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Chapter 6

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He groaned, waking up with a terrible headache, not to mention the rest of his body. The sterile scent of the bed as well as the beeping of machines told him where he was, making him groan again.

"I really should stop waking up in here," He muttered to himself, still weary from the drugs.

"Well you would, if you just used your eyes to see where you were going."


A soft amused voice replied, probably that of Rachel. Another groan came as reply, as he shifted, trying to get his eyes working properly. He was rewarded with more pain, his leg getting the worst of it. It made him frown, wondering what happened with it.

"Easy there Nick, you just got out of surgery. You won't be hopping about any time soon."

Soft hands were placed on his shoulders, easing him to lie down again. Again he wondered why he couldn't see, and touched his face, feeling the softness of a bandage there. What the..? What was that for?

"Rach…? Why can't I see?"

His soft was soft, and raspy, like he hadn't been talking for a long, long while. It sounded a little panicked. The hands moved to stroke his hair, a soft rustling of somebody sitting down. A sigh followed.

"You have been out in the cold for a long time; your eyes were a little affected. They managed to defrost the first layer, but your eyes need rest. You can't use them for a week or so."

He sat upright in an instant; his eyes would have been big, if they had not been covered.

"A week!?" He croaked out, not believing his misfortune. Again he was pushed down, with a little more force this time.

"Yes, a week, but that's not all."

She paused for a moment, letting him have the time to hear it all. Nick sighed deeply, rolling his eyes, but again, that look was missed because of the bandage. Of course there was more, there was always more. Never were things easy in the Legacy, and he wondered what it was now. Broken ankle, broken feet, broken leg at three places? Bring it on, he had been there before.

"You were operated on your leg, because of a splintered bone. They had to put some screws and a plate in it. You won't be able to walk without crutches or a wheelchair for a long time, and after that, physiotherapy. "

Was it Nick's imagination, or did she sounded a little cheery about that? He didn't know, he couldn't see her face. Great, stuck with crutches for a long time, just what he needed to get him kicked out of the team. Eric probably loved every minute of if it.

Rachel smiled, she could sense her young friend wasn't too happy about the change of events.

"Look at it from the bright side…."

He snorted, which sounded more like another groan.

"There's a bright side to all of this? And don't say pretty nurses to help you through it, because I always get the horrible dragons."

The blonde psychiatrist laughed at the sarcastic comment, knowing very well he didn't mean it, but was just overly disappointed to be stuck in the hospital. She took his hand, the one that wasn't dealing with an I.V drip, and laid something cold in it. He touched it with his fingers, trying to get the idea of what it was. It was round, heavy, cold like steel. But also small. It felt like a ring. At first he frowned, why was Rachel giving him a ring? Until something dawned on him, sitting upright again.

"You're serious?"

She nodded, a soft hmm mm followed. She saw how Nick's hand was shaking, touching the ring with care now, knowing what it was. He wasn't sure yet, tilting his head to the side, trying to peer through the thick bandage.

"What about Eric?"

She eased him down again, slipping the ring on his finger, where it belonged after all. "He resigned, leaving all the Precept duties to you, when you are recovered, He will leave when you're well enough. You're Precept again Nick, like you should have been all this time."

A big smile spread across his face, lightning up the whole room. That was all she needed to know, and she bent down to kiss him on the forehead.

"Get some sleep, you need it. And don't sit up again, or else I will get one of those dragons."

They both chuckled softly, while Rachel left, leaving Nick to have some emotional space. For the first time since they lost Derek, she had the feeling things were going to be well. All they needed was Alex home, and the team could start all over again.