Chapter 26

After this Friday Jess and I had more dates again. We went to bars, restaurants, movies and all kinds of other nice events. Jess and I grew closer together than ever before and we celebrated each little step in our recovery process. After about four months I had to wear the corset only during the day and after six months I was completely free from the corset from a medical point of view.

I also got my first prosthetic leg. The first few steps were weird. The pressure and the weight being transferred via the side of my leg, but I got used to it very quickly and luckily without major problems.

Jess’s repositioning of her jaws was a slow process, but it worked and turning the different screws of the RED frame made her jaws move to the correct position. The day I was released from my corset, Jess had a minor surgery to remove the pins that were running into her nose and the frame around her lower jaw. To stabilize het lower jaw a clear plastic arch bar was screwed just below her teeth into her gums.
 
Although because of the removal of the frame Jess needed another splint that not only covered her upper jaw, but also had a fixed piece keeping her lower jaw in the correct position without touching the upper jaw. It was more or less a fixed activator that had more impact on Jess’s speech than the previous biteplate had.

We still had a good contact with Susan and Dave and in the summer, Susan texted us on a Friday night that they were leaving for holiday, but that she had to show us something before they left. We had just opened a bottle of white wine, so we told them to come over.

It wasn’t long before the door bell rang and Jess rushed to open. I heard Jess exclaim: “WHAATT??”

Within moments Susan entered the balcony. When I looked at her I saw her trying to keep her mouth closed, but you could tell it was hard for her. Then she opened her mouth revealing small elegant brackets on all teeth, and a significant piece of plastic between her jaws.

“THurprithe!”, she said, showing clearly that she had scored some braces. Jess entered the balcony with a few wine glasses and after we all sat down and had a drink, Susan said slowly, so she could carefully form her words:

“Tho,   ath   you   can   thee   and   hear   I   got   thome   bratheth.   Since   the   converthation   we   had   in   the   car   on   our   way   to   Franthe,   the   bratheth   topic   kept   on   my   mind.   Of   courthe   there   wath   tho   much   going   on   after   that   trip,   that   I   didn’t   prioritithe   the   thubject.   It   wath   the   thame   time   that   Dave   and   I   got   involved   more   and   more   and   I    realithed   that   Dave   couldn’t   take   hith   eyeth   of   women   wearing   bratheth.

When   I   contacted   your   orthodontitht   to   talk   about   Chrith’th   treatment,   I   took   the   plunge   and   got   a   conthult   ath   well   to   thee   if   I   could   fullfill   my   own   dreamth,   but   altho   get   even   more   attention   from   Dave.   It   theemed   that   I   had   major   iththueth   going   on   and   that   if   not   taken   care   of,   I   would   loothe   teeth   in   the   near   future.   He   thtated   that   the   headacheth   that   I   have   regularly,   are   cauthed   by   my   bad   bite.

However   there   wath   one   problem.   Ath   a   lawyer   I   have   to   talk   a   lot,   tho   we   had   to   find   a   way   to   minimithe   the   impact   on   my   thpeech,   but   to   addrethth   the   problemth.   Therefore   I   got   a   mix   of   fixed   and   removable   bratheth.   Of   courthe   the   bracketth   are   glued   to   my   teeth   but   the   biteplate   and   lipbumper   are   not.   Only   becauthe   we   are   on   holidayth   the   next   two   weekth   I   agreed   to   wire   both   in   to   get   uthed   to   them   ath   thoon   ath   poththible.

The   Monday   after   our   holiday,   the   biteplate   and   lipbumper   will   be   unwired,   tho   I   can   remove   them   if   I   have   to   talk   a   lot,   or   to   plea   for   example,   when   it   ith   netheththary   that   I   am   underthtood   very   clearly.
Tho   now   I   am   a   real   bracefathe   for   a   couple   of   yearth”.

Both Jess and I congratulated Susan with this big step and we both saw something was bothering her. We decided not to push Susan to her limits, so Jess asked: “And Dave, what do you think of thuthan’th bratheth?”

Putting his glass down, Dave said: “I think they are cute and to be honest, I think she is sexy as hell with these braces, especially when she puts in her head….” At that moment Dave realized he said something that he might not have said and got red from embarrassment. Susan got ever redder. Thankfully Susan composed herself quickly and said: “gear.”

“Yeth,   I   have   to   wear   headgear   ath   well   to   prevent   my   withdom   teeth   to   do   any   more   damage.   I   guethth   I   thhouldn’t   be   athhamed   of   headgear   in   front   of   you   two,   knowing   what   you   went   through.”

Susan took her glass and sipped her wine. When she put her glass down she said: “Okay,   I   know   what   you   want…   I’ll   put   it   in.”

Susan grabbed her purse and took out a small blue pouch that contained a facebow and a neckstrap. She then carefully put the ends of the facebow in the tubes on her molars. Next she took the neckstrap and connected one side to the facebow. With her left hand she got her hair out of the way and with her right hand she connected the strap at the other end of the facebow.

“And, what   do   you   think?” she said.

Before Jess or I could say anything, Dave put his hand in Susan’s neck, pulled her close and gave her a deep and long kiss. When they finally broke apart I smiled and said: “I think Dave said it all.”