The next morning followed the same routine as the last few days; today Horatio woke up to find Ryan sitting by his bedside. After exchanging pleasantries they sat in awkward silence for a while, feeling uncomfortable Ryan tried to spark up a conversation, "So, H. What's the food like in here?"
Puzzled by the line of questioning but glad for a break from the silence Horatio responded, "Bland" he told Ryan, sticking his spoon into the porridge, lifting it up and then letting it drip back into the bowl, "And sloppy"
Sensing that this topic of conversation was not going to last very long Ryan tried again, "Any idea when they're going to let you out of here?" Ryan mentally kicked himself when he saw Horatio's eyes narrow and a scowl cross his face.
"No, Mr Wolfe. I don't" He told the younger man succinctly, as he continued to poke and prod at his food.
Ryan was glad of the knock at the door, no matter the situation he seemed to be able to put his foot in it somehow. It didn't matter what he said or how well-meaning he was it always came out wrong. Ryan looked over at the door to find Horatio's physical therapist standing in the doorway and bouncing on the balls of his feet. "That's my cue to leave, H. I'll…..uh…..I'll see you soon" he stammered as he bolted for the door.
"Well good morning Horatio. Isn't it a lovely day?" Paddy asked brightly.
"Great" Horatio thought to himself bitterly, "Two hours with Mr Sunshine is just what I need" Plastering a sarcastic smile on his face Horatio replied, "Well seeing as I've been stuck in here for the last two weeks in rooms with no windows I wouldn't really know would I?"
"Now come on Horatio, I thought we were making progress after yesterday" the therapist replied, a little disappointed at the other man's negative attitude.
"I managed to sit in a chair for ten minutes, that's hardly anything to write home about is it?" he sneered, not in the mood for the irritating presence of Paddy this morning.
Sensing that his patient needed something to brighten his mood he came up with an idea, "Stay there Horatio. I'll be right back" he told him as he quickly left the room.
"Well, it's not like I'm going anywhere, is it?" Horatio muttered to himself.
A few minutes later Paddy returned to the room with a wheelchair, "Fancy taking this little beauty for a spin?" he asked the redhead enthusiastically.
Horatio's eyes widened in horror as the full extent of his lack of independence hit him like a tidal wave. He realised that for the foreseeable future he would be dependent on a wheelchair and people pushing him around in it, his cheeks coloured in shame. "I'm not getting in that!" he told the other man furiously.
"How else are you planning to get to the rehabilitation room? I'm sure as hell not carrying you there, Horatio" the therapist shot back.
"I'm not going anywhere in that!" Horatio responded, his voice rising.
Paddy had come across men like Horatio before, men who were too proud to accept help when they needed it. He had worked with dozens of injured military servicemen and a number of police officers in his time and they were all the same, sooner or later they all learnt to put their pride to one side and concentrate on overcoming their physical frailties, only then could they begin to recover. "Quit whinging and get in the chair, Horatio" he told the stubborn lieutenant, his tone firm.
Surprisingly, Horatio found it less of a struggle to sit upright in bed this morning; it also seemed to take less effort to swing his legs over to the side of the bed. With a little help from Paddy he raised himself from the bed and sat down in the wheelchair. "See?" the therapist told him, "That wasn't so hard was it?" Horatio just scowled at him as the other man walked round to the back of the chair and began pushing him out of the door.
He would never admit it to the other man but he was glad to be out of his room, the hustle and bustle of the hospital corridors were a welcome change of scenery from the stark white walls of his current prison cell. It was nice to hear something other than the beeping of monitors above his head and he soaked up as much of the atmosphere as he could. Just as he was getting used to the new sights and sounds the wheelchair stopped, Paddy pushed the door open and wheeled the chair through. "Welcome to my lair" he told the other man as he swept his arm around the room.
To Horatio it looked like a torture chamber, there were machines and evil-looking contraptions everywhere; he silently wondered which piece the therapist would inflict on him first. "Right" Paddy said, picking up a pair of small weights, "Let's get started shall we?"
Two hours later and Horatio was bone-achingly tired, he had worked and stretched muscles that he had no idea he'd had. Using gym balls and weights to build his upper body strength he toiled and sweated until he felt as if his arms would drop off. His reward at the end of the session was his first go at walking using the parallel bars, he had only been able to take a couple of wobbly steps before his legs gave out but he had to admit to himself that it was progress.
"Excellent work today" the therapist told Horatio as he helped him back into the wheelchair and handed him a towel. "Keep this up and you'll be going home soon"
"You think so?" Horatio responded, feeling slightly stronger physically than he had yesterday.
"You've still got a long way to go until you're going to be back up on your feet properly but you're doing well. If I can get you to the point where you can walk a short way without assistance then I'm pretty sure the doctors will discharge you. You'll still be seeing me on a daily basis for a few weeks even if they do let you go home though"
"I hate this" Horatio told the other man honestly, "I just want to get up and go home, I feel weak and old" he said bitterly as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"That's because you're tired, you're not the first hard man I've seen being taken down a peg or two" Horatio shot him a look but he carried on regardless, "Needing help and support from those around you doesn't make you weak you know"
"I feel ashamed, my team must think I'm pathetic" Horatio responded, the self-pity in his voice evident.
"You're kidding me, right? Those people that come and visit you every day? They worship the ground you walk on! I sure wish I had a group of friends like that" Paddy told him honestly. "They want to help you"
"I don't need their pity" he told the therapist angrily, folding his arms like a petulant child.
Sighing and sensing that this argument could carry on for some time Paddy raised his voice and tried to make the stubborn redhead see reason, "They don't pity you, you fool! They love you!"
Taken aback by the Paddy's outburst, Horatio mumbled, "I'm pretty sure the Hippocratic Oath says you're not allowed to shout at patients like that"
Taking a deep breath to calm himself Paddy apologised, "I'm sorry, Horatio. But you have to be one of the most pig-headed and infuriating men I have ever met. If you just channelled some of that into our therapy sessions you'd be out of here and out of my hair in no time" With a sigh Paddy let the brake off the chair and they made their way back down the corridor in silence.
They had almost reached his room when Horatio caught sight of a familiar face. His eyes lit up as his gaze fell upon Calleigh; she stood outside his room smiling brightly at him. "Hello there, Handsome"
"Wow, is that your girlfriend Horatio?" Paddy whispered in his ear.
"No, this is my colleague Calleigh" he told the other man as introductions were made and pleasantries exchanged. "Shouldn't you be at work?" he asked her, silently happy that she was here with him and not locked away at the lab.
"It's a quiet day" she told him brightly, "Thought I'd come and spend some time with you, if that's ok?" she asked slightly nervous, unsure of his mood.
"More than ok, Calleigh" he responded sincerely.
"Would it be ok if I took Horatio for a while?" Calleigh asked the therapist, "I promise I'll bring him back soon" she said, giving Paddy her most sincere smile.
"As long as it's not too long, he's done a lot of hard work this morning. He's going to need a rest soon" Paddy replied, cautioning Horatio not to push himself too far. "No more than 30 minutes ok?, otherwise I'm coming to find you"
"Thank you, Paddy" Calleigh said as she pushed Horatio back down the corridor and away from his room.
"Where are we going Calleigh?" Horatio asked, puzzled.
"Now that would spoil the surprise, handsome" she teased gently. "You're just going to have to trust me"