Wild Fiction

‘We need to make sure you’re not concussed,’ Conrad said. ‘The first test is motor-skill and then we’ll do one of co-ordination.’
‘Are you qualified to do this?’ she asked raising her eyebrows.
‘This isn’t a medical test,’ James butted in. ‘We’re trying to establish if you need to be taken to the doctor. It sounded like you took a nasty knock upstairs. Now put your finger on your nose and walk in a straight line with one foot behind the other until you get to that rose bush.’
‘Which one?’
James hesitated. ‘There’s only one rose bush over there,’ he said pointing at the rose bush with a solitary yellow rose at its apex standing fifteen feet in front of her.
‘Oh yes,’ she said placing her finger on her nose. Putting one foot behind the other and holding her free arm out to the side she walked towards the bush. She had only taken three steps when she wavered and stopped to regain her balance. She took another step, and then one more, before faltering again. This time she lost her balance and fell off the imaginary line and stumble on the grass.
‘Damn, I was doing so well,’ she said.
Conrad and James glanced at each other.
‘A lot of people struggle with that,’ Conrad took on an authoritative voice. ‘Let’s try something a little more representative. Try standing on one leg and balancing.’
Rebecca picked up one leg and held her arms out to the sides and stared straight ahead. Within a second she leant over to one side and then to the other. With arms flailing about she was forced to put her leg down to stop herself from falling. James walked over to Conrad and spoke quietly to him. Rebecca felt her face flush red. She did not like to be talked about, even if it was by friends that were trying to help her. She folded her arms across her chest and pushing her hip out rested on one leg and fixed a rigid look at the two boys.
‘All right?’ Conrad said smiling at her. ‘I know what we can do. Get down onto your hands and knees and crawl across the lawn to that tap.’
‘I’m not crawling across the lawn,’ she looked like she meant what she said.
‘Please, this is the last thing,’ James promised her. ‘Do this and we won’t make you do anything else.’
She stood still for a while; her arms still folded across her chest. The colour in her cheeks had returned to their familiar soft tan. ‘This is the absolute final thing I do before I self certify myself to be in perfect health.’