Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Erin went into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water while glancing towards the sleeping Holtzmann on the couch. She was still disturbed by seeing Holtzmann's amputated limbs without the prosthetics. She later went to shower and get dressed. As Erin was showering, Holtzmann was slowly waking up. Then there was the phantom pain in her amputated leg. She hated the phantom pains, several minutes later it went away. She heard Erin in the shower and put on her prosthetics and headed into her bedroom to pick out clothes for the day. She heard Erin come out of the bathroom. As she left her bedroom, she grabbed a crutch that she used for getting into the shower. In the bathroom, she again took off her prosthetic limbs and then her clothes. Using the crutch she got into the tub and bathed and made sure that her stumps were properly cleaned to prevent infection. After getting out of the tub, she dried off and then put clean stump socks on her leg and arm stumps. She got her bra and underwear on and then put jeans and a tank top on.
When she came back to the living room, she found a note that read, "I went out to get bagels and coffee. I'll be back soon. - Erin".
She smiled at her house guest's kind gesture. She sat back on the couch and started to read articles from a science magazine and then her iPhone made a beeping sound. It was a text message that read, "Hey Holtzy, do you want to come with me to a new exhibit at the New York Historical Society?-Patty".
Patty Tolan was a woman that Holtzmann had befriended a year before at the subway. Holtzmann sent a reply saying she would like to attend, but had a house guest. Patty replied back and said to invite the house guest.
Erin came into the apartment several minutes later carrying a white paper bag and two cups of coffee.
"Here are the bagels and I got you black coffee and brought some creamer packets in case you take it with cream." Erin said.
"Thanks for this. You didn't need to go out and get bagels." The blonde said.
"It just a way to show appreciation for you letting me stay here." Erin said.
"A friend of mine just invited me to view an exhibit at the New York Historical Society. You're welcome to join us."
"I'm not sure. I wouldn't want to impose.
Holtzmann said, "You're not imposing. My friend Patty is a nice person and loves meeting different kinds of people. She has taught me a lot about history."
Erin asked, "Does she teach?"
"No. She works for MTA, but reads a lot of history books."
"Well, I guess I could go with you two."
..................
A few hours later, Patty arrived at the apartment. Holtzmann introduced her to Erin. The three headed to the subway and then later walked to the New York Historical Society. The exhibit was about the mafia in a New York. Erin watched as Patty enthusically took down notes on her iPhone. After viewing the exhibit, the group went to a small pizzeria for lunch. Patty had noticed Holtzmann checking out Erin earlier. When the redhead went to the bathroom, Patty decided to ask if Holtzmann had a crush on Erin.
"So, Holtzmann your new friend is pretty. I think I caught you crushing on her." Patty teased.
The blonde was embarrased and quickly said, "I don't have a crush on her."
Patty said, "Girl, it's ok to admit to having crushes."
Holtzmann replied, "I do think she is an attractive and smart woman. I don't know her orientation. But, if she is into women, I doubt she would go for someone like me. I'm not a whole woman."
Patty said, "Why do you keep putting yourself down? You're strong and beautiful. You survived a horrible ordeal."
The blonde stayed quiet. Patty wasn't the first person to encourage her to develop self-esteem. Holtzmann had tried hard to view herself as a survivor, but couldn't and to an extent viewed herself as damaged and incomplete.
Erin came out from the bathroom and took her seat next to Holtzmann.
Patty said, "I need to work the evening shift. I'm going to take a cab home and get ready for work. It was cool hanging out with you two. Good to meet you Erin."
Erin and Patty shook hands.
.............
An hour later, Erin and Holtzmann arrived back at the apartment building. While walking up, Holtzmann slipped and Erin quickly helped her up.
"Are you ok?" She asked
Holtzmann said, "Yeah, I'm ok. This happens every once in awhile with my prosthetic."
They continued onto the apartment.
As they entered, Erin said, "You seem to walk quite well on your prosthetic."
"Yeah, I do a lot better than I did back in rehab. There was a lot of falling and crying back then. Rebecca, the therapists, and the prothestists didn't give up on me and they kept working on making things better for me and I worked hard to get walking again.
Erin cooked dinner that night. It was lasagna and a salad which Holtzmann complimented her on.
Bed time came and Holtzmann headed into her bedroom instead of the couch. She did her routine of taking off her prosthetics and making the stumps were in good condition and didn't have any sores. After brushing her teeth, she climbed into bed and thought about what Patty had said earlier in the day. She eventually drifted off to sleep, but around 2 am, there was the nightmare of the roadside bomb and the memories of her screaming in pain and seeing blood and how damaged her limbs were. She was crying and screaming in her sleep. Erin heard it and decided to check on Holtzmann.
When she entered the room, she saw Holtzmann thrashing around and she decided to try and calm her down.
"Jillian, wake up. It's me."
Holtzmann jolted fully awake and found Erin comforting her and rubbing circles into her back.
Erin said, "Just calm down. You're safe here"
Holtzmann calmed down and felt safe in Erin's arms.
The redhead wondered if Holtzmann had been having a war nightmare.
When Holtzmann calmed down more she took herself out of Erin's arms and said, "Erin, please leave the room."
"Are you sure? Are you ok? I can stay here with you."
"Yes, I'm sure."
The redhead left the room and Holtzmann cried a bit. She hated her other people seeing her in that kind of condition.