"Don, are you okay in there?" Stella called through the bathroom door.

Flack lifted the damp washcloth from his face and turned to look at the closed door. "Stell, you're my friend and I love you, so don't take this the wrong way, but go away."

He heard her chuckle outside the door as he leaned back and covered his face again. "Just don't forget that you have therapy this afternoon. You have to come out of there eventually."

"Yes, ma." He slid down in the tub and let the hot water soothe his sore muscles. He wasn't allowed to shower because he still had his cast on and he was too unsteady to stand for long periods of time. But he was okay with the baths for now because it helped ease the pain from his injuries and relax the soreness he had from sitting on the couch all day. So he enjoyed every second he spent in there.

Half an hour later, he had gotten out of the tub and fought his way into a pair of shorts. He sat on the lid of the toilet another minute to rest before pushing against the countertop and his crutches to stand. He took the three short steps to the door, and called out to Stella as he opened it. She helped him back down the hall and to the couch. When he was settled, she gave him his shirt and shoe, and left him to it while she made a late lunch for them.

"So, you ready to start physical therapy?" Stella asked across the table as they ate.

"Definitely. I want out of this apartment."

"You say that like this is prison."

He took a drink of milk and swallowed before responding. "It is. Only the warden around here is much prettier than any I've ever seen before." He flashed her a grin before taking another bite of his sandwich.

--

Flack was exhausted by the time he was in the physical therapy gym, stretched out on the padded table in the middle of the room. Maneuvering from his apartment to the car and from the car into the building had taken more work than he realized. He never knew how much he had taken those few steps for granted all that time.

The assistant who led him inside lowered the table so Flack could sit down easily and a pillow was placed at the end so he could lie down. He was instructed to close his eyes and rest while he waited for Maria. Stella sat in a chair a few feet from the end of the table. "How ya feeling?"

He turned his head in the direction of her voice but his eyes remained closed. "Is the session over with yet?"

"No, I don't really think so."

"Oh. I was kinda hoping all the work it took to get in here was my workout."

Stella chuckled. "It'll get easier."

He opened his eyes slightly and glared at her. He was about to make a witty comeback when there was a knock at the door and Maria walked in. Flack pushed himself into a sitting position and extended his hand in greeting, ever the gentleman.

"Hi, Don," Maria greeted brightly, shaking his hand. "How are you today?"

"Doing pretty good. Made it here, which felt like quite an accomplishment." He turned a little and grunted at the pain in his ribs. "Yeah, we're going to call that feeling accomplishment," he smirked.

"Well you'll be feeling more of it before the day is up, unfortunately, so get used to it."

Stella sat quietly as Maria helped Flack do some simple stretches and range-of-motion exercises. She explained as she went what muscle groups each was working and why they were important. He willingly did each exercise and did his best not to show when he was in any kind of pain or having discomfort.

When she told him he needed to try to stretch his arms out over his head, he nodded in agreement, but quickly protested as pain shot through his side. He hadn't moved like that since he got hurt and his ribs were still healing. The motion was not one he could tolerate.

He grunted as he put his arms back down and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I can't do that."

Maria put her hands on his back and upper arm. "Take a deep breath for me, Don. I know it hurts but you need to try."

He shook his head again. "It felt like my ribs were coming out my side."

"Maybe I could help," Stella offered, sitting forward a little on her chair.

The young therapist turned to look at Stella, but never took her hands off Flack. "We've got it. Thank you."

Stella bit her lip and sat back in her chair with her arms crossed. She watched as Flack took a deep breath and tried to lift his arms over his head again. The pain on his face was almost too much for her to handle and within a matter of seconds, she was relieved to see him drop his hands back into his lap.

"It just doesn't feel right. Everything is straining against everything else. I've never felt anything like that before."

"What if you tried…" Stella began, but Maria brushed her comments off.

"How about raising just one arm at a time for me then. Do you think you could do that?"

Flack shrugged slightly and did as he was told, lifting his right arm up over his head. He managed to hold it just a moment longer than he had before, but then lowered it. He gave a defeated sigh. "Maybe I'm just not ready for that part."

"You don't really have much choice, Don. You have to get these muscles moving to strengthen them again. You were in bed for a long time with a lot of injuries. You may just have to learn to push through the pain." She gently put her hand up on his shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"Stell, what was your idea? Maybe it'll help."

Maria gave Stella a warning glare but did not stop her from speaking this time. She rose from her chair and moved to stand in front of Flack, her knees gently touching his. "I'm no expert, but I think given the type and location of his injuries, he may just need a little more outside support. At least this early on. It looked to me like he was working too hard to support his own body with weakened muscles." She reached down to grab his arms, supporting them at the elbows, and raising them up slowly. She held them out just a little, around the sides of her own body. When his shoulders were squared, Maria moved behind him. She climbed up on the table and knelt behind him to use her body to support his back and shoulders. Stella continued to slowly move Flack's arms over his head, not quite making it all the way up before she stopped. She watched his face as he strained to maintain his composure, but it seemed easier for him this time. After 20 seconds, he nodded and Stella lowered his arms back to his lap.

He let out a breath sharply and looked up at her. "It's not Mount Everest, but it was quite an accomplishment."

888888888888888

I thought the worst of my pain was over when I left the hospital. Nobody told me physical therapy hurt just as much. Or that getting there was half the battle.

It took me and Stell nearly 20 minutes to get from my apartment to the car. I had to stop and rest a couple times and I couldn't maneuver to get into the car very well. I commend her on not laughing at what I'm sure was a hilarious show, me fighting with my crutches as I got settled in the passenger side.

It was nice to drive through the city again. Stella took the long way to the clinic, and I know that was just for my benefit. After another fight with the car and my crutches, we headed into the physical therapy gym. It looked a bit like a giant playground with all the colorful equipment, but I didn't get to look at any of it long enough to figure out how it all worked. I was led to a large room with a bed-like table in the middle and told to rest until Maria came in.

As much as the exercises we did hurt, it felt incredible to hurt. It made me remember why I fought so hard in the ICU and why I was going to fight to get back to my normal life. I just wanted everything back the way it was. I wanted to get up and go to work in the morning, I wanted to be able to go to the kitchen for a snack when I felt like it, and I didn't want my friends to have to take care of me so much.

Well, maybe there was one benefit to all of that. I had to admit it was nice having Stella around. I felt bad for her having to take care of me, but I still couldn't convince her that Danny was willing to help too and that she could go home. She's been pretty comfortable in my home, and that was comfortable to me.

I don't know what was going on between Stella and Maria during therapy, but it felt like there was some serious tension in the room. I was so focused on my pain that I had a hard time even making out words at one point, but I know that Stella was talking and Maria wasn't listening. I know that she's the trained therapist, but I didn't take her for the type not to listen to other people's ideas.

And as it turned out, Stella's idea worked, at least a little bit. Between Maria supporting my back and Stella holding my arms up, I managed to stretch a little. But it still felt like I had been crushed all over again by the time I was done. Maria decided that was enough and told me to go home and rest, and come back in two days.

By the time we got back to my apartment, I could barely breathe. I was in a lot more pain than I realized. Stella helped me back to my bed and out of my shirt. I didn't bother getting under the covers; that would have taken work. I just laid back and closed my eyes.

I barely heard Stella leave. I figured she was going to watch some TV while I slept. But I heard soft footsteps a minute later and as I opened my eyes she placed a hot towel across my chest. I winced then sighed and closed my eyes as the heat seeped into my aching muscles.