The next week was one of those that goes incredibly quickly and incredibly slowly at the same time. Ryan didn't have time to be bored anymore now that he had music to work on, but he was getting his fingers working on the guitar again - and was quite pleased to tell the other lads that he'd been discharged from his occupational therapy as he didn't need it anymore. He'd also sent out a few posts to the fans and had been deluged with joy, relief and further good wishes. The guys were busy with shows and interviews as well as the general nonsense that occurred on every CT tour. But every time any of them thought about the fact that they'd be seeing each other soon, time seemed to slow down to a crawl until something took their minds off it.
CT had flown home on Wednesday, and Keith had gone home to Donegal, but everybody else stayed in Dublin or nearby. Sharon had rented a van and everyone would be going up together, with Keith meeting them at the hospital since it wasn't too far from where he lived. Colm had decided not to come, as he didn't want to interfere with the reunion, and Declan suddenly had to back out due to a family commitment, so the eventual group consisted of Sharon, Emmet, Keith, George, Neil, Barry, Seana, Laura, and Nicole. Keith had promised he'd wait for them outside the hospital, and he did, but he was nearly bouncing with excitement when the van pulled up and everybody piled out. Not that any of the other men were any calmer; the concept of seeing Ryan awake and alert was making them nuts. The women were excited, too, but they had decided that they had better control and would behave themselves. As everyone got themselves sorted out, George and Emmet had a quick chat.
"Hey, Emmet," George whispered." I just had a thought. I think it probably wouldn't be a good idea to dogpile Ryan like we did with Damian, and as wound up as everyone is, we probably would."
"Yeah," Emmet agreed. "Knocking him down again probably isn't a really good plan. But there's no way we're getting everybody calmed down. What should we do?"
"Tell you what," George said. "We make sure we're in the front and get into his room first, and if he's standing up, we each go to one side and get an arm behind him before everybody else hits. If he's sitting down, we probably don't need to worry about it." Emmet nodded in agreement.
Sharon herded them all into the lobby of the hospital and asked for Shivaun, who had wanted to greet them when they arrived. She came out of her office and smiled when she saw the group waiting there, the men nudging and whispering and laughing at each other while the women were trying to ignore them but not being able to hide their laughter. She and Sharon greeted each other and then Sharon got everybody quieted down enough to introduce them to Shivaun. She pointed them down the main hallway, telling them to wait for her at the end, and the boys practically ran ahead, jostling each other as they went.
"Are they always like this?" Shivaun asked. "How in the world do you get them to get any work done?"
"This is a little over the top even for them," Sharon laughed. "Remember, the last time they saw Ryan he was still in the coma and barely responding. But, yes, they are a pretty rowdy bunch, and Ryan's just as bad as the rest of them. But USUALLY, once the music starts they settle down and focus - not always, and somebody is bound to try and throw the others off on purpose, but they can be professional when they need to be."
"From what I can tell," Shivaun said, "Ryan couldn't ask for a better bunch of friends - or fans for that matter. He's got letters and pictures all over his room from the fans, and the things they write are just amazing, how much they support him." They had reached the corner, and Shivaun pointed them down the hall to the left, telling them Ryan's was the 5th room on the left past the cross hallway - and the guys were off, unable to restrain themselves, George and Emmet stepping out just a bit ahead of the others as they had planned. The noise they were making was tremendous, and staff and other patients were turning and coming to look out of doors, unable to help but grin or laugh at the obvious excitement. Nicole, Seana, and Laura were rolling their eyes, but they weren't exactly taking a leisurely stroll down the hall either.
Meanwhile, Ryan was standing in his room talking with Maura, his physical therapist, who had come up with him after therapy to meet the guys. He heard them coming and stood looking at the door in anticipation, but Maura was seriously worried they were going to knock him over as they were coming so fast, and started to move towards him to guard him, but Ryan shook his head and told her to stay where she was, or she'd get run over.
She didn't need to worry. George and Emmet's plan worked out perfectly - they came through the door first, saw Ryan standing, glanced at each other and nodded, and then split. Each got to one side of Ryan and got an arm around him before the others hit, so the three of them took the shock together and Ryan was never in any danger. It was a massive chaotic group hug, milling around with everyone getting a chance to hug Ryan. Seeing him on his feet, smiling and laughing, was such a contrast from the way they'd seen him last that they couldn't settle themselves down. Keith, though, when he wrapped his arms around Ryan and hugged him, was appalled at how thin he was and had noticed that he had needed George and Emmet's assistance to stay on his feet when they got to him. It hit him like a brick - seeing Ryan and talking to him on Skype, he'd seemed almost back to normal, but here in the room with him, it was clear he wasn't. He was so thin his watch slid up nearly to his elbow when he raised his hand, and he looked so fragile that Keith was surprised they hadn't hurt him hitting him like that. He could feel a lump rising in his throat and knew he had to get out of the room before he started crying. Fortunately, Ryan gave him the opportunity he needed to disappear by saying, laughing, "All right now! Get off of me, you lot, and let me breathe, will you!" In the ensuing bustle, as the men moved apart and the women came in to greet Ryan, Keith was able to slip out the door unobserved, or so he thought. Both Sharon and Maura had seen him go.
He made his way quickly down the hall and stepped inside a small chapel he'd noticed as they passed. It was quiet and calm in there, and he knew he'd have a few minutes to get himself together. Leaning against the wall, his head dropped and he started crying silently. There was no way Ryan was going to be able to tour with them - it would be a miracle if they got him through even part of Mythology. It hurt more than he could imagine to think of a whole tour without Ryan because he was too weak to go. He was grateful that Ryan was well enough to be on his feet, but it hurt so badly to see his friend, once strong and agile, so frail that he could be knocked down by a hug.
Suddenly a woman's voice that he didn't know spoke. "Keith?" she said. "Sharon said I might be able to help you with what's worrying you. I'm Ryan's physical therapist."
Keith opened his eyes, seeing a petite young woman standing in front of him. Ryan had told them about his physical therapist, how tiny but how strong she was, and this woman fit the description. He looked down at the floor. "He looks so weak", he said. "He'd have fallen over if George and Emmet hadn't braced him. Recording and rehearsing are bad enough, but they can be adjusted to fit what he needs to a certain point. But touring's grueling, and there's no way to adjust the schedule for illness. There's no way he's going to be ready to do that. It was hard enough doing two weeks without him, it's going to be miserable doing the whole fall tour."
"When do those things start?" the woman asked.
"Rehearsing and recording the backstage stuff at the beginning of August, recording the DVD towards the end of August, and then the fall tour - which is a completely different show than the one we're filming - starts at the beginning of September."
"I think he'll surprise you," she said. "Heaven knows, I've come up with a new workout every day that I think will be a challenge for him, and every day he goes beyond what I've set him. He's already nearly a month ahead of where he really should be. We were playing basketball an hour ago."
Keith looked up, his eyes more hopeful now. "Really? He looks like he could barely make it down the hall."
"I'm sure he's lost a lot of muscle mass," she said, "And that makes him, I suppose, look weak or frail to you. I didn't know him before he came here, of course, and I can tell you that even though he's thin, the strength and endurance are coming back rapidly. If you keep looking out for him like - what were their names, George and Emmet? - did just now, he'll be just fine."
Keith grinned at her. "Thanks," he said seriously. "I needed to hear that. I'd better get back or they'll leave for dinner without me." The therapist walked back to the room with him and they slipped inside. Ryan noticed them and introduced everyone to Maura, telling them that she was the slave driver who was working him mercilessly in physical therapy. They all knew he enjoyed the sessions with her, so they all were kidding with him about it. Maura looked at Sharon and gave her a thumbs up, and when Keith got the chance, he quietly thanked her for sending Maura after him. He was still worried, but she'd eased his fears considerably.