Chapter 11 – The Beginning of a New Life

Hi! Oh my god, I am SOOO sorry for not updating this in pretty much forever. I have a ton of excuses but one major one was I had a major writers block and I couldn't think of anything to write. However due to my science class being extremely boring today I managed to come up with some ideas and this is the result of it. I'm considering this being the end however a part of me want to carry on. If I do then it could be a REALLY long story although if I don't then I might write an epilogue or something like that. Please review and tell me what you think and what you'd like me to do; carry on or finish it…
Anyway, in case you hadn't already realised, I own nothing, just the plot. I hope you enjoy and please R&R!

"Are you sure that you're both going to be okay, Jo? I can stay a bit longer to help…" Flack's kind, hushed words died down as he and Jo stood in the entrance hall of her apartment.

"I'm sure, Don. Mac would feel guilty if you just stayed longer to help him. Anyway, I can easily get him into bed." Jo said smirking at the double meaning.

"I'm sure you can Jo, but remember he's injured!" Don replied earning himself a light slap to the arm whilst they both laughed softly. "Okay, okay! I'm going! If you need anything, and I mean anything then just give me a call. I don't care what hour it is, if either of you need my help…"

"I know Don; now get your butt out of here!" They both said another quick goodbye before Don left and Jo closed the door. She leaned back and sighed, closing her eyes momentarily.

She saw Mac sauntering through from the kitchen with a loving smirk and boyish look on his face, towards her, before wrapping his strong arms around her waist and giving her a kiss so full of passion and love that her legs gave way. He'd then gather her up gently into her arms before kissing her neck as he carried her into her bedroom and closing the door with his foot behind them. Her infectious laughter filled the room as he left butterfly kisses along her neck and down her chest as he started to play with the hem of her shirt…

Jo was snapped out of her dreamland as she heard Mac, Tyler and Ellie laughing from the living room. She sighed, wondering if her little dream would ever become a reality before she mentally slapped herself. She should be thankful for what she had. She had Mac, the man she loved and he wasn't going anywhere. She also had the best two children that she could wish for. She just had to remind herself how close she came to losing Mac forever to realise how blessed she was. They could make it together. This was their beginning, no-one else's, and truth be told… she wouldn't change it for the world. This beginning would only make them stronger, not weaker. Their bond would be something that could never be broken, the here and now just proving so even more.

She pulled away from the door and headed back into the living room, a genuine smile appearing on her face as she saw the people whom she loved laughing and chatting happily. Mac, who was now sat on the sofa turned around and frowned slightly when she entered.

"'You okay?" He asked suspiciously, a hint of worry in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Does anyone want anything to drink, whilst I'm up?"

"Erm, nah. I think me and Ellie are gonna head off to bed, so you can spend some time together. I need to finish some work as well." Tyler said nudging his younger sister in the side and gave her a look that said: 'Go with it. No arguing.' She sighed and finally nodded her head as they both stood up saying goodnight to Mac, Tyler giving his Mom a kiss on the cheek and a hug before Ellie hugged Mac and then hugged Jo.

"What about you then? Want anything?"

"Just you."

"W-what?" Jo asked shocked by the seriousness of his voice and face, unsure of whether he was kidding or dead serious.

"Don't worry, Jo. I'm kidding. Well… kind of. It's, uh, a little too soon, probably, and anyway I'm not exactly supposed to be doing much exercise… or movement. But what I would like is just to hold you." The last sentence was said in a whisper, as if he was worried that she would turn him away. "It's not like I can feel my legs, even if I could I still wouldn't care. My back's the problem."

"What about your chest? I don't want to hurt you Mac."

"I'm fine. Any pain is worth holding you, Jo." She nodded her head as she walked over and gently lowered herself into his grasp always cautious to lean away from the bullet wounds and to try and not lay on his injured arm. Mac's arms quickly encircled her body, as his sling was off, and he started drawing abstract patterns across her back. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed in contentment.

They sat there for hours, simply happy to be next to each other. At that point nothing else mattered apart from the other person; their soul mate.

Mac had been out of the hospital and living with Jo for just over a week now and had attended his first therapy session for his lower back. As his doctor had originally stated his arm was now out of a sling however his stitches on his head were still not ready to come out yet and needed another week. His arm was regaining strength again and he could now lift himself in and out of his wheelchair, most of the time anyway.

He sighed as Flack pulled up in Mac's spot in the underground garage of the crime lab. Today was his meeting with Sinclair and he didn't really want to tell his boss the statistics. He hadn't told anyone yet, not even Jo or Don. He could use the excuse that he's just come from the therapy session, but he'd called Jo in the car and well, Don had been with him for the past half hour driving through the busy streets of Manhattan. He just couldn't bear to say it out loud. No, if he did that then that's when it became real. It was his reality not a nightmare. He wanted to put that off for as long as possible.

He undid his seatbelt as Don came to his side with his wheelchair. His wheelchair. He never expected to have his own; though he never expected this to happen to him. Just like he hadn't with Danny. It's just something that comes up and slaps you in the face out of nowhere. You never saw it coming…

He was wearing black combat trousers, a fitted V-neck black top and a pair of sneakers. Normally he would never go into a meeting with the Chief, his boss, dressed as casual as this but did he really expect him to be in his slacks and a dress shirt and blazer? It's not the right sort of clothing when you're in a wheelchair, especially when you can now get around more by yourself.

Mac lifted himself into the chair and placed his legs in the correct places before backing himself out so Don could shut the passenger door. They went to the elevator and Mac pressed for the 33rd floor, where the chief's office was situated. As they rode up the floors various people entered and exited the elevator, including lab techs and other officers that worked in the building. After the incident there had been several newspaper articles about it and about Mac, as well as the usual gossip that had spread like wild fire around the department.

There were a lot of shocked faces when people first cast their eyes upon him before they quickly covered them up with polite nods and smiles. He'd lost weight, though he hadn't been large in the first place, his hair had grown so his natural unruly curls were starting to show and he had a bit of stubble. His muscles were also visible in his body fitting shirt and the stitches on his head made him look like someone who didn't want to be messed with. He was a different man to the man that the crime lab knew as their supervisor and lead detective, yet he was the same man as before. The look on his face showed that he was all business, it didn't matter what clothes he was wearing, he was going to always be their fearless leader with the stern glares – when needed.

Finally there was a ping to announce his arrival on the chief's floor and he wheeled himself out of the lift, nodding to Don as a silent goodbye. He wheeled himself to Sinclair's receptionist's desk.

"Detective Taylor. It's great to see you again. Chief Sinclair's ready for you to go through now." The brunette receptionist announced cheerfully when she saw him.

"Thanks." He said and smiled politely as he made his way to the office door. He took a deep breath before knocking and gently pushing the door open. He pushed himself inside as Sinclair stood from behind his desk and quickly walked round to close the door again.

"It's good to see you, Mac."

"It is?" Mac couldn't help himself. They'd never seen quite eye-to-eye. Sinclair was all about the politics whereas he just wanted to concentrate on getting victims' families' the closure that they deserved, by catching the murderers and scumbags.

Sinclair decided to ignore the sarky comment and carry on. "I take it that you've had your first therapy session. Have they told you anything about coming back to work, how long recovery will take…?"

"Yes, I did. I can return to work this week, but they advise only to be in the lab and to take it slow at first. My strength is still not back to what it was but it's improving. Since I've gotten my sling off, today, I can now do a lot more for myself. I could start going out to scenes in the next few weeks but it may be hard because of accessibility although I am intending to. Even if I can't collect evidence, as the supervisor and a detective, I need to be up to date on all cases. If I can go to some scenes then it will help an awful lot."

"When can you start this week?"

"Tomorrow. I can't work quite the same hours yet, I can return to normal after about 3 weeks." Sinclair nodded before pressing for an answer for one of his previous questions. One that Mac didn't want to answer.

"And what about recovery. You didn't mention anything. What did they say today?"

Mac sighed deeply, memories of the conversation that he had with his doctor and therapist. 'It shouldn't take too long for your back to repair itself, I'd say a few more sessions. However from the few tests that we've conducted today, there are still no signs of you getting feeling back in your legs. The longer you're without feeling or movement the more unlikely it will be for you to get the movement back.' His doctor had stated. 'Do I have any chances of getting my legs back?' He'd dared to ask, swallowing the lump in his throat. The doctor took a deep breath and glanced at his feet before lifting his eyes back to Mac. 'I'm afraid it's very unlikely. Normally we can see some sign of movement or feeling at this stage but so far we have nothing.' Mac raked a hand through his hair and threw his head back, before croaking out 'What are the numbers?' attempting to swallow an impossibly big lump in his throat.

He repeated his actions of raking his hand through his hair and prepared himself to tell his boss the answer. The truth. He would be the first one to find out. Why couldn't this be a nightmare and any minute he'd wake up and everything would be back to normal? But then again, normal would mean no Jo, no relationship with the woman he loved. Loved. He was in love – again. The impossible had become possible – he'd found love again and he wasn't going to lose it.

"The doctor said that if I'm lucky, then I'll have a 5% chance of getting some sort of feeling in my legs. Movement's looking unlikely, that's more around 1%. Maybe lower." He took a deep breath and pushed his stubborn self to the front line once again and decided that he was stronger than this. Mac Taylor did not give up. Not now, not ever. "But I'm going to take what they give me. I'm going to be waiting for that 1% to show up. I'm not giving up. I'm not going to give up anything. Not my job, my lifestyle, my friends, or my hope or determination."

Sinclair just nodded, too shocked to speak. After a couple of minutes he cleared his throat and spoke. "I doubt you'd give up hoping Mac. You're determined, that's for sure. If you need anything then let me know. Although I do believe you have a lot of help; especially from Detective Danville. I've heard the rumours Mac about you two, they've been going on for a lot longer than the couple of weeks, since the incident. However I'm being led to believe that what the two of you have is new…"

"Yes, sir. We told each other how we felt when I woke up in the hospital. She'd come too far to losing me and we figured that time wasn't always on our side. We can't help what we feel and that the feelings are mutual. You know that I don't like to mix my personal and work lives together; I'm a very private man and so mine and Jo's relationship won't interfere with our work, if anything it will make us a better team."

"You know, I'm not sure what it is, but I'll accept it. However if it gets involved in your work, that's both of you, then you will have to be ready for the consequences. I can tell you love her; I'm not the kind of man to keep two people in love separated. I'll let you go and tell your team your news about returning, and I'll see you tomorrow morning at ten."

"Yes, sir."

The elevator doors opened to reveal the love of her life with a small smile on his face. His posture relaxed, happy to be back in his lab. His home of sorts. Their eyes met through her open office door to the hallway. She knew for certain there and then that they were forever. This wasn't a case of having feelings towards each other once and then they fade away. No. This was their future. Together. Through thick and thin. The ups and downs. Life and death.

Jo Danville had been working in the New York crime lab for 1 year, 2 months, 12 hours and 7 minutes. Meanwhile she had spent 1 year, 2 months, 11 hours and 2 minutes falling in love with her boss, partner and friend; Detective Mac Taylor.

Finish it or carry on? Let me know what you think. Anyone who wants or has asked for a sequel to 'NYPD Movie Night' don't worry, I have a load of ideas for that but here in the UK it's 00:05 and I'm exhausted, so I'll try to write the sequel tomorrow! Thanks again for reading, Beth xx