Disclaimer: All characters are owned by Disney, I own nothing.
A/N: Thanks to all that have reviewed! I appreciate all of your comments and suggestions. I think I have an idea of where I want this story to go. Please take note that I have given Casey a husband, named Tom.
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That night went by without further incident. The next morning came and for once Adam was up before Charlie.
He rubbed his eyes softly in an attempt to remove any excess sleep. The very first thing he noticed was that there was now light in the room, meaning he wouldn't have to go searching for a light switch again. Adam breathed a sigh of relief; he didn't want a repeat of the night before.
Adam glanced around the room quickly and discovered that Charlie was still asleep. He and Charlie were roommates back at Eden Hall so he knew how much of a heavy sleeper Charlie was, which made him wonder how he was so easily woken the previous night.
Adam was suddenly pulled from his thoughts as the door creaked open. An old man with gray hair in a doctor's suit walked in with two clipboards in hand.
"Good morning…Adam. I'm Dr. Moreland." he said as he flipped through papers on the clipboard labeled 'Banks, Adam.'
"Morning doc." Adam replied as he carefully repositioned himself on the bed.
"How are you feeling?" the doctor asked
"A little better." Adam said
"Good. I was just looking over your records. I don't see any reason why you can't go home this evening. Now, you will be in pain for a while, so I want you to stay in bed for the next week or two and I am going to prescribe some painkillers." Dr. Moreland stated
"Well what about Charlie and school?" Adam questioned
"Charlie will be allowed to go home as well. He'll have to use crutches for a month, however, because there is a hairline fracture in his ankle. Don't worry about school. We'll give you a doctor's note and the days won't be counted against you." Moreland explained
"And hockey?" Adam asked knowing what the answer already was
"I'm afraid both of you will be out for the rest of the regular season, but if you take it easy and allow your injuries to heal properly, you may be able to come back in time for the postseason games." the old doctor clarified.
Adam just nodded and looked down at the floor. He knew he was in for it now. His dad would be furious at him for not being able to be hockey, no matter if he was injured or not. This made him wonder what the doctor meant by "go home." Home as in the Eden Hall dorms? Or home as in with parents? He was hoping the doctor meant the first.
"Hey doc, when you say I can go home this evening do you mean back to the Eden Hall dorms or go home with my parents?" Adam asked
"Well, I believe going home with your parents will be the best, for the both of you. You two need your rest." Dr. Moreland explained
"Yeah, but Charlie and I are room together at the dorms so we wouldn't have any roommates bothering us or anything." Adam pleaded
"I understand, but if you are at home with your parents, you'll have someone there to take care of you." the doctor stated
Suddenly Adam felt very tired and didn't want to argue anymore.
"Okay, whatever you say doc." he said with a yawn
"Good. Now why don't you get some sleep? It's still pretty early. Your parents won't be here to pick you up for a few hours." Moreland said as he walked towards the door.
Adam nodded with another yawn as he watched the doctor leave. He laid his head back on the pillow and started thinking about the upcoming evening. He dreaded going home. He knew exactly what would happen. His dad would yell at him and tell him his life is ruined and he would be powerless to stop him. Despite his anxiety and fear, Adam soon drifted off into an unconscious state.
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Charlie woke a few hours later to the sounds off a soft voice calling his name.
"Charlie…" he heard
He slowly opened his eyes and saw his mother leaning over him.
"Hey honey" she said backing off a little
"Hi mom" Charlie replied using his arms to prop him up
"How are you feeling?" she asked
"Better" he answered
"That's good. The doctor said you can go home this evening if you feel up to it." she said
"Great, it'll be good to see the team again." he happily said.
"Well, the doctor wants you to come home with me that way you can get your rest." she stated
"Oh…" Charlie replied with disappointment. He didn't want to go home with his parents, neither. He got along fine with his mother, but he and his step-dad, Tom, did not.
"Don't worry, Charlie. Tom is away for a while so there won't be any problems." she tried to comfort him
"Okay then, but what about school?" he asked
"Don't worry about it. The doctor's are going to give you an excuse so the days you miss won't count against you." she explained
"And Adam?" he questioned looking over at his sleeping friend.
"He is going home with his parents as well." Casey sighed knowing as well as Charlie did that Adam didn't want or need to go home, especially with his father being there.
"Mom, they can't make him go home! You know what his father is like, how he treated Adam after he got injured in the Goodwill games." Charlie snorted
"I know, Charlie, but there is nothing I can do." she said
Charlie just looked at the floor and shook his head in disbelief. He wished that he and Adam would be able to stay at the dorm, where he wouldn't have to put up with Tom and Adam wouldn't have to put up with his father.
"So when can we leave?" he asked
"As soon as you're ready, but the doctor needs to come in and discuss a few things with you first." she stated
"I'm ready now." Charlie said
"Okay, I'll go get Dr. Moreland." Casey said as she left the room.
While she was gone, Charlie glanced over to his sleeping friend. Adam had been there for him when his mother had gotten remarried to some jerk that he didn't like and didn't like him in return. Charlie didn't want to leave him with his dad alone, but had no choice. He thought back to the last time Adam had gotten injured and how Coach Bombay had to save him from his dad. He just hoped that Adam would be okay.
"Good afternoon, Charlie. I hear you're ready to go home." Dr. Moreland announced pulling Charlie from his thoughts
"Yeah…" was all Charlie could say.
"Good, but once you get there you will have to stay in bed for a week or so to fully recover from the concussion. You'll have to use crutches for a month to allow the hairline fracture in your ankle to heal. That means you're out of hockey for the rest of the season, but you maybe able to return for the postseason games." he explained
The doctor continued on and showed Charlie how to use the crutches. Charlie was barely paying attention; he'd figure his mom would go over it again when he got home.
"And that is everything." the doctor said as a nurse came in with a wheel chair.
Dr. Moreland escorted Casey outside the room to discuss some things as the nurse helped Charlie dress and position himself in the wheel chair. Once they were done the nurse began to wheel him out of the room, but before he left, Charlie looked at Adam once more and hoped that things would go alright.
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Adam woke a few hours later to two guests in his room. He couldn't make them out at first, but soon his eyes focused and he recognized the one by his bed as his mother, and the one sitting in the chair with the magazine as his father.
His mother immediately started asking him questions like how he was feeling, but his father remained seated with his magazine. She asked him if he was ready to go and when he responded with a yes, she went to get the doctor.
While she was gone, Adam decided to take the opportunity to break the ice with his father.
"Hey dad…" he softly said
"We'll discuss this at home." Philip Banks snorted from behind the magazine.
Adam just sighed and thought of all the different things that would happen once he got home. Before he could get too deep into his thoughts, the doctor came in and went though the same information he went through with Charlie, minus the crutches. The doctor said it would be difficult for him to walk because of the broken ribs, so he would be given a wheel chair to get out of the hospital with as well.
A nurse came in a few minutes later and helped him dress as the doctor finished giving instructions to his parents. The nurse wheeled him out to the car after they were done and soon he and his parents were driving him in complete silence, knowing exactly what would happen as soon as they got home.
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A/N: A lot longer than I had anticipated. Sorry for the long wait, I had school and everything lol. I had a long weekend so I finished up this chapter. That thing about morphine injections and not being able to go home, I'm basing what I wrote off of personal experience. I had knee surgery a few years ago and they allowed me to go home the same day they gave me a morphine shot. Anyways, thanks for all the reviews. I'll update ASAP!