Chapter One-Hundred and Thirty-Eight

John placed his hands on Clarissa's shoulders as she struggled to relearn how to walk. The crash had damaged the part of her brain that helped to control her motor skills, and John had taken on the task of steadying her as best his body would allow. "You've got it Mom." He cheered, able to see her frustration at how hard it was to do this simple task. "One more step."

She shook her head, taking a seat on a chair in the physical therapy wing of the hospital. "I'm done." She stated, able to sense what John was going to say next. "I can't do this."

John licked his lips, his dark hair falling over his eyes as he knelt in front of her. "Yes, you can." He reassured, taking her hand and pressing it to the knife wound on his side. "If I can survive this, you can learn to walk again."

She drew her hand back, able to see John's own fight in those eyes of his. "Johnny. I can't walk." She looked down at her legs, hating that they didn't work right. "It hurts."

John's eyes changed, the dark brown changing to nearly green with determination. "Mom." His voice was firm, as if he was now playing the roll of parent. "I live in pain every day. If I, an addict, can walk, so can you." He winced as his side gave a sharp pain, knowing that it was a side effect of whatever new substance he'd had forced into him. "You will walk again."

She glared at him, the tension between the two so tight that Thomas was halfway expecting one of them burst into flame. "Johnathan Kurtis-"

"Clarissa Elizabeth." He countered, mirroring her stubbornness with his own. "I'm not giving you a choice. You. Will. Walk. Again."

Thomas looked at John's uncle, shocked at the little smile on his lips. "What are you smiling about?" He asked, knowing that John was on thin ice.

Asher shook his head, watching his nephew as he let his Cherokee fight show, knowing that the Viking in his blood was also contributing to his stubbornness. "That kid lets his heritage show." He looked to Thomas, as John finally got Clarissa to stand and try to walk again. "He's stubborn as an ox, and gentle as a butterfly. He gets the fight from the Cherokee and Viking in the Bender bloodline, but the gentleness and love comes from the Greek in the Baka's blood from his mother."

John helped Clarissa forward, ignoring the pain that was shooting through his stomach with every breath. "Another." He ordered, able to see the want to give up in her. "I'm not letting you sit until my muscles give out." He knew that his body would fail him eventually, but exactly how long that would be he had no idea.

Clarissa huffed a breath, taking another wobbly step as the boy pulled her along. "Johnathan-"

"Johnathan Kurtis, I swear you are the biggest pain I have ever met." He finished for her, not giving her the satisfaction of a win until he was please with her recovery. "I know I'm an ass, Mom. But to be fair, you're just as much of a pain in my ass as I am in yours."

She glared at him, letting him stop to brush her hair out of her face before they continued. "I could never be as big of a pain as you are."

John scoffed, stepping backwards as she stepped toward him. "Believe me Mom, I don't even come close to you."

"Fuck you Johnny." She breathed, tired of his shit.

John smirked, trying to ignore the memory of what had happened to him after he'd been drugged. "Another step." He stated, feeling Chance's eyes on him as she became attentive to his change in behavior. "You didn't give up on me. So, I'm not giving up on you."