The Running Dream

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2011

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Part 3, Chapters 16-18Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 3, Chapter 16 Summary

That afternoon, Jessica’s mother takes her to get her leg. Jessica worries that she won’t be able to figure out how to make it work. But at Hank’s office, Chloe quickly quiets those fears with her positive attitude and her reassurance that all will work out fine. In the patient room, Hank begins to fit Jessica for her prosthetic, which at this stage is a pipe with two metal connectors, one at the foot and one attached to the socket. Jessica is worried that the leg is too long, but Hank tells her that feeling is normal and will pass with time.

When the leg is connected to her body, Jessica feels her “brain […] sighing with relief. Oh, there it is!” (181). She is happy that it feels like her foot is back, as her brain is “still wired to your having a foot” (181), according to Hank. With Hank’s encouragement, Jessica stands up and, holding onto a rail, rocks back and forth, then takes her first step. Under her mother’s hopeful and anxious gaze, Jessica lets go of the rail and walks on her own.

Part 3, Chapter 17 Summary

After a few more adjustments, Jessica walks out of the clinic with a cane. Her mother takes her to a sporting goods store to purchase some warm-up pants with zippers that run down the side of the legs. At home, Jessica’s father and sister are happy for her, and when Fiona stops by, she’s amazed at how well Jessica is moving around. Once Jessica shows her that the leg is just a pipe, Fiona becomes disappointed. But Jessica explains that the pipe leg is temporary until her leg is done changing and a permanent prosthetic is ordered. Fiona then insists that Jessica show up at the team’s car wash the next day, and her excitement is so infectious that Jessica says she will be there.

Part 3, Chapter 18 Summary

Although she feels “like an imposter” (186), Jessica puts on her track uniform and goes to the car wash. Her father, who drives her there, is amazed when he sees the large “HELP JESSICA RUN!” (187) sign, the balloons, the bake sale tables, and the number of runners washing cars. Jessica remarks that she is lucky, and her father, who did not realize the extent to which her teammates had worked to pull the event off, says, “Luckier than I knew” (187). He offers to help her out of the car, but she cheerily grabs her cane and steps down by herself.

Part 3, Chapters 16-18 Analysis

In these chapters, Jessica finally gets her initial leg prosthetic. After a series of measurements and tests by Hank, Jessica gets the go-ahead to try to walk. Her first steps on her own bring tears to her eyes. Her family and Fiona are thrilled at how happy Jessica is now that she can walk again, although Fiona is unhappy that the leg is just a pipe. Her attitude changes once Jessica explains that her permanent prosthetic will look more like a leg, but she can’t get that leg until she stops growing.

Fiona encourages Jessica to attend the track team’s car wash and bake sale the next day. Jessica goes but feels like a fake when she puts on her track uniform. That feeling disappears when she sees the extent her teammates have gone to put on the fundraiser. Even Jessica’s father is surprised at the turnout.