The rain on the hospital room window pounded against the glass. The small area in the right corner of the frame whistled where the wind was blowing in from the cracked seal.
Steve lay awake in the dark listening to the sounds in the room that had awoken him. As well as the storm brewing outside, the humming of the machine that was keeping him alive was also evident. A reckless noise that he had become accustom to during the day when the hospital seemed noisier, but in the middle of the night it was just a constant reminder of what a nuisance his life had become.
He hated being awoken when there was nothing to occupy his mind except the annoying sound of the life support and his thoughts of Tyler.
It had only been four days but it already felt like years as his dreary life dragged on with nothing, absolutely nothing to look forward to.
In the pre surgery mornings of his home, she was always up first, cooking his breakfast before he even blinked his eyes for the first time. It's what he used to look forward to the most, seeing her beautiful, always smiling face first thing. He could never figure out how she managed to slip out of bed without him knowing, especially on those nights when she would practically sleep on him rather than closely next to him. She never ceased to amaze him, day after day.
He closed his eyes and tried to think of something else, clearing his mind of her.
'Afghanistan,' he thought, recalling a particular mission he had been on in which he was pinned down in a house with two other Seals. The room was riddled with bullets that sprayed in every direction hitting everything, except miraculously them. When it stopped they all lifted their heads from the shielding position and looked at each other, assured at least one if not both of their comrades would be dead, but smiles slowly erupted on their faces knowing each had made it through unscathed.
He pictured the two of them whom he'd kept in contact with, both married with kids, living on the mainland. Their lives were so different from his, even more so now, wondering what they would think if they saw him like this? Shame perhaps, guilt, sorrowful, none of which he would want to see on their faces or hear in their voices. He wouldn't contact them ever again, feeling a wave of regret over that. Many people would see him that way now, helpless. It was bad enough when it was just the wheelchair, recalling the night of the awards ceremony and how nervous he was to go inside and face people for the first time.
With that thought in mind Tyler's image instantly appeared before him from that night. He wouldn't have made it through without her. He wouldn't have made it through many of nights without her.
'Stop!' he scolded himself, 'think of something else, not her. You have to program yourself not to think of her anymore. She's gone. She's gone.'
Life. It was the next logical think to think of, knowing going forward she would not be a part of it so it would be a reasonable thing to contemplate without Tyler Hyde coming into his thoughts.
He pictured his home and the preparations that would have to be installed to accommodate his new existence. He mentally walked through each room of his house and tried to find one that would not accommodate him, especially now, but there wasn't one; Tyler had made sure of it. She had thought of everything, even the portable shower, which next to the lift was by far his favorite addition. His thoughts drifted back to the first time using it and how skeptical and angry he was at her for even being there, until she got her hands on him. She was gifted in so many ways, missing that womanly touch that could send his heart racing out of control.
'Damn it,' he groaned, realizing after a few seconds that he was fantasizing about her once again.
It was useless; she was there, she was everywhere. He would never get her out of his head.
The wind picked up and so did the whistling through the window crack. It reminded him of a night they lay in bed together with the lanai doors open as a storm came across the water. They were both covered with a light mist of sweat from making love in their own covert way and the breeze felt good, but it was Tyler's description of it being a magical moment that he most remembered. It wasn't the phrase that entertained him so much as the way it made him feel. She always had a way with words.
It was a good memory.
He must have drifted back to sleep thinking of that night because when he opened his eyes it was light out and the nurse was attending him. Even in her absence he thought amused, she soothed him.
He couldn't wipe her from his memory and trying to avoid thoughts of her was like trying to elude his own existence. He was there in that room, hooked up to that machine, about to go forth in a life that he had no expectations for only because he loved her and wanted the best for her. It was also the reason she was no longer in his life. How could he ever forget that?
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Danny set the folder down on Steve's stomach and flipped it open.
"We need to talk about some stuff. I'd prefer to discuss it now before you have your procedure this afternoon and can potentially argue with me." He smiled down at him, "Might be my only chance to get the last word in."
Steve ignored the joke, knowing the procedure he was speaking of was the tracheotomy. It was at two o'clock. He'd be able to speak again but nothing else would ever be the same. He wasn't even sure what voice would actually come out of him, assured he wouldn't recognize that new part of him either.
"A nurse," Danny began, holding up a form. "I have three candidates from the rehab center where we hired Tyler from. Two males, Mark not being one of them," he added, not bothering to look for a smile from Steve, knowing he was already in a pissy mood, "and one female. Do you have a preference or should we just interview all three and see what they have to offer?"
Steve rolled his eyes in an I could care less sort of way at the thought of going through this process again and worse yet, having a stranger taking care of him the way Tyler used to.
"Ok," Danny sighed, "I take that as an I don't give a shit, so we'll interview all three then."
Steve looked away from him, not caring anyway. No one would ever be able to take care of him like Tyler had. Her passion and devotion came from love which he'd never find again, so what difference did it make anymore who cared for him. It would be like having a robot as a nurse. Danny was right; he didn't give a shit.
He glanced at the clock and counted forward two hours, knowing she'd be in Chemistry class about now, hoping that she would fall hard into her studies and forget all about him.
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Tyler dragged herself out of bed and answered the pounding on her dorm room door.
She grabbed a black hair tie sitting on the desk and did her best to reel in the mess on top of her head.
She opened the door and barely had time to react when Jason and his sister Bre came pushing in the room.
"Hey Tyler, what's going on?" Jason said to her as Breanne went straight for the small dresser in the corner of the room.
"We're going out for beers," Bre said, opening the top drawer and finding what she was looking for. She pulled out a T-shirt and tossed it over to Tyler, hitting her in the chest. "Put this on." She opened up the next drawer and did the same thing with a pair of black Capri yoga pants. "These too."
"You guys, I don't feel like…"
"We aren't asking," Jason replied, "we're telling you. We are going out for drinks." He looked her up and down. "And food. When was the last time you ate?"
Tyler shrugged off the question, not able to give a definite answer because she didn't know. The four days since she'd been back had been like a blur.
"I don't know exactly what happened to you in Hawaii," Bre began, "and it may be none of our business, but you have not left this room that I know of since you got back. So whatever happened must have been awful, but you need to get out and see the light of day." Her face suddenly turned horrified, "Steve didn't die or anything like that, did he?"
Tyler bent over and picked up the shirt Bre had tossed her off the floor, "No, but I could certainly kill him for what he did to me."
The two siblings looked at each other, assuming it was either infidelity or he just plain dumped her.
"Drinks are on me," Jason said. "If you want to talk about it, ok. If not…ok."
Tyler shrugged and motioned for him to leave the room so she could change, not having the energy to argue of not going out, plus the mention of food made her stomach growl.
Bre guided him out the door and closed it behind him. She turned to Tyler as she slipped the shirt off she had on and replaced it with the clean one. "So," she began, "I know we have only known each other a short time, but seriously, if you need to talk about what happened, I'm a good listener."
Tyler let out a long sigh, "It's complicated," she said, feeling the impact of it once again just over the thought of talking about it. "You have no idea."
"Well," Bre said, "we'll have a couple of drinks and un-complicate it."
Tyler smiled at her, deciding it was time to get out of that room and on with her life. Maybe this is just what she needed to break out of the depression and heartbreak that she was feeling.
They sat at a corner table of one of the local establishments close to the football stadium frequented by students.
"Wow," Jason said as he sat back in the booth, shaking his head over the story of Tyler and Steve. "That's probably the most tragic story I've ever heard."
"It's heartbreaking, " Bre added, wiping her eyes with a napkin. "No wonder you have been so upset." She reached across the table and put her hand over Tyler's, "I'm so sorry."
"I'm so angry and hurt that I want to hate him," Tyler replied as her shoulders slouched, "but I can't."
"I think I would have done the same thing," Jason blurted out. "I actually admire his courage and the noble act of putting you first. He must really love you."
The comment was sweet but just made her feel all the more saddened by the event. She missed him terribly. "I would have stayed," she admitted, "not out of loyalty, but because I loved…" she corrected herself, "because I love him too. Very much," her voice trailed off as a good memory of the two of them cluttered her thoughts.
Jason looked at his sister sheepishly, "We need a shot of tequila."
"Absolutely," Bre agreed, rising from the booth and going to the bar.
As she got up a friend of Jason's came up to the table.
"Hey Bud what's up?"
"Hey Tuck," Jason replied with a grin, reaching across the table and giving him a fist bump.
Tucker turned to Tyler holding his hand out. "Tucker Trost, nice to meet you."
Tyler forced a pleasant smile as she looked up at him, startled over his good looking appearance that reminded her instantly of another man with dark hair, a deep tanned face with bearded stubble and dark blue eyes. She held her hand up to him as he shook it.
"This is Tyler," Jason spoke for her.
"How you doing?" he said casually.
"Hi," she said, quickly taking her hand back and looking away from him. It hurt to look at him, yet at the same time she had a funny feeling in her gut that kind of tickled.
"My buddy just ditched me for some theatre major chic," he chuckled.
Jason motioned to the seat next to Tyler, "Have a seat. Bre is here getting shots at the bar."
Tucker slid in next to Tyler as she moved over, giving Jason an annoying glare that went unnoticed as the two men began a conversation about Jason's upcoming soccer game. She picked up her phone and checked her messages, something that had become a habit since leaving the island, hoping by some miracle that Steve would call or text her and tell her to come home, that he'd made a huge mistake. But just like the other hundreds of times she had hoped for and was then disappointed, her phone was void of any communication from him. She slammed it down on the table as the three drinks in her began to surface and her frustration mounted.
"Whoa," Tucker chuckled, as both men turned their attention to her. "Is social media getting you down?"
Tyler looked over at him with a disgusted look, "I don't do social media."
"Ok," he said startled over her outburst, "you and the other 1% of people in the world who don't."
"Not everyone walks around with their phones attached to their hands."
She had unknowingly and by that frustrating habit of checking on Steve at that second picked up her phone and was holding it.
Tucker looked from her to her hand and then back at her, "Oh really?"
She looked down and dropped it on the table. "I'm expecting a call."
"Really?" Jason jumped in, "Are you really expecting that call?" He spoke to her in a tough love tone that he should have said to another guy, not a heartbroken woman, realizing his mistake.
She felt a wave of dread wash over her as the three drinks switched gears and were now playing on her unstable emotions. At that very second Bre showed up with the three shots of tequila, setting them down on the table.
"Hey Tuck, what's up?" Bre said to him. "Sorry I didn't see you sitting here or I would have got you one."
"No worries, I'm good. I got practice tomorrow morning."
'He's never going to call me,' Tyler thought sadly, knowing of Steve's stubbornness, feeling that pain in her chest that just seemed to be getting worse and worse as time went by. She missed him terribly and the horrible realization that deep down she knew that he loved her as much as she did him, yet the fact that he was completely unattainable was hard to comprehend.
She glanced over and saw the shots and just wanted to stifle the pain anyway she could.
The three others at the table watched in amusement as she reached across Tucker without warning and downed one of the shots, but they laughed in astonishment as she did the same with the other two, taking a long drink of her beer to suppress the bad taste.
"Holy shit," Tucker laughed. "Feel better now?"
Tyler ignored the comment and sat back in the booth, feeling a wave of nausea that quickly passed as the alcohol slowly but surely began to make its mark on her.
"I'm glad we ate first," Bre huffed as she picked up the empty shot glasses, "be right back with round two. None for you!" she said to Tyler, knowing she wasn't a big drinker and also hoping she could handle what she just took down.
The two men stared at her in different ways, Jason with sympathy and Tucker in amusement. He himself wasn't much of a drinker and was assured he'd be puking within minutes of doing what she just did. Besides, he'd seen his dad do it most everyday since he could remember, until it finally killed him.
"Bad day?" he said to her.
"Bad day, bad month, bad year, bad life!" she blurted out.
"Wow, that's some serious negativity. You really think alcohol is going to cure it?"
She looked over at him as if he'd just transformed into a huge bug that she'd like to squish. "Who are you? And who are you to tell me what I should do? You don't even know me."
"You know alcohol is a depressant. The more you drink the more depressed you get."
She then glanced over at Jason with a look as if asking him the same question, who is this guy?
"Big game this weekend," Jason said to him, wanting to get him off the subject of Tyler.
Tucker heard him but had his attention on Tyler. There was something about her that intrigued him. She was beautiful, there was no doubt about that, but she was feisty and even more so, she had no idea who he was which pleased him beyond words. Most women flaunted over him only because he was the starting quarterback for the football team with promises of going pro. He could almost see the dollar signs in their eyes as they flirted with him, but no one ever asked about him off the field. He would bet his athletic career that not one of them new his major; nor did they ever bother to ask.
Tyler stared back at him as the ritual almost turned into a staring contest.
"What?" she finally said, feeling the shots of tequila getting the better of her now as her vision began to form two of him as she tried to blink it away.
"You ok?" he halfheartedly laughed. "You're kinda swaying."
"Oh my god, you are so annoying!" Tyler huffed, turning her body straight ahead so she wouldn't have to look at him.
He slid a glass of water that was sitting in front of him over to her, not able to stop the torment. She was just so incredibly spirited that it had him smitten. "Drink this or you'll regret it later on."
She glanced over at him, "Maybe if I dump it on you, you'll go away."
He looked over at Jason as they both laughed.
"You better be careful Tuck," Jason said. "She'll do it."
"No she won't," he smiled at her almost daring her to do it.
"Do you even go to school here?" Tyler asked him. "I can't beweave," she slightly slurred, "that you could possibly keep up in any of the classes here."
"I'm a chemistry major," Tucker announced proudly.
"Oh great," Tyler snickered, "you'll probably blow us all up."
That got another laugh out of him. "What's your major, smarty pants?"
"Medicine," she replied arrogantly, pushing him on the arm to let him know she had to get up. "Excuse me."
"Wow, a future doctor," Tucker said impressed as he slid out of the booth. He held his hand out to her for assistance, which she declined.
"I'm going to the bathroom," she announced, "hopefully you'll be gone by the time I get back."
Tucker smiled brightly and then quickly reached out and caught her by the arm as she swayed while trying to grab the top of the booth to steady herself.
"I got it," she argued, mildly tugging her arm back away from his grip.
"Good luck," he grinned as he watched her walk through the crowd, stopping once to find her bearings and then turned toward the direction of the bathrooms. He sat back down in the booth with a wide grin. "I like her! Do you know if she's seeing anyone?" he asked Jason.
"She's already irritated by you," he laughed. "And besides, she recently had a bad break up," Jason told him.
"His doing or hers?"
"It wasn't mutual, so I wouldn't push it." He left it at that, not wanting to reveal Tyler's personal feelings or story to him.
"She was dumped then?" he asked, surprised over that. He glanced around the side of the booth, hoping to catch another glimpse of her. "Maybe she just needs to move on."
Tyler closed the door to the stall and used her hands to brace herself on the sidewalls, feeling sick to her stomach, wishing now she wouldn't have done those shots. The memory of coming home and finding Steve drunk and passed out in his wheelchair suddenly flashed before her. It was the same night that horrible woman had dismissed him, but it was also the same night that she had sat up with him and just held his hand. It was the beginning of something special between them.
She opened her eyes as the relentless tears filled them over her loss. It was hurting now more than ever, realizing that irritating guy out there was right; the tequila was just making her more depressed. She took in a couple of deep breaths to relax her stomach wanting to just go back to her dorm and sleep it off.
She came out to an empty bathroom, which she was thankful for, going to the sink. She splashed some cool water on her face and looked in the mirror trying to focus as she blinked several times.
She steadied herself before exiting with a plan to return to the table, grab her phone and get out. She appreciated Bre and Jason's attempt to cheer her up but she didn't want to be cheered up, she was just too miserable for now, it was hopeless.
She made her way back to the table and saw Bre still at the bar talking to a couple of people. As she neared the booth she saw Tucker's leg sticking out, frowning over the fact that he was still there.
"Hey," Jason said as she approached, "I got you a diet coke."
Tucker looked over his shoulder seeing her and went to stand up to let her in but she put a hand on his shoulder, preventing it.
"Don't bother," she said, reaching across the table for her phone. "I don't feel well. I'm going to take off." Her attention directed toward Jason. "Thanks for dinner. I'll see you in class tomorrow."
Both men heard a slight slur to her words but it was Tucker who spoke up first.
"Hey, you should sit down for a while. Drink the coke and sober up just a bit before you go."
"Yea," Jason said, "let me get the check and we'll walk you back." He slid out of the booth, "Give me two minutes." He went towards the bar where his sister was.
"I'm fine. I just want to go," she replied but Jason was already out of earshot.
"Going back to your room and crawling under the covers isn't going to make this guy disappear," Tucker said to her. "I heard you just had a bad break up. They are never easy and sometimes it's good to vent a little. You know, get your frustrations off your chest." He respected women but honestly knew little about them in his twenty-two years, but what he had experienced up to date with heartbroken ones was that they loved to trash their ex, assuming she would too. He assumed wrong.
"He was probably a douchebag anyway with little or no respect for you, or anyone else for that matter." He thought he was getting an advantage by being on her side but it only backfired. "You'll probably wake up tomorrow and be glad you're rid of him. He deserves to be alone the rest of his life and probably will be," he chuckled.
That last sentence although innocent in Tucker's defense hit a nerve with her. It was one of the countless items on her list of things that she agonized over with Steve, that he probably would be alone, not that he deserved it at all, but because he wasn't selfish and respected other peoples feelings over his own.
"Who do you think you are," Tyler growled as she turned on him, anger replacing the tears in her eyes, "talking about him like that, about us, as if you know our story?" She watched his face turn to dread, realizing his mistake as she continued her rant, glad for his shame. "You don't even know him. He's more of a man than you could ever hope to be. Steve put his life on the line countless times to save others, and paid the price for it." Tears of frustration but mainly over her love for him began to fill her eyes again. She could be angry with Steve all she wanted, but God help the person who spoke ill of him. She wouldn't have it, not now, not ever. "Don't you ever speak about him as if you know shit, because you don't!"
She turned to leave and stumbled through her tears into another person as the bar began to fill up with patrons, making it difficult to get out. She searched for the door suddenly feeling overwhelmed with so many different emotions that it was making her dizzy. She couldn't catch her breath amongst the crowded room that began to spin from not only the alcohol floating through her system but also from the grief that plagued her. She loved him beyond words and he loved her too, that was the hardest part to overcome.
She felt her dinner begin to surface as a wave of panic swept over her, needing to find the door so she didn't throw up right there. She was at a loss as the stuffiness of the room began to overtake her, feeling now she was going to pass out as well.
Tucker wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her toward him, practically lifting her off the ground as he moved her toward the entrance. He'd seen enough drunk women in his four years of college to know when one had gone too far.
He ignored a couple of hoots and calls from friends, teasing him over her condition as he carried her out, pushing through the front door and going straight for an alley on the side, hoping they made it in time and she wouldn't puke on him.
He held on to her hips from behind as she leaned over, bracing her hands on the wall of the building and threw up on it.
She felt a hand wrap around her hair and hold it up, wanting to protest his help but another wave of nausea hit her as the second round came flying out.
He held steady with her for as long as she needed until she finally stood up but continued to sway under the circumstances.
"You ok," he asked gently with a hint of sympathy in his voice.
She didn't respond but nodded needing the stable structure of the building to steady herself, but found it instead on him as he put his arm around her waist once again, holding her up.
"It's ok," he said assumingly, "I got ya. Just take a minute and breathe. No rush."
She closed her eyes letting her stomach settle. The caressing of his hand up and down her arm felt good, relaxing her even more, reminding her of Steve when he would hold her.
Tucker squeezed her a little tighter as she began to cry, feeling guilty that maybe some of it had to do with him and his stupid comments. It didn't seem like a typical break up anymore.
"I'm sorry," he whispered to her. "I shouldn't have said those things to you about him."
His voice was so sincere that it caught her attention. She sniffed and wiped her eyes not feeling the embarrassment and humiliation that she should have. She looked up at him, seeing the expression that mirrored the voice. "Thank you for getting me out of there," she chuckled slightly. "Just in time too."
He moved a piece of hair from her face that had attached itself to a bead of sweat, finding her even more attractive in this vulnerable stage. "Where do you live? I'll walk you home."
She began to point toward the street that led to her dorm when both Jason and Bre came past the alley and then saw the two of them.
"Tyler!" Bre shouted running over to her. "Are you ok?"
"I feel better now." She rolled her eyes, "I'm sorry for running out like that but I had to." She looked up at Tucker sheepishly. "He led the way, thank god."
"When I saw you do those shots," Jason laughed, "I don't know…you're not a drinker and I had a feeling that wasn't going to go off well."
She nodded, feeling nauseated again, as well as completely exhausted. "I just want to go home," she announced.
"Come on," Bre said, taking her hand and leading her out of the alley.
Tucker watched as they walked away, a little disappointed that it wasn't he who was helping her home.
"Sorry man," Jason said as they trailed behind them. "Thanks for getting her out in time."
"No big deal," he replied. He turned to his friend, "Do you think she'll still remember me in the morning?" he asked hopeful.
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Danny got up from the chair in Steve's room and went for the bathroom, glancing over at the bed and seeing him asleep, glad for it. It had been a particularly harsh morning discussing his future that looked bleak no matter how hard he tried to see or pretend otherwise, and now with the tracheotomy procedure that was scheduled in a couple of hours, he was glad that Steve was able to have some peace in a nap.
He was going to leave at one point but decided to stay, just incase he needed him, so he planted himself in a chair and dosed off a couple of times as well.
Steve stood on top of the cliff just before the edge and looked out on the vast ocean and the lush green valley that ran down below his feet and then up the other side all the way to the tallest peak opposite his. It was stunning to say the least. He held his arms out wide and breathed in the salty air that filled him with a sense of pride over the climb. He was strong. He was resilient. He was free from the perils of life.
He turned around seeing Tyler standing there smiling at him. His body even in sleep reacted to the sight of her, coming alive as his heart rate on the monitor began to increase.
He motioned for her to come closer but as she did he noticed for the first time the wheelchair as she pushed it toward him over the rocky terrain.
His heart rate soared again only for a different reason as he took a step backward to get away from object that he wanted no part of.
He took another step feeling the edge of the cliff at his heels.
A split second later he felt the sensation of falling. His arms reached out for something to grab and hold on to but it was too late.
He heard his name as his eyes flew open from the dream just before landing at the bottom of the cliff, seeing Danny hovering over him with a look of utter shock and disbelief, calling his name over and over.
"Steve!" he said frantically, his eyes wide and shocked, yet he held a brilliant smile on his face as he tried to get his attention. "Wake up!" he shouted again, his hand over top of Steve's which was miraculously grasping the steel railing of his bed with a strong grip that Danny could not break free.
He blinked a couple of times as he came out of the slumber. His hand came loose from the bed railing and Danny took a hold of it in his.
"Squeeze my hand?!" he frantically ordered. "Do it now!" He held up both of theirs in front of him.
Steve looked at him confused and then at the grip he had on his hand, it was too tight hurting the muscles that had become stiff from lack of use, but he felt it! He had feeling in his hand.
'Oh my God,' he thought paralyzed from the shock of it himself. He stared at his hand as his mind told him to squeeze, seeing his fingers slowly wrap around Danny's hand and squeeze it ever so gently with the little strength he had left at the moment.
"You did it!" Danny cheered as tears sprang to life in his eyes. He reached for his other hand and grabbed it, careful not to disturb the IV inserted in the back of it. "Squeeze your left."
He did and got the same delighted reaction from Danny.
Steve put his right hand on his chest and began to poke and feel himself getting the sensation on his fingertips as well as on his body.
Danny watched as his hands prodded his body and then all at once froze.
Steve reached his right hand out and grasped Danny's bicep. At the same time he looked down his body at the foot of the bed and watched with absolute joy the movement from under the covers as he wiggled his toes.
Danny followed his line of sight and saw the same thing Steve did. He put his hand over top of the one gripping his arm, "Oh my god Steve," he whispered, barely able to get the words past his lips from the wave of emotions that practically knocked him over.
He looked back at his friend who met his eyes with the same overflowing of tears that had them both crying openly over the jubilation of what seemed to be a full recovery.
Danny leaned over the bed and hugged him the best he could trying to avoid the ventilator tube. "I can't believe this," his voice shuddered through tears of happiness.
Steve grunted and tried to maneuver the tube in his mouth wanting it out, assured he could also breathe on his own now.
Danny grabbed his hand with a wide grin, "Hold on! Wait, just wait!" he held his finger up to him as he backed away from the bed. "I'll get someone to take it out."
He ran to the door and flung it open, "Hey!" he yelled down to the nurse's station. "We need help in here!"
Two nurses quickly appeared in the hallway from other rooms, looking startled in his direction.
"Find Dr. Kidder and get him in here! Steve can move! He can move his hands and feet!"
One of the nurse's mouths dropped open in shock while the other smiled brightly and clapped as she ran to the nearest phone.
Danny came back in the room and up to Steve's bed, wiping away the most recent moisture in his eyes.
"They're coming, just sit tight."
The two men looked at each still amazed over their good fortune as Danny reached out taking ahold of the outstretched hand before him.
"I swear to god, Steve," he said with laughter, "you are the most inspiring son of a bitch I've ever met."
Steve smiled and looked down the bed again and slowly moved his feet just to be assured he still could. His muscles already ached from just that small amount of activity but he didn't care, it was the first time in his life that pain actually felt good. It felt amazingly good.