Seventh-Inning Stretch

Seventh-Inning Stretch (5-3) is a level in Rhythm Doctor.

Seventh-Inning Stretch
"A buddy of mine taught me a few of these."
Level No.	5-3
BPM	[placeholder]
Patient(s)	Maximo "Lucky" Jonronero Miner
Pager
Pre-clear	The patient that Hailey met on the train has been admitted. He's currently using the room for daily stretches.
Post-clear	Both patients had a successful session! No new injuries. So far.
Ranks
S	you're ready for a full recovery
Act 5
← 5-2 Lo-fi Beats For Patients To Chill To 5-X Dreams Don't Stop →
"This place is great! Beats signing up for a gym membership."

The track was created by dvdfu, with references to the melody in 5-1 Lucky Break.

Synopsis

[placeholder

Transcript

[Level start]

[Lucky]	Uh. Who are you supposed to be?
[Miner]	Howdy!
[Miner]	Sorry, am I in your way? I thought this was, like, the fitness room.
[Miner]	I had a bit of a scare the other day, with some chest pain.
[Miner]	So, I've been trying to be a little more cautious about my health.
[Miner]	An old buddy of mine used to tell me, "You've only got one body! You better treat it right!"
[Miner]	I should've listened. And after getting a lil' spooked on that train ride, I figured I could at least give this hospital a visit.
[Miner]	How about you? What are you in for?
[Lucky]	Oh, uh...something about a rotator cuff. Can't use my arm.
[Lucky]	Now I'm stuck here. It sucks.
[Miner]	Hmm. How about we do a workout together?
[Miner]	That friend I mentioned showed me all kinds of stretches.
[Miner]	But before that, I wanna feel the difference in strength between your two shoulders.
[Miner]	Let's try something...
[Miner]	Hold your arm out and gimme a big thumbs up.
[Miner]	Good! Now flip it to a thumbs down if you're tired of me already.
[Miner]	I'm gonna gently cup my hands around yours.
[Miner]	You'll feel a slight push from me, but try slowly moving your arm up and down.
	[placeholder for misses and whatnot]
[Miner]	I think that's enough!
[Miner]	Now, we'll do the real thing.
[Miner]	Relax and let your mind wander. You might hear people from outside.
[Miner]	That's perfectly fine. Just clear your mind, feel the rhythm, and do the reps at your own pace.
[Miner]	Let's begin. 20 reps, now.

[After 5 reps]

	Yo. Did you see who got admitted here the other day?
	Lucky Jonronero.
	...who's that?
	Seriously? The...baseball player? On the Middlesea Scales?
	Like, one of the biggest names on the team?
	...
	All-star pitcher? And, as of this season, number one for homeruns?
	Not ringing a bell. I don't do baseball.
	Okay. Well. He's a local celebrity.
	That makes two of us!
	...not really, no.

[Phase 2]

[Lucky]	"One of the biggest names on the team"...
[Lucky]	...if that's so true, how come nobody's reached out?
[Lucky]	No phone call from Coach, no visits from my teammates, no flowers or "get well soon" card...
[Lucky]	All I got was a couple of pieces of fanmail. At least someone remembers me...
[Lucky]	What's the point of all this again?
[Miner]	It's just a little test. And yup, looks like that shoulder got real weak.
[Lucky]	If it's so weak, why don't I just work out? Pump it back into shape.
[Miner]	Ha! If you try to lift weights, your body'll topple like a stack of twigs.
[Miner]	You need some gentle tension...
[Miner]	Oh! Hold on a tick...
[Miner]	I've got some bungee cord in my bag!
[Miner]	This'll be perfect. Now, grab the cord.
[Miner]	Slowly pull it inward, without turning your body.
	[placeholder for misses and whatnot]
[Miner]	That's the exercise!
[Miner]	Easy, right? Just feel the rhythm, and let your mind wander.
[Miner]	20 more reps, now.

[After 5 reps]

	Doctor...um, if it isn't a bother...
	...would today be a good day for me to see my husband?
	I still can't find him.
	What? Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, ma'am...!
	(Ian!!! When we did the hand-off, you were supposed to move Mrs Stevenson to her husband's room!!!)
	(S-Sorry!!! I was busy. Everything was kinda falling apart, remember?)
	So sorry for the wait, follow me, we'll get you moved right away.
	Oh, thank you kindly...
	I'll make sure the nurse knows where you're staying now, and we'll move over all of your belongings.
	Will there be enough room for all of us? Even my children?
	Wait, your family is here too?
	I think she means the birds.
	Oh.
	Uh...yeah, there'll be room! We'll get the whole Stevenson family together!

[Phase 3]

[Lucky]	I wasn't expecting everyone here to be so...chatty.
[Miner]	Why not?
[Lucky]	I don't know. Every hospital visit I've ever had was all business.
[Lucky]	Get in, get out. No small-talk, no life story.
[Lucky]	Aren't we here to get patched up so we get back out to work?
	...
[Lucky]	Anyway. I know you're tryin' to help, but...I still don't really feel anything.
[Miner]	Exactly! It doesn't hurt, right?
[Lucky]	Uh...no?
[Miner]	Then you're doin' swell!
[Lucky]	Alright. I did your workout. Now what?
[Miner]	Now we rest up for a second...then we do it again!
[Lucky]	Again?!
[Miner]	Yep. The point isn't for it to be difficult...it's for you to do over and over. Like a routine.
[Lucky]	And then...I'll be back to peak performance?
[Miner]	I can't promise that. But if you keep at it...you'll get your movement back eventually.
[Miner]	Let's do another set.
[Miner]	This will be our cooldown, so let's do them slower.
[Miner]	Hold the stretch for three beats for each rep, instead of one.
	[placeholder for misses and whatnot]
[Miner]	Great job!
[Miner]	Let's end strong! 20 reps, and then we're done.

[After 5 reps]

	Knock, knock! Good morning, Mr Stevenson!
	We have a special guest for you today...
	Wha...?
	Your wife is here! She's going to be moved to this room.
	Sweetie! Ohhh, look at you, your leg...
	Stacy! There you are!
	You had me worried sick, you know.
	(The reunion! It's finally happening!)
	(Oh my god, Ian, look...she's holding his hannd so gently. Now his lip is starting to quiver...)
	(H-he's gonna cry...I can't handle it...)
	Everyone, come in here!
	Aw, now that's a precious sight. You lovebirds are back together!
	Ohmygoshhh, you two are so cute!
	Woah, the birds are flying in on their own!
	I'm sorry for worrying you. Could you find it in your heart to forgive a clumsy old oaf like me?
	In a heartbeat.
	Awwww!
	Someone go get the Intern! Where are they?
	I think they're doing some other thing, with that baseball guy.
	Really? They're missing out- oh my gosh, he's showing her the photo he kept by the bed!
	*sniffle*
	Ian's crying! Ian's actually crying for real!

[End of session]

[Miner]	Phew! Good workout.
[Miner]	I think we'll stop for the day.
[Lucky]	Are you sure? That was...short.
[Miner]	No need to push ourselves! One day at a time.
[Miner]	Great work today!

[Miner]	What do ya think? Was that too much?
[Lucky]	Somehow...I feel fine!
[Lucky]	I mean, my shoulder's still busted like hell, but...nothing we did was hurting it.
[Miner]	Great! It was a good thing we took it slow.
[Miner]	We can do it again tomorrow. Same time. As long as we don't push your body past what it's ready to handle, it shouldn't hurt.
[Lucky]	Th-thanks.
[Lucky]	Heh. I'm sure you didn't think when you woke up today that you'd be helping Lucky Jonronero with stretches, huh?
[Miner]	Haha. Sorry? Should I know you?
[Lucky]	Oh. I play for the Middlesea Scales. Play baseball, I mean. Or, at least, I used to. Before all of...this.
[Miner]	Well, Lucky, I'm glad I was able to meet another friendly face. I guess you can call me the lucky one!
[Miner]	I also met a girl named Hailey, she recommended I come here. She seemed like a ray of sunshine too.
[Miner]	Since I'm here, I might as well make the most of it and meet everyone.
[Miner]	Next time you wanna talk workouts, you know where to find me. Have a good one, Lucky!
[Lucky]	O-oh, uh...sure!

	Did you see the new guy? With the hard hat?
	Now that's a guy who does some real back-breaking labor.
	I could tell as soon as I saw him. Even just the look in his eyes. That's a weary soul.
	His skin's all worn from the sun. The way he sits...there's an air of exhaustion around him.
	Complete opposite of that computer whiz guy. With the bloodshot eyes and the delicate fingers.
	For me, the miner's a kindred spirit. I hope he enjoys the nice air-conditioning in here.

Trivia

• This is the first and only level where only one letter rank can be achieved. The player will always earn an S-rank when the level is complete, though an S- and S can still be attained if the player's timings are not precise enough for an S+.