The Running Dream

That afternoon, Jessica’s mother takes her to get her leg. Jessica worries that she won’t be able to figure out how to make it work. But at Hank’s office, Chloe quickly quiets those fears with her positive attitude and her reassurance that all will work out fine. In the patient room, Hank begins to fit Jessica for her prosthetic, which at this stage is a pipe with two metal connectors, one at the foot and one attached to the socket. Jessica is worried that the leg is too long, but Hank tells her that feeling is normal and will pass with time.

When the leg is connected to her body, Jessica feels her “brain […] sighing with relief. Oh, there it is!” (181). She is happy that it feels like her foot is back, as her brain is “still wired to your having a foot” (181), according to Hank. With Hank’s encouragement, Jessica stands up and, holding onto a rail, rocks back and forth, then takes her first step. Under her mother’s hopeful and anxious gaze, Jessica lets go of the rail and walks on her own.