“Well— Joan, my objection is to the tub itself. People are forever breaking legs or cracking skulls through slipping in bathtubs. And you haven’t even learned to stand up, much less walk.”
“True.” Joan threw the sheet back, dropped her feet over the edge of the bed, sat up—controlled a slight dizziness and smiled. “Let’s see if I can. Will you help me, Doctor? Arm around me perhaps?”
“Lie down!”
“Must I? I feel fine. Is there a stool? My feet don’t touch the floor.”
“Miss Sm— Joan, damn it, so hell me I’m going to quit this business and buy a junkyard! Lie down while I call a nurse. Then we’ll get on each side of you and let you stand up. When you find out how weak and dizzy you are, I’ll expect you to go back to bed and stay there.”
“Yes, Doctor,” she said meekly, and lay down.
Winnie answered the summons. “You rang, Doctor?”
“We’re going to try a practice walk. Help me get the patient up. You take her left side.”
“Yes, sir.”
With too much help Joan got out of bed, stood up. The room wobbled a little but she steadied herself on Winnie while letting her arm be feather-light on the Doctor’s shoulder.
“How do you feel?”
“Fine. We should have music; I feel like dancing.”
“Feel like it if you wish, don’t try it. Slow march now and short steps.” They walked toward the door, while Joan relished the thick pile of the rug against her bare feet. Walking was fun; everything was fun! (Eunice my love, do you realize what a perfect body this is?) (It’s way out of shape. But two weeks’ hard work and we’ll have it tuned up.) (Oh, pooh, I never felt this good even as a child.) (You’ll see, Boss. Say a vertical split with our hair sweeping the floor, then hold it through ten controlled breaths—and come out of it with a slow walkover and melt on down into a full Lotus with never a hurried movement. Just wait.) (You think we’ll be able to do that? I was c1umsy even as a boy.) (No huhu. The body remembers, dear.)
They stopped. “Now turn around slowly, and bead for your bed.”
“Doctor? Now that I’m up, why not head me straight for that soap and water?”
“Aren’t you tired?”
“Not a bit. I didn’t lean on you, did I? I thought I had been promised a real bath as soon as I was able to walk.
Must I stand on my hands as well? Back away and I’ll try.” She let go of his arm.
The Doctor promptly put his arm around her waist “No nonsense! Nurse, that tub has grab rails; make her use them.”
“Yes, Doctor.”
“If this patient falls, you had better head for Canada—you can find the shortest route by following me. If you’re fast enough.”
“Winnie won’t let me fall,” Joan said warmly while warmly leaning into his arm. “But if you’re worried, you can come in and help. Scrub my back.”
He snorted. “Ten minutes ago you bawled me out merely for walking into your bedroom unannounced.”
“And if you do it again, I shall again. That’s social; this is professional. Doctor, I’m well aware that you’ve seen my new body—professionally—many times. One more time won’t kill me.” She wiggled slightly in his arm.
“Scrubbing a patient’s back is not part of my professional duties. Lukewarm tub, Nurse, and don’t let her stay in too long.”
Once inside the bathroom and the door shut Joan threw her arms around her nurse and giggled. “Honey, did you see his face?”
Winnie shook her head. “Joan, you don’t need me to coach you in how to be female. You already know.”
“Oh, but I do need you, dear. Because I don’t know. I simply used on dear Doctor things that used to fluster me when I was his age—and male.” She giggled again. “For a second I thought he was going to take my dare and scrub my back.” (And I thought you were going to lay him, right on the rug.) (Oh, be quiet, Eunice; I didn’t even pinch him.) Joan let go of Winnie, stepped back, and started to skin the gown over her head. “Now for a bath. Oh boy!”