One Week Later
Even though he has been in hospitals countless times and knew how boring it was, Walker noticed without the ability to move or talk, his stay this time around was going by much slower. For once he was grateful for the medication always being injected into his body. It helped him relax and to sleep, which helped pass some of the time. He flexed his fingers then turned his eyes to the left to see only chair legs and floor tile. Man, this is getting old.
For the last several days he had tolerated staring at the floor, the window, and the ceiling. Now, he was ready to get up and began any physical therapy he needed to do to get out of here. Which meant he has to learn how to live with some limitations. He had ample time to think about his condition and as his mind raced, so did the oncoming depression. There has only been a few moments in his life that he had allowed grief or sadness to take over and now he knew the depression would hit him, no matter how hard he tried to fight it off.
His life changed in a moment and now he and his family will have to learn how to deal with his new disability. The ranch house will have to be remodeled to accompany a wheelchair. He will have to learn how to drive with hand controls and do most of what he use to do, but with the wheelchair. He will have to stay strong for his family, that's what they expect from him after all.
Scrubbed legs appeared in his vision as the bed was unlocked and gently rolled till he was on his back. He was greeted by Doctor Richardson and another nurse who Walker hasn't seen before. Richardson patted Walker's shoulder then began to unlock the bed from the frame.
"I'm going to take you to get x-rays and an MRI to see how well your lung has healed." With the help of a team of nurses, Walker was gently lifted and placed on a stretcher. He was still strapped down which irritated him. "If everything looks good, we'll remove the breathing and feeding tubes. We're going to also inject some dye around your spinal cord so we can see how well it's healing. It's going to take a few hours. So, try to relax."
Walker tried to nod his head out of habit, but grunted in frustration instead. He didn't like not being able to move and the thought brought him to reality. For now on, he wouldn't be able walk, run or do martial arts. The last time he had done any of the former was before the car accident little over a month back. Oh God, he wasn't going to walk again. The realization hit him so hard he could feel a tear escape his left eye. Get it together Walker, you have to get it together.
Richardson glanced down and got a worried look on his face. "You okay, Walker?"
How could he respond to the doctor's question? He didn't have the pad or pen and he had a tube shoved down his throat. Richardson gave Walker a look of encouragement, patted his shoulder then looked up as the bed was pushed to the waiting tests.
At a local restaurant Keaton tried to eat a hamburger, but couldn't really stomach it. He pushed his plate aside then took a sip of his lemonade. For the last several days his mind kept going over that night in the Walker's living room, desperately trying to see if there was a way for him to prevent his father from injuring Angela's father. Unfortunately he couldn't spot any and had to keep telling himself over and over again that Walker's paralysis wasn't his fault.
He sighed heavily then looked up to see Angela playing with her food. Both haven't talked to each other in days and new that sooner or later one of them had to break the ice. Keaton took a deep breath then leaned back into the booth's vinyl seat.
"Prom is just a month and a half away." It seemed trivial, but to Keaton it helped get his mind off of Walker and his father. "You still need to pick out a gown."
Angela slowly nodded as she poked at her drink with a straw. "And you need to get fitted for a tux." She pushed the drink away then shook her head. "I don't know if I want to go now."
"I think we both need the escape." Keaton took hold of her hand before he even realized what he had done. Quickly he pulled it away and bowed his head to hide his blushing cheeks. "Sorry about that. I…I know we're just friends."
"It's okay." Angela gave Keaton a smile. "You're a good friend, Keaton. One of the best I've ever had." She sighed heavily then gave him a nervous chuckle. "Just not ready yet for a serious relationship."
Keaton slowly nodded, completely understanding where Angela was coming from. Both have known each other for most of their lives and in a way were more like brother and sister. This hurt him sometimes, especially when he wanted more from their relationship. Keaton took a deep breath then thought back on stories that Walker had told him about the early years of his and Alex's relationship. They were close friends for many years till Walker finally got the courage to ask her out. Even then they dated for quite some time before he popped the question.
"Do you want to get your father something?" He took out his wallet, grabbed a few five dollar bills then threw them on the table. "I think it'll help cheer him up."
Both walked out of the restaurant then made their way down the street till they reached a small mom and pop shop. Here they met up with Marc, Trivette, and Alex who all gave them hugs upon arrival. Every one of them, especially Alex and Angela have been through hell and because of this week, all of them have become much closer. Keaton now calls the people around him his family, people he could actually look up to for answers and guidance.
Trivette patted Keaton on the back the grabbed his suit coat. "Let's get something for Walker and head back to the hospital."
An hour later Keaton made his way down the hall with Angela and Alex, a balloon in each of their hands. As they got nearer to Walker's room their pace quickened. They could see Trivette talking to a few detectives by the door then could see him slowly nodding his head. Keaton picked up his pace till he finally got to the man's side.
"What's going on?" Keaton glanced at the detectives as they left. "Jimmy?"
Trivette shook his head and patted Keaton's shoulder. "Your father will only be on trial for aggravated assault for the attempt to murder. Which means, he may only get ten to fifteen years. We're trying to pin him for more. Just give it time."
He turned to the room to see Gage sitting at Walker's bedside and at the sight of the man, Keaton suddenly realized he hadn't seen his friend in several days. He turned to Trivette with a surprised look then slowly stepped into the room. As he approached Walker's side, Gage glanced up to show Keaton his bruised face.
Gage's face showed his frustration and mental anguish. "I didn't even know about the accident till I was pulled from undercover." He sighed heavily then patted the chair next to him. "He's asleep right now. Doctor said he should wake up in thirty minutes or so."
Keaton sat then turned to his older friend. "How long have you been in deep undercover?"
Gage sighed heavily as he glanced down at his scuffed up hands. "Five months, two weeks and three days." He played with his wedding band then shook his head. "Sydney has been so good to me. Just wish we had a kid…" His voice trailed off at this point and he shook his head once again. "I can't get into a lot of details about my mission, but I was found out…I barely escaped."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Keaton took a deep breath then turned as Alex and Angela came walking into the room with the balloons in their hands. "Hey guys. Walker's asleep right now." He glanced up at Walker to see the respirator had been replaced by an oxygen tube through his nose. "Everybody is here now. I think he'll only get better."
Later the next night Walker awoke feeling absolutely horrible and really didn't know what had happened to him. Yesterday he was feeling great, though slightly depressed at his current condition. He hardly felt the pain in his back and chest thanks to the medication and he was getting plenty of rest. But it seemed something must have gone wrong since then. Could something creep up on him that quickly without him knowing? What had happened to make him feel so lousy?
Maybe it was just the depression that was giving him a headache. He really hasn't felt this low in such a long time and it made him wonder how strong he really was emotionally. For many years he had held everything in, not letting anybody know his true feelings. All spawning from when he was a child and saw his parents getting murdered. Then growing up on the reservation where he wasn't welcomed and always ridiculed for not being full-blooded. Emotions back then always left to more humiliation for him, so he learned very quickly to keep quiet.
Just thinking of his parents made him realize he still held onto the painful memory of their death and not the happy moments he had with them. He has to remember their love for him, even through the tough times in life. Like when his father got fired from his job and he had skipped meals just so Walker could have food to eat. He will never forget that time in his life. He was only six and didn't quite understand his family's situation. All he knew back then had been the humiliation he had felt for not having what the other kids had.
He sighed heavily which made the air catch in his weakened lungs. A few coughs escaped his lips and caused pain in his chest. Even though he was glad to have the tube out of his mouth, he wondered if it was too soon. He rolled his eyes around to see he was all alone in the room. A light shone above his head which really aggravated him. If he could just reach up and turn the dang thing off he could get more sleep.
The door slowly opened and Nurse Benny Gonzalez stepped to Walker's side. He smiled down at Walker as he unlocked the breaks then rotated the bed at an angle. Once locked he checked Walker's vitals then wrote them down on a clipboard. After he was done he patted his shoulder then injected the medication into his IV.
"Do you want me to flip the television on?"
Before his time in the hospital he rarely if ever watched television, but as of late, he caught himself watching more of it just to pass the hours. Most of the time it was some cable television show that he didn't even care about, but it was something to occupy his mind while his family and friends were not visiting.
"Yeah, why not." Walker's voice was harsh from the tube that had been down his throat. "Any movies for tonight?"
He could hear Benny sifting around then saw a stack of DVDs in his vision. "Spiderman, Shiloh, Beauty and the Beast and The Graduate." Benny chuckled. "Sorry, not much of a selection. Most of these movies are donated to us."
"Guess I'll go with Spiderman." A mirror was moved in front of Walker so he could see the movie that was playing on a television behind him. "Thank you."
It was an hour into the movie when Benny came back to rotate the bed once again and as he did, Walker was surprised to see Gage standing next to him. Visiting hours were long over, how did he get in here? And why would he be here in the middle of the night? Did Sydney know?
Benny rotated him so he was at angle, but able to see Gage. "He has clearance to see you for thirty minutes then he has to leave."
Gage gave Walker a weak smile then slowly sat down on a chair. "I hope you don't mind, Walker. But I really need to talk to you privately." When Benny left Gage shook his head then ran his hand through his short dirty-blonde hair. "I'm so sorry that I wasn't there for you and Angela."
Walker tried to shift his weight to see his friend better, but was rewarded by no movement once again. "What's going on?" He glanced at his friend's bruised face then his eyes drifted to the scratches on his hands. "What happened undercover?"
Gage took a deep breath then rested his elbows on his knees. "Almost six months undercover to only find myself being…" He glanced up at Walker with tortured eyes. "Before I was pulled, I was found out by Cossentino and his gang. They beat me then they…they wanted answers."
"Oh God, Gage." Walker's heart went out to his friend and now, more then ever he wanted to get out of this bed. "When did you get back?"
"A few days ago, I still need to see a counselor about it." He exhaled then shook his head. "I'm sorry to lay this on you, Walker but I didn't know who else to talk to."
"No, it's okay." Walker flexed his fingers, frustrated that he couldn't hug his friend at his time of need. "So, start from the beginning. If Benny comes in, I'll just kick him out."
One Week Later
After that night Walker and Gage have grown closer then ever and they shared long talks, mostly at night about life in general. It was good to have somebody to talk to during the most boring parts of the day, it actually helped make his time go by quicker. And now, today, he was finally getting out of this bed to start physical therapy. Though he has been waiting for this moment for over two weeks, a part of him was scared of the new life he was going to live. Tests through the weeks have shown he had a complete injury to his legs. Which meant months of grueling physical therapy to get his arm and abdominal strength strong enough so he wouldn't have to depend on people to get by.
Doctor Richardson walked up to his side then smiled down at him. "We're going to take the straps off now. Don't move, until I tell you to." Very slowly and with the help from Benny and another nurse named Gideon they got the straps off then gently picked up Walker's limp body to a hospital bed. "How do you feel Walker?"
Walker slowly nodded through the pain that radiated up his spine. "I'm good, some pain, but good." He gritted his teeth as Richardson and the nurses gently put a back brace firmly around him. This put pressure on his spine which brought on more pain. "How long for the brace?"
"Three months." Gideon put two pillows under Walker's head and shoulders then began to massage his arms. Richardson checked the IV lines with a smile. "You're doing really good, Walker." He took hold of Walker's hand. "Start squeezing." As Walker did the muscles in his arm screamed at him in protest. This got a grimace to cross his face. "It will hurt for awhile. But with physical therapy you'll be able to move your arms with no pain." He patted Walker's shoulder. "You do have strength, which is good."
"At least I'm not strapped in that bed anymore..." Walker's voice trailed off as his attention drifted to his lifeless legs. Though he couldn't see them, he could feel their dead weight. He took a deep breath then pressed his head into the pillows. "When do I start physical therapy?"
Benny chuckled as he lifted Walker's left arm. "Right now."
High School
It was really hard for her to concentrate on her schoolwork, but Angela knew she had to get back to school if she had any chance of graduating with her class. Her father insisted that she did so, to help keep her mind busy. Right now she sat in her Trigonometry class trying desperately to listen to the teacher as he droned on about equations. After a few minutes, he finished his speech then left them to do their homework.
Angela began to slowly work on the problems her teacher had put on the dry erase board as her mind went to her father. Today is the day he will be put into a regular hospital bed and began physical therapy. Soon he will be moved to rehabilitation where he will began the arduous task of preparing himself for a different life.
"Ms. Walker, are you okay?" Came her teacher's voice. "Do you need to leave?"
She realized right then she had been crying and shakily wiped her eyes. Though embarrassed she knew her peers would understand. Most knew about her father thanks to the news reports that appeared almost daily on television. It was strange to flip through channels or glance at a newspaper to see her father's face. Wonder when the media storm will die down?
"No." Angela took a deep breath then nodded her head. "I'm fine. Just, thinking. That's all."
"Okay, but if you need to leave just let me know."
As her teacher left, Angela sighed heavily then grabbed her calculator to try and get her mind off her father. But after a few minutes she found that is all she could think about and she finally had to get up and leave the classroom. What was this feeling she had? Hopefully everything was all right with her father and she was worrying over nothing. As she went to the front office to call her mom she noticed Keaton walking down the hall towards her. He picked up his pace when he saw her, his hand clutching his sketchbook.
"Hey, Angie!" He slowed to stop in front of her. "You feel it to, huh? I think it's just nerves." He stepped up to her and gave her a friendly hug. "Did you call your mom, yet?"
She shook her head. "No, not yet. I was about to. Hopefully everything is okay."
At the hospital Walker sat on his hospital bed, his arms aching from the physical therapy. He sat and watched as Benny slowly began to bend his left leg, which now had a thick brace around the ankle. Because Walker couldn't feel the pain that throbbed from the last surgery, Benny had to be extra careful to not put a lot of pressure on the muscles and tendons. It was strange to see somebody move his leg, knowing there should be pain, but not feeling anything.
Benny slowly bent his leg till he felt some tension then pulled it straight again. "The muscles are tense, but that's because of being in the bed." He began to slowly rotate Walker's ankle which for over a month has caused him pain and now he just watched on feeling nothing. "Unfortunately, you're not going to be able to do the proper physical training for this ankle. It may not be the same again." He checked the brace then patted Walker's leg. "Need to watch that. Having the brace on, could cause problems."
Walker slowly nodded his head at another realization of his new disability. Because he couldn't feel his legs anything that put pressure on them could cause him to get blisters. So, he had to be extra careful now on how he sat and will have to make sure to keep moving his legs. What else will he have to do that he never would have thought of doing before? Then Benny lowered Walker's leg then went to his abdomen. Here Walker had to close his eyes, not ready yet see another new chore he had to do daily.
"Don't worry, this is just when you're in the hospital." Benny said as he continued to do his work. "You will start occupational therapy tomorrow. It'll be grueling, but you're a little behind."
"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get out of this place." Walker heard footsteps and opened his eyes to see Alex walking in with Sydney and Erica at her side. "Hey, how are you all doing?"
Alex stepped up to his side, took hold of his hand then kissed it. "Glad to see you out of that bed." She sat down by his side. "How are you feeling today?"
"I'm doing better." He squeezed her hand as he turned his head to Sydney and Erica. "Hey you two. How are you all doing today?"
Sydney slowly nodded. "I'm doing good." Her voice however told Walker she was lying, but he knew better then to press the issue. "Angela and Keaton are on their way here to see you." She quickly said.
"Aren't they suppose to be in school?"
"Yeah, but it's okay." Alex nodded at Benny who turned to leave the room. "Renovations started on the ranch today." She patted his hand as she gave him a weak smile. "We're moving our bedroom downstairs, adding a bathroom down there as well…"
He sighed heavily. "Will it be cheaper if we just got a house in the city?"
For the last few days Walker has been thinking about all the work the ranch needed to make it suitable for him. He knew that eventually after much trial and error he would be able to do most of the chores himself, but till then he will have to hire help. And with this hospital stay and the renovations, money will be rather tight. Could they afford everything? Even though insurance was helping with most of the costs, they will still have to pay quite a hefty sum.
He could see Alex's bottom lip quiver a bit as Sydney wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Walker, don't worry. We'll be able to afford this." She stated as she patted the back of his hand. "We will figure all this out, Walker." She gave him a stronger smile. "Good news. A dress and tux is being donated for Angela and Keaton, along with a limo and jewelry."
Walker closed his eyes at the little bit of good news and let a smile spread across his lips. "That's so great to hear. Do they know about it?"
"Not yet, I thought that maybe you can tell them." As if on cue the teenagers walked into the room carrying bags of food. He felt hungry, but he couldn't feel the pains that usually came with it. "Hey you two. Walker has some good news to tell you?"
Angela went over to Walker's right then sat down on available chair. "What is it, dad?"
"You two don't have to worry about prom. Dress, tux, limo, jewelry all paid for." He smiled at his daughter who looked so much like Alex, but she did have his eyes which showed surprise right now. He took hold of her hand then squeezed it. "Everything will work out for us."
Keaton smiled at him then leaned back into the chair. "That's really good to hear. How does it feel not being in that bed anymore?"
Walker took a deep breath then shook his head. Erica and Sydney noticing his discomfort quickly excused themselves, their reason, to get food. As the door closed Walker glanced around him at his family knowing he will have to tell them his true feelings. No longer should he hide under the mask he's been holding up for so long.
He gave a nervous chuckle. "Sorry." He swallowed hard then took a shaky breath. "I'm just…scared." After he got that out Walker did feel a little better. Strange. "But things will turn out okay, they always do." He turned his head towards Alex to see her crying. Guilt quickly rushed through Walker and through the pain he raised his hand up to her. "It's going to be okay."
Alex wiped her face. "I'm sorry, Walker." She took a deep breath. "You're right, everything always turns out okay." She glanced up at her daughter and Keaton. "We will make it through this."
