I've been really busy lately. Work has been crazy and what I thought would be a quiet days alone where I'd have time to write ended up being Martin & me time (which I'm not really complaining about). Today I finally managed to finish this chapter. It took a bit of a left turn midway which means my original plan for just one or two more chapters might be changing.

I've seen some CA season 4 spoilers and boy does it look like we're in for the best season yet! July 16th can't come fast enough!

Thanks to Martin for helping me and looking this over - always appreciate your help babe! :o)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Auggie or any other character I've borrowed from Covert Affairs. Just my universe and the characters I've created.

-Chapter 7-

Auggie had been out of the rehab center for about a week and so far he thought things were going pretty well. Arthur Campbell hadn't exaggerated when he said they were swamped at Murphy and when Auggie logged into his email the first morning he started working again he'd been slightly overwhelmed with the contents. He'd spent the better part of the morning printing project descriptions and sorting through everything to get grip on things before a videoconference with Arthur and his closest supervisor. He hadn't felt less overwhelmed when they'd ended the conference, but he had a better understanding of the projects and what needed to be done. Since he didn't have much else to keep him occupied Auggie had ended up spending close to 12 hours a day in his home office the first week and he'd made great progress on his projects. When he went to bed just before midnight on Thursday he felt confident about the end of the week videoconference he had scheduled with Arhtur and the team he was working with the following morning.

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When he woke up Friday morning Auggie felt more relaxed and rested than he had in a while until he looked at his alarm clock; it was 8:35 am. He'd overslept and it was only 25 minutes until the videoconference. He quickly got out of bed and hurried into the bathroom to brush his teeth, shave and brush his hair. There was no time for a shower. When he finished pulling on a clean pair of boxers fifteen minutes later Auggie realized he didn't have time to pull on a pair of jeans; even though it had gotten easier as time had gone by and he'd practiced it still took him several minutes. He quickly decided that his lower body would be disguised by the desk and pulled a gray dress shirt from the hanger and put it on. At 8:52 he logged onto his computer and soon the conference started. Things went well and Auggie felt pretty happy about how he'd managed to get ready in time. Until he realized that the thumb drive with the most recent project data was sitting on the second desk and he'd have to push away from his desk and reveal his lack of pants to retrieve it. While the rest of the team seemed to be pretty engrossed in a report from one of the other developers Auggie seized the opportunity to get the drive and he was relieved that no one had seemed to notice. When it was his turn he gave his report and he was satisfied with the feedback he got from his supervisor; it wasn't all positive, but it was constructive and would help him move on with the project. After everyone had left the conference room it was Arthur and Auggie left.

"You've done some good work this week Auggie. I have to admit I wasn't thrilled with the prospect of you working from home, I didn't think you'd be very effective, but my fears have been unfounded."

"Thanks Arthur, I'm doing my best. It's been a bit of a struggle to get my brain back into work mode. It haven't exactly been my main focus lately."

"I know and that's understandable. I'm just pleased you've been able to get back into things so quickly. How does it feel to be done with your rehab?"

"It's good. I was ready to get out of there and get on with my life."

"Good to hear it. Have a nice weekend and we'll talk again next week."

"Thanks Arthur. Say hi to Joan and have a nice weekend too."

"Will do. Oh and Anderson, put on some pants the next time, okay?"

Before Auggie could say anything Arthur disappeared from the screen. Auggie felt his face go red and with a deep sigh he released the brakes on is wheelchair and headed into the bedroom to put on a pair of jeans. Apparently he hadn't been as stealthy as he hoped.

When Arthur had allowed him to work from home Auggie had made a conscious decision to not work at all Saturday and Sunday. Working long days Monday through Friday would have to do and he wanted the weekends to be his time. When Auggie logged off his computer the first Friday afternoon after five in the afternoon the he had no clear idea of what he should fill his weekend with. The previous weekend he'd kept himself busy with getting settled into the house, but now he had two full days ahead with nothing specific to fill them with. That he still didn't have a car limited his options severely. He'd mostly stayed in the house since his discharge from the rehab center, apart from a much-needed trip to the supermarket. The whole experience had been pretty frustrating because he could only purchase whatever would fit in the backpack on the back of his wheelchair and in his lap. It meant he'd only been able to get a small selection of groceries, so he'd had quite a few meals delivered over the past week. He figured the upside was that he got to know the restaurants in his area that delivered, and since his kitchen was more of a pain in the ass to cook in than he'd anticipated he didn't mind not cooking that much. He really hoped his car would be ready the coming week as promised, because he missed being able to drive and he knew it would add a new layer of independence to his life.

When Auggie woke up Saturday morning he just lay in bed for a while, contemplating what to fill the day with. Part of him was tempted to just pull on a pair of sweats and watch TV all day, but part of him realized he couldn't spend the rest of his life in his house and that he needed to suck it up and venture out into the 'real world'. With a sigh he sat up in bed, pulled the covers back and lifted his legs over the edge of the bed. Just as he god ready to transfer to his wheelchair his landline phone rang. He grabbed the handset on his nightstand and answered the call without checking the caller-ID.

"It's Auggie."

"Hi Auggie…it's so good to hear your voice…"

"Mom, hi…how'd you get my number?" Auggie hadn't given any of his family his new landline number.

"It's listed honey. Since you haven't been answering your cell I looked it up."

"Oh…" Auggie was mentally kicking himself for not getting an unlisted number. He wasn't sure he was ready to deal with his family yet.

"How are you doing? You're done with rehab, right? And you got a new place to live?"

"I'm okay. Finished rehab a week ago, started working again on Monday. I bought a house in Tysons Corner, it's single level and wheelchair accessible."

"Oh, right…um…that sounds…eh…great Auggie…" his mother managed to sputter out, clearly flustered.

"It is," Auggie said quietly. He didn't really know what to say or how to respond. He didn't really feel ready to get back in touch with his family yet. "I've gotta go Mom. Thanks for calling. Love you." Before his mother could say anything else Auggie ended the call. He replaced the handset in the cradle on his nightstand and flopped back on the bed. Part of him felt horrible for hanging up on his mother like that, but he just wasn't ready to let her or the rest of his family into his life again.

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After lying on his bed for another half hour Auggie decided it was time to get up. He sat up and finished the transfer to his wheelchair and headed into the bathroom. Half an hour later he came out of the bathroom with a towel draped around his waist and he headed over to the closet. He quickly grabbed a pair of soft, worn jeans, a grey Henley shirt and clean underwear and socks. The whole process of pulling on boxers and jeans was frustrating and took him several minutes. "Stop it Auggie," he berated himself. "It's going to be this way for the rest of your life and you might as well get used to it." After he finished pulling on the jeans he quickly pulled the shirt over his head and put the socks on his feet before he wheeled over to the shoe rack and grabbed a pair of sneakers and put them on. It was a reasonably warm late summer day and Auggie decided he didn't need a jacket. He stopped in front of the full-length mirror in his hallway on his way to the front door. It still felt a bit strange to see himself in a wheelchair, but he'd gotten used to it and he looked way better than the first time he'd seen himself in the hospital elevator not long after he was injured. He realized that his upper body had probably never been in better shape.

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Auggie felt a weird knot in his stomach as he entered the mall in Tysons Corner. He noticed that some people stared at him as he made his way through the mall. He didn't really have a big goal for his shopping trip, but he could use some new dress slacks and shirts for when he was going back to the office. He decided to go into Macy's and the experience was less awkward than he'd anticipated. They had couple of spacious accessible dressing rooms and the salesperson that helped him was friendly and professional.

Auggie felt pleased with himself when he left the store with two pairs of dress slacks, three shirts, a belt and a couple of t-shirts half an hour later. His stomach growled and he realized he'd skipped breakfast. It was getting close to noon and he figured he should get something to eat. A pizza place a bit further down the hallway caught his eye and a few minutes later a waitress had shown him to a table.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" she asked as she set a menu on the table in front of him.

"A glass of iced tea please." Auggie flashed her a bright smile.

"I'll be right back."

A few minutes later she returned with his drink and took his order for a barbecue chicken pizza. It turned out to be the best pizza Auggie had ever eaten. He ate the whole thing and was wiping his mouth with a napkin when the waitress reappeared.

"I was going to ask if you liked it, but I guess your empty plate answers that question," she said with a smile as she grabbed Auggie's plate.

"Best pizza I've ever had," he replied with a smile.

"Can I get you anything else? Our Tiramisu is awesome."

"I bet it is, but I don't think there's room for that in my stomach. I'll try it the next time I'm here."

"You live in the area?"

"Just moved into a house about 10 minutes down the road."

"Well, if you want some tips from a local, feel free to ask. I've lived here my whole life and know the area like the back of my hand."

"I might take you up on that."

"Well, the lunch rush it about to start. Can I get you anything else?"

"Just the check, thanks."

She returned with the check and when Auggie opened the folder he also found a small note with "Keely, 555-1203" written on it. He quickly calculated a generous tip and pulled out the cash from his wallet. He fingered a business card, contemplating whether he should leave it there or not. "Well, what do I have to lose?" he thought as he circled his cell number and put it on top of the cash. He snatched the note with her number and put it in his walled before he closed the folder and put it in his lap. Keely was standing by the hostess station and he wheeled up to her and handed her the folder.

"Thanks for a great meal Keely. I'll see you around," he said with a smile.

"My pleasure," she said as she returned the smile.

Wednesday the following week Auggie blocked off his schedule after lunch and headed to the Toyota dealer in Reston to pick up his car. He'd been incredibly relieved when they'd called Monday afternoon to tell him his Prius would be ready for pickup after noon on Wednesday. A small part of him had wished for the car to be delayed even further, so he wouldn't have to start working at the offices. He liked working from home more than he'd imagined. He avoided the hassle of commuting and he didn't have to deal with awkward co-workers.

Getting his car went smoothly; he signed the paperwork and the dealer handed over the keys. Auggie couldn't suppress a smile as he approached the car. Sure, the Prius wasn't his first choice of car and the permanent disabled plates made him cringe slightly, but it was his car. The smile stayed on his face as he settled into the drivers seat and placed his wheelchair in the passenger seat. When Auggie pulled into traffic the smile grew into a happy little boy smile; he had a car again and he decided to spend the afternoon taking a long drive in the Virginia countryside.

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