Purple Heart – Chapter 7

Steve was nervous. He looked in the mirror and shook his head at his own silliness; he had changed his shirt twice now. He was wearing jeans, not a faded old pair like yesterday, but a designer pair he had paid good money for. They looked really nice, but more importantly they were very comfortable, even after sitting for a few hours. He realized very early that not every pair of pants was made for sitting.

Deciding on pants and shoes was easy, but he was struggling with his shirt. His favorite one was in the laundry, and the one he was wearing now didn't match the jeans. "You are crazy to think about your damn shirt," Steve thought out loud and wheeled out of the bathroom. He threw the shirt on the bed and pulled out a sweater to pull on over his tee shirt. Now he wouldn't need a jacket, and if it got too warm at Ty's, he could still just sit there in his tee.

Finally done with his wardrobe he wheeled around his small apartment and cleaned up a little more. He had wanted to do that in the afternoon, but when he came home from the hospital he lay down for a short while. He woke up four hours later and had to hurry to get ready. So much for cleaning up in the afternoon.

But he had obviously needed the sleep. His headache was a lot better, still there in the background, but not as bad as this morning. Steve had debated for a minute taking one of his pain pills, especially since his leg was still hurting after the spasms in the MRI, but he decided to try to take the edge off with just two Tylenol. So far, they hadn't done a damn thing about the pain in his leg.

The ringing of the doorbell interrupted his thoughts. He took one last look around the apartment and went to greet his guest.

"Hi… you look… really nice out of uniform… I mean… uh," Steve stammered as he opened the door and looked at Catherine for a moment.

"Hi… uh, you gonna let me in?" Catherine asked with a smile when Steve didn't make a move to let her in.

"Oh, sorry." Steve shook his head and wheeled back to make room for her to come in.

"Steve, what happened to you?" Cath saw the bruise on Steve's forehead, stepped closer and gently touched it. "Does it hurt?" She softly asked.

"It's nothing really. I fell, but I'm okay." Steve didn't want to talk about his 'adventure' in the Metro station.

"You sure?" After Steve nodded, she let it rest and took a look around the room. "This looks nice; I like the glass wall." She pointed to the milky glass with the big sliding door behind which his bedroom and adjoining bathroom were.

"Yeah, that's pretty cool, it lets a lot of light in." Steve actually was amazed at the design of his temporary home. "And it's practical too, the sliding door I mean. It's easy to open from a wheelchair." The bathroom also had a sliding door, which made going in and out much easier. But since he left the door open most of the time anyway, it didn't really matter.

"How long have you been staying here?" Catherine wanted to know.

"Six weeks. Before that I was at Bethesda." Steve wheeled to his open kitchen, "can I get you something to drink?"

"No, thanks. How long ago were you… I mean if it's okay to talk about it? If you don't want to…"

"No, it's fine. Three months. It happened almost three months ago," Steve answered. He was prepared to answer those questions. He was sure Ty and his wife would also ask about it. "You sure you don't want anything to drink?"

"Yeah. So, I'm going to meet 'Ty' tonight? Who is he?" Cath asked as she was 'inspecting' Steve's uniform shirt that hung over a chair.

"I met him the first week I was allowed back to work. He drives a cab, and the first day was not a good one, and on my way home… well, let's just say his cab needed a cleaning afterwards," Steve told her a little embarrassed. He was sure he was blushing thinking about his first day and getting sick in the cab.

Before he could elaborate on what happened back then his doorbell rang again, and he excused himself to let his friend in. Steve had called Ty and asked if he could bring a friend, so he wouldn't be surprised when he came to pick him up.

When Steve opened the door Ty greeted him and gave him the thumbs up after seeing Steve in civilian clothes for the first time.

"Wow, Steve, you look different. What the heck happened to your head? Are you doing okay?" Ty asked as he came in.

"Yeah, I'm good," Steve closed the door and followed his friend into the living room. "Ty, this is Catherine Rollins. Cath meet Tyrese O'Dell," Steve introduced his two new friends.

"O'Dell?" Cath asked as she shook hands with Steve's friend.

"Don't ask. My family is wildly mixed. I think you will find someone from every continent in my family's past," Ty told them with a bellowing laugh. O'Dell was not really a name that fit Ty's description.

"It's nice to meet you, Ty."

"Likewise. So, are you ready to leave?" Ty turned to Steve.

"Ready to go."

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve looked in surprise at Ty when they stood in front of his house. There was a ramp leading up to the door, and it was clear that someone was using a wheelchair in their household.

"I told you it was no problem to get around with your wheels in my house," Ty explained when he saw Steve's look. "Come on, let's get inside." Tyrese walked to the door and waited for Steve and Cath to follow him.

Steve stayed back a little and watched Cath walk up the long ramp that led in a low angle up to the door. It was very easy to maneuver on the path; there obviously had been a lot of planning that went into the walkway. When he reached the door, he was greeted by Ty's wife who was sitting in a chair very similar to Steve's.

"Steve, it is so good to finally meet you. Delly has told me so much about you."

"Don't believe a word he said, ma'am."

"Oh, please call me Debby," Ty's wife told them as she moved out of the way to let them in.

"Thanks, Debby. This is Catherine Rollins," Steve motioned to Catherine and wheeled into the house.

"Call me Catherine, please. Thank you for having me. I know it was very short notice," Cath greeted the woman of the house.

"That's no problem at all, you're very welcome. Please come in," Debby said and proceeded to follow Steve, who was watching the exchange from the living room.

They continued with small talk until Debby excused herself to disappear into the kitchen. On her way out she stopped next to Steve, who didn't seem to be able to sit still. He had been constantly changing position in his chair or was unconsciously massaging his right thigh. "Steve, are you okay? Anything we can do for you?"

"No, thank you, I'm fine." Steve smiled at her.

Debby's mother instinct kicked in, and she would swear that the young man in front of her was hurting big time, and trying valiantly not to let it on. If she was a betting person, she would put her money on saying he was suffering through some serious cramping. "Could you give me a hand in the kitchen, Steve?"

"Of course," Steve answered in surprise. He excused himself and wheeled after his friend's wife into their spacious kitchen, out of sight and earshot of Cath and Ty.

"How can I help?"

She looked at him, shaking her head. "Is there anything you need to do to ease the pain in your leg? Any stretching, medication, or anything else you don't want your girlfriend to see?"

Steve looked wide-eyed at Debby and had to chuckle, "Guess I'm not as good as I thought at hiding it? And she is not my girlfriend; I just met her yesterday."

"No, I think you need a little more training in that regard. And about your girlfriend? Give it some time," Debby told him smiling. "Your leg is trembling; how bad is it?"

"Not too bad at the moment; it's starting to cramp though. I was forced to lie on my back this morning; that's what is causing this." Steve had no idea why he was even telling this to a woman he had just met, but somehow he felt comfortable around her.

"I have noticed that you can move your left leg. Are you able to stand on it, and would standing up for a bit help with the pain?"

"Yeah, that's what I do when it happens at home. But I can't stand without a walker; I can't keep my balance." Steve mentally shook his head; he was sure he would reveal his family secrets to this woman.

"Okay, follow me, young man." Debby didn't even wait for Steve to heed her order and wheeled back into the living room. "Delly, get my old walker, please. Steve needs to stand up for a little while. Catherine, you make sure that he doesn't fall," Debby motions for Cath to get up and help her 'boyfriend'.

"Debby, really, I'm fine. This is not…"

"Nonsense, you need to stretch your leg. You can take a little tour around the house while Delly and I get dinner ready," Debby told them and any resistance was obviously futile.

A couple of minutes later Steve and Cath were alone in the living room, with Cath awkwardly holding on to Steve, who could barely hold in his laughter. "She is worse than my therapist," he stage whispered to Cath.

"Yeah, well, but she is really something," Cath said and smiled up at Steve. "You know, this is a nice perspective. You are tall; I like that."

Steve grinned down at her, but it turned into a frown when the room started to shift. That was just what he needed, vertigo was hitting him out of nowhere, and he was thankful when Cath sensed his distress and grabbed on to him. "I need to sit down."

"Can you make it to the couch? Or can I let go of you and get your chair?"

"NO, no don't let go. I can make it, just hold on please." Steve was determined not to face plant in front of Cath. He was sure without her holding him more or less upright he would already be kissing the floor. The room was spinning, and the accompanying falling sensation was making him nauseous. He had not had such a severe case in a few weeks.

It felt like an eternity later that Steve sat very ungracefully down on the couch. He leaned his head back and hoped for the spinning sensation to stop. He felt the couch dip when Catherine sat down next to him and grabbed his hand.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh huh. I will be in a minute," Steve told her without opening his eyes. He held on to her hand and wondered how strange this all was. First, he normally wasn't the touchy feely kind of guy, and second, he was not one to show weakness. But somehow it felt different with Catherine, and he had no problem with her taking care of him.

H50 – H50 – H50

"Debby this is the best chicken I've ever had. It's amazing," Steve said as he put the last piece of chicken in his mouth.

"I'm glad you all enjoyed it." Debby smiled at all.

"This was truly great, thank you, Debby," Cath said but looked at Steve, who was obviously feeling a lot better after his little break down earlier. She was very glad to see that he seemed to be enjoying himself.

"I hope you all have left some room for dessert?"

Mock groaning was the answer. Surely everyone wanted to at least try out what the cook had to offer.

"Can we help with anything?" Steve asked and wheeled back from the table, ready to help in any way she would let him.

"No, Delly has it covered," Debby answered with a twinkle in her eyes. And her husband only laughed as he prepared the table for dessert. "So, Steve, Delly told me you work at the Pentagon?" Debby asked as they waited for Ty to finish his task.

"At the moment, yeah. Normally, I'm not behind a desk, but I have no choice right now."

"But you will get back out in the field?"

"I hope so," Steve answered.

"You don't know yet?" Debby didn't want to intrude, but had the feeling that her guest wanted to talk about it. To get his worries off his chest. And normally she was right with her assessments.

"My doctor said the chances are only fifty/fifty that I will get back control over my leg. But, you know, I shouldn't even be here. I was only fifteen feet from a massive explosion; I was buried under a ton of rubble, and all I have to show for it is a head injury, and moderate blast trauma. I should be dead. I should have been blown to pieces, but I was not." Steve looked at Debby and Cath, and wondered why it felt so good to talk about it. He hadn't even talked to the therapist who had been assigned to his case.

"Why weren't you? Blown to pieces I mean," Debby asked. Now that Steve was talking she wouldn't hold back with her curiosity.

"I'm not sure, but I was hit by a door or something. That took a lot of the blast, and saved me from any shrapnel. I had no secondary injuries. When I was smashed into a wall some fifty feet away that piece tilted against the wall and built a little room I was lying in. It saved me a second time from all the rubble that I was buried under."

"And then your buddies got you out?"

"Yeah, they dug me out. I can't remember much of it, I blacked out. I cracked my head pretty good, and bruised my spine. There was a lot of swelling pressing on the nerves. When I woke up the first time, I couldn't move at all. But they put me under, and I woke up nine days later at Bethesda," Steve told the two women. He had never talked about it with anyone before, but somehow it felt good to tell someone.

"And when you woke up you were paralyzed?" Cath asked her first question, hoping that it was okay to do so.

"I couldn't hear much of anything, both my eardrums were busted. And my inner ear on the left was pretty messed up; that's why I still suffer from vertigo. I had surgery on it, but they are not sure whether the hearing will come back. My right ear is fine though. I had a skull fracture on the left directly behind my ear, and a severe concussion. All that together with the trauma to the spine is causing the paralysis. My doctor can explain it a lot better, but that is mostly what it is. I can't send out the signals to my leg. The left one is fine now, not a hundred percent, but I'm getting there. But the right one is not working at all," telling it to Cath and Debby makes him feel frustrated again.

"Steve, I'm sure you will get your leg to work again. You have no spinal cord injury?"

"No. There was some pressure on the nerves for a few weeks, but the swelling is completely gone. I can feel everything; I just can't get my leg to move."

"You will," Debby told him with confidence.

"Can I ask why you are in a wheelchair?" Steve thought it was only fair after he told her almost everything.

"Ten years ago I fell off a ladder and broke two vertebrae and severed my spinal cord. It's not complete, but I don't have enough control to walk or stand. But it could have been a lot worse. I was very lucky," Debby told them her story.

"That must be so hard to suddenly change your lifestyle," Cath said and could only imagine what someone like Debby must go through after such an injury.

"Yeah it is. But you know I can do a thousand things just as well as everyone else can. There are just a few I can't do. I like to concentrate on the ones I can do. I'm just sitting in a wheelchair; my life is still really good. As I said, I was very lucky."

"I'm the lucky one, actually," Ty was back with a cake in his hands.

"Wow, that looks great," Steve called out after seeing the cake.

"It's a half frozen blueberry cream cake with meringue," Debby told them about her new recipe.

After looking at the cake everyone made room for it, and it didn't only look good it tasted even better.

H50 – H50 – H50

"Debby, thank you so much. Thank you for listening," Steve thanked Debby as they were leaving. Cath and Ty were already at the car, but Steve wanted to make sure that Debby knew how much this evening meant to him.

"You're welcome, Steve. And I hope to see you again soon," she shook his hand and hoped that he would come by again.

"You will; I promise."

Steve wheeled down the ramp and waved again at his new friend. Ty was waiting for him at the cab and without a word helped him into the back of the car. Steve was tired; the day was long, and his leg was still hurting. So he didn't complain when he wasn't even asked if he needed help. He knew that Ty could read him by now, and he was okay with this kind of help. Even with Cath nearby.

Fifteen minutes later he said his good-bye to Ty and invited Cath in for a night cap. He had no idea why he did that, he really was tired and his leg was bothering him, but he didn't want to part ways yet.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I mean, only if you want to…"

"Oh, I want to," Cath answered a bit too fast. Which made Steve smile.

"Good. The apartment came with this great modern coffee machine, took me a while to figure it out, but now it makes great coffee. Well, it made it before, I just needed to figure out how it worked… sorry, I'm talking too much," Steve realized he was talking complete nonsense.

"Does it make espresso?"

"Yeah, I think it does." Steve smiled at her.

"Well, then let's try that."

H50 – H50 – H50

"I… I can't Cath. I'm sorry." Steve didn't look her in the eyes, embarrassed by his admission.

"What do you mean? You want to take it slow? That's okay with me," Catherine told him as she leaned back a little to look at Steve.

The espresso, and any tiredness or hurting leg was long forgotten as the two people were sitting on the couch. They were still fully clothed and had been necking for the last few minutes, but Cath would love to take this further. Preferably to the bedroom.

"No, I mean… yeah, but…," Steve said, clearly struggling for the right words. "There is a problem… I… I can't. It's not working…" Steve stopped, again embarrassed about the situation.

Cath just smiled and looked down between them as she let her hand wander south, following her gaze. "Well, Lieutenant, I'm not sure what you think your problem is, but I'd say everything is working just fine." To underline her words, she gently squeezed her target, which caused Steve to gasp in surprise.

He had been so focused on how to tell Cath that his body didn't work in that regard, that he hadn't even noticed how that part of his anatomy was very happy and eagerly reacting to her touch. "Oh."

It was a safe bet that after this discovery, the night took a very interesting turn. They were so eager to get this to the next stage that neither of them noticed how they walked to the bedroom. Steve never let go of Cath, and never noticed that he used his right leg without even thinking about it.

H50 – H50 – H50