Arkady has dedicated his life to the world of ballet. He is known as the bad boy of the dance world, and is an ever rising star. Then he gets injured in what is at first thought to be a tragic accident but turns out to be so much worse. He's lost ballet, and his life feels unbalanced. A friendship with his no-nonsense physical therapist starts him on a new path. He has her friendship, a more honest relationship with his parents, his beloved dog Lou and, for the first time, maybe love in the form of an artist with a disability of his own. But the past isn't done with him yet.

Rise Again

Arkady buzzes, and after only a moment, a nurse appears. She’s older, plump, and pretty, perfect makeup, the kind of girl his mother Veronika would have liked him to bring home, maybe still would. They don’t talk about his sexuality much, or her hopes for his future beyond his job, but then, his job had always come first with his parents. Born to be a star, was what they always said.


“Oh goodness. You’re awake. I thought maybe the buzzer went off by mistake. You’ve been asleep quite a while, young man.” She smiles and comes over and starts checking things.


“What happened?” Arkady asks. His head feels heavy and really painful, worse than a hangover, and when he raises his hand to his head, instead of feeling his messy black hair he feels bandages.


“You don’t remember?” she asks, looking concerned.


Chapter 3