"What's wrong?" asked Luke.
"Nothing," said Kevin groggily.
"C'mon Kev," persisted Luke.
"Drop it!"
"Ok, fine. It's time for tea."
"I'm not eating," said Kevin in the same stubborn way he always did.
"What have you eaten today?" questioned Luke.
"A glass of water and a biscuit," replied Kevin.
"Like that's going to fill you up."
"Give me one good reason for me to come down. Just one. 'Cause I have one for not going down-I am never going to be anything. I will never be a sports star, I will never get a girlfriend, and, fo the moment, I will never go downstairs!" exclaimed Kevin.
Luke was rather taken back by his outburst, but persisted in convincing him to come downstairs.
"One- you have a loving family downstairs. Two- you cannot stay in bed because you want to wallow in your own self-pity, that's just selfish! And three- I want you to come down. I miss you," stated Luke very truthfully.
This time Kevin was in shock. No one had really said anything so sincerely in a long time. He gave in and sat up, preparing himself to get up. He reached up to the trapeze that lingered above his head. He hated using it, but there was no way of avoiding it.
It took him aa while, but with Luke's help, he was finally in his chair. He knew it would take him awhile to be able to get out of bed with limited difficulty, so he was happy when Luke assisted Kevin's lifeless legs into the chair.
It took them almost ten minutes for them to get downstairs, but Luke didn't ask Kevin to go faster, as he was happy he even agreed to come downstairs. Helen didn't hide her joy when she saw Kevin roll into the kitchen. She immediately perked up, and fussed over Kevin's overloaded plate, saying it wasn't enough. The family began to tuck into the baked dinner, when Will arrived home. He joined the table, helping himself to chicken and vegetables. Joan, Helen, Luke and Kevin all noticed how tired Will looked, but they knew how he stressed in his old position in the police department at his old precinct, so no one questioned him.
Kevin ate just a mouthful of chicken, and a piece of broccoli before he announced he was going to head upstairs. He never realised how much getting out of bed used up hi energy. Before he had completely left the table, Helen reminded him of his physiotherapy session with his new doctor the next day. Kevin groaned audibly. He wasn't planning on doing anything in the morning.
