One week later

Desperately tidying up Paul was trying to make the best impression for when they came to assess his place so that whatever problems there were they gave him a fix for them so that he could get Stephanie out of the damn hospital before she went crazy.

When the doorbell rang he dropped the cushion that he was fluffing back on to the couch and hurried to answer the door. "Hi I'm Paul, do come in."

"Hi, I'm Nick and this is my colleague Rachel." They both followed him inside examining every single inch of the walk towards the lounge, "So where exactly are you thinking of converting for Stephanie? The Doctor did say something but I want to hear it from you."

"I'm looking to either convert the dining room or give her one of the guest bedrooms depending on her abilities so you should assess both places to be on the safe side." And that is what they did, for the next two hours but Paul wouldn't have it any other way, he answered every question and asked plenty of his own.

Once the inspection was over Paul made his way to work, he had a long day ahead of him now but he wasn't worried because he had to do the most important thing to him and that was getting Stephanie out of the hospital.


Arriving at the hospital after a long day of work he walked in to Stephanie's room to see her with crossed arms and a pout on her face, "What's wrong pretty lady?"

"I didn't think you were coming, they said visiting was nearly over so I thought you were too busy with work to come."

"Never. With all of the extra work I need these daily visits to keep my mind sane. So how was your day?"

Her days were all the same at the moment, with the lack of time she had to spend with Paul and the endless days being all the same. "Same shit, different day. I don't blame you for any of this Paul but you're working longer some days in the week so every day is the same four walls doing nothing but exercises."

It took everything Paul had to not tell her to bear with him because he was working on getting her out of there. "Why don't we go down to the concourse for half an hour? I'm sure that we can get away with that right?"

"If we can't then tomorrow I may just sneak out of here and not come back."

Not wanting to encourage those thoughts or the behaviour he grabbed her robe, "Before they have a chance to catch us and tell us no let's get you ready and only tell them that you're going down to the concourse on our way out."

As they walked out of her room the Nurses station was empty and Paul thought about sneaking her out of there without saying anything but thankfully a Nurse walked in through the door meaning he didn't have to put his life on the line because he was too lazy to wait. "We're going down to the concourse; we'll be back in half an hour." Not waiting for a response he quickly ushered Stephanie towards the door so that she got out of there.


Sat in the concourse watching as people went about their business she couldn't help wanting that to be her. She still needed the support of crutches as she walked and she was still cooped up in this hospital not able to go out when she wanted, not able to eat what she wanted and not able to watch anything she wanted.

Discreetly checking on her to make sure that she was okay he noticed the frown on her face so slid his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer, "What's wrong?"

"Just having one of those days where instead of focussing on what I have I am dwelling on what I don't."

"Do you want to talk about what you don't have that makes you so sad?"

Leaning closer to him she found such comfort in his touch, especially when she was sad or feeling down. "What do I have apart from my life Paul? I appreciate you and everything you are doing for me but at the end of the day you'll be gone eventually. Right now I don't even have my freedom so I'm just struggling to find good things that are happening in my life."

What did he say? He couldn't say he was trying to get her out of there but he didn't want her to lose all hope either. "It'll get better Steph. Why don't I see if I can take you out for a couple of hours at the weekend?"

"You would do that?" He was so kind to her, she really didn't deserve him but saying that she hoped that if he succeeded in getting her out of there for a few hours.

Arriving back at ICU Paul left a note for the Doctor to see if he could just take her out for lunch on Saturday before he left for the night.


When he walked in to work the next morning he was early because he wanted to avoid the issues of the day because he hadn't gotten in from seeing Stephanie until late because of how her mood had been. Leaving a note on the desk for Jess he made his way to the office to start on his work.

Twenty minutes later there was a knock at the door so putting his pen down he sat back in his seat, "Come in."

"Good morning Paul, you wanted to see me."

"Yes I did, thank you Jess. I left a message last night for Stephanie's Doctor asking if I could take her out for a couple of hours on Saturday as she is struggling right now and really needs the reason to smile you know? Anyway if her Doctor calls can you put it through immediately please, even if I'm in a meeting?"

"Even if you're in a meeting? Isn't that a bit unprofessional Paul?"

The last thing he wanted to do was play phone tag with the Doctor. "I think they'll forgive me for taking a phone call from a Doctor, they don't need to know the nature of the call and it will only be a short one so I don't think that they can complain all that much."

"Your choice boss. As normal I will take all other messages for you unless they are very urgent." She couldn't argue with him because he was her boss and she had to do exactly what he wanted.

"Thank you. You are dismissed." He didn't mean to be so cold towards her but the way she challenged his decision irritated him but saying that he couldn't let her walk out and think that he was mad. "I'm sorry for snapping, after last night I just feel so guilty and my head is just in many places today so I snapped at you over something incredibly stupid. Forgive me?"

There was nothing to actually forgive as she wasn't mad. "I'm not mad Paul so relax; it will take a lot more than that to piss me off. I'll let you get on with your day though, give me a shout if you need anything."


Much to Paul's surprise when he took an early mark at 4 he still hadn't heard from the Doctor but he wasn't bothered as he may see him now.

On his way out of the door he stopped at Jess' desk so that once she was free he could pick her brains.

When the phone call ended she looked up to see her best friend and boss stood in front of her which may not be pleasant for her as she hadn't heard from the Doctor. "Can I help?"

"Yes. I'm heading out now but I wondered whether you thought Stephanie would enjoy The Greatest Showman? I thought I would try and cheer her up by watching a movie and so many people have said such good things about it I thought that it was worth trying."

"She should love it; you may surprise yourself and enjoy it too. Give her my love and tell her I'll be in tomorrow evening with some cake as I have a family dinner for my partner tonight to celebrate her birthday."

"Do I get cake too? Thanks though, I'll let her know. Take messages for me and call if there are any disasters otherwise I'll be back tomorrow. Enjoy your evening."

"Thanks, you too." She watched her best friend walk away and wondered exactly how thin he was spreading himself and whether he was going to lose his job because he wasn't paying it the correct amount of attention.


The arrangements had already been made for Paul to be able to hook up a Blu-ray player to an actual television for her so all he had to do was swing by home to pick that and the movie up and he would be on his way.

Stephanie was relaxing and listening to music on the iPod that Paul had let her borrow when suddenly a trolley was wheeled in with a television on, pausing the music she pulled one of the buds from her ear. "Why are you leaving a television in here? There is one mounted on the wall you know."

"One has been requested for this room so I am leaving it here like I was asked. You'll have to ask somebody else why it was requested as I am literally just one of the porters, sorry."

Smiling softly at the older guy she appreciated that he was honest with her because after asking different people different questions today it felt like nobody else had been honest with her. "Thank you for your honesty."

"You're welcome." Making his way out of the room it was nice to get a thank you from somebody because this job either involved unconscious patients or people who just expected to be carted around with only a small amount of people actually using their manners. As he left ICU he passed somebody walking in with a Blu-ray player tucked under their arm so her question would be answered soon enough.

Paul waved at the Nurse as she walked down the corridor before he slipped in to Stephanie's room, "Good day pretty lady."

Not expecting any visitors Stephanie had actually reached for her notepad to go over the pages to see exactly what she could remember out of it all as she listened to the music. Focussed on the book she didn't see or hear Paul walk in until she felt a hand on her shoulder and she screamed.

He only wanted to let her know that he was there as she didn't respond so he felt immense guilt when she screamed. When she pulled one of the earphones out he took the opportunity to apologise. "I'm so sorry Steph; I didn't mean to scare you."

Looking around she tried to gauge the time because something felt off. "What are you doing here? Have I lost even more of my mind? You shouldn't be here yet should you? I'm so confused right now Paul."

"You haven't lost anything, I just left work early because I thought we could relax and watch a movie together. I did bring popcorn but that is strictly for after you've had your dinner because I don't want to die and I am pretty sure that if any of your Nurses saw me giving you popcorn before dinner they would kill me."

"I would cover for you but it's okay, I get that they're scary to you. What movie are we going to watch whilst you play hooky from work?"

Laughing he pushed his way on to the side of her bed to take a seat. "I think you will find that as the boss I am not playing hooky, I am taking a well deserved early mark from work."

She shuffled over slightly giving him room to sit down. "Well as long as you won't be in trouble I won't complain. What are we going to watch?"

"The Greatest Showman. I heard good things about it and thought it would be a good way to spend some time together. Ready?"

"Only if you'll be my pillow. Because of where the television is there is no way for me to sit comfortably because I am struggling today with my back, I don't think the weather likes me."

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head before he got up to hook up the blu-ray player and start the movie. Once the movie was loading he put the bag of popcorn on her table and then took a seat back on her bed but he didn't start the movie until she had shifted about in bed until she was comfortable with her head on his chest.


They were just over half an hour in to the movie when the Doctor walked in. Absently waving at him Stephanie didn't want him to interrupt the movie as she was actually really enjoying it.

Paul couldn't help but smirk at the way that Stephanie acknowledged the presence of the Doctor in the room, not that he was much better but he at least glanced in his direction.

Not impressed that they didn't stop their movie for him he took the remote from the side where Paul had put it and paused the movie.

"HEY! I was watching that." Less than impressed at the interruption she pushed herself up so that she was sat back up. "Why are you interrupting our movie?"

"Because I wanted to talk to you and I refuse to do that whilst you are watching the movie and therefore ignoring the words coming out of my mouth."

Grumbling she crossed her arms over her chest sulking slightly. "You have had all day, why pick now?"

She really was making things difficult for him tonight, much more than normal. "Are you in pain?"

"What? If that is why you are interrupting the movie then please leave."

"It's not, you're just cranky and it is not normal for you to be like that so be honest, are you in pain and do you need pain killers?" He tried to gauge from her face whether she was in pain or not but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

As he sat there Paul watched the interaction, the pain she was in was clearly more than she had let on so if she dared lie about it he would drop her in it.

If she wasn't confident that there was no chance of Paul splitting on her then she would be glaring at him right now. "I'm in pain, I don't need painkillers thank you, it is nothing I can't handle as I'm lying down again."

"Are you sure? If you want painkillers just in case then you can have them too, just let me know." He admired her stubbornness sometimes but he couldn't wait to get her out of there as she was going stir crazy and he was going crazy dealing with her.

"I'm sure. Paul is really useful as a pillow and the movie helps me forget the pain so you know if we could get back to it soon I'd be happy." Reaching across Paul for her notebook she flipped through the pages until she found the one she wanted so that she could read it out. "The Physio said that because of my injuries I am more susceptible to pain, specifically in my back."

"The Physio is probably right so you need to be careful and I will consider giving you painkillers long term. I will get to the point of my visit for you though so that you can get back to the movie. I have been approached with an idea which would enable you to get out of here but it would mean that you are unable to go back to your own home for the time being."

Torn between anxiety and excitement she didn't know how to react. "I don't know my own house so is that really a problem? Who or what is it that has approached you to help me?"

"Paul."

"Paul who? When do I meet him? I don't want to agree to anything if I don't know who is going to be taking care of me and if I like them because I need to trust them with not being able to remember things." She was so scared about who it was because the Doctor wasn't exactly giving her much information to work with right now.

He really thought that she would have caught on to what he was saying but apparently she didn't. "You have already met Paul; he is sat right beside you."

Her head snapped to the side to look at the man that she had just been lying on. "You what? Do you actually know any of this?"

Laughing at her reaction he nodded his head. "I know all about it because I was the one to suggest it a few weeks back and since then I've had to have an assessment of my house to see if it is suitable. This is the first time I have heard that it is possible though."

Why was he suggesting that she moved in with him? That would mean that he had to take care of her and he had a job and it wasn't making any sense to her why he would make that decision. As much as she wanted to get out of hospital the last thing that she wanted was for it to come at the expense of his life, job or happiness. "But you've just been promoted, how is any of this possible?"

"My house isn't that far from my work so if I have to work a full day I can swing by at lunch to check up on you. What we discussed initially is that I'd make you a sandwich for your lunch before I went to work and then I would be able to trust you to take care of yourself for a few hours as you're mobile and there will be no need to climb stairs as I have a downstairs bathroom. Because of my promotion I don't have to be in the office all day every day so I can be there for you and take you to hospital appointments. If you don't want to move in with me then that's okay, I won't take it personally, I just thought that I would offer it as an option."

This was a lot for her to take in and she wasn't sure how to feel about it because as much as she wanted to get out of there he already gave her too much of his time and energy.

Silence after the explanation wasn't the answer the Doctor expected so deciding to give her some time he would leave her for now. "Well I have somewhere I need to be whilst you think it over and come to a decision so if you'll excuse me. If you need me you know how to get hold of me."

When the Doctor walked out of the door Paul reached for the remote to turn the movie back on. "Are you ready?"

Shifting about in the bed until she was lying back down with her head on his chest, "I'm ready."

He settled back on the pillows and pressed play on the movie keeping the remote close this time ready for the next interruption.


They only stopped the movie next when Stephanie's dinner came so sliding off the bed he moved the table up for the nurse to place the food on. "Would you prefer it if I stayed or if I left you alone to eat as I have been hanging around for a while already Steph?"

"Please stay, I want to talk." She missed lying down with her head on his chest but as she shifted about on the bed her stomach growled and suddenly it wasn't all that important but she didn't want him to leave completely.

"Sure." He stepped aside to let her put Stephanie's dinner down before he pulled a chair over to take a seat himself. "So what did you want to talk about?"

She thought she was comfortable but as she tried to eat she realised that she wasn't so shifted some more until she was finally comfortable. "Why do you want me to move in with you?"

"Why wouldn't I? I sat back and waited for them to find somebody qualified to actually take care of you so that you could be in your own home but when nobody came forward I chose to step up and offer my home for you to stay in, if you want it."

"What about what your family think? I don't want to come between you and them."

He shrugged, "I'm an adult, I can make my own decisions and fuck them if they don't like them. I have an upstairs guest room you can have or I can transform the dining room to your bedroom and there is a downstairs bathroom that you can use. The kitchen is pretty straight forward so you'll be able to navigate it safely when you are alone whilst I am at work although naturally I will prepare your food in advance just in case I don't make it back for lunch."

Stephanie didn't know what to say, he really did seem like he had thought about everything and he seemed almost determined but yet she knew that he wouldn't force it on her if she didn't want it. "What if I need more care than you think or having me there is more hassle than it is worth for you?"

"It'll be okay." Falling silent he tried to think of the best way to phrase what was going on in his head because he didn't want her to take it the wrong way. "If either of us is feeling like it is all too much and we need a bit of a space or we just want to be alone I have a spare television and DVD player that I can set up in your room and it will all be okay."

As she ate her dinner she thought over everything that he had said and weighed up the pros and cons in her mind, was he really serious about it or was it a spur of the moment decision? "Sleep on it tonight Paul and if you're still serious tomorrow then I'll give it more thought."

"Why would I need to sleep on it again?" Scratching his head he was confused as he had already explained he mentioned it a few weeks ago. "I first spoke to the Doctor about it a few weeks ago Steph, I told you this, I have had a lot of nights to sleep on it and I am still willing to do it."

"Oh." Feeling incredibly stupid she smacked herself in the head, "Stupid brain, I want a new one."

Jumping up from his seat before she could hit herself again he grabbed hold of both of her hands. "Don't hit yourself in the head, it won't help. It's okay that you didn't remember, I'm used to women not remembering what I say because my sister never listens to a word that comes out of my mouth."

"Yes."

"Yes . . . what?" If she was agreeing that listening to what he said was not important then he would sulk, having one person who did it was bad enough.

"Yes I will move in with you. Thank you Paul, I promise that I won't cause you any troubles and I will hire a person to get access to my money so that I can pay my way."

Sighing heavily she had bigger things to worry about than her money right now because that would open a whole can of worms he wasn't sure that she was ready to face. "Don't worry about money and paying your way right now, just focus on getting better and then we can worry about that when you are stronger." In a bid to distract her from what she had said he pushed her dinner back closer to her before he went back to take his seat.

Once she was out of hospital there were bound to be situations that arose but at least then he would be able to handle them in the best way he thought and not have to stand back and let the Doctor control it all and he would be home and eating a lot earlier in the evening.