A Broken Man by Brooklyn Wilde Page A

took Ethan’s breath away.
    Bradley set the prosthetics to the side, still clad in sneakers and white athletic socks. Sarah handed over the running leg, and he fitted it onto his left stump. Compared to the standard prosthetics, the running blade looked sleek and futuristic, like something out of a sci-fi movie. Bradley pulled the other blade from its box and placed it onto his right stump. In an instant, he was up onto the blades, bouncing and feeling them out. Ethan couldn’t believe how quickly the kid adapted to the new limbs.
    Sarah probed around the base, checking the fit. “How do they feel? Any pinching?”
    “Nope. They feel good.”
    She demonstrated the proper motion and checked Bradley’s form while he took a few practice steps.
    “All right.” She gave the kid a conspiratorial glance. “Let’s do this.”
    With that, the two of them took off through the aisles. The jog turned into a run when they took the corner, and reached a full-blown sprint by the time they made their first lap. Ethan felt like he was watching a bird take flight for the first time. The boy’s movements were awkward at first, but quickly turned graceful, effortless. Sarah jokingly put a hand on his chest and pushed herself ahead, which only spurred him on.
    “Really push off and throw your weight into it.” She was running as hard as she could, and the words came out in a short staccato between breaths.
    Bradley took to the running legs like a duck to water, and he was pulling away from her with every step. She finally gave in and slowed to a stop. She was breathing heavily by the time she made her way back over to Ethan. Bradley ran another full lap before bringing it home. He spread his arms open for a hug, but misjudged the distance and wound up tackling Sarah to the ground. The two of them collapsed into a heap, laughing hysterically. They could have been brother and sister. Ethan couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed like that, and he didn’t think he ever would again.
    “A little rough on the landing, but not bad for your first time out.” Sarah gave Bradley a push, and he bounded upright. He was already stuffing his everyday legs, calves first, back into his backpack by the time Sarah managed to get herself up off the floor. The sneakered feet stuck comically out of the unzipped compartment.
    “I’ve gotta go,” he said. “I’m meeting my friends at the park to show these babies off. Think I’ll be good enough for the track team next year?”
    “No question.”
    Bradley nodded in Ethan’s general direction and turned to leave. The bells clanged just as hard when Bradley hit the door on his way out as they had when he came in. Sarah was still smiling when she turned her attention back to Ethan, who was eyeing her curiously.
    “Did you plan that?” he asked.
    “What?”
    “Did you ask him to stop by here?”
    “No, why would I do that?”
    “To make me feel like an asshole.”
    That earned a round of laughter from Sarah, and for the first time, Ethan realized how pretty she was. Her cheeks were flushed from the exercise, and a few strands of hair had fallen from her ponytail and hung loose about her face. She collapsed into the chair in front of him.
    “No,” she said when she finally caught her breath. “But I should have.”
    “He’s a real pity-party pooper.”
    “That he is.”
    “What happened to him anyway?”
    “Nothing. Bradley was born without any legs. Can’t miss something you never had.”
    “You’re good with kids. You treat him like he’s a grown-up.”
    “Well, sometimes kids can be very grown-up, and sometimes adults can be big old babies.” She looked pointedly at him.
    “Touché. I guess I don’t have it as bad as I thought.”
    “Tell me, what exactly did the doctors say?”
    Ethan leaned back in his wheelchair and stared down at his lifeless lower half. “That even though my spinal cord wasn’t severed, I’ll probably never walk again. They said I’m lucky to