Johnny's progress was slow, as he remained in a confused state and slept for long periods. Swallowing was a skill that needed to be retaught. Dixie tried to get Johnny to swallow water but he often gagged and she had to be careful that his inability to swallow didn't lead to aspiration. This could then turn into aspiration pneumonia, a complication Johnny didn't need.
When Johnny started to remain awake for more than a few minutes he was moved to a step down ward. Here he was still watched closely but was taken off a lot of the life saving machines and encouraged to start moving his uninjured limbs. For the first couple of weeks there was a steady flow of helpers but as Johnny's slow progress continued, the steady flow reduced to a trickle.
Roy had been spending a few hours of each of his days off at the hospital helping Johnny with his physical therapy. Just being able to feed himself was a laborious task, once he had mastered swallowing. Dixie tried to make sure that it was one of Johnny's friends assigned to helping him eat but as the numbers dwindled the task fell to herself, Roy or Cap.
Johnny was so relieved to be able to eat solid food but his inability to hold a utensil meant he still had to rely heavily on his friends. He noticed that a lot of his friends had stopped coming due to family commitments. He was even more surprised when he realised that he was seeing less and less of his friends from his shift, including Roy.
Dixie continued to work with Johnny as did Cap, Dr Brackett and Dr Early. Lunch and coffee breaks were spent with Johnny encouraging him to talk, eat and do the various physical therapy exercises. Roy tried to continue to help but Joanne would often complain that jobs around the house were being neglected and that she and the kids were seeing less and less of him. Balancing family life, his job and helping out with Johnny was causing a strain in his marriage so helping Johnny was the first thing to cease. He hadn't realised that he was one of the few friends who continued to help Johnny and that his withdrawal of help would change his relationship with his partner.
Beads of sweat broke out on Johnny's forehead; he grimaced with determination as he slowly bent his right leg. The effort was draining him of what little strength he had but he was determined to bend his leg at least half way today. He concentrated on his leg, fortitude etched his face, and his eyes willed his leg to keep bending.
Dr Brackett watched the determination almost waver but somehow Johnny pulled from deep within him a little more strength and got his leg up to halfway. Johnny let out a huge breath and let his leg drop back down on the bed. His whole body was covered in sweat and shaking but he was smiling.
"You did good Johnny" Dr Brackett said encouragingly. The will-power of this young man never ceased to amaze him.
Johnny was breathing heavy from the effort but didn't care how tired he felt. Satisfaction overrode all the discomforts of his effort and he nodded with thanks for his friend's encouragement. Johnny knew how much free time his friends were sacrificing to help him. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed with his friends of Station51 but knew they had their own lives to live and couldn't expect them to give it up for him.
Cap spent many hours with Johnny and sometimes his son would come along to help entertain Johnny with a game of checkers. He would also encourage Johnny's recovery by making plans for getting him back into shape with running. They planned routes, starting with easy then gradually making them more challenging. Cap watched Johnny's spirit come to life giving him purpose and hope.
Four weeks later, Johnny was sitting in a wheelchair down in the cafeteria having lunch with Dixie, Dr Brackett, Dr Early and Cap. He smiled at his friends as a cherry pie was brought out. It was still warm and his friends were each given a slice and a scoop of ice-cream.
"I just wanted to say thanks. I know I've been taking up all your free time and I really wanted to say thank you and that I really appreciate you all. Friendship isn't an easy thing for me but you all have taught me what real friendship is. Thank you and enjoy" announced Johnny pointing to their plates, a skill he only recently acquired. He squeezed a rubber ball in his right hand as his friends enjoyed the pie.
"This is wonderful, who made it?" asked Cap.
"Snowbird, she makes the best pies. You tried some at the powwow Cap" said Johnny reminding him of the celebration that turned into tragedy only months ago.
Everyone nodded in unison except Dr Early who had yet to attend a powwow. "I might come to the next one Johnny" he said as he savoured the taste of the pie.
"Everyone is welcome Doc. It's a celebration of my heritage and it's a way to show off our skills" said Johnny proudly.
"It certainly is. You should see him ride" exclaimed Cap with his mouth half full. "Sorry".
Everyone laughed and finished their pie with Dr Brackett and Cap having seconds. Johnny sighed with satisfaction. It felt good to be outside and as he looked around the table it was also good to be sharing it with his friends. He saddened a little when he realised Roy was not here but like the rest of his shift, bar Cap, had other commitments.
"How are Roy and his new partner getting on?" asked Johnny. Since it would be months before he would be able to go back to work, he doubted his return would be to station 51. Cap had assured him he would be returning to station 51 but Johnny knew they couldn't hold his position forever and it wasn't fair to his replacement.
"They're getting on fine. Seem to spend a few of their days off together, Adam has a couple of kids like Roy" Cap cleared his throat realising he shouldn't have imparted that information. He was very aware of the disappointment Johnny was feeling with Roy and had been careful with what information he exchanged with Johnny about Roy. The relaxed atmosphere had caught him off guard and he could have kicked himself.
Johnny thought over what Cap had just said and smiled "That's good he's got someone else to spend time with, and a family man at that".
Dixie could hear the hurt in Johnny's voice and knew how hard it had been on Johnny to not see Roy regularly. Johnny thought Roy was his best friend but had learned the hard way and had realised Roy was his best work friend. She had witnessed this time and time again with recovering patients and she couldn't help but be a little disenchanted with Roy also.
"You should be proud of how far you have come, Johnny. You wouldn't be sitting in that chair if it wasn't for your sheer determination" she claimed, wanting to keep the small celebration on a cheery note.
"It won't be long before we have you up and walking" Dr Early told Johnny. "Those casts will come off in two weeks and then we can start working on you left leg" he added.
"Slow is best. We don't want to rush things" asserted Dr Brackett. He was pleased with Johnny's progress but didn't want him to become frustrated with it for being so measured.
Cap pushed Johnny's wheelchair back to his room in the rehab section of the hospital. They moved silently through the grounds of the hospital. Cap deliberately took the long way round the hospital grounds to give Johnny more time outside. When they reached his room Chet and Marco were waiting.
"Hey guys" Johnny said happily. He had not seen either of his shift buddies for a couple of weeks.
"Looking good there Gage" said Chet, Marco nodding in agreement.
"I feel good, it was great to get outside for a while" Johnny said as they entered his room. He noticed the chess and checker board set up on the small table next to the glass sliding doors that led out to a small courtyard. Johnny never ventured out there as it was usually used by smokers.
"Well I'll leave you in their good hands Johnny" Cap said rubbing his hands together "and I'll see you after shift on Thursday. You know the drill, you need anything just let the missus know" said Cap and he shook Johnny's hand.
Johnny held onto Cap's retreating hand and said with sincerity "Thanks Cap". Cap smiled at John and squeezed his shoulder, those two words saying many things; Thanks for your friendship, thanks for your guidance, thanks for your help and thanks for just being there for me when I needed an ear.
"No cheating Chet" chided Cap as he left the room. Chet looked at his Cap with a 'who me' look that made Marco and Johnny chuckle.
Marco and Chet stayed for a few hours, playing the games and just talking in general. Johnny noticed that they avoided talking about Roy and his partner. They helped him with his exercises and were pleased to see how far Johnny had improved since they last helped him.
Johnny was beginning to tire so Marco and Chet called it a day. They promised to visit soon but Johnny didn't say anything; he was just glad to see them when they could spare the time.
Dixie checked in on him at dinner time. "I heard Marco and Chet were here" she said watching Johnny's reaction closely.
"Yeah we played checkers and a couple of games of chess" Johnny said as he ate his meal. "I miss them" he blurted out, surprising himself. He was choking on his food as his emotions came hurdling to the surface. He blinked back the burning sensation in his eyes. He looked up at Dixie "I guess I didn't realise how much" he said sadly.
"You miss your life and that's ok. We miss not seeing you in ER but it will come. You just have to be patient" Dixie said knowing it wasn't just his life he missed but it was Roy's friendship. Falling into a coma and subsequently slowly recovering had resulted with repercussions that deeply hurt her friend. She was at a loss as to how to help him other than offer her own friendship. She knew Johnny loved her but a part of his heart ached for the friendship of his partner and best friend.