‘Little’ got a toe hold on the mat, and suddenly he was running in the direction he was being swung, both feet on the floor. In an instant he was sprinting faster than the big man was turning, now pulling his opponent along. The tables had been turned.
© A Sunderland 2011
‘Little’ span half circle, twisting the big man’s hands over each other, pulling him forward and off-balance. He threw his butt back hard, just below the giant’s groin, knocking the legs out from under him.
‘Little’ bent forward and tugged with all his might. Whoosh! The big guy went sailing over his head.
Cindy winced as the thud reverberated around the hall. It was always good to see the big guys take a fall. When the blow for fairness came from an unexpected quarter it was even more satisfying. The incident when the sheepdog had accidentally released the tractor handbrake and left the farmer trapped against the wall overnight had brightened up Cindy’s schooldays.
She heard a gasp behind her and turned round to see Li there, hand over her mouth. Cindy said, “I hadn’t heard you come in, Lieutenant.”
Li saluted, “you wanted to see me, Doctor.”
“No need for the formalities,” Cindy smiled and waved away Li’s salute. “Yes, I did. This is one of the rehabilitation sessions for transplant and orthopedic patients.”
Cindy laughed at the shocked look on Li’s face. “Don’t worry. They won’t ask you to do any fighting, unless you want to.”
No, no!” Li shook her head emphatically. “Why are these people practicing martial arts if I am not expected to learn how to fight?”
“Some of them want to go back to being combat troops, and a few actually want to join up because this is the first time they’ve ever felt strong enough to be in the front line.”
“Why would they risk getting injured again, or even losing their lives?”
“Did you think about that question for even a moment before you charged onboard the Endeavor?” Cindy smiled.
“No,” Li shook her head, “no, I did not.”
Cindy turned to her right and gestured Li to walk with her. She said, “we’ve got the science and techniques to repair just about any damage to the human body, but getting the brain to understand that everything is mended and functioning one hundred percent is our biggest stumbling block.”
She pointed down to a boxing ring. A seventeen stone muscle mountain was cowering against the ropes. Cindy said, “The pain and the trauma are still very real for a lot of people. Their minds will do just about anything to prevent a reoccurrence of the injuries or disabilities.”
She turned to walk on again and said, wistfully, “medical science has rebuilt their shattered lives but the tragedy is that deep down, a part of them cannot accept it,” she shook her head, “will not accept that the wounds have been healed and the barriers removed. That is heartbreaking.”
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