II
Another dark night, in the city I was not born, to be a fighter I gotta stand up, I gotta face it I'm gonna win, yeah I got no time, to sit and wonder I gotta stand up, I gotta face it I'm gonna win
And my prospects lookin' thin
The survival, of the fittest
Is the law, in the world that I live in
But now's the time I have to learn
To keep my head, above the water
Gotta play with fire, but not get burned
Don't want to lose it
I want to taste it while it's hot
Don't want to waste it, I need it so bad
I'm gonna win
You see it's a matter of pride
Deep down inside
I'm gonna win, yeah
I'm gonna win
I got myself, to reckon with
Yeah and life won't drag me under
Even if it takes, all I have to give
I'll give it all
Don't want to lose it
Ooh I want to taste it while it's hot
Don't want to waste it, my mind's made up
I'm gonna win
I tell you, see when it comes down to the crunch
I've gotta beat life to the punch
I'm gonna win
Somehow I know I'm gonna win
You know
I've got to fight to stay alive
Kick it in to overdrive
I'm gonna win, ooh, ooh, ooh
I'm gonna win
I'm gonna win, Foreigner
Six Days Later
Blair Warner was going home. She had no memory of the home in Rockville Center that she shared with Jo and David, but she was going there. Her physician back home, Dr. Washington, had been brought up to speed on Blair's condition, and along with Jo's therapists at Wholeview Wellness, who had done so much after she had returned, were going to examine her, both physically and psychologically, and come up with a rehab regimen for both her physical injuries and to deal with the after-effect of her accident, including the amnesia.
It was deemed too difficult for Jo to travel in the Camaro-the car wasn't made for someone who couldn't walk. A few days before Blair was discharged, Jo bought a new SUV. They didn't have to worry about waiting for insurance to come through on the old SUV that had been totaled to purchase one-another thing that had almost sent Blair into shock was finding out how much her net worth was. The SUV could comfortably take Blair, a wheelchair that had been recommended by the hospital, and their son.
It wasn't easy getting in and out of the vehicle, but on the trip home, Charlie had come with them to assist Jo in helping Blair. When Blair was first wheeled into her home, her eyes went wide, a smile on her face.
"Seems we have good taste in homes, Jo", she said with a sweet grin. "It's beautiful."
"Yeah, nothing I enjoyed better when I owned the shop than coming home to you and DC every day." The thought that she used to own the shot suddenly made her melancholy, not able to hide it from Blair.
"Don't lose that dream, Jo", Blair insisted. "You've told me about how much you love bikes, and it's a part of you. Don't give it up."
Jo smiled. "One dream at a time, Princess", Jo reminded her. "You and DC come before anything else."
Three days after coming home, Blair was examined by Dr. Washington at Mount Sinai Hospital South Nassau, which was the couples' hospital of choice. New X-Rays, MRI's and CT scans were taken of all the affected areas, Dr. Washington sharing them with the orthopedic staff at the first-rate facility, as well as with Dr. Jennings at Wholeview Wellness. Dr. Matthews was shown the MRI and CT Scans of Blair's brain. She was a psychologist, but she also knew very well how to read such images of the brain.
Several days after that, she met with Doctors Jennings and Matthews. Both were happy to see Jo, and assured both women they would work just as hard with Blair, if this was where Blair wanted treatment. The blonde was immediately comfortable with the other two women, Blair taking that as a good sign. A physical wasn't needed, but Dr. Matthews needed to interview Blair and go over where she was at and how she was thinking.
By the middle of the next week, there was a comprehensive physical and psychological program in place for Blair. The physical rehab would concentrate on her broken left arm and her reconstructed left leg, hip, and pelvis. The arm wasn't a huge concern, as the orthopedic team at South Nassau felt that would be a walk in the park compared to her leg. It would take a lot of time and pain for Blair to ever fully use her left leg again.
Returning from her first physical rehab session, which Jo and David had attended, Blair was exhausted. They were working first on her left arm, the range of motion still somewhat limited from all the once-broken bones. It was a bit painful, but from what Blair had been told, this was nothing next to what would happen with her leg.
"Can I get you something to eat or drink, Blair?"
Blair was sitting on the couch, her left leg up on a small ottoman. She looked at Jo, clearly seeing how uncomfortable the woman was with the distance between them. She had already come to the conclusion that Jo Polniaczek was a wonderful, caring woman, and Blair could see why she had liked Jo so much before the accident. But it was obvious to both of them that the "love" part just wasn't there, at least not yet.
"Some iced tea would be wonderful, Jo, thank you." As she finished, David crawled over to her, pulling himself up and extending his arms. "Oh, you want Mama Blair to hold you, do you? I think I can deal with that", Blair said with a loving smile. It still felt so wrong to know this was her son, yet not feel the complete attachment to him. "Jo, maybe bring some milk or juice for DC?"
Jo had filled Blair in on the family etiquette when it came to names for the mom's and David's nicknames, both making perfect sense.
"Sure thing, Princess", Jo called from the kitchen.
"Princess" still sounded funny to Blair, but Jo said it like it was second-nature to her. It wasn't used flippantly, Blair had discovered quickly, but in a reverent way. She's definitely in love with me, of that there's no doubt. I wonder if I'll ever reciprocate the feeling ever again? That thought made Blair sigh with frustration, knowing that she had had something wonderful here. Could she ever find it again?
Jo came with the drinks.
"One nice thing about not workin' now is that I can come to your appointments...uh, that is if you want me to", she amended with a blush.
"Jo, we've talked about this", Blair noted. "Yes, I want you there. I don't know where we're going right at the moment, but there's no doubt I need someone to push me when things get tough. I've already come to the conclusion that you will have no problem in pushing me."
"You bet your ass, blondie", Jo said, and didn't mean it as a joke. You're going to have to be stubborn, she heard her mother's voice echo in her head. "As I told you, you pushed me, and got me through a nightmare. It's my turn now."
"I can't imagine what you went through, Jo", Blair said honestly, referring to her five years on the lam and her drug addiction.
"Just like I can't imagine what you're going through now, Blair." Jo had noticed that Blair had yet to call her "Joey", or "barbarian", or "grease monkey". Dr. Matthews had quietly advised Jo not to tell Blair everything about them. If she could remember those things, it would be a good indication that she was improving. "But unless you throw me out, I ain't abandoning you, blondie."
It had come out more like a challenge that Jo had wanted, her head dropping the moment she had finished saying the words. "I'm sorry, Blair", Jo admitted, looking at her love. "That came out wrong. I'm just still on edge about where this is going."
"And you think I'm not?" Blair had answered with a little edge of her own, Jo understanding it perfectly. "I can't remember a damned thing about my life, about you, about David. I'm frustrated as hell, Jo, and don't forget it."
Now Blair sighed, realizing that she had become just as defensive. "Looks like we both need to work on that edginess, don't we?" She smiled at the brunette, who smiled back.
"Like you said in the hospital, Princess: one day, one step at a time."
The first rehab on her leg came two weeks later, and it was pure hell. The pain was nothing like Blair had imagined it would be, convinced that the exercises were going to snap her bones in the left leg all over again. She didn't just cry in pain, she literally cried at times during the sixty minute session. The whole time, Jo encouraged her and pushed her when needed, not letting her back down from the challenge. Charlie and Rose were watching DC, as they knew the young boy didn't need to see one of his mom's in so much agony. They would keep their grandson overnight.
Arriving home, Jo laid down the law. "You're going to bed, Princess, and I mean now. I'll get you some Tylenol, and then I want you sleeping for as long as you can."
"You'll get no argument from me", Blair said, still in a world of hurt. "My God, if that isn't cruel and unusual punishment, I don't know what is", she lamented.
"Those people know what they're doing", Jo reminded her, bringing her a glass of cold water as Blair sat on the couch. "You're gonna have to trust them. I can't say I know how much it hurts, because I can't but I'll go through it with you as much as I can."
"Thank you, Jo", Blair said softly, a tear escaping. "I couldn't have made it through today without you pushing me like you did."
"Bitching is one thing I'm good at, Blair", Jo said lightly, making Blair genuinely laugh.
"I second that motion." Blair had custom crutches to get around the house. "I'm gonna go wash off then put on a nightshirt and go lay down."
"You need any help, Princess?"
Blair again saw the desperate want and need in Jo's eyes, again her heart clenching. Blair knowing she wasn't anywhere near ready for such intimate contact. Still she smiled warmly at Jo. "No, I got it, Jo, but thank you for offering. Come in an tuck me in when I'm ready?"
Jo just rolled her eyes, both of them laughing.
Blair yawned, her body still aching from the workout and simply dealing with the process of putting her broken body and mind back together. Right after she yawned Jo came in.
"You comfy, Blair? Need anything else?"
Blair nodded. "No, I took the Tylenol. I don't think the whole bottle would help right now", she said wryly. Looking at Jo again, she again smiled. "Come sit here for a minute?"
"Uh, okay", Jo said warily, but moved over.
"I don't bite, Jo", she said with another smirk. When Jo was settled she spoke again. "I can't imagine what you're going through right now, Jo", Blair said frankly. "What I'm putting you through. But I am grateful that you've been going through this with me."
"What you're putting me through?" Jo angrily shook her head. "You damn near died in that accident, Blair. I watched you have a heart attack, but this isn't about me right now, it's about getting you better. I can't imagine waking up and not knowing who I am or who anyone around me is, on top of dealing with a broken body." Jo stopped then smiled. "I guess we're both going through a lot, huh?"
"From what you've told me, sounds like par for the course." They both chuckled. "Just...just keep doing what you're doing Jo. Don't give up on yourself, or me...on us?"
"Not a chance, blondie", Jo said, taking a chance and touching Blair's cheek, then she gave a grin. "You're stuck with me, so get used to it."
Blair laughed. "Something tells me I can think of worse things in the Universe." Jo gave her a brilliant smile. Leaning over Blair, Jo kissed her cheek.
"Get some rest, Princess. No alarm is set. You sleep as long as you need. Me and DC will be hear when you wake up."
Before Blair could speak, Jo had risen and walked out of the room, Blair's mouth still agape.