The next week seemed to blur together to Leo as he was not allowed to do much besides lay in bed. Occasionally, he would get up and go to the adjacent bathroom, where he would take care of his business and wash himself the best that he could. However, it wasn't enough to really satisfy him, and he decided one day that he was going to walk around the room as much as his broken legs would allow.

After sitting up gently, Leo swung his legs over the edge of the bed. With his arms, he managed to slowly push himself into a standing position. He smiled victoriously for a moment, before falling back again. His legs were very much asleep!

"Great." Leo muttered, deciding to give it one more go.

His second attempt was much more successful, and he managed to make it over to the room's only window. It was overcast outside, and the garden below had just wilted away for the fall. However, Leo was happy to see anything that wasn't the surroundings of the bedroom. As he leaned his arm against the window frame, a smile crossed the brown-haired man's face.

"Well," Guy commented as he opened the door, "I don't believe that this is in the doctor's instructions!"

"I couldn't stay in bed any longer." Leo replied with a smile, turning towards the Count, "I'm going crazy up here!"

"To be young and full of energy again!" Guy remarked, walking over, "Still, you must do what the doctor says if you want to make progress on your recovery."

"I know." Leo sighed as Guy helped him walk back to the bed.

"You must be patient for the time being, my boy." Guy replied as Leo sat down on the bed, "For now, I do not want to see you out of this bed unless it is necessary."

"All right." Leo agreed, crossing his fingers behind his back.

"I knew that was too easy." Guy remarked, pulling Leo's arm away from behind his back. He smiled at the still crossed fingers. "You remind me too much of myself at your age."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Leo chuckled with a smile.

"Hmm." Guy smiled back, "Your doctor is coming by the day after tomorrow to check up on you. He said that if all goes well, he should be able to remove the bandages around your head and ribs."

"But these will still be here." Leo remarked, looking disdainfully at the casts on his limbs, "So, it's not really much of an improvement."

"I guess not." Guy said in a sympathetic voice, "Interpol has made some arrests in connection with your case. The person I spoke with said that it should only be a matter of time now."

"Well, that's good." Leo replied with a smile, as the door was heard opening. A black-haired, Latino man about Leo's age entered and shut the door behind him. He smiled at the Count and Leo.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," the stranger said, looking directly at the Count, "But you said you wanted to see me."

"You're not interrupting." Guy assured, motioning to Leo, "I've told you about Leo, haven't I?"

"Yeah." the Latino man nodded.

"Leo," Guy introduced, "this is Carlos Reyes, one of my many bodyguards. I'll be assigning him to protect you."

"Nice to meet you then." Leo said with a smile.

"Likewise." Carlos nodded as the Count stood up.

"I will let the two of you get acquainted." Guy said, before turning to Carlos, "Make sure that he doesn't leave that bed unless it is necessary."

"I won't." Carlos assured as the Count walked out, "It's good to see you when you're actually conscious and not soaking wet."

"What are you talking about?" Leo inquired.

"I was the one who found you." Carlos answered, sitting down, "You look a lot better now, man."

"It's definitely nice to meet you then." Leo commented. He was beginning to like this guy, "So, how's the outside world?"

"Ah, it's raining too much for my liking." Carlos commented, "Of course, that might have to do with where I'm from."

"That being?" Leo inquired.

"Argentina." Carlos replied.

"Wow!" Leo remarked, "A bit far from home, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Carlos nodded, looking to the ground, "But not by choice."

"What do you mean?" Leo asked, sitting up slightly.

"I guess I could tell you the real story." Carlos said, looking at Leo with a smile. "It's not like you're going to be talking to anyone. We're actually a lot alike in some ways. I'm on the run from a crime organization myself."

"Why?" Leo asked without thinking, "Sorry, man! I shouldn't have asked that."

"It's all right." Carlos assured, "I walked in on one of the members trying to rape a girl I knew, so I took care of the guy. They've been after me ever since, and I left Argentina for my own protection."

"Damn." Leo remarked, shaking his head.

"It was hard to leave." Carlos continued, "It was especially hard to say goodbye to Pablo, but…"

"Pablo?" Leo asked, wondering who he was.

"My older brother." Carlos explained, "But he said that it was the best thing that I could do, and he wanted me to go for my own safety."

"I wonder if David would say the same." Leo whispered to himself, thinking about his older brother. Whether Leo wanted to hear it or not, David always shared his advice with his younger sibling. Leo wondered again what David would say about his current situation.

"Well," Carlos said, looking at his watch, "time for somebody to take his medication. If you need me, I'll be right outside your door."

"Thanks, man." Leo replied as Carlos stood up, "With you around, I may have to work on my Spanish as well as my French."

"Yeah." Carlos nodded as he turned out the light.

To be continued....