Chapter Ten: Babysitting
Today I was finally getting out of this hell hole, although it was a little bittersweet. They had neglected to tell me till yesterday that I would in a wheel chair till my pelvis had a chance to heal. Yesterday was spent teaching me how to move around in the chair, how to get in and out, and getting the gloves so I would be able to move around by myself without getting blisters on my hands. Sue and Leah had taken it upon themselves to become my nurses. Leah was in moving into my spare bedroom till I was I was fully healed and could take care of myself again.
"You ready to go?" Leah said as she poked her head into the room. I grabbed my bag and set it on my lap.
"I was ready the day I woke up to get the hell outta here." I said and rolled towards her. She smiled and pushed me out to the Sue's car. I hoped in the passenger's side and Sue put the chair in the back. Leah got in the back seat while Sue drove. I was shocked when we got to the house. Harry, Seth, dad, Billy and Jake where all out front. Sue got the chair and brought around, Leah tried to push me but I shooed her off and wheeled over to them.
"What are you all doing here? I knew you got better things to do then hang around here." I said and they moved out of my line of sight. There was now a ramp that came out a few feet from the bottom step. I hadn't thought about the front steps and the challenge they would pose.
"It's easily removable too. When you get back on your feet, you'll still have your stairs." Jake said and I smiled.
"I'm gonna guess that this was your work?" I asked and he smiled. I stuck my hand out for a shake and thanked him.
"So Billy." I said as I wheeled around to look at him. He raised an eyebrow and waited for what I was going to say.
"How fast can I get this thing to go and when can we race?" I asked and everyone busted out laughing, even Billy thought Sue gave me a reproving look.
"Glad to see you're not letting this keep you down." Billy said and patted my shoulder.
"I figure I'll be on my feet soon enough. Might as well enjoy the benefits while they last." I said. I wheeled back to the car and grabbed my bag from Sue.
"Come on in. No sense staying out here when it's gonna rain soon." I said and rolled up the ramp with some help from Leah. We sat around and talked for a while. Sue made dinner; I don't know where she got the groceries, but I didn't bother to question it. They all started to leave after dinner. Leah ran home to get some of her things. It was a good thing the house had four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Two beds and a bath downstairs and the same upstairs. Leah would be staying in whichever room she chose and I would be sleeping on the couch. It was lower and would be easier to get on and off of from the chair.
"So I have to leave at five for the diner and mom will be here at seven till I can get back from the diner." Leah said as she came in the door with a couple bags.
"You can take whichever room you want." I said and gestured toward the hallway. She walked down the hall and walked into the room at the end of the hall near the back door.
"If you want you can lock the doors. I never have a problem with them unlocked but if you feel safer that would fine." I said and Leah nodded. She locked the back door but didn't lock the front. I turned on the TV and flipped it to a rerun of NCIS. We watched as Gibbs beat a suspect around in the box after they brought him in on gun smuggling charge.
"Leah can you go up to my room?" I asked.
"Sure. What do you need?" She asked and stood.
"There's a lock box on the top shelf of my closet. Could you bring it down here?" I asked. She nodded and headed up the stairs.
"It's gonna have some weight to it, be prepared!" I called to make sure she didn't drop it when she realized the weight of it. She brought it down and looked confused as to why I would want this box. She set it down in front of me. I picked up the box and placed it under the coffee table.
"I'm gonna head to bed. Night, Eli." Leah said as she got back up and headed down the hallway. I nodded and wished her good night. Once I heard the bedroom door shut I pulled the box back out, typing the code in and opening the box. Inside was my hand gun that dad had gotten me for my eighteenth birthday after I expressed an interest in becoming a cop. He said it would become my side arm when I officially joined the department. I put three rounds under the coffee table with the lock box and stashed the gun under the couch cushion under my head.
I woke up to the door bell ringing. What the hell? I looked up at the clock to see it was just before seven. Who the hell would be calling this early? Sue wasn't coming till after seven and I had told her to just walk in, hell I gave her a key even though the door was never locked. I sat up and looked for the chair it was on the other side of the roll, out of reach. Shit! The doorbell rang again and this time it was a little impatient.
"The door's open!" I called out.
"Dude! You left the damn door open all night? I know it's a small town but really?" Jared asked as he came in. Kim trailing shyly behind.
"Yeah, yeah. This place is as safe as Fort Knox. Good morning to you too. Hi Kim." I said. She smiled and gave a shy wave.
"So it's true that they figured out a way to confine you." Jared said as he eyed the chair against the wall.
"Yeah. Pull that over here will ya?" I asked and Jared rolled it over and held it steady as I moved myself in it and pulled on the gloves. I rolled into the kitchen and started some coffee.
"How long did they say you'll be confined to the chair?" Kim asked shyly. I smiled at her; she was too shy and seemed scared about asking questions.
"A two weeks then I'll start therapy. I'll be back up and dancing by winter." I offered them both a cup of coffee and they sat down at the table.
"Since when do you dance?" Jared joked. We made small talk for a while before Kim asked to use the bathroom. When she left I got straight down to business.
"Does she know yet?" I asked and Jared shook his head.
"I'm going to tell her soon. We have a bonfire this weekend; I'm going to tell her then. You want to come?" Jared asked.
"On one condition." I said and we leaned forward like it was a conspiracy.
"And that would be what?" Jared asked with a smirk. He knew it would be something weird.
"Take me to the diner for breakfast that morning?" I asked. He leaned back and laughed while he nodded his head.
"You got it." He said shaking his head at my antics.
"Of all the things to ask for, to go to the diner, really?" He asked and I nodded.
"I love that place, everyone knows that." I said and he nodded in agreement.
"Do you remember what happened before you crashed?" Jared asked and I flashed back to the nightmare I had the first day I was awake at the hospital.
"Something flashed in front of the truck. I swerved to try to avoid it." I said and Jared nodded.
"Do you know what flashed in front of you?" Jared asked seriously.
"No, but since your bringing it up I can take a guess." I said and he nodded.
"I stayed back and called your crash in before rejoining the chase. We caught it, but it wasn't alone. We'll be on high alert, don't let Leah shoot at us." Jared said and I chuckled at the mental image.
"Sure thing." It wasn't too much later that Sue showed up, Jared and Kim made there exit a little while later saying Emily would have breakfast ready soon. We weren't doing much, I called Sarge and he brought me up to date on the lessons and work I missed. He gave me a month to get all the work done and I had to keep up with the new work if I still wanted to take the tests. He said that they would give me a postponed abilities test once I was fully healed. The test checked your gun accuracy, speed, agility, and some other things that I will need my legs for.
"Anything you want or need to do?" Sue asked as she put down the blanket she had just finished.
"You know you don't have to babysit me, right Sue. The only things I can't do are go upstairs and drive." I said and she shoots me a look that said shut up. I shrugged my shoulders and closed my laptop.
"Would you mind taking me to the diner?" I asked.
"Why do you need to go to the diner?" Sue asked, probably already knowing the answer.
"I'll pay for lunch. You can watch your daughter work at the job she says she loves and Aggie would probably kill me if I didn't come in so she could see I'm not dead with her own eyes." I said. Sue smirked but got up and got her car keys. I grinned and rolled out to the car.
"Eli! Oh, Eli!" Aggie cried as I rolled through the door. She rushed over and gave me a gentle hug, avoiding my incisions and arm. I could see Henry look out the door to the kitchen. He smiled and gave me a nodded that I returned.
"Don't you ever nearly get yourself killed again!" Aggie cried and wiped the tears from her face.
"Oh you know nothing could take me out Aggie. I'm invincible." I said and she smiled and gave me another hug.
"I went to visit you after I heard, but I couldn't stand to see you all banged up. Leah's has been keeping us updated here." Aggie said.
"It's alright Aggie. What's my surprise gonna be today?" I asked and Aggie laughed. She seated us at the corner booth like usual and brought me my Coca-Cola. Sue smiled as she watches Aggie fuss over me.
"She really cares about you." She said with a smile as Aggie ran back into the kitchen.
"Renee may have never been much of a mother but between Aggie, Sarah and you I was always taken care of. Aggie takes care of dad too; she doesn't know that we caught her leaving food at the door when dad had the flu once. She treats everyone like family.
"Hey! Mind if I join?" Leah asked as she slid into the booth across from Sue.
"Sure. The more the merrier." I said.
"Maybe you should just come with Leah to the diner every day." Sue suggested. I shrugged that would have been my plan anyway had I been allowed into the planning. The only reason I needed a babysitter was for the concession. The doc didn't want me alone for two weeks then I could go back to work and start therapy.
"That would be great. He wouldn't get away with a damn thing here." Aggie said and we snapped our attention to her. We hadn't noticed her approach.
"That's what you think." I muttered and she gave me a disproving look. I shrunk back and gave her a sheepish smile. The girls laughed and shook their heads.
"I think it's a good idea." Leah said and everyone laughed. I guess I was hanging at the diner.