Richard was in an accident, and is now in rehab to get his body under control again. Who's his physical therapist? And what happens when he catches the eye of Rory?
Chapter 1: Thoughts read unspoken
"Grandpa…come on you have to get up" Rory coaxed, standing next to his bed while holding the black button down, effectively lifting his back up into a sitting position
Richard grunted "What's the use? I can't walk, I can't sit, I can't even pee on my own!" he shouted annoyed
Rory sighed annoyed…she had been with him for the past 3 days…all day in the rehab center he was sent to after the big accident. Thankfully he was okay but his mood had changed considerably. She sent a sympathetic look to the Nurse who was sent to take him to the rehab room.
"Well that's what were her to cure Grandpa…but you have to work a little. You will walk again…I promise. Just try" Rory tried, trying desperately not to lose it. He had a problem with everything. The food, the bed, the nurses, the medicine, the therapists, half the time he wanted to get out of bed…and then when he did all he wanted to do was get back in again. It was riving her crazy. Taking a few deep breaths she calmed herself down. This was her grandfather she had to do this for him…he was in a tough spot and the doctor said he was vulnerable to depression right now as well.
"I said no! I don't want to get up, all I want to do is sleep in peace" he said defiantly, crossing his arms
"Grandpa…you're really making this hard on me" Rory sighed "Come on 30 minutes of therapy and then you can sleep all day" She reasoned "This is your last session for today anyways"
Rolling his eyes and snorting in annoyance he nodded. "Fine, but I'm not working with Ava, she smells like a foot"
"Grandpa!" Rory warned her eyes wide
"Are we going to go or not" he snapped
Rory nodded and motioned for the nurse to come in. they helped him into the wheelchair and he muttered obscenities all the way as Rory wheeled him into the therapy room. The large room was filled with equipment, from a large bed to treadmills. She quickly looked away as she caught the eye of one of the therapists there. God Rory idiot…he thinks you're an idiot she said to herself as she did it again…every time he walked by, she was caught staring at him.
"Tristan! You're 4 o'clock is here" One of them shouted as they saw Rory
Rory's eyes widened no no no no no…Tristan was their therapist? How the hell was she supposed to get through a session of therapy with him! Taking a deep breath she looked anywhere but him as he walked towards them. Holding out a hand he smiled at her "Hey, I'm Tristan…Mr. Gilmore's physical therapist" he greeted
Rory smiled and shook his hand "Rory Gilmore…his granddaughter" she said awkwardly
"Don't you look a little young for this…do you have your credentials on you" Richard demanded
Rory glared at her grandfather "Grandpa!" She warned again "Stop it"
"It's alright" Tristan laughed. Rory found herself completely infatuated by him…he had blonde spiky hair, stunning blue eyes and not to mention his body was perfect. The thing Rory noticed most was that he had nice hands…they were soft but rough. He looked good in scrubs too…he wore the uniform dark blue scrubs with matching pants.
"Rory!" She heard her name being said
"Huh?" she asked coming out of her thoughts
"You alright? I lost you there for a few minutes" He asked concerned, his blue eyes boring into hers as he walked around the wheelchair to stand next to her before wheeling Mr. Gilmore to the standing frame.
Rory nodded; embarrassed for spacing out like that "yeah fine"
"Well I think we'll just put him in the standing frame for today…try and build his muscles a bit before we try walking" Tristan suggested as he walked to the front of the chair and put the breaks on. Rory nodded in confirmation and told Richard
"Standing frame?" he asked incredulously "Rory all I want to do is sleep…and you're going to strap me and force me to stand" he said annoyed
"This will help you…I'm sorry but you don't really have a choice" Rory said annoyed, letting out a breath of laughter at Tristan's amused face.
"You know it would make it a lot easier if you didn't make my patient hate me" he joked, getting everything ready
Rory snorted, surprised at how easy it was to talk to him. She had been glancing at him for days and they hadn't even said hello to each other. Every time Rory went to, she chickened out. "You try being with him all day." She said quietly, not wanting him to hear
"Fair enough" he said with a nod "Can you lean forward for me Richard?" He asked, holding a strap for his back
Richard muttered something under his breath and leaned forward, letting him strap whatever he needed to on. He hooked both sides onto the machine so the small net like material was carrying his lower back. "Alright, hold onto these" he instructed, pointing to the large rectangle with a semicircle cut in the side for standing. Richard put both arms on the frame, grunting as Tristan turned on the machine which lifted the strap he put on him and forced him up into a standing position. "Do you feel pressure on your left leg?" he asked
Richard nodded "How long do you expect me to stand like this?"
"At least 15 minutes" Tristan said, pulling on the straps, making sure they were secure before turning to Rory, motioning that she could step to the side with him.
"So what happened to him?" he asked
"He had a stroke while he was driving" She said, leaning against the wall
"I'm sorry. That's tough" he said with a sympathetic smile "He's lucky to have you"
Rory smiled, closing her eyes for a few moments, blinking back tears as she thought back to the day that she got the phone call when they found him alive. "Yeah" She said softly, opening her eyes again
"Well if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask…" he offered "If you need to go eat lunch or something I can look after him"
She shook her head "Not really hungry" She said with a small smile
"You should eat" he coaxed "There are a couple vending machines in the break room..." he said with a nod, pointing in the direction
"okay…I'll be back" She said
She walked to the break room and took out a bag of chips before sighing against the wall. This was too much…her grandfather was being as difficult as ever; her mom was busy with the Inn and her current pregnancy…and her grandmother didn't make it. That's what killed her the most, sure she could be a little….eccentric at times but she was still her grandmother. She pushed back the tears that rose and took a deep breath. This wasn't the time or place to be crying…her grandpa needed her.
She walked back into the rehab room where she found Tristan sitting behind the desk doing paperwork "hey" She said, leaning on the counter in front of it
"Hey" he said looking up and smiling at her "he's almost done…just 5 more minutes" he assured
Rory shook her head "Don't worry about it. He's a bit of a drama queen sometimes" she laughed "Well leave him in there until he starts complaining"
Tristan laughed and nodded "Hey listen if he has a book or something to do, it might make it less of a struggle for him. Something to keep his mind off of the pain" he suggested
Rory nodded, pulling a copy of Proust from her purse and walking over to her grandfather "Hey grandpa…do you want something to read?" she asked
Richard nodded "Might as well"
She set the book in front of him and put his glasses on for him before walking back to Tristan "He was nice to me!" she squealed
Tristan raised his eyebrows and laughed "You sound like a kid on Christmas…he's not usually nice to you?"
Rory shook her head "The luck of the draw. His face lights up when he sees my mom…but since I'm with him all day…not so much" she said sadly
"He'll appreciate it later on" Tristan assured "You can come around and sit" he said, pointing to the chair next to him
"Oh that's okay…I don't want to be in the way" she said
"You won't…but he might be there for a while" Tristan said, pointing to her grandfather who was infatuated with the book Rory had given him.
She nodded, walking around the large counter and sitting on the chair behind him. "You're playing solitaire?" she asked incredulously "I thought you were doing work"
Rolling his eyes "I am doing work. He's in the standing frame" he answered
"What would your boss say?" She mock exclaimed
He smirked amused "He wouldn't, I'm the director of the rehab department"
"Well what kind of example are you setting for your colleagues" She joked
He shrugged "I don't know…don't care" he laughed clicking the box shut as he finished the game and the cards started falling.
"You closed the box…that's my favorite part" Rory glared playfully
"So play" he said simply, rolling his chair back
She shook her head "No…too much work."
"See, playing solitaire does count as work" he said triumphantly
"Shouldn't you be checking on my grandfather?" She asked changing the subject
He smiled amused "Somehow I doubt he's going anywhere. Besides, I can see him and he's fine."
"Tristan what the hell are these 12 hour work days" they heard a male voice groan. Both turned towards the voice and Tristan raised his eyebrows, shaking his head.
"Well Peter, they wouldn't be 12 hours if you would just do your charts after each patient" he said seriously
"Or maybe we need more therapists" he argued with a small smile
"Or maybe I just need new therapists who do their job" he countered with a laugh
"Alright man…I'm going on my break. You know maybe do some charting…" he said while taking off
"I think he's getting a little antsy" Rory said watching her grandfather fidget
He nodded "2 more minutes" he responded "It's good for him to push his limits a little"
She nodded "Sure as long as you don't have to deal with him afterwards" she exclaimed with a smile
He shrugged "He'll be tired, probably fall right asleep after this"
"Oh thank god" she sighed relieved
"Its just Tristan" he smirked
Rory rolled her eyes "No wait! Don't take him out!" she pleaded jokingly as he walked over to the machine
He laughed and slowly brought the lift back down, putting Richard in a sitting position again before unhooking him and taking the straps off. "How'd that feel?" he asked, coming around the front to talk to him.
"Like a waste of my time." Richard said annoyed making Tristan smile warmly and shake his head
"It'll get better Mr. Gilmore"
"Yes it will, right when you take me back to my room and let me sleep"
"Fair enough" he laughed
Rory watched the interaction between them and was surprised when Tristan wasn't even fazed by her grandfather's rudeness. "Come on grandpa…" she said as she walked with them
"Oh Rory, how nice of you to show up" he said sarcastically "Where were you call day? Out with your grandmother making party arrangements?"
Rory took a deep breath "I've been here with you…"
"Bullpocky." He spat "And where is your grandmother, apparently it's too much to ask to visit your husband in jail"
"You're not in jail…" Rory reasoned
"It sure as hell feels like it" he said just as they reached his room. Tristan shot her a sympathetic look…
"He will appreciate it Rory. Just wait it out" he said after he was finished putting him back in bed.
"Thanks" She said, sitting down on the chair next to his bed
He nodded "Sure. I'll see you tomorrow, and if you ever need to talk…" he said sincerely
She forced a smile and nodded slightly "I'll keep that in mind" responded gratefully
A/N: So I just had this idea. It could be good, it could be crap. Tell me what you think…I don't know. read and review please!!!
