Chapter Text
Nothing.
Simon felt nothing.
It was odd, not having an arm anymore. He wanted to reach out; to touch, to grab, to hold.
But he couldn't.
There was nothing there to reach out with.
No fingertips to touch the textures of the bed he sat on.
No fingers to grab or grip onto the fabric of his clothes or the blanket that sat beside him.
No hand to hold the items that sat on the bedside table or on the cart stationed beside his bed.
"I have no clue if this will work, but hey, there's a first time for everything, right Si?" Grace chirped, a nervous smile on his face as he prepared the contraption of wires and Xenonite printed shapes.
Simon only hummed, gaze lingering on the space at his side where his hand would be gripping at the edge of the bed, if he still had a hand.
Grace had told him of his past as a teacher, how before that he'd gone to school for a variety of things. A class about robotics being one of the many lessons he still had some knowledge of.
Grace had promised Simon that he'd try everything he could to make an attempt at a prosthetic for him.
Grace unplugged whatever he was working on and moved to sit beside Simon, one leg hanging off the side of the bed as he leaned against the other propped infront of him, attaching the makeshift arm to Simon, to the remnants of the arm he had.
Grace stuck some electrical sensors to parts of muscle that were left over, securing it with a strap over the shoulder and across the ribcage to keep it from falling off.
There were a lot of wires, a crude remake, but a prosthetic nonetheless.
Grace patted Simon's shoulder and offered a proud, reassuring smile.
"That should do it! Here-" Grace sprung up from the bed, gaze flickering around and his hands fidgeting a moment before he made a small 'aha' and grabbed a little figure Rocky had made off a shelf nearby, "let's try this."
He turned to Simon, walking back over to the bed and sitting beside him, offering him the lightweight figure that laid in the palm of Grace's hand. "Try picking this up."
Simon's gaze flickered to Grace's face for a moment, seeing the teacher so excited gave him some hope.
Simon's eyebrows knit together as he looked down at the small figure, a little model of a human.
He wasn't sure how to work this thing.
'Maybe if I just.. think of it as a normal arm?'
Simon closed his eyes, hesitantly acting. He imagined his arm was still there, that he was just reaching out as normal. He'd done it hundreds of times before, he could do it now.. Right?
"There you go!" Grace exclaimed, causing Simon's eyes to flick back open as his body responded with a small jump at the sudden noise. He managed to get the prosthetic to move to Grace's hand, resting over the object.
Grace was ecstatic, watching, waiting for Simon to try and grip the object and pick it up.
Simon felt a weight in his chest at the sight but continued. He tried to pick up the object but the prosthetic struggled to get a secure hold on the object, lacking any sort of grip on the smooth surface of the Xenonite contraption.
Simon shook his head.
Grace just nodded and moved to remove the prosthetic, having taken mental notes of what did or didn't work. "It's a start, that's good! I'll let Rocky know what we might have to improve with the build of it. Was it uncomfortable to wear? Too tight, too loose? We'll have to get some sort of fabric or something that creates some friction so it can hold onto things.."
Simon was silent.
Grace was too busy rambling at the moment to notice. He walked back over to the cart to hook the arm back up to his laptop, meaning to fix the code later.
Simon's mind was at a fork in the road. Yeah, he was getting a prosthetic. He should be excited, be excited that he wouldn't be without an arm forever.
Yet there was still something missing.
He couldnt feel.
Yeah he would be able to hold things, feel things, grip them in a hand.
But he'd never feel them.
And knowing that, he felt terrified.
It was already one thing to adapt to only having one arm, he already got over that fear and discomfort, fo the most part.
"Si, is something-" "Is there any way to-" They both spoke over each other, both stopped abruptly when they realized, eyes snapping together to look at each other.
"Sorry, you first, Si" Grace mumbled quickly, a hand moving to rub at the back of his neck.
Simon squinted his eyes at Grace for a moment before they moved back to the ground. His one arm rested on his knee, his thumb rubbing at his fingers.
"Is.. Is there any way to hook up sensors or something to the prosthetic?" Simon asked, his fidgeting slowing as he instead clutched his hand with a grumble and sitting up straight to look at Grace. "Or do I have to live with not being able to feel things?"
Simon's expression was serious, it was a normal question, but Grace could see the anxiety that welled in Simon at the thought of not being able to feel anything.
"I mean.. I'm sure it's possible? I-I'm not exactly sure how to do stuff like that- I'll look into it for sure- but as of right now I just.. I have no clue, Si." Grace stuttered, his words a garble of uncertainty and determination. It was hard not to get lost in the words.
Simon let out a breath and nodded, eyes falling back to the floor as he propped his arm back up on his knee, fidgeting with his hand again.
Grace felt part of his heart break at Simon's defeated look. He moved to sit beside Simon, at his side where his arm still remained.
It was quiet, the two sitting in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable, but there was an air of uncertainty for the future of things. Uncertain about the prosthetic and it's limits.
Grace took Simon's hand, snapping Simon from his drifting thoughts.
Those dark chocolate eyes meeting soft ocean blues.
Grace offered a comforting smile.
Simon's eyebrows knit together.
"We'll figure this out, Si. I promise."
"Yeah.."
Simon's gaze drifted back to his hand in Grace's. Grace squeezed his hand, trying to offer as much reassurance as he could. Simon returned Grace's hold.
"We'll figure this out."