Luckily-or unluckily depending how you look at it-Riff's wound was fine. The nurse determined, after a bandage change, he just had a run of the mill cold or infection.

Tony couldn't say he was surprised. Riff always had a lousy immune system. In the winter, ever since they were little, he always caught one cold after another, naturally claiming he was fine. Despite the hacking cough or the passing out on Tony's shoulder during hang time with the Jets.

Regardless, it still scared Tony that Riff was sick with everything else he had going on. It also pissed him off that Riff was even in the hospital to catch a bug in the first place. It still pissed him off Riff was in this situation to begin with.

To clear up his infection, Riff's doc and nurses were heavily pumping him with steroids and antibiotics to try to ward off anything worse coming down the pike. Between those and the pain pills Riff passed out cold on him before seven o'clock.

Tony stuck around watching Riff sleep until his anger and frustration took over, forcing him to go on a walk to get some fresh air.

The more he walked through the angrier he felt. About everything. More and more he was beginning to feel like his old self before he got sent upstate. Mainly, he wasn't sure how he was going to control himself if Riff's pops showed up. Riff didn't need that stress right now and Tony knew without a doubt seeing his pops would send Riff into a tailspin.

"When the hell is he going to catch a break!" He yelled, finally erupting, kicking a trash can as hard as he could. "Damn it!"

"You know...trash cans have feelings too." A voice spoke out.

He turned to see Anybodys behind him. He couldn't even stop himself from groaning.

"I'm not in the mood." Tony snapped, "So why don't you just get out of here before I make you regret it."

"Last I checked it was a free country." Anybodys shrugged, "And last I checked I don't owe you jack shit. You were never my shitty ass leader."

"Beat it." Tony snapped. "I'm telling you in the nicest way possible to get out of my face."

"What's got your panties in a twist?" Anybodys literally laughed at him.

"What's got my panties in a twist?" Tony rounded on Anybodys so fast he jumped slightly, "I'll tell you what's got them so twisted...Riff's laying in a hospital bed, paralyzed because of a rumble you all insisted on having. I told ya all it was gonna end badly and none of you listened to me."

"Look," Anybodys stepped close enough to Tony to where they were almost touching, "Don't make this like you're the only one who feels bad about that. Riffs one of the only people I've met who've been decent to me. And that includes my own family. Riff gave me a chance. He saw past the freak the rest of you see. If I could go back and change what happened I would. So don't go around acting like you're the only one feeling like shit about it. Besides, he ain't blaming us, so why should you?

"Wait, you've seen him?" Tony felt his temper sky rocket. "I thought I told you all to give him some time."

"I saw him this morning." Anybodys said smugly, "Whaddya gonna do about it tough guy? I don't owe you jack shit. You ain't never been nothin to me."

"You don't know Riff like I do." Tony snapped, "You don't know how he ticks. What makes him tick. And being around all you buddy-boys makes him tick. In all the wrong ways."

"You may think you know Riff best. And I'm sure in a lot of ways you do but let me ask you something…" Anybodys eyes blazed with anger, "Where the hell were you that year you were gone, huh? Big, bad, dangerous Tony. You went away and I'm sure it sucked and was a big boo hoo for you, but did you ever stop to think what it was like for him? You left him here to pick up the pieces you broke. And you didn't bother to contact him. Not once. Did you ever think about what that did to him?

"Jesus you blame us all for the rumble, but the funny thing is who you also really need to blame is yourself. You're the only one who he has to prove something to. You're the one whose shoes he's been trying to fill. He's trying to be just like you. Just as tough as you. You're the reason he faced off with Bernardo like he did in the first place. He was trying to prove he could be just as good of a leader as he thinks you were. So grow up Tony. Take responsibility for your part in this mess."

Tony paused. It was true. He hadn't contacted Riff. Not one lousy letter.

The only person he'd written to was Valentina mainly because she'd written to him first.

The truth was he had sat down, multiple times, alone in his jail cell, to write to Riff, but every time it made him so homesick he ended up wanting to cry instead.

And jail ain't a place to cry.

Guilt suddenly weighed down heavily on him. He hadn't written to Riff not because he didn't care, but simply because it was easier for him.

He never once felt how it would make Riff feel.

He hadn't thought of the stress he'd placed on Riff's shoulders.

He hadn't thought about the mess he'd left in his hasty and violent exit.

Hell, he'd put more thought into what he'd done to the kid he'd beat up then his own best friend.

He stood there, remembering the hurt in Riff's eyes when he first came home. How Riff had masked it by punching him in the arm, pretending to introduce himself as if they were meeting for the first time.

Sometimes he forgets how sensitive Riff actually is.

Suddenly it all made sense why Riff had been nagging him for months to come and hang out with him in the Jets. The answer was so blatantly obvious. He'd broken Riff when he'd gone away. Anybodys all but spelled it out for him.

Tony may have been forced to leave his home, but Riff was the one who lost his home base. Riff had lost his security blanket and he was doing everything just to get it back.

He knew, once Riff was a little stronger he was going to have to explain. Explain what had happened and how much he'd missed him.

"If you ask me he's done a better job leading us than you ever could. Baby John now speaks more than three words at a time and Arrab was practically sober for a while. What did you ever really do for anyone? It's a damn shame Riff can't see it." Anybodys looked like he wanted to say more, but shook his head, starting to walk away.

"Wait!" Tony reached out, catching him by the arm. "You're right." He said, looking Anybodys in the eye, "About everything you said. I guess I'm just scared. We coulda lost him that night. I just don't know what I'd do without him."

"None of us do." Anybodys said, Then he stuck his hands in his pockets and walked away, leaving Tony alone with his thoughts.


Riff spent the next few days recovering from his fever as well as learning more about spinal injuries than he ever wanted to know.

Apparently, when you hurt yourself as badly as Riff had, it requires a team of doctors to look after you.

He suddenly found himself in the mist of lung doctors, stomach doctors, heart doctors, doctors who he wasn't sure what the hell they did. He just knew they all wanted a piece of him and they were pieces he wasn't willing to sell.

The list went on and on. Like a fucking parade that never seemed to end.

Dr. Mccallin, who was Riff's main doctor, annoyed him most of all.

For one, the guy always walked around whistling. And not whistling like the Jets did to warn one another about cops or Sharks or whatever other type of danger reared its ugly head. But a full blown song whistling.

"It's annoying!" Riff complained to Tony. "I can hear the guy coming a mile away. Who sits around all day just fucking whistling."

"I think he's kinda cool." Had been Tony's response, shrugging. "At least the guy can carry a tune."

The other thing that annoyed Riff was his fucking cheery ass attitude. He always came in to Riff's room with this big ass smile plastered on his face treating Riff like he was some dumb kid who thought Santa Claus still existed.

"He called me buddy." He told Tony, who merely rolled his eyes. "I ain't his buddy."

Every day he'd bring his little aray of tools- the ones that made Tony shudder and Riff laugh at him because of it-and prick Riff up and down his legs, on his feet, below his, as Dr. Mccalin always said with a deep voice, "line of injury".

"I'm thinking you should start to feel something any day." He'd reassure Riff over and over as if Riff were asking.

Riff always responded with an eye roll telling him he wasn't holding his breath which in turn made Tony lean over and pinch him.

But then it actually happened; one day, Riff did feel something.

It started off like any normal day. He woke up, had some breakfast, got a dose of his pain meds and took his morning nap. When he woke Tony was sitting in his usual spot, reading an old Superman comic. They exchanged a brief conversation, which mainly consisted of Tony sharing updates on the construction that was taking place, and Riff making Tony laugh at one of Actions usual antics when Dr. Mccallin came into his room.

"Ready for me today Riff?" Dr. Mccallin asked like he did every day, wearing that damn smile of his. "I have a feeling todays going to be a good day. In fact, I bet it will be."

"I hope you're not a betting man." Riff replied like he normally did, rolling his eyes. "Cuz you're on quite the losing streak."

Dr. Mccallin winked at Tony then took his normal spot at the end of Riff's bed. He pulled down Riff's blankets and carefully removed his compression socks, once again leaving his legs and feet bare.
Riff staring up at the ceiling, preparing for the same old game of "no I can't feel it. This is pointless" when it happened.

He felt a jab.

A small prick

On his left big toe.

"Ouch!" Riff snapped almost in alarm.

"Ouch!" Tony sprang out of his chair like a damn jack in the box, tripping over his long legs. "Did you just say "ouch"?"

"Yeah, cuz it fucking hurt." Riff raised his head a little. "What the hell was that?"

Dr. Mccallin grinned even wider, holding up what looked like a large sewing needle in his hand.

"Where did you feel it, Riff?"

"On my big toe." Riff replied, trying to contain the excitement.

"Which side?

"My left." Riff couldn't help himself to smile too.

"How about this?" Dr Mccallin pricked his right toe and once again Riff felt the prick.

Dr. Mccallin smiled as he continued his exam. It turned out Riff could feel the different tools all the way up to his hip, although the sensations were admittedly weaker in some places. That, and he still couldn't move. Not even his little toe.

"Does this mean he's going to be okay?" Tony asked. He looked like he was going to grab Riff's hand, but stuck his hand in his pocket instead.

"It's definitely promising." Dr Mccallin said, nodding. "This is very good news, Riff. It's only been about two and a half weeks since your accident and you have almost full feeling in your extremities below your line of injury. All of your other tests have checked out okay too. There's been no damage to any of your other systems."

"That's great, Riff." Tony reached out squeezing him on the shoulder.

"You might have some minor deficits," Dr. Mccallin continued, giving Tony a wink, "Like a slight limp, or being weaker in one of your legs, but I think it'll be okay. Of course there will be physical therapy-you're essentially learning to walk again-but with hard work I think you'll make almost a full recovery." Dr. Mccallin grinned, "I'll be back to check on you tomorrow." He leaned over, giving Tony a high five before heading out the door.

"Riff…" Tony grinned at him, tears running down his face, "This is awesome. You're gonna be okay."

"You've turned into a real sap, you know that?" Riff said, but tears were spilling over his eyes too.

For the first time, in a long time, Riff felt-at least for the moment- he could let his fists down.

For the first time in a long time he felt he might even be a little more than something