I Gave My Legs, They Gave Me Up

I gritted my teeth and struggled to wheel myself toward the front door.

Rain was pouring outside.

There were only three steps between me and the ground. I used to clear them in a single stride. Now, sitting in the wheelchair, they were an impossible barrier.

I was done waiting for Mom and Dad. I didn't want to stay in this house anymore, either.

Gripping the armrests tightly, I tried to ease my wheelchair down the steps. The tires slipped on the wet concrete, and I fell out of the chair, landing in a puddle. The heavy wheelchair came crashing down on my legs.

With shaking hands, I pulled my phone from my coat pocket. The screen lit up. It was 2:15 pm. The doctor's flight was at 2:00 pm. He was already gone.

My mind went back to the night before. Mom had sat beside my bed, gently stroking my hair. "Naomi, I promise I'll go to the hospital with you tomorrow."

I closed my eyes, a dull ache spreading through my chest.

Her promises always sounded so sincere, and I believed her every time. But whenever something involving Lisa came up, I was always the one they abandoned right away.

If my whole life was going to be an endless cycle of waiting and being abandoned, what was the point of any of it?

I didn't try to get back up. I simply lay there and let the cold rain wash over me.

I didn't know how long I lay in the muddy water when a black umbrella appeared over my head.

Mom frowned down at me, confusion and frustration in her eyes. She bent down and grabbed my arm. "Naomi, why are you being so stubborn? Why did you have to come outside and get soaked? What would the neighbors think if they saw you?"

Dad held an umbrella over Lisa while keeping one arm firmly around her shoulders, making sure not a single drop of rain splashed on her.

Looking at the three of them, completely dry and put together, I didn't even have the energy to be angry anymore.

Dad pulled me back into my wheelchair, his voice full of reproach. "Look at you, soaked and covered in mud, just trying to get to the hospital. Lisa's wrist was sore, so we had to come back. Why couldn't you have just waited?"

Lisa hid behind Dad, biting her lip. "I'm sorry, Naomi. It's my fault for taking so long. But even if you're upset with us, you shouldn't do this to yourself."

I sat slumped in my soaked wheelchair, shivering from the cold.

"The doctor has left the country," I said quietly. "I can't have the surgery anymore."