CHAPTER 8

Face slept peacefully that night while his team members kept a close eye on him. When he finally woke up, the others were already awake and having breakfast.

"Hi, sleepyhead. So nice of you to join us."

"Haha. Very funny, Hannibal."

Face wanted to run a hand through his hair, but a soon as he tried to lift his right arm pain shot through it.

"I wouldn't do just that if I were you, kid."

"Jeez … what …"

Face still sounded sleepy.

"Let's just say it was a bad break, Lieutenant. You needed surgery. The doc had to attach a metal plate to set the bone. You'll be in this cast for at least 6 weeks."

"What? You mean I can't use my right arm. I mean … How do I get dressed or comb my hair or drive the 'Vette?"

"Look at it this way, kid. It could have been far worse."

Face sighed. Deep down he knew he was lucky. He could have been in far worse shape. You never knew what Kyle was up to.

"You're staying with me for a while, son. I'll take care of you."

"Thanks, Hannibal."

"Now let's first see if we can get you out of here."

"Can I have some breakfast first, Hannibal? I'm starving."

"Sure, kid. Here you go."

Face enjoyed his breakfast while waiting on his doctor to arrive. He was nearly finished when he walked into the room.

"Ha Mr. Peck. It's nice to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

"Don't say you're fine, fool, 'cause you ain't."

Face smiled nervously.

"Not too bad, I guess. I still feel somewhat groggy."

"Ah yes. No need to worry about that. It's the remnants of the anesthetic in your system. You'll probably feel groggy and sleepy for a couple of days, so I recommend you get plenty of rest. What about the pain?"

"My ribs still hurt …"

"Those are also going to need some time to heal, I'm afraid. I will wrap them up before you leave. These bandages need to be changed every other day. Should I send someone over to do that for you?"

"That won't be necessary, doc. I'll have him stay at my place and I can re-wrap those bandages for him."

"Excellent. It's a good idea to keep an eye on his condition. I'll also prescribe some painkillers to deal with the pain."

"So, I suppose we can take him home now?"

"Yes sure. I don't see why. Please note that he can't have solid food for at least three weeks due to his broken jaw. I'd like to see Mr. Peck again after three weeks so we can do a follow up."

"No problem, doc. I'll see to that and he'll be here for his check-up too."

The doctor signed Face's release papers and said his goodbyes for now. B.A. and Murdock already left to get the van. Hannibal had stayed behind with Face to help him get dressed. Hannibal grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of sweats that Murdock had found in Face's bag.

"Okay, kid. Let's get you dressed and ready to get out of here."

"I'm not wearing that. That's my training gear, Hannibal. I can't …"

"It's either this or I'll take you home in this hospital gown, Lieutenant. It really is your choice?"

"Who picked this out? Oh .. Let me guess. Murdock?"

"Look, kid, it doesn't matter. It's not like you're going out anyway. We're taking you home to get some more rest. Now with a cast it isn't easy to get you in any of your fancy shirts and if you wear your normal pair of slacks, you're gonna need me to go to the bathroom with you every time. Now I don't think you'd like that …"

"Uh. No. Not really. No, okay. I get it, Hannibal."

Getting Face dressed wasn't the easiest of jobs, but with some effort Hannibal managed to get the job done eventually. Face was relieved to get rid of the hospital gown, but also shivered slightly in his short sleeved shirt. Hannibal noticed how he shivered.

"You can borrow my coat, kid. I'll hang it over your shoulders as soon as we get you into this wheelchair to take you to the van."

"Wheelchair? I broke my wrist, not my leg. I can walk you know, Hannibal."

"Face, you're not walking out of here with your injuries."

"But …"

"No buts, Lieutenant."

Meanwhile, Murdock had arrived with Face's wheelchair. He immediately noticed the disappointed look on his best friend's face.

"Oh come on, Facey. It will be fun. I'll race you to the van."

"No, Murdock, you will not race him to the van. He's been through enough already. I'm not adding anymore injuries to the list."

Face managed a weak smile when he saw how disappointed Murdock was.

"Hey, Facey, did you notice all the names and numbers on your cast already?"

"What names and numbers?"

Face vaguely recalled Murdock asking him to write his name on his cast, but he couldn't remember anything else. He glanced down at his right arm and noticed how the once white cast was now covered in girls names with little heart signs and phone numbers.

"Yeah, kid. Even in your miserable state you manage to get the girls to fall for you. Okay, we've wasted enough time already. Let's get going."

Together with Murdock he helped Face from his bed into the wheelchair. An ordeal that was already very painful for the latter. Hannibal wrapped his jacket firmly around Face's shoulders so he wouldn't catch a cold and allowed Murdock to push the wheelchair. When they passed the nurse's station all the nurses came running out to say goodbye to Face.

"Wait a minute," one of the young nurses yelled. "We've got a little something for Mr. Peck."

She ran into the nurse's station and came back out 5 minutes later.

"We all hope you'll feel better again real soon and so we all baked you a soft cake," she said smiling at him and handing him a plate with a homemade cake.

"Oh jeez …. Thanks. You really shouldn't have," Face said managing his million dollar smile.

"It's nothing, really," the young nurse said rapidly blinking her eyelids. "Please take good care of him."

"Oh, absolutely. We'll spoil him rotten," came Murdock's reply.

They said their goodbyes and quickly made their way downstairs and to the van. Murdock and Hannibal helped Face in his chair. Hannibal retrieved a blanket from the back of the van and draped it over Face's shivering form.

"Take it easy, kid. You're not there yet. Why don't you close your eyes and get some rest, huh."

Face nodded his head while already closing his eyes. He was exhausted by now.

"Let's get out of here, B.A."

B.A. hit the gas and drove the team as fast as he could back to Hannibal's place. They decided to stay there all together for a couple of days so they could keep an eye on Face's well-being.