The doctor came into the waiting room where Mark was waiting for the results from Rose's X-Ray. Behind him came Rose herself, still on her wheelchair.
"We have some brilliant news, Mr. Calaway," the doctor said brightly. "Rose, perhaps you'd like to show him yourself?"
Rose nodded with a smile, and right before Mark's bewildered eyes, she gingerly laid a hand on each of her chair's armrests. Then, with caution, she kicked aside the footrests, laid her feet on the floor tenderly, and gently, slowly, raised herself up and out of the chair, until she was standing on her own two feet.
Mark looked on in unabashed amazement. Rose beamed. Mark grinned. Rose giggled. Mark laughed. Rose blushed. Mark stood up, walked over to her, and caught her in a tight hug. Rose squeeked.
"Mr Calaway!" The doctor interupted. "Although the swelling has gone down enough for her to walk, her spinal tissue is still tender, so you must take..."
Mark was totally ignoring the doctor's advice and the man didn't realise it until he had finished his sentence. He was so happy, Rose was so happy.
"Don't worry, doc, he'll be a good boy, or else he'll get no treats," Rose joked.
Mark smiled, then suddenly his face went like a prune. "Hey!" He added. "What's that supposed to me-"
"Rose will be fine to walk from now on," the Doctor cut in. "But for the first couple of weeks she should take care. I recommend you keep the wheelchair handy, just in case," he added.
Rose made a face of disgust. Mark laughed. "Doctor's orders. Be a good girl, or no treats for you, either."
She looked fleetingly spiteful. Both of them wondered why they had just had such a strange conversation. Rose was Mark's "little sister". Mark was Rose's "Big Brother." It suddenly didn't feel right to talk to each other like that.
"I'll show you a good girl," Rose said. Mark still hadn't let go of her, but before he could reply, his phone rang.
Irritatedly Mark let go of her and answered the call with a grumbling "Hello?"
"Mark? It's Lily. I just tried to call Rose's cellphone, but she didn't answer. Is she -"
"She's right here with me," Mark cut in. "We're in hospital."
Lily went quiet for exactly one second, then burst out, "Oh my god! What happened? Is she okay!"
Mark laughed a little. "She's fine Lily, she's walking over to the vending machine to grab herself a soda."
Lily suddenly realised what Mark had said and her fear was replaced by total overjoyed fanaticism. "Oh god, that's great news!" she orgasmed down the phone.
"Hey hey, take it easy, you're deafening me over here," Mark said, holding the phone a few inches away from his ear. "Here, talk to Rose."
Rose was almost skipping back towards Mark with a can in her hand. She eagerly took the phone from him and pirouetted down onto a nearby seat.
So much for taking it easy, Mark thought. Crazy Girl.
Rose was still talking to her mother and father when she and Mark arrived at their hotel room. When she eventually finished the call and bid her goodnights to her parents, she was still as happy as she was when she realised she could move her legs. Mark was standing next to his bed pulling the covers back as he climbed in, he turned to Rose and told her the bathroom was free. She grabbed her pajamas, which he thought was werid to call them that, as they were only a tanktop and pajama bottoms and got changed in the bathroom. She came out and flung her old clothes onto her suitcase. She saw Mark was watching the tv and didn't see her come back into the room. She stepped back and ran towards his bed and jumped on it. Mark let out an "ooomph" as she landed on him. She straddled his hips while steadying herself with her hands on his uncovered chest. Mark lay back with his hands behind his head and smiled. He knew that Rose was very happy being able to walk again as Rose, himself and her parents didn't know whether Rose would of been able to walk again.
"I take it your very pleased with the diagnosis then?"
"How did you guess?"
"Well maybe because of how you just ran and jumped on me."
Rose giggled. "Hey, that might be because of something other than a diagnosis," she joked. There was a glint in her eye.
Mark knew he was supposed to feel wierd, uncomfortable in this situation, and perhaps he did somewhere in the back of his mind. But right now, he was feeling too happy and too good.
He rested his hands on Rose's hips. She gently bit her lips, feeling the friction between the two of them between her legs.
"Bed time," Mark said after a very long while. Rose looked at him. Both were red faced, and embarrassed. "We're up at 6AM."
Rose guffawed. "No we're not, tomorrow's your day off!"
Mark went on unperturbed. "Still, we've got a long drive tomorrow."
"Not tomorrow, three days from now," Rose gigglingly corrected him. "You're losing your memory in your old age."
That did it. Mark flipped the squealing, laughing Rose over and leaned over her on all fours. "Who you callin' old?"
Rose didn't answer. Her eyes were lightly closed, and she was visibly squirming a little. Mark looked down on her and found the situation oddly...
He rolled onto his back. It shouldn't feel right. It shouldn't feel right! Not with her.
He masked his discomfort by shoving her off the bed. Rose squeaked and landed giggling in a heap on the floor. Mark leaned over the side of the bed to look at the newly-dischevelled Rose.
"You look like you've been having fun in a back alley," Mark joked. Rose looked up at him with a wierd mix of confusion, embarassment, surprise and humour on her face.
"You wish," she countered. Mark raised an eyebrow.
"Pfft, like you would be complaining," he said.
Rose burst out laughing.
"Come on," Mark said finally. "Bed."
Rose crawled her way onto her bed and Mark went to the bathroom. When he came back, she was fast asleep. He turned off the room's lights, looking at her silhouetted a little in the one remaining lightsource - his table lamp.
He smiled, then looked away as he sat down to take off his jeans and get into bed.
"Mark..." Rose whispered dreamily. Mark looked quickly behind him, at her smiling, sleeping face. Then he looked back.
"I'm hearing things in my old age," he said to himself. And he got into bed to sleep.