Will met with Dr. Zuroli twice a week from then on, and the exercises and movements continued to consist of Dr. Zuroli assisting Will in moving his arm and fingers to stimulate healing and growth within the arm. They would work with both the palm up or down, and the elbow raised, first halfway up for several repetitions and then eventually with the hand going all the way to the shoulder for several slow repetitions. At first, the doctor would only go as far as the movement would allow without any resistance from the arm. He knew that the muscles and ligaments in the arm had atrophied, and needed to regain some flexibility and strength, even though someone else was causing the movement. Working them too hard, he told Will, would cause more damage than good. Slow and steady was the best possible option in this situation.
On a Friday afternoon, about six weeks after their first meeting, Dr. Zuroli hurried into the store when Will was working. He was waving a letter in his hand. “Will, it finally arrived!”
“What’s finally arrived, Doctor?” Will stood up straight from opening a box of supplies on the floor. He clapped his hand back and forth on his pants to remove the dust.
“The letter from Dr. Gabel in New York! I just got it in the mail. I ran right over here. I haven’t opened it. Should I read it or do you want to read it?”
“You read it, Doc. I am kind of dirty,” Will answered, wiping his hand on a towel stashed behind the counter. “And I’m far too nervous. You read it. You’ll bring luck, I know it.”
The doctor pulled the letter out, unfolded it, and held it up in front of him. “Dear Dr. Zuroli,” he read, “I received your glowing and detailed letter regarding your patient, Will Austin. If Mr. Austin is willing to make the long trip to New York City to see me, I would be happy to meet with him in my office and see what I can do to improve the use of his arm. I look forward to your reply, and setting up our first appointment. Dr. Daniel Gabel, New York City.” He looked at Will, his eyes wide.
“That’s wonderful news, Doc. I thought for sure he wouldn’t take me. I know he’s –”
“Will, of course he would like to see you!” the doctor interrupted. “Especially after the wonderful letter I wrote. I bet he’s very eager to see you.”
Will hesitated. It seemed as if everything was happening so quickly, and it was all too good to be true. Could he really trust that it would be this smooth? “What did you tell him about me, Doc? I hope it was all the truth.” He was still shy about discussing his injury, especially with a complete stranger, though the stranger was a highly skilled doctor. He was growing more comfortable with Dr. Zuroli, but the discussion still made him uneasy. His instincts told him that no one else should know that he was disabled. Even in the safety of Boston.
“Of course it was. Will, you still don’t understand what a walking miracle you are! Even after just six weeks working with me, you’ve started to re-gain the use of your fingertips, right? You remember the other day in the office, when you saw your finger tips move, even if it was just a little? They did move, right?”
Will nodded, remembering how his heart had jumped at that moment. “Yes, they did move, even just a little, and it happened again this morning when I was practicing with Aunt Elisia. I don’t think she saw it, and I didn’t say anything just in case I was imagining it.”
“Don’t you know what that means? It means that even after a highly traumatic injury such as yours, and not being used for quite some time, the body is still able to heal itself and work again! It means that the human body is as wonderful as we had hoped, we just didn’t have the proof in the past. Now we do! With the use of these exercises and movements and the power of a very determined person such as yourself, it can be done!”
Will laughed. “I don’t think I want to be a walking miracle, Doc. I would be happy with being able to fire a gun again as accurately as I did before.”
The doctor laughed. “Will, I don’t think that will be a problem.”
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