The next time I woke up, Ranger was getting ready for bed. "How are things going?" I said.

"Okay. How are you feeling?"

"Okay. What are Grant and Kai saying?"

"That you have an infection, but that it is just starting, and you are now taking antibiotics for it."

"Nothing else?"

"No. Why? Did they tell you something else?"

"No. It's just that you looked far too upset for an infection that I am going to kick out of the ballpark."

"Babe, I looked upset because you have an infection starting. I'm upset because you are in more pain now than you were in the hospital. I'm upset that there is so little that I can do, and I am furious that you hit your legs because you were upset about things that Val had said."

I sighed. "It happened because I wasn't being careful. It has nothing to do with Val."

Ranger smiled suddenly. "I'd rather blame Val."

I laughed. "How are the guys doing on the case?"

"Good. They finished their capture plans at dinner so I ordered them to take the evening off and be with people. They've done their work. Tomorrow morning, Miguel has offered to assemble all the work into a cohesive document to give to Ben. I hope that we can have a meeting with Ben to talk about where we go from here."

"I want to be in that meeting, even if the only benefit that I can offer is to see the work that the guys have done and tell them that they did an incredible job. Can you make sure that Kai stops giving me morphine and times it out so that I can be in that meeting?"

"Okay, babe", he said. He left the room for a moment and came back with Kai.

As he finished changing into his sleep pants and t-shirt, Kai smiled at me and gave me a shot of morphine. I smiled gratefully at him. "Kai?" I said. "There's a meeting tomorrow that I really want to be at, even if it is just in support of my team. Can you make sure I am awake for it?"

"What time is the meeting?"

"When Steph wakes up", said Ranger.

"I can do that." Kai patted me on the shoulder. "Come get me if you need me", he said. I smiled at him again and thanked him.

Ranger saw him out and turned down the light and got into bed beside me. "I'm not going to cuddle in", he said. "I am too worried about hitting your legs."

"Can we hold hands?"

Ranger smiled. "Absolutely", he said. "I would like that."

"So would I." He clasped my hand and lifted it to kiss my knuckles, and as I fell asleep I could feel Ranger's tears on my hand.

When I woke up, just Kai was in the room. My pain was manageable and, as he dosed me with a painkiller, I looked at him. "What the hell is going on?" I said.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that everyone is pussyfooting around me, Ranger cried himself to sleep last night, and the atmosphere in the castle has gone from a party zone to a funeral. Talk to me, Kai."

Kai looked at me for a moment, then sighed as he sat on the side of the bed. "The infection in your burns is not a beginning infection. I mean, it was just beginning but it got very severe incredibly fast, which is why your legs are so sore. Grant started you on a strong antibiotic and it is working, which is why the pain is more manageable this morning. In addition, more of the burn has deepened into a third-degree burn over the last few days. This means that grafting is likely more necessary and scarring more likely. It also means that your recovery period could be months rather than days."

"What are the ramifications of this?"

"You won't be walking for a while."

"Seriously, Kai."

He sighed. "Steph, there are four degrees of burns, and each degree represents an increase in severity. There are many factors that influence this – age, size of burn, level of health before being burned, etc. You had a first-degree burn over most of your body, that I am happy to say is righting itself. It is fading fast and you no longer look like a watermelon. However, you have a severe second-degree burn from both your knees to your toes, or eighteen percent of your body, that in places has deepened to third-degree burns. Second-degree burns usually heal on their own, whereas third-degree and fourth-degree burns require grafting. However, you are healing fast so at this point, we aren't sure if you are going to require grafting.

"You have a few things going for you. You are young and in good shape, despite recovering from pneumonia. You eat well, and we have talked to Ranger about the kinds of foods that will help you recover faster. For instance, you will need more calories and more protein in particular, which is why Ranger is putting peanut butter in your banana smoothies. The bad part is that the burn is severe and extensive. It will take you some time to recover. A normal second-degree burn that isn't too big would take between one and three weeks to heal. But that is when they are small. Yours is almost a third-degree burn in some places and a full third-degree in others, and it's over eighteen percent of your body. Additionally, it is on the bottom of your feet which will make it hard to bear weight as you heal.

"As I said, Grant and I don't know if you will require grafting to be done. We are giving it a chance to heal itself first and, in truth, grafting doesn't get done right away anyway. It is something that is done a few weeks in the future. What we do know is that, with this infection, grafting is more likely. That is why Grant has hit you with a strong antibiotic. It had a greater chance of upsetting your stomach. However, it will also knock the infection out of the ballpark faster."

"How long will it take to know if I will require grafting?"

Kai sighed. "I don't know. I know a lot about burns, but I am not a burn doctor."

"Do you think that I will have to go into the hospital again?"

"I hope not? I especially don't want you to go into the hospital while the terrorists are still roaming the streets. For some reason, I don't think that being in the hospital is safe, and I have learned to trust my instincts. That is why you came home as soon as you could safely be off oxygen. You technically should have been in the hospital much, much longer. However, Ranger and I both had a hinky feeling and we wanted to get you out of there."

"I had a hinky feeling as well." I thought about that for a moment. "What can I do to help?"

Kai smiled. "That's the Steph I know – someone who doesn't take challenges lying down."

I snorted. "Lying down, I think, is exactly what I am doing."

Kai grinned. "Eat as much as you can. The skin is an organ, and it needs energy to recover. You are going to be more tired over the next few weeks, and you'll need to honor that. Needing to sleep all the time is annoying, but it won't be for forever. Drink lots – you aren't drinking enough, and we are debating whether we should put you back on an IV and give you fluids. Take your pain medication. Not only do you need it physically, but you need it emotionally as well. Be honest with how you are feeling. I know you don't talk about upsetting things easily, but you can talk to Grant, Ranger and me. We can do calls back to Livy. Anyone on your Guru team would be there for you, as would Hal or the strike team. Eduardo, although a soldier on the strike team, is also a certified Trauma Counsellor and has offered to talk to you as well. However, whatever you choose to do, talk to Grant, Ranger and me."

"Will I walk again?"

"It's very likely, but it may take a while. As I said, second-degree burns generally heal within one to three weeks. But this was severe, and third-degree burns, which in parts this was, can take a long time to heal. There may be some scarring, and now that you have an infection, that is more likely. When your burn heals a little more, we will start putting moisturizers on to try to reduce any scarring that might occur."

"Is there any chance that I might lose my legs?"

"Highly doubtful."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Any chance that I might need a wheelchair?"

"Yes, and as soon as you are feeling more comfortable, I think we should get you one. As much as you've been good about being carried around, I don't think your patience with it will last much longer. You are Wonder Woman, not a snivelling princess, and having wheels will help out immensely. You may only need a wheelchair for a few months, but I think there will be a bit of time that you will need a wheelchair."

"And when I get out of the wheelchair?"

"Crutches or a walker, probably. Just something to help reduce the weight on your feet so that it won't be so painful. As you build up your tolerance, you'll be able to walk more comfortably on your feet again and you will be able to lose the crutches or walker."

"How long will I need crutches or a walker?"

"I don't know, but I would guess at a month or more. It is a pure guess though."

I sighed as I thought about that. "Thank you for your honesty", I said.

Kai smiled sadly. "I'm sorry that it wasn't better news."

I thought about that for a bit as well. "It actually isn't bad news", I said. "With everyone moping around, I had thought that I was going to lose my legs. I am relieved to hear that I probably won't. The rest is annoying but, essentially, is just recovery time. From what I'm choosing to hear, I have an infection, it is getting better, it will delay my recovery but I will recover. I may need aids to help me get around for a while but the good news is that we have the money to get those aids. And the reason I'm not in screaming pain this morning like I was yesterday is because the medication is working and that's a good thing. As I need to rely on morphine less, I will be up more and we'll get a wheelchair so that I have some independence again and, since I need to eat more protein, I can hit Ranger up for more peanut butter and banana smoothies."

Kai grinned. "That's pretty well it in a nutshell."

I sighed as I smiled. "Then maybe I can have a sponge bath and dry shampoo my hair, and dress me in some comfortable but professional clothes, and then I'll be ready for that meeting that I am looking forward to being a part of."

"How is your pain level?"

"Better. My nose and throat and lungs don't hurt at all. My muscle tear is a six, and my legs are an eight and falling. When I woke up they were a ten."

Kai grinned. "Thank God. You've been reporting pain levels of twelve to fifteen on a scale of ten. It sounds like that antibiotic is working well for you." He paused. "I've been having you go in your diaper, and I want you to again for another day or two until your legs have healed a little more. As it is, your feet would be too sore resting on the floor while you used the toilet."

I sighed, then smiled. "There's incentive to get better faster. I never thought that I would prefer for you to carry me into the washroom."

Kai laughed and as he pulled out his phone to call Ranger, he looked at me. "Steph? You are going to get better. It's just going to take a bit of time."

I thought about that for a moment. "Kai? Is it wrong for me that, instead of being really upset, to feel grateful?"

"Not at all. What are you grateful for?"

"Lots of things. Stupidly, I'm grateful that I'm not going to lose my legs. I know that sounds horrible for me to say, but that just sounds friggin' painful. I'm also grateful that I have both the time and the money to look after myself. This would be much more challenging if I was in a position where I could no longer put food on the table for my family. For me, it is a setback and a nuisance. For other people in this world, it could be the end of their lives as they know it. I'm grateful that I live in a one-floor apartment with an elevator and, when I am here, that there are a number of people who are strong enough to cart me around. I might get annoyed with being unable to do it myself, but I'm not truly stuck. And I'm incredibly beyond grateful that I don't have to see my sister through this period and hear her comments on how I am making up the pain of my injuries."

Kai grinned. "I think if Val said that to Ranger, he would kill her. Literally kill her."

I snorted. "How's he doing?"

"He's doing okay. He talked to Gabriel in the middle of the night last night. I sat with you for a while when he had his call, and I think that was good for him. He looked far more settled after the call than he had before. I also got up with you this morning and sent him for a run. Apparently, after he went for the run he headed into the gym and worked on the heavy bag, and that was good for him too. He looked even more settled after his workout. He came up here and had a long hot shower, a shave, and he came out of the bathroom looking like a new man."

I sighed with relief. "Thank you for taking care of him."

Kai smiled. "Any time."

Ranger came into the bedroom and smiled at me. "How are you doing?"

"My legs don't hurt nearly as much today as they did yesterday", I said, "so I think the antibiotic is working."

"What is your pain level?"

"When I woke up it was a ten, but it is falling fast. Kai gave me an acetaminophen with codeine, and it's working well. So what I was hoping was that you and Kai could give me a sponge bath and do my hair and help me dress in nice clothes, and perhaps we can have that meeting while I am in less pain?"

Ranger smiled with joy. "Absolutely", he said. "It's good timing. Miguel said that he just finished putting together the dossier for us all to look at."

I grinned. "Excellent. I love it when a plan comes together."

Ranger and Kai chuckled, and together they gave me a bath. I felt much more comfortable when they were finished. Then, they searched through the closet and came across a white maxi dress with large pale blue flowers on it and added a navy boyfriend sweater. Ranger even found a silver necklace that the girls had given me for my birthday the year before. It was long with a large silver open circle as the pendant. Julie and the girls had gone shopping together, and Julie told me that the circle represented my arms and the way that I brought people to me and made them into family, and held them tight to my heart. I cried when she said that.

By the time they had finished, my pain level was a six. I was quite pleased with that, and so were Ranger and Kai when I told them. I grinned at them when I was ready. "I feel so much more in control knowing that I looked pulled together and pretty."

"You look beautiful, Steph", said Kai. "Let's go down and knock their socks off."

I grinned and, when Ranger handed me my tablet and picked me up, I kissed him on his cheek. "I love you", I said.

Ranger smiled. "I love you too."

"Kai told me this morning what is really going on."

I could feel Ranger tensing. "How did you take it?"

"I was relieved."

"Relieved?"

"With everybody looking so scared, I thought that I was about to lose my legs. I was terrified. Now that I know it is just an infection that I have to fight? That's cool. I can fight infections. I mean, yes, I have a longer and more intense recovery time than I anticipated. However, this is what I was saying to Kai. I feel grateful. Unlike some other people in the same situation, we have the money and the staff and the support to allow me to take care of myself. We don't live on the top of a four-story apartment building that doesn't have an elevator. Me taking time off work is not going to result in losing my job or not being able to put food on the table. I am, in actuality, incredibly lucky, and every day from here on out will just get better."

Ranger kissed my nose and smiled. "You're amazing."

I grinned. "Amazing enough that you'll make me a peanut butter and banana smoothie?"

Ranger laughed. "Absolutely. You've lost too much weight, woman. I have to fatten you up again."

"Then make it a very large smoothie."

Ranger laughed again.