Chapter 3

"I'd like to ask you the same question," He quipped shooting that playboy smile he'd always been famous for.

" I work here, unlike you. Plus I wouldn't want to see my favorite patient hurt himself again. You've been doing so well, can't jeopardize that now can we?"

She did have a way with words. But most women with a pretty smile did these days. All it took was just looking him straight in the eye, and talking to him like he was a person to make his day. Sad he knew. But you took what you could get.

"Actually Ms. Jackson, I'm just headed to Physical therapy, all gung ho and what not. Parents are eager to see me walking again. Best not to disappoint, though I basically screwed them out of a good life never learning to tackle." Sighing Jason hung his head looking down to the scuffed up floor.

She reached down and placed her hands gently on Street's shoulders,

"You've got to keep the faith Jason. Yes, your parents are sad that you'll never play football again. But, you can't think that just because your career is over that they won't love you anymore. They only want the best for you, deep down you know that."

He looked up, those deep glacier blue eyes drew him in, something about them just begged him to believe that everything was going to be ok. He was eager to oblige with their request.

"I know. God forgive me, I know. But, I just can't help but feel that they are giving up on me. Hell, they wanted to sue the coach! Coach Taylor for god's sake! What the hell kind of good would that have done? If there was anyone in the whole freaking world that cared about me more than my parents, it would be him. He's a second father to me, and had absolutely nothing….

She cut him off quickly, "Jason, Jason I know… Shhhh.. It's going to be ok I promise. Everything is going to work out" She stroked his cheek gently and smiled down to him.

God what a woman, what would he would do for her.

"I've got to go… But you have no idea how much your little talks help me out. My spirit needs these things. Promise me you'll stick around?"

She smiled as he rolled down the hallway. "Jason, I'll be here as long as you need me," and after he was out of earshot, " and even longer if it takes that long for you to notice me."

Jason rolled quickly down the hallway, the earlier aches easing away little by little. Rodrigo was the only one behind the counter, he looked up as Jason rolled into the office.

"Well look who it is, Mr. Bright and Early Jason Street. Aren't you here a little early?" He said looking down at his watch.

"Is it really that early?" He looked up at the clock on the wall. Just 9:30, Sheesh he was out early, his sense of time had been slipping lately. "Do you think you could squeeze me in this morning? Really hoping to get my work out of the way early, who knows, maybe this will be the day my legs decide to rejoin the world!"

Rod thought for a second, " You do know that I'm just an intern, right? They stuck me up here this morning on scrub duty. I might actually do you more harm than good. You sure you want me to help out?

"Look man, you've been the coolest out here. Most down to earth guy I've met, I feel like I can trust you, and shit…. It's not like I could screw myself up much more than I already am." He laughed, " So I am fully in your care Rod Cano, just don't kill me."

A big smile stretched from ear to ear across Rod's face, "Man that's good to hear, least I can get some practice in. Don't mind if I wheel ya in do you?"

"My hands are still hurting from the drive down here, so no my friend I don't mind you wheeling me in at all."

Rodrigo picked up the phone and turned the voicemail on, "No one calls this time of day anyway," He walked out from behind the large oak desk and grabbed the handles of Jason's wheel chair, bound and determined not to screw this up, he wheeled his "patient" into the therapy room.

A vast room stretched out in front of the two friends. Huge full lengths mirrors ran from the ground up to the ceiling down the right hand wall. Various contraptions, each different in nature lay in specific portions of the room. Down along the wall to his direct right, there was a basic setup of two thick wooden poles perpendicular from each other about five feet off the ground.

This was Jason's territory and had been since he got here. It had helped him to regain some of his grip in his hands, but for the most part they were still locked in a brutal rigamortis like grip. It pained him to see his hands like that. But what could you do? One little bit at a time. Hopefully they would work out in time.

Rod pushed him over to the bars, positioning Jason's chair directly between the bars.

"Well here you are again, no you don't like them. But you got to start somewhere" He said grinning at Jason.

"Oh I know, trust me I know. But I'll do whatever it takes"

"Well then lets get at it champ, get your arms up and on that bar now!" He barked the order just liked Jason liked it, reminded him of the glory days.

Straining against the protests of his body, he threw his hands up on to the bars. They smacked down with an excruciating thud.

"Son of a bitch!" He cursed to the empty room.

"Shut the hell up and stop whining," Rod said harshly.

He took the job seriously. Slowly but surely Jason maneuvered his hands so that they rested on the bars. Now came the hard part. Jason's brow began to furrow and sweat formed at his temple as he struggled against the handicap. He was not going to give up. It was living in this goddamn chair for ever or getting better now! Come on you bastards! He grunted and focused, sweat pouring down his face, Rod shouting his guttural encouragements from behind.

"Lets go! Come on! You can do this Jason, this handicap is all in your mind, all you've got to do is break through and you'll be free!

Jason soaked in the encouragement and turned it into fuel, he poured the fuel into his subconscious , He was going to do this he had to this, it was now or never.

Suddenly, he right hand relaxed and fell to the pole… the smooth wood of the pole resting against his open palm.