AN- This chapter is a sequel to chapter 540, where Freddie wakes up from a coma after a year. Enjoy!
…
Scare
"So…I-I was in a coma," Freddie said softly, his voice filled with disbelief. "For an entire year?"
"Yeah," Sam whispered, her arm draped around his shoulders. "Yeah, baby…a whole year."
Freddie had been awake for roughly six hours now. Sam and the kids had been overjoyed, and they had spent the past hours trying to make up for every moment they had lost with him over the past year.
But it was late now, past midnight, and though Sam and Freddie's four children had wanted nothing more than to spend the night with their father, the hospital staff would only allow one overnight guest, so Sam had dropped the kids back off at home before returning back to her husband. She could tell now, though, that Freddie's confusion was really beginning to eat at him. After all, she could only imagine how strange it would be to wake up one day and discover you had missed a year of your life.
"You-You said I was in a car accident?" Freddie said weakly.
"Yeah," Sam said gently. "Yeah, um, this truck ran a red light when-when you were coming back from work…It-It hit you and your car flipped-flipped over and, well…you've been here ever since."
She blinked back her own tears as she thought about that horrible day when she got the call telling her about the accident a year ago. She didn't think she'd ever stop having nightmares about it…
"I-I don't remember that at all," Freddie said heavily. "Last thing I remember is…I was leaving home to go to work and-and I nearly tripped over Tyler's skateboard in the driveway. And then…then it's like one giant blur. I-I kind of remember hearing bits and pieces of things…I-I remember hearing your voice a lot, and-and the kids…but-but I don't actually remember any actual memories."
"You were probably hearing us all when we came to visit you," Sam told him, giving him a small smile. "We came every day. I-I read online that there's some evidence that some coma patients can occasionally hear what's going on around them."
"Yeah, that-that's probably it then," Freddie said. "I just…I can't believe this."
Sam gently tilted his chin up and kissed him, savoring the taste of his lips on hers once again. "I can't either," she said when she pulled apart from him, resting her forehead on his. "I-I can't believe I'm finally here talking to you. I-I didn't know if I would ever get to-get to-"
And with that she broke down again, tears streams teaming down her face.
"Sam-" Freddie started, squeezing her hand.
"I just-I'm so happy you're finally awake, Freddie," she said weakly. "I-I tried to stay positive all this time, you know, for the kids, but-but there were times when I couldn't help but think…God, I-I don't know what I would've done if-if you left me, baby. I love you so much. I don't know if I could've handled it if you had-if you had-"
"Sam, I-It's okay now," Freddie said as Sam wiped her eyes. "I'm here…I'm okay."
"I know, I know," Sam said quickly. "I'm sorry. You just woke up a few hours ago…you probably don't want to deal with all my stuff right now."
"Hey, that's not true," Freddie said, giving her a small smile. "I-I bet this has been hard on you."
"It really has," Sam sniffed. "But seriously, enough about me. Let's focus on you. I talked to your doctor earlier and he said that if everything stays the same, you can be home within the next two weeks. And then you'll need to come back three times a week for your physical therapy, and then-"
"Physical therapy?" Freddie repeated.
"Well, yeah, Freddie," Sam nodded. "You-You're sort of going to need it. When you got in the accident you broke your legs in three different places, dislocated your hip and fractured your neck. Everything-Everything healed up while you were, well, out, but-but because you haven't moved in the past year the doctors say you're going to need a lot of help getting back to where you used to be."
"Oh…" Freddie said slowly. "You mean I can't even walk? How am I supposed to get around at home?"
"They said you'll probably need to use a wheelchair for a couple of weeks when you get out of here," Sam told him. "But don't worry; Jason is going to put in a wheelchair ramp for you and we'll move all your stuff downstairs."
"Since when does Jason use tools?" Freddie asked.
"He's actually gotten pretty handy around the house," Sam said. "He's been pitching in a lot this past year…don't know what I would've done without him."
"Wow," Freddie said. "I-I'm impressed."
"Anyway, the doctors say since you're still relatively young, you shouldn't have too hard of a time getting back on your feet," Sam continued. "And don't worry, I'll be there with you the whole time."
Freddie nodded, but didn't say anything.
"You alright?" Sam asked.
"Yeah," Freddie said too quickly.
Sam gave him a knowing look.
"It's just…I lost a year of my life, Sam," Freddie sighed. "A year. That's a whole year of the kids' growing up that I missed, a whole year of us…I have no idea what's been going on, I don't know what's the same and what's different…I can't even walk right now…I just feel so-so-"
"I know," Sam said supportively. "I know, Freddie. I-I can't even imagine how this must feel for you. But you'll get through it. Me, the kids…everyone, we're all going to be here for you. I know there's nothing we can do to get you that year of your life back, but-but we can do our best to make this as easy as we can for you."
Freddie looked up at his wife, noting the dark circles under her eyes and the tired lines all around them. "Thanks," he said, using his strength to give her his signature smirk. "Thanks Sam. I-I'm real lucky to have a wife as amazing as you."
Sam kissed his temple.
"God, I've missed you," Sam mumbled, resting her head on his shoulder. "Seriously, don't ever do something like that again."
"I promise," Freddie told her. "Hey…you know what I'd really like to do right now?"
"What?" Sam asked. "We can do whatever you want."
"Fill me in on everything I've missed," Freddie said softly. "I-I want to know what's been going on while I've been in here."
Sam smiled. "I can do that. Let's see…Tyler got a pet turtle. His name is Skippy, and Ty likes to take him everywhere with him. Once he actually managed to sneak him in here when we were visiting you without me seeing. And he's actually not afraid of the dark anymore! We got rid of his nightlight a few months ago. And he lost two more baby teeth…Oh, and he started playing baseball. He's real good at it; he hit a homerun in his first game, I have it on video for you…I think he's gonna be a real athlete, you know, which means hopefully his college will pay for itself."
"I remember him saying he wanted to start baseball," Freddie said.
"Yeah, well…I figured he needed something to take his mind off of everything," Sam said. "And hey, speaking of sports, Emma got captain of her soccer team."
"Did she really?" Freddie said.
"Uh-huh," Sam nodded. "And she's really getting better at history. She's still having a lot of trouble with math, though. I try helping her with her homework as much as I can, but, well, I was never any good at it. Oh, and she's been watching all of your old Galaxy Wars movies. You're gonna be so proud, baby, she may know more about Skynauts or whatever than you. Some nights I would wake up and find her downstairs fast asleep under that Proton Cruiser blanket you had when you were a kid."
"Aw," Freddie chuckled. "I wish I could've been there to see that…"
"And Ashton apparently got your over-achiever genes," Sam continued. "She's president of the entire sixth-grade class at school. And she's on the debate team and she made the cheerleading squad."
"She's president?" Freddie repeated. "Our little girl?"
"Yeah, impressive, huh?" Sam said, beaming proudly. "But don't worry, she's starting to show a little of my personality too. She went behind my back and got her ears pierced by herself a few months ago. Of course, she wound up feeling guilty about it three hours later and told me herself, but still…Oh, and she's really into animals now. She's saying she wants to be a vet when she gets older."
"A vet in the family…that'd be nice," Freddie said.
"And Jason…" Sam said. "He's really grown up fast…I told you, he's been such a help to me this past year. Sometimes I would forget that he's only fifteen. He watches the other kids when I need him to, he helps around the house…oh, and you'll be proud of this. Apparently some kid had been hitting on Ashton at school, so one day when he was picking the twins up from school, he went up to him and gave him some big, intimidating speech telling him to stay away from his sister."
"Good," Freddie said proudly.
"And he's really taken after you with all that computer stuff," Sam went on. "I mean, I know he's always been real good with technology but you should see some of the stuff he's doing now. And he's already looking at which colleges he wants to apply to in a couple of years. Right now his top choice is Cal Tech. Obviously I wish he'd stay closer to home, but I guess California isn't that far of a trip."
Sam looked down at her hand, which was intertwined with Freddie's.
"I'm sure they'll spend the next few days telling you all about all of that stuff, though," she said.
"I look forward to it," Freddie said, leaning back against the pillows behind him on his hospital bed. He looked up as Sam. "Well what about you?"
"What about me?"
"What have you been doing this past year?"
Sam shrugged. "Nothing really…I would usually hang around here. The nurses got to know me real well. There's this one who works the Wednesday lunch shift that always brings me up these really good ham sandwiches, and this other nurse would always bring me coffee if I looked tired. And then, well, I've been trying to handle the kids on my own. Carly and Spencer have been a big help, though. Even Gibby's come through for me a few times. They'd get the kids from school if I couldn't leave work, or they'd-"
"You went back to work?" Freddie frowned.
"I-Yeah," Sam nodded. "See, um, me working part time from home wasn't-wasn't really enough to keep us all going without you working, so I talked to my boss and he let me come back into the studio full time. But-But it's fine," she added quickly. "I work with Carly, so she covers for me all the time if I need her to."
"I guess I should've figured," Freddie sighed, looking over at the monitor that he was still hooked up to. "The hospital bills have probably been adding up this past year…"
"Hey, don't worry about that," Sam said firmly. "We're fine. We have insurance, and your job did help us out some, plus we had a lot in our savings from all that planning you had done…Seriously, we're fine."
Freddie didn't reply, and Sam couldn't help but notice that he looked almost guilty.
"Hey, you're probably starving," Sam said, getting up off the bed. "I'm going to go find your doctor and ask him if you can eat anything yet, and if you can, I'll have a pizza delivered here. I've become a pro at sneaking food in here. And you know what? I'll even get the weird vegetables on it; your favorite."
"Yeah," Freddie nodded. "Yeah, that'd-that'd be great."
Sam gave him one last smile before leaning down and giving him another long kiss. "I'll be back in a sec," she promised him.
As Freddie watched her leave the room, he let out a soft breath.
I've lost a year with my wife, he thought to himself. I lost a year of watching my kids grow up. He tried to move his legs under the thick, white covers, only to feel as if there was a six-ton weight on top of them. I can't walk, I'm probably going to need help doing everything for months. I don't even know how much I've cost my family being stuck in here this past year…
He squeezed his eyes shut. He had never imagined things turning out like this. Never in a million years.
…
"-And then my teacher told my I didn't even have to take our next quiz because she was so impressed by how I did on my essay," Ashton said proudly. "I got the highest grade in my class, daddy."
"Ash, that's incredible," Freddie beamed.
"Quit hogging dad with all your lame school stories," Emma snapped at her twin. "I want to tell him about my game winning goal last month. So dad, there was one minute left in the game, and the score was still zero to zero. I was dribbling down field when-"
"I want to tell dad about the time I taught Skippy stick his tongue out!" Tyler argued.
"You already told him about that," Jason pointed out, rolling his eyes.
"But I want to tell him again!"
"Guys, come on, knock it off," Sam said.
"It's fine," Freddie chuckled. Hearing his four children arguing almost made him feel like everything was back to normal.
"When are you coming home, daddy?" Ashton asked.
"Soon, hopefully," Freddie told her.
"I can't wait for when you do," Emma said. "We can stay up and have a Galaxy Wars marathon."
"Oh, and you can help me with my new project for the robotics club," Jason added. "I'm trying to make a robot that can get a soda from the fridge for you."
"Did your mom help you think up that idea?" Freddie grinned.
"Maybe," Sam laughed.
"And you can see my new Pearpad," Ashton said. "It has the new update so all the apps look amazing."
"And you can play baseball with me in the backyard!" Tyler said excitedly. "We can play catch all day!"
Freddie's smile faltered slightly. He knew it would be a long time before he was able to play catch with his son…
"Or, Tyler," Sam said quickly, glancing over at her husband's expression. "You can show daddy that new videogame you got. You know, the racing one?"
"Oh yeah!" Tyler nodded. "It's so fun, dad, you'll love it!"
"I can't wait," Freddie said, rustling Tyler's hair. "For all of it."
…
"Here's the rest of daddy's pillows," Ashton said several days later as Sam worked on setting up the pullout sofa bed for when Freddie came home the next day. She had went out and bought a brand new mattress for it, so that Freddie would be more-than comfortable.
"Thanks, sweetie," Sam replied, taking the pillows and fluffing them as she placed them on the bed. "Emma? Jason? Did you guys finish cleaning out the cupboard under the stairs? That's what we're gonna use as daddy's closet."
"Yeah, we're done," Emma nodded as her and Jason joined her in the living room.
"And I've got the wheelchair ramp built," Jason added.
"Good," Sam said. "Alright, I think that's everything then…Actually, Tyler! Ty, come finish cleaning up your toys down here! You need to take everything of yours up to your room so your dad will have plenty of room."
"How come daddy has to sleep in the living room?" Tyler asked as he ran into the room.
"Because, honey, we've been over this," Sam said. "Daddy can't use the stairs right now."
"But I thought he was better," the seven-year old said. "That's why he's coming home."
"Um, alright guys, sit down," Sam said, nodding down at the bed.
The four Benson children sat down, staring up at their mother.
"Yes, your dad's getting better, and that's why he's coming home," Sam began slowly. "But…But you guys have to realize it's going to be awhile before he's back to where he was before the accident. The doctors said he's going to need a lot of physical therapy before he's able to walk again, and he's still going to need a lot of rest…we're all going to have to be real patient with him."
"So what can he do?" Emma asked. "We want to hang out with him!"
"And you can," Sam said quickly. "Just…try to limit it to activities that he can do while laying down."
"So no catch?" Tyler asked sadly.
"Not right now," Sam said gently. "And, well, I know this last year has been hard on all of us, but it's really starting to take its toll on your dad."
"What do you mean?" Ashton asked.
"Well…you have to realize that he literally lost a year of his life," Sam replied. "I mean, you'd feel weird if you woke one day and found out all that time had passed, wouldn't you? It's a lot for him to take in. And he's frustrated that he's still going to have a lot of recovering to do before he's back at one hundred percent. So we all just need to really show him that we're here for him no matter what, okay?"
"Of course we are," Jason said at once.
Sam smiled at him. "Your dad's real lucky to have you guys here for him."
…
"So you take one of these pain killers every six hours," Sam told Freddie as she sat with him on the bed down in the living room late the next night after the kids had all gone off to bed. "Let's see…you had one at eight, so I guess you get the next one at two. I'll set my alarm and-"
"No, no, I'll handle it," Freddie said quickly. "No need for you to get up. I'll set my own alarm and try not to wake you."
"Okay," Sam agreed, handing him the pill bottle. "Just set them on the coffee table then so you don't have to reach too much for them. Now are you sure you don't need anything else? Water? Some more blankets?"
"Baby, no, I've got everything I need," Freddie told her, putting an arm around her. "You've already done so much for me…you need to get some sleep."
"Alright," Sam sighed, giving him a small smile as she kicked off her slippers and slipped under the covers with him. She rolled over onto his side and kissed him. "Night, Freddie. Wake me up if you need anything, okay? Oh, and don't forget, we have your first physical therapy appointment tomorrow morning at ten, so really try and get some sleep."
"Right," Freddie mumbled. "Right…"
That night, Freddie couldn't seem to drift off, though. Maybe it was because the past year he had gotten enough sleep to last him a lifetime.
He listened to Sam breathing peacefully beside him. Was this how things were going to be from now on? Everyone thinking he was so helpless that he couldn't even get himself a glass of water?
He looked over to his left, where his wheelchair he had come home in from the hospital was sitting next to him. He wanted to be up and out of that thing as soon as possible.
He felt Sam turn slightly and he glanced back over at her.
He couldn't imagine what she had been through this past year. Having to hold down the whole house and four kids on her own couldn't have been easy. He didn't even know if he could've managed to do it if the roles had been reversed.
He let out a soft sigh as he continued to watch his wife sleep.
All their time together, Freddie had been used to Sam being the strong one. Heck, he had never once even managed to beat her at arm wrestling. But still, he had never felt so…weak compared to her. And he had never felt that she thought of him that way.
Until now.
All his life he had been used to Sam having some wise comment to throw at him if he would stumble or trip or show any sign of weakness.
"Man up, Fredwad," she would say. Or "Aw, does Fredgut need some help?"
She would say all that with a smile on her face that always let him know that she was kidding; she didn't mean any of it, but she was still going to give him a hard time.
And Freddie had never minded. In fact, he had always found Sam's little jeers towards him to be a sign of endearment.
But now…now she was treating him like he was some frail, helpless being. And what bothered him even more…since he woke up, she hadn't once used one of her little nicknames for him.
There was no more Fredbutts or Freddifers or Freddilupes.
It was only Freddie.
I have to get through all of this as quick as I can, Freddie told himself firmly. So I can get my life back once and for all. So I can move past the year I lost and the accident and-and all of it. I've got to do this…for Jason and Emma and Ashton and Tyler and Sam…and for me.
….
Sam winced in empathetic pain as she watched her husband lose his balance once again.
"That's good, Mr. Benson," the physical therapist working with him said encouragingly. "Very good!"
"I took two steps," Freddie mumbled, his face flushing red with embarrassment.
"Hey, that's still something," Sam offered helpfully. "I mean you've only been at this thirty minutes, baby."
Freddie didn't respond as he gripped the bar attached to the wall he was using to hold onto as he took his few steps.
"Your progress is right on schedule so far, Mr. Benson," the therapist told him as she helped him balance again. "Alright, let's see what you can do this time. Remember to really focus."
Freddie slowly lifted his foot and took a step, but just a second later lost his footing and fell to the ground onto the soft mats that lined the entire room.
"Are you okay?" Sam asked, concerned.
"Yes," Freddie said at once as the therapist helped him up. "I'm fine."
But Sam's heart still broke as she saw how discouraged he looked.
"Alright Mr. Benson, we're going to take a short break for you to catch your breath," the therapist said kindly, helping him over to the chair next to Sam. "Just relax and I'll be back in ten minutes to try again."
"You did really good," Sam said, giving Freddie's hand a gentle squeeze as the therapist left the room.
"Pfft, I've barely gotten anywhere," Freddie scoffed bitterly.
"It's your first day," Sam pointed out. "I'm sure once you have more time to practice you'll get further."
"Yeah, well, that's not going to happen if I just sit around, is it?" Freddie said, shifting in his seat as he struggled to try and stand.
"What are you doing?" Sam frowned.
"I'm gonna go back and see if I can get to at least ten steps," Freddie said simply, still trying to get to his feet.
"What? But the therapist told you to take a break," Sam said. "You can't do stuff when she's not here!"
"Since when are you all about listening to the rules?" Freddie mumbled, finally pulling himself to his feet.
Sam opened her mouth to stop him, but quickly shut it. "Fine," she said, also getting up. "But at least let me help you."
She put her arm around him and helped him back over to the bar.
"Be careful," she said.
"Sam, it's just walking," Freddie told her as he braced himself to take the first step. "I've done it before, you know. I should be able to just-"
His sentence fell flat, though, as he suddenly felt his leg spasm out from under him, and he fell to the ground once again.
"Freddie!" Sam said. "Are you okay? Do you want me to call-"
"I just fell, Sam!" Freddie said, irritated.
Sam blinked, feeling his harsh words cut against her, and Freddie immediately felt guilty.
"I'm sorry," he sighed. "I-I didn't mean to yell."
He leaned against the wall, not even bothering to attempt to get up.
"Come on, Freddie," Sam said softly, sitting down next to him on the floor. "Don't push yourself so hard. Just take a little break and then when the therapist gets back you'll-"
"What? What will I do?" Freddie said heavily. "Walk three steps and then fall on my face again? This is humiliating! I'm like a toddler learning how to walk for the first time!"
"Freddie, this is normal," Sam said gently. "The doctors all said it could take months before you're back to where you were before the accident. You just have to be patient and-"
"I don't want to be patient!" Freddie said, frustrated. "I'm sick of this! I just want to-I just want to get my life back already!"
"You-You're getting there," Sam said. "Look, so you're not great with the walking yet, big deal! That's only one little part of your life. Everything else can go back to normal. Your old boss said they'd love to have you back in your old position, the kids are all going nuts over you finally being back home, the two of us are just the same as we used to be-"
"Yeah…sure," Freddie mumbled.
Sam frowned. "What-What do you mean by that?"
Freddie closed his eyes. "Sam…baby, you-you've been incredible through all this. And-And I love you so much for all you've given up and sacrificed for me this past year. It's just…God, I wish I could do more for you, that's all. I just want to stop being some weak burden to you and go back to being your husband who does things for you."
"Freddie, you-you can't possibly believe I think you're a burden," Sam said softly. "I-I love you. And-And I'm more than willing to do whatever I have to do to make sure that you get through this. And as for me thinking you're weak…that-that couldn't be further from the truth. I don't-"
"Then how come you're treating me like I'm broken?" Freddie sighed.
"Broken?" Sam repeated. "I-I don't think you're-"
"You won't let me lift a finger at home," Freddie said heavily. "You barely sleep anymore because you're so busy making sure I'm well rested. You shower me with compliments for sitting up."
"That means I'm concerned about you," Sam said. "You were in a car crash! You got hit by a truck, Freddie. I-I thought you were going to die."
"I know, I know," Freddie said. "I just…Look, I realize how hard all of this has been on you and I hate that I caused you all this pain, but-but I just wish that we could just…I just want it all to go back to normal, Sam. I mean…I know I'll never get the year of my life back. I know it's-it's going to take awhile for me to walk again. But-But I just want…I want you to treat me like you always have…so-so I can at least have that back. Because if I can have that back, the rest of this…it-it may not seem so hard."
"But Freddie," Sam said, confused. "I-I am treating you like you always have."
Freddie gave her a small smile. "A year ago," he said. "You would've never called me Freddie after a huge speech like that. Frednub or Fredhead, sure…but never Freddie."
….
A couple of days later, Freddie was back in physical therapy, trying once again to go more than a few steps without toppling over.
"You did really good there!" the therapist said as she helped Freddie to his feet once again. "I think that was your best attempt yet!"
"I barely moved," Freddie said.
"But you really maintained your balance, and that's key," the therapist said. "Alright, I think we can go ahead and take a break here. When I come back we can do a little bit more walking and then we'll do some leg stretches."
"Okay," Freddie sighed as she helped him down into his seat.
Once she left, Freddie looked around the empty room, wondering for how much longer he'd have to keep coming here.
Sam wasn't here with him right now. She had come in with him, but then she had to run down to the middle school to drop off Emma's soccer gear. He hoped by the time she retuned, he'd be able to tell her he'd at least managed to make a bit more progress than he had the last time.
"You really think you're gonna get back on your feet by just slumping around?"
Freddie turned around and saw his wife leaning against the door, a small smirk on her face.
"Well?" Sam said, stepping over to him. "You gonna keep sitting around? Or are you actually gonna get up off your butt, Fredweird?"
Freddie felt a smile curl onto his face as Sam extended a hand to him and helped him up to his feet. "Hey, I thought you were dropping off-"
"Dude, seriously, are we gonna chit chat, or are you gonna walk?" Sam said.
Freddie laughed. "I-Walk. I'm going to walk."
"Smart choice, Benson," Sam said as she led him over to the bar. She looked up at him as he gripped it. "Um…just-just be-"
"I will," Freddie promised her.
Sam nodded, taking a deep breath as she let go of Freddie's hand.
"You can do it," Sam told him. "Just take your time…"
Freddie, gripping the bar tightly, used all of his strength to slowly put one foot in front of another. And then again…and then again.
"You're doing it!" Sam said, watching Freddie take his eleventh step.
"I-I am!" Freddie said, feeling a surge of pride as he walked further than he had in a year. "I'm doing! I'm-"
With all the excitement, though, Freddie lost his balance and began to stumble, falling into Sam and sending them both down to the ground.
Neither seemed to mind, though.
"Baby, that was great!" Sam said, throwing her arms around him. "That's way further than you've gone before!"
"I know!" Freddie said excitedly. For once he did not feel embarrassed or belittled or weak.
He felt strong and capable.
"Guess your nubby self really had it in you," Sam said, and Freddie could see that her eyes were brimming with tears.
Tears of joy.
Freddie laughed and pulled her closer to him, pressing his lips to hers.
"Thank you, Sam," he whispered. "Thank you."
…..
Three months later
"Look at that, it's officially gone," Sam said as the Benson family pulled up in front of their home. "Jason and I tossed it in the garage this morning. Now it will just gather dust with Stairmaster that Spencer's been storing over here for the past ten years until he 'clears space for it'."
"It was a lot more fun getting rid of that ramp than it was putting it in," Jason commented as he hopped out of the back seat of the car, along with Emma, Ashton and Tyler. "But actually, though, I was thinking I could use it for a few physics experiments I had in mind. See, I have this theory that if you can actually reduce the force of friction on a spherical object if you can figure out a way to alter the object's center of mass."
"Huh…" Freddie said thoughtfully as he stepped out of the car, now able to maneuver without a wheelchair. He had a slim, black cane in his hand that he used to keep his balance as he pondered the thought. "You know, I think you maybe onto something. Of course you'd want to take into account-"
"Alright, alright, enough science talk," Sam said, rolling her eyes as she stepped over to her husband and put an arm around his shoulders. "So, you excited to finally be out of that wheelchair?"
"Definitely," Freddie nodded. "And hopefully I'll be done with this cane soon too. Then it will be back to running marathons for me."
"Like you could've ever run even one mile," Sam smirked, giving him a quick peck on the lips. "I took gym with you in high school, remember? I think that was your only B…"
"B plus, thank you," Freddie corrected.
"I like this cane, though," Emma said. "Can I keep it when you're done with it, daddy? It looks like one of the ones super villains use in the movies."
"Or we could decorate it and it could be a cute baton," Ashton suggested. "I could use it in one of my cheer routines!"
"What kind of a poweder puff wastes a perfectly good cane on cheerleading?" Emma scoffed.
"Well it's better than using it as some lame movie prop!" Ashton defended.
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"See, now that you're up on your feet again, I'm gonna leave this to you," Sam grinned.
"Guys, no one gets to keep the cane," Freddie said. "It's rented from the hospital."
"Aw, we never get anything fun," Emma moaned.
"Can we go in now?" Tyler asked. "I'm hungry."
"Yes, let's go," Sam nodded. The family walked over to the front steps. It was only three steps to get to the front door, but Freddie had still yet to walk up them since we had awoken from his coma.
As he stood there, Freddie stared at the steps; preparing himself.
Sam gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze but said nothing.
Freddie took a deep breath and slowly stepped onto the first step.
Sam watched him from behind, using all her energy to keep herself from running over and helping him.
He needs to do this on his own, she told herself. He needs this.
She felt such a sense of relief, though, when Freddie reached the front door without so much as a stumble.
"Alright, dad!" Ashton beamed as the kids all hurried up the stairs after their father.
"Thank you, thank you," Freddie chuckled.
"You barely even used the cane!" Jason said.
"I know, and you didn't fall or anything!" Emma said proudly.
"Well, I say this calls for some celebratory Chinese food," Sam said as she unlocked the front door and let everybody into the house. "You guys all up for that?"
The four Benson children all nodded in agreement.
She turned to her husband, who was still swelled up with pride. Sam couldn't help but smile as she laced her arms around his neck and pulled him into a long kiss.
"I'm so proud of you," she whispered in his ear.
"I couldn't have done anything without you," Freddie told her earnestly.
"Yeah, well, remember that the next time I want to watch an MMA fight during one of your train documentaries," Sam smirked. "Anyway, you're cool with Chinese, right?"
"Yeah, but later," Freddie said. "There's something I want to do first…Hey, Tyler?"
"Yeah?" the seven-year old asked.
"How about we go out back for that game of catch now?" Freddie grinned.
Tyler's face lit up. "Really?"
"Sure," Freddie chuckled. "It's been way too long since our last game."
