteps echoed off the walls, creating an oddly intimate atmosphere.
"How long have you been a nurse?" Tim asked, partly to distract himself from the burn in his muscles, and partly because he wanted to know everything there was to know about Hildegard.
"About twenty-five years."
"What did you do before?"
"Many things. I was even a bartender at some point." At his surprised look, she laughed. "Immortals don't usually stick to one thing forever. One of the advantages of immortality is the ability to change occupations once you get sick of doing something for too long."
"I just can't picture you slinging drinks."
