Here it is; the first chapter of the prequel to "To Live Again". It is inspired by what my boyfriend have told be about his own recovery and rehab after a skiing accident six years ago. As you might have guessed Auggie's injury and disability is based on my boyfriend. He read through this chapter and gave me the thumbs up to go ahead and publish it. Said I captured what he described about his emotions and the struggles he faced well. (Although he didn't deal with estrangement from his family. That's my storyline.)

Thanks for the help Martin. Love you babe! XOXO

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Annie, Auggie or any other character borrowed from Covert Affairs. Just my storyline and the characters I've added to it.


-Chapter 1-

"Come on Auggie, you know you wanna come with us," Matt Anderson insisted. "Conditions are perfect ya know. Several feet of powder. You really don't wanna miss this opportunity."

Auggie sighed. His brothers had been trying to persuade him to go off-piste skiing with them, but he was hesitant. It was unfamiliar terrain and he felt it was an unnecessary risk.

"It's not safe Matt," he repeated, for what felt like the millionth time that afternoon.

"According to the guys that tipped me off it's perfectly safe. They're locals Aug, they know what they're talking about."

"How'd you know that?"

"Sheesh bro…" Josh sighed. He was about to lose his patience with his youngest brother. "Live a little, will you?"

Auggie had another long swig of his beer and thought about it for a moment; he was tempted. He loved off-piste skiing and he after another swig of beer he concluded that if a local said it was safe he'd trust that.

"Okay you win. Happy?"

"Awesome Augs!" Matt exclaimed happily. "Well, we'd better call it a night and we'll meet by the lift at seven, okay?"

Josh and Auggie agreed and they settled their bar tab and headed upstairs to their rooms.

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

The next morning they'd made their way to the top of the hill and Auggie looked down the snow-covered mountainside. It looked perfect; pristine powdery snow glistened in the morning sun.

"Okay guys, ready?" Matt asked.

"Let's do this!" Josh exclaimed.

"On three?" Auggie asked. Now the he was on top of the hill he was actually excited about it. His brothers agreed, Auggie counted to three and they set off down the hill. A broad grin spread across Auggie's face and he let out a whoop of pure joy as adrenalin cursed through his body. His bliss lasted for a few more minutes before everything went wrong. He felt himself hitting something, flying in the air and landing. When he landed he felt crack in his lower back and he immediately knew that this wasn't good. The pain in his back was unbearable and when he realized he couldn't really feel his legs he started to freak out. The next few hours were a blur; the ski patrol arrived and fitted him with a collar around his neck and strapped him to a backboard, before they took him cautiously down the mountainside to a waiting chopper. When they arrived at the hospital in Denver he was submitted to a battery of tests. He welcomed the painkillers and anti anxiety medications they offered and succumbed to sleep.


Some days later he was settled into a private room and the verdict was in; he'd sustained fractures in a couple of vertebras in his lower back and his spinal cord was injured. He would probably never walk unaided again and he had months of recovery and rehab ahead of him. His whole life felt like a nightmare; like he was falling into a dark, bottomless pit with nothing to pull him back up. All because he'd let his reckless brothers convince him to come skiing with them. A tear rolled down his cheek as he struggled to find a comfortable position in bed. An orthotist had fitted him with a rigid back brace to stabilize his back while the fractured vertebras healed and make sure his spine didn't get further injuries. Finding a comfortable position with his upper body encased in a hard plastic shell from his armpits and down to his hips proved to be virtually impossible and he made a mental note to ask the nurse for something to help him sleep when it was time for that.

Auggie's mind wandered back to the conversation he'd had with his doctor a few hours earlier; the man had had the gall to suggest that he was lucky that his injuries weren't worse; once his back was healed he'd have full use of his upper body; his bowl and bladder functioned as normal and he should be able to be a father in the future. He also still had some control of the muscles in his legs, as well as some sensation. The doctor had said that if the injury had been a bit farther up in his back and complete he'd be looking at a far worse scenario. Auggie struggled to see anything positive about the situation and he was deeply immersed in his self-indulgent pity party when there was a knock on his door. He quickly wiped the tears from his cheeks and straightened up in bed to the best of his ability.

"Who's there?" He was surprised at how gruff his voice sounded. The door cracked open and his mother entered; followed by his father, Matt and Josh.

"Auggie, how are you doing?" Carol Anderson's voice was laced with worry and she quickly made her way across the room and grasped Auggie's hand.

"What do you think Mom? I'm just peachy! Because I let those two idiots," he pointed to Matt and Josh with his free hand, "persuade me to go skiing in unfamiliar terrain I'll never walk again."

"Auggie…" his mother said in her soothing Mom tone, stroking his cheek. He swatted her hand away.

"Don't 'Auggie' me like that. This isn't a minor scratch that'll go away if you kiss it; this is permanent and life altering. My life will never be the same again. You know what? You can all get the hell out of here and leave me alone."

"Honey, I understand that you're upset and this is a lot to take in and process, but you'll need us to support you through the coming few months."

"I've managed on my own since I left for college and I'll manage now. Get out. Now."

"Auggie," his dad approached the bed and tried to calm him down.

"I mean it. Leave or I'll call for a nurse and have you kicked out."

His parents sighed and realized they wouldn't get anywhere with Auggie in his current state of mind. Carol kissed him on the forehead and his dad patted his shoulder before they left. As soon as the door snapped shut behind them tears started flowing down Auggie's cheeks and if he'd been able to he would've curled into a ball in bed.


Later that evening he'd told the nurse that he didn't want any visitors. Not even his family was to be allowed to see him. She'd tried to argue that he needed their support, but he didn't budge. She'd given him something to help him sleep and helped him to find a position to sleep in that wasn't completely uncomfortable. The following morning an orderly brought him a tray of breakfast and helped him adjust the bed so he was sitting as upright as possible; to make it easier for him to eat. He was surprised that he actually felt hungry and polished off the scrambled eggs, toast and yoghurt on the tray. As he finished eating a nurse came in and informed him that his mother was in the waiting area, wanting to see him. Auggie refused. He just couldn't face any of his family at the moment. The nurse sighed, took the tray that had held his breakfast and left the room. An hour later an orderly came into his room with his bag and informed him that his mother had brought his skis and other gear with her back to Illinois and his family were going home that afternoon. Suddenly something dawned on Auggie; he hadn't informed his employer back in DC about what had happened and he doubted that anyone else had done it. He'd had his cell phone in the inner pocket of his parka and he had no idea where it had ended up. The only thing he was sure of was that the battery was probably dead by now. He pushed the call button and shortly after a nurse entered the room.

"What can I do for you Mr. Anderson?"

"It's Auggie, please. I was wondering if you've got my cell phone? It was in the inside pocket of the jacket I was wearing when the accident happened."

"I'll go check. We usually bag all the clothes you wore when you were admitted, so it should be in the storage room"

"Thanks." Auggie managed a weak smile.

"No problem. If there's anything we can do for you, just ask. We're here to make sure you're at comfortable as possible."

A little while later the nurse returned with his cellphone. As predicted it was dead.

"Could please you see if you can find the charger in my bag?"

After a short search the nurse found the charger in one of the outside pockets and helped Auggie plug it into an outlet and placed it on his nightstand so he could reach it easily.

"Thanks. That's great."

"No problem. Anything else you need?"

"If you could get me something to drink it would be great."

"Sure. Water okay? Or do you want something else?"

"Water is great," Auggie assured her with a small smile.

"Water it is," she said as she left the room. "Just call if you need anything."

A few minutes later an orderly brought him a pitcher of ice water and a plastic cup with a straw in it. It was a bit cumbersome to pour water from the pitcher, but after a bit of struggling he managed to fill half a glass. Because of his reclined position he was grateful for the straw – he doubted that he'd be able to drink normally without getting himself wet.


He'd somehow drifted off to a slumber and the orderly bringing his lunch woke him up. As he ate his lunch he figured that at least he'd killed a few hours; Auggie was restless by nature and being stuck in a bed for the fifth day in a row was starting to get to him. After he'd eaten most of the meal that had been brought to him he pushed it aside and reached for his cellphone. It was fully charged and he turned it on. After Auggie entered his pin code the messages started coming in. He had several text messages and VoiceMails waiting for him. His boss had obviously been trying to get a hold of him. It didn't surprise Auggie; he should've returned to work several days earlier. He took a deep breath and dialed Arthur Campbell's number. He answered on the third ring.

"Campbell."

"Mr. Campbell, it's Auggie Anderson."

"Anderson! Where the hell are you? You were supposed to return to work on Monday and we've been trying to get a hold of you for days. Care to explain?"

"Long story…" Auggie sighed. He didn't really know what to say or where to start.

"Well, I haven't got all day, so please share."

"I'm in a hospital in Denver; I've been here since Sunday morning."

"What happened? When will you be back?"

"I went off-piste skiing with my brothers and hit a rock. I've fractured a couple of vertebras and sustained an injury to my spinal cord. I have no idea when I'll be able to come back to work. I'm sorry I haven't called you earlier; it's been the last thing on my mind."

"Spinal cord injury? You're paralyzed?"

"Not completely, but the doctors don't think I'll ever be able to walk unaided again."

"Oh my… I'm so sorry to hear that Auggie," Arthur sounded shocked. Then he pulled himself together. "Well, it's a good thing you don't need working legs to be a software engineer. Have the hospital send the necessary paperwork to HR and we'll place you on medical leave. I expect you to keep in touch and let me know what's going on at least once a week. Can you manage that?"

Auggie was shocked. He'd expected Arthur to offer him a severance package and let him go. That he was so understanding came as a total surprise to him.

"Really…you're not letting me go?"

"Why would I let you go? You're one of our best junior developers, you've been reliable and you work hard. I want you back when you're ready."

"Thank you Mr. Campbell. I really appreciate it."

"Focus on your recovery and if you need anything don't hesitate to contact us; we'll do whatever we can to help you."

"Thanks again. I'll have the doctor sort out the paperwork and send it to HR as soon as possible."

"Great. I've got to get to a meeting, so I've got to go. Keep me posted."

"Will do." Arthur ended the call.

Auggie was in a daze as he rested his phone on his thigh; he still had a job and even better, the support of his employer. "One less thing to worry about," he thought. He had no idea how long he'd be at the hospital in Denver or where he'd go next. He knew he had a long road ahead of him, and he decided to take it one step at a time, metaphorically speaking of course.


That's the first chapter. The second one is in the works and I've pretty much got the whole story outlined.

Please leave me a review and let me know what you think.