Title: Gravitation is Not Responsible (16?)
Author: Aerial312
Rating: PG-13
Category: Humor/Fluff/Angst/Romance (a little of everything)
Spoiler Info: Post Rosslyn.
Disclaimer: I own nothing…I just borrow.
Feedback: Greatly appreciated. Sure. Just let me know where its going.

A/N: Well, some good comes out of my having to take the bus to work today. I wouldn't have had time to write this otherwise.

"Okay. First. Visitors."

"You're not telling me I can't have visitors—"

"No, I'm not. But, I think some limits are within reason."

"Like?"

"People from work need to come during actual evening visiting hours—"

"—but—"

"That way at least most of your PT will be done already before you get things that set you off."

"I—"

"You were tired this afternoon, whether you'd like to admit it or not."

"Yeah…"

"Are we agreed?"

"Can we amend that one to include visits at other times—"

"Josh—"

"Let me finish. Visits at other times, accompanied by you or my mom?"

"At our discretion?"

"Fine. But it doesn't apply to Leo."

"That's fair."

"I'm suppose these rules are gonna carry over to when I go home?"

"Josh, most of the rules are especially for when you go home. Things that are more or less set here, need structure at home. You're probably going home this weekend, so…"

"Yeah…"

"There'll be no nurses to keep you in line."

"You honestly think the nurses keep me in line?"

"Well…"

"Who's setting rules for me right now?"

Donna smiled. "They're for your own good…"

"I know…I'm teasing. What else ya got?"

"Phone calls."

"I'm going to be calling work—"

"I know you are. But I don't want them calling and waking you up in the morning, or if you're napping."

"Outgoing calls only?" Josh didn't sound thrilled.

Donna laughed. "No, I wasn't thinking that strict—"

"I don't want a set nap time."

"No, you'd never be able to follow that. I'll set up a system where you call me if you're gonna take a nap—"

"If it's a planned nap—"

"Right. And I let everyone know not to bother you. When you get up, you call me, and I notify everyone again."

"Not too much trouble for you?"

"Nah."

"Okay then. That's more than fair."

"I'm glad you agree."

"I'm open to this."

Donna beamed, and wrote the new rule on her notebook under the first rule, then tapped her pen on the page.

"Hmm…."

"What?"

"I'm trying to think of other things I wanted to discuss."

"Lunch."

"Huh?"

"You'll bring it to me?" he asked hopefully.

"Oh yeah?" Donna grinned.

"I have nothing to eat at home. And even if you stocked my fridge, there's like three things I can cook—"

"I could make stuff the night before, and your mom—"

"And you can bring me some things to read, keep me informed as to how things are going at work—"

"Like you won't be calling me every half hour."

"Maybe I just want some company for an hour." It came out a lot needier than he'd intended.

"Yeah?"

"I mean, you're going to be going back to full days at some point."

"Probably next week some time. But if you come home over the weekend, I won't go back to full days on Monday or Tuesday probably."

"Good. Maybe you could take those days off?"

"I will guarantee Monday. We'll see after that."

"Is that incentive for me to—"

"Josh! We'll talk on Monday, okay? It's still a week away."

"Yeah…"

"You've got a lot of work this week in PT."

"Yeah, so I can make it down the hall without having to take a 3 hour nap afterwards."

"You will."

"I wish I could now."

"I know."

"So, you'll bring me lunch…and come visit?"

Donna blushed. "I will."

"Thank you," Josh slouched in his bed, and lay his head on her shoulder.

"That can't be comfortable for you."

"Enh…not comfortable, but comforting."

"Yeah?"

"I'm sore. I'm not comfortable in any position."

"From the walking?"

"My wound is bothering me."

"You didn't take your pain pill after dinner."

"I didn't need it then."

"Can I get it for you now?"

"Just stay."

"Can I sit in a more comfortable position for you?"

Josh shrugged.

"Lay back."

Josh did as he was told, and Donna lay her head on the right side of his chest, placing the notebook on his lap. He wrapped his arm around her, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"Your shirt's really soft?"

"Yeah?"

"It's nice."

Donna sighed as he stroked her arm, moving on to her back. Josh kissed the top of her head.

"What's next?"

"All right. Let's go over the basics on this sheet the nurse gave me."

"Okay."

"No driving. No lifting anything heavier than 5 to 10 pounds."

Josh nodded.

"You know that includes the Sunday paper?"

"Really?"

"It's heavy. Probably some of the briefing books I'll bring home too, so we'll have to be careful about that."

"As long as you don't stop them from coming."

"If you're good about these things, I don't need to."

"Okay. What else does that thing say I can't do?"

"This one's the big one that's shaping the rest of our list: resume your normal activities slowly. Josh, you do realize that you're not going to see much besides your apartment for a few months, right?"

He scowled, but nodded. "Are we gonna make rules about that?"

"Do we need to?"

"No…"

"Josh…"

"I'm gonna need to see the sun sometimes."

"I'm sure we can work something out. But you've got to take it slow."

"I heard I'm getting one of these in my room at first?" Josh tapped the hospital bed.

"It'll make things easier. You'll be able to raise and lower the head of the bed, and not have to use your abs so much."

"I guess."

"What?"

"It's not very comfortable."

"If you seem to be doing well, you can switch back…"

"Yeah…"

"Josh…what's bothering you?"

"I'm just realizing that going home isn't going to necessarily be better than here right away."

"Yeah."

Josh closed his eyes, and stroked Donna's back. She lay her hand gently over his wound.

"Am I hurting you?"

"No…"

"Sure?"

"It's nice."

"So we've agreed to this for now…we may strike some, we may add more. Agreed?"

"Yeah."

"Sign it."

Josh opened his eyes, and Donna handed the pen to him. Reaching around her with his right hand, he signed the notebook page. Donna signed it beside him.

"I'm surprised you didn't want to type it up all official."

Donna chuckled. "This will do."

She threw the notebook at the tray table, and put her hand back on his wound.

"Josh?"

"Yeah?"

"When the nurse comes to change your wound tomorrow morning…could I do it?"

Josh didn't answer at first. He took a deep breath, and lay his left hand on top of Donna's.

"You want to?"

"I do."

"You're sure?"

"The nurse asked me this morning if I wanted to…I wanted to check with you first." She looked up at him, cheek still against his chest.

"If you want to…that would be fine. Don't feel like you have to, Donna."

"It'll be good practice. You're still going to need to have your bandage changed when you go home."

"Yeah…"

"So tomorrow?"

"Go for it."

Josh stroked Donna's hand that lay beneath his on top of his wound. After a moment, hissed in pain.

"What's wrong?"

"I pushed your hand down too hard."

Donna laughed. "Now do you want that pain pill?"

"Yeah, but I'll call the nurse…I want you to stay right where you are."