"So?"

Jennifer looked up into Kelly's expectant face as her therapist, Sam, wheeled her back to her room. "I did it," she said proudly, though her face showed the kind of exhaustion she had previously only associated with grueling, multiple-day missions.

"Yes!" Kelly cheered.

"Not only did she stand up, but she took several steps – and would have kept going if I hadn't made her rest," Sam added, a bit of a scold in his voice. He bent down so that his graying head was level with his patient's as he continued to report to Kelly. "I threatened to keep her in her bed all day tomorrow if she didn't slow down. That's all we need is for you to overdo yourself, Corporal. You want to be able to get out of that bed for good, sweetheart? Then remember – baby steps."

Jennifer gave him a mock salute. "Yes, sir." She sighed dramatically. "You're such a task master."

"Well, you need to listen to the voice of experience. I've seen too many of you Resistance fighters that are used to pushing the limits end up in bed for extra weeks with secondary injuries because they've pushed themselves too hard. My patients do not end up like that," he told her firmly. "Baby steps."

"Baby steps," Jennifer agreed, leaning back and closing her eyes. She was really tired. "But I did it," she said with a soft smile.

Sam couldn't help but smile back at her. "Yes, you did. You're quite the fighter. Not many with injuries like yours would have come so far so fast. That captain of yours must be something worth getting home for." He laughed as the blush crept up her face.

"Ahh, you found her motivator," Kelly chuckled.

"I knew there had to be something. No one works this hard without one – especially not anyone who's not planning on enjoying a nice, long, peaceful life here in Eden." Sam shook his head. "I don't get it."

"I know…I get that a lot from the people around here," Jennifer admitted.

"He must be something," Sam repeated, and the fact that Jennifer's face turned two more shades of red just prompted him and Kelly to laugh even harder.

"Come on, you. Vi left enough food to feed five people in there – she said she couldn't stay today, and since your therapy session went a little longer than usual she just left it for you. Said she'd be back tomorrow. So I told her that I'd be more than happy to hang out here with you after my shift and share it with you," Kelly said brightly.

"Oooh…sounds good. Too bad I've got plans with the missus, or I'd join you ladies," Sam said. "Have fun. I'll see you tomorrow, Jennifer. And get some rest!" he added firmly.

Both women waved goodbye to him as Kelly wheeled Jennifer back into her room. Jennifer saw that two plates full of food had been set on her table, and there was still food in the containers Vi had brought. "Oh my goodness, did she think she was feeding an army?"

"I think she planned on giving Mark the leftovers," Kelly said as she closed the door behind them. "She said he's always trying to sneak in to Lottie's kitchen to pilfer something when he drops newcomers off at her place. And she knows he'll be coming by to get your letters tonight, since he's heading out tomorrow." Kelly tried to ignore the look she was getting from Jennifer, but her friend was stubborn. Kelly sighed and gave up. "Fine…He might've said something about walking me home again," she admitted as she lowered the bed to help Jennifer maneuver into it. "Stupid man. He knows darn well that I can get home on my own."

"Maybe he just wants an excuse to spend some time with you," Jennifer said, watching her friend closely. Kelly just snorted.

"Yeah. More likely that he just thinks I'll get lost on the way home. You know – poor, pitiful female and all."
"Now, I know he's a bit…traditional," Jennifer began, trying to defend Mark.

"He's almost archaic," Kelly said dryly. "The man apparently thinks I'm some damsel in distress – like I haven't been walking home on my own for years."

"Hmmm…still seems to me like he maybe just wants to see you," Jennifer said slyly once she was finally settled in bed and it was raised to its normal height.

"Yeah…be quiet and eat," Kelly said simply, changing the subject for good. The two looked at each other and chuckled, then settled in to enjoy their meal. Jennifer had to admit that since she'd started therapy, her appetite had increased a bit and she actually looked forward to mealtimes. But this was a treat. She and Kelly usually only got to visit for the short periods of time that the nurse was checking in on her. Uninterrupted conversation like this only came when Kelly spent her time off with her new friend.

"So, you pushed yourself until you did it," Kelly drawled, though her eyes danced as she tried to scold.

"Yes, I did," Jennifer said proudly. "I told you I wanted to try…it just took a bit of convincing to get Sam to let me. Of course, now I'm pretty wiped out," Jennifer admitted.

"But you did it," Kelly smiled at her.

"I did. I never thought I'd be proud of myself just for taking a few steps, but I really am," Jennifer admitted.

"You should be – Jen, we didn't even think you were going to make it for three days," Kelly insisted. "You don't remember that, I know, but I sure do."

"I know, I know. I'm just not used to this. I mean, I've been injured before, but not to this extent."

"Weren't you ever sick? I know medical care out there isn't the greatest."

Jennifer shook her head. She took a deep breath, then continued. "I've caught a few things, but nothing major. The Youth are inoculated against any known diseases. Being sick made us less efficient."

Kelly had been making conversation on one of their walks outside one afternoon when she'd asked how Jennifer had become a member of the Power Team. It had been a leap of faith, but Jennifer had told her the entire story. At the end, she braced herself for the possibility that Kelly would not want anything to do with her now that she knew. To her relief, Kelly's response had been to ask some interesting questions – proving that she'd been listening, and that she wanted to know more about her new friend's past. Jennifer had been so relieved that she'd answered almost all of Kelly's questions completely, something she hadn't ever really done with anyone but Jon.

"Ah – hadn't thought about that," Kelly mused. "I suppose Dread wouldn't want you snotting all over his precious computer terminals."

The idea made Jennifer laugh. "No, I think that would be frowned upon." She took a bite of the casserole Vi had left, regarding her friend as she ate. "You know, it's odd for me to be joking about this with someone besides one of my teammates."

Kelly had noticed that Jennifer had seemed to be a little cautious when talking with her ever since she'd shared her story. It was almost as if the woman was waiting for a judgment. Kelly knew it was time to make sure Jennifer knew where she stood. "Yeah, I bet you don't share that particular bit of your history with everyone, do you?" she began. "Hey – I know you now. I'm glad you trusted me enough to tell me, but the person you used to be isn't sitting here with me right now. Plus, I'm pretty impressed that you've come so far. I don't know if I'd have been able to do what you did. I sure haven't heard of anyone else who has. In other words," she continued shrewdly, "I'm not going anywhere…so you can stop waiting for me to." Jennifer grinned guiltily at her. Kelly knew, however, that her reaction wouldn't be the same as everyone else's. "Unfortunately, I can also understand why you haven't told everyone. I don't think you'd get the same reaction out of all people."

"No, trust me - I haven't. I'm actually surprised no one had figured it out…when I first joined the team, people knew by looking at me."

"A lot of people here at the hospital have been in Eden for a while," Kelly told her. "What happens out there is not quite as raw for us as it is to some of the newcomers. That might have something to do with it."

The two women continued to talk, and when they were almost finished with their meal they heard a knock at the door. "He's dependable - I'll give him that," Kelly sighed with a smile. Sure enough, Mark came through the door, shutting it behind him. "Good evening, ladies. Your friendly neighborhood letter carrier has arrived." He stopped and sniffed the air appreciatively. "That is not hospital food that I smell," he said, grinning. "Vi's been here, hasn't she?" He rubbed his hands together with anticipation.

Jennifer laughed. "Apparently, your stomach has a reputation. She brought enough for you, too."

Dear Jon,

More progress in therapy - I managed to walk across the room, completely on my own! I can't believe I'm so excited about something so simple, but I did it! Sam says I'm quite the "little soldier." He had decided that there must be something special waiting for me at home because I'm working so hard. He found out about you, so now he's teasing me a bit about "my captain back home." See, the staff here thinks I'm a bit unusual – I'm known as the only person who doesn't want to stay here. Several of them don't quite understand that.

Kelly keeps coming around to see me, even on her days off, even though I was able to explain everything to her the other day when we she was walking me around outside. She didn't look at me any different, despite hearing the whole story. When I thanked her for not reacting badly, she looked at me like I was a little crazy. She told me that was what friends were for – it was that simple to her. I don't know what I'd do without her. We're a lot alike. She's got a stubborn streak about her that you'd probably find pretty familiar. Mark teases her and says that she'll tell him no even if she wants to say yes, just because she's annoyed with him. It's probably a really good thing we get along, because we could do some damage if we didn't! Speaking of Mark, he's started to visit me pretty regularly, too. He was just giving or getting my letters through Kelly, but he says if he comes to see me he can give you a personal report of how I'm doing when he manages to see you on his runs. Personally, I think it's an excuse to see Kelly. She's always on duty when he drops by, and it's usually towards the end of her shift. So he'll sit and visit with me for a while, and she'll come in to say goodbye (like she always does) and find him there. Then he'll offer to walk her home, or grab something to eat. But when I asked her about him the other day, she insisted he's just a dear friend. She wouldn't look me in the eye, though. I'm pretty good at telling when people are avoiding telling me the truth, and I'm pretty sure she is. It's interesting to watch them. I have to wonder - were we like that? It feels like a similar situation to me. But when I watch them, I wonder how they don't figure it out for themselves. I'm not complaining about having another visitor, though. I've enjoyed getting to know Mark. And I love hearing about you and the others first hand.

I've started to gain a little weight thanks to Vi. She introduced me to chocolate. Oh, my goodness! I guess it's not very easy to get, even here, but she brought me chocolate chip cookies the other day. They were still warm from the oven (the only way to eat them, she said, though I disagreed because I could've eaten them all day – and I did have the three she left me as the day went on). Kelly joked that Vi is only allowed to come in on days she's on duty, because I never eat everything Vi brings and this way she can "help" me along by snacking with me on her breaks. If I can keep this up, plus keep progressing in therapy, there's a chance I can be dismissed from the hospital in a few weeks and move down to Vi's to finish my recovery. She's close to the hospital – Kelly pointed out her place when we were out one day – so that I could still get back and forth for therapy easily.

And I've finally found something else to do with my day besides read! I told Sam that I was going stir-crazy in bed all day, and he asked me what types of things I would do at home when I was injured and couldn't go out with the team. Yesterday he brought me a few hand scanners that some of the staff here uses that were acting up and a small tool kit. It's not much, but at least I feel useful again. Kelly says I'll need to be careful or people all over the hospital will be bringing me things to fix. I told her I couldn't be that lucky!

I'm actually starting to nod off as I write this, so I should probably stop for today. It's funny – I know you're not here to talk to in person, but I guess since writing to you is as close as I can get, I don't want to stop. I don't want to say goodnight. But I'm going to be the "good little soldier" again and get some rest.

I love you,

Jennifer