Chapter 12

"Things that go Bump in the Night."

Johnny was awakened by a need to go to the bathroom, as well as some discomfort and pain. After giving himself a few more moments to more fully come out of the fog of sleep and medication, he moved to sit up. His upper body protested at the movement. The muscles had become stiff and where reluctant to move with out protest. He relaxed back against his pillows for a moment and thought thru his possible options. He wondered if Elizabeth was still in the apartment, but then he thought of her fears of being alone with a man and quickly concluded that he would probably have to call her over the phone to get any help and he didn't fell like waiting for that processes to unfold. Slowly he lifted his foot off the pillows it was propped up on and lowered it to the floor as he swiveled his body and pushed himself up to a sitting position. After a few moments to orientate him self and his surrounding, he realized his crutches were leaning up against the wall of his bedroom. However they were not within easy reach. "Great, just great." He mumbled to himself as he stood and attempted to hop over to the crutches. That turned out to be the wrong thing to do as his head and sore muscles didn't appreciate the jarring and he stumbled and fell.

The next thing he knew Elizabeth was at his side, "Johnny are you okay? What happened?"

Johnny rolled over and looked into her brown eyes where he saw worry and concern, "I'm okay, I was just trying to get to my crutches so I could visit the little boys room."

Elizabeth quickly looked around the room and found where the crutches were and quickly retrieved them for Johnny. Then she helped him to his feet, "Do you need my help?" She asked as her eyes flashed to the bathroom door then back to Johnny. He could see and hear her hesitation.

"I'll be fine, now that I have the crutches." Then he headed to the bathroom.

When Johnny opened the door Elizabeth was standing close by. "Okay back to bed you go," she said. But Johnny didn't want to go back to his bed. He pushed past her and headed for the couch in the living room. Elizabeth followed and watched him lowered himself down on the couch.

She stood over him with her hands on her hips, "You should really be in bed."

"Well I don't want to be in bed," Johnny snapped at her.

"Okay," She knew she wasn't going to get vary far with him at this point so she walked over to the recliner and sat down and picked up the book she had been reading. "You let me know if you need anything," she told him as she disappeared behind her book.

Johnny picked up the remote to the TV but couldn't find anything on that interested him and turned it off. His body was aching and he was in a bad mood. What he really wanted was to be left alone. He knew he needed to take something for his discomfort and go back to bed. But with Elizabeth here he chose to rebel instead. "Look Zib, why don't you go home, I can take care of myself."

"Do I look that foolish to you," She said as she looked at him over the top of her book. "Dixie would have my head if I left you alone."

This sparked his interest in how Dixie and she had become friends. "Tell me how you and Dix became friend again."

"Back when I was in the hospital just after I moved here." Elizabeth told him as she raised her book up in an effort to end the conversation.

But Johnny's curiosity was peeked, "Which time?"

"Both," Elizabeth told him with out lowering the book.

Johnny thought about that for a little while but he couldn't seem to connect the two getting together since she was up stairs in a room and Dixie worked in Emergency. "How?"

"How what," Elizabeth responded.

"How did you and Dixie develop a friendship?"

"She and I have a mutual friend."

Johnny thought about that for a few more minutes then asked, "Who."

Elizabeth lowered her book and look right at him and replied, "You."

"Me?" Johnny said as he placed a hand on his chest.

Elizabeth continued to look at him as she nodded her head. Johnny thought about it a little longer before he said, "I don't understand."

Elizabeth let out a low sigh and looked away. "Remember when you chewed me out after . . . ." She didn't finish the sentence.

"Yah."

"Well later that day Dixie came to visit me. She told me that all you wanted to do was be a friend and that she felt, like that was a good idea because she knew I didn't have many and that she wanted to be my friend too." As she finished her sentence she raised the book up again to cover her face to hide the blush that was creeping up her face.

Johnny though about what Zibbeth had told him for quite a while, when some thing dawned on him. "It was Dixie how told you to stop having pity parties."

Elizabeth lowered her book, to expose a smiling face and a faraway look on her eyes as she remembered that visit with Dixie and she nodded.

"How is that going?"

"Hum?" she responded as she returned to the conversation.

"You know, finding the right man, marriage, and having children."

Elizabeth blushed and shook her head before disappearing behind her book again. Johnny understood that she didn't want to talk about it and let the conversation die.

Several minutes of silence passed before Elizabeth inquired. "Ready for some more pain medication and then back to bed?" She could see from the grimace that had crossed his face that he was hurting and knew it was past time for his next pain medication.

Johnny was still feeling rebellious. "No I'm fine."

"Liar." Elizabeth said as she stood up and walked into the kitchen. She returned moments later with his medication and a cup of water which she sat on the coffee table in front of him. Then she turned and walked down the hall way only to return with a couple of pillows from his bed and a blanket. Then she helped him get comfortable on the couch with one pillow under his head and another under his foot and covered him with the blanket. Then she picked up the medication and cup and offered it to him.

With a sigh, Johnny gave in and took the medication and put it in his mouth and reached for the cup which he drained and handed it back. She took it and returned it back to the kitchen and then sat back down in the recliner and continued to read her book.

Soon Johnny drifted off to sleep. A while later Elizabeth eyes felt heavy and she let the book rest on her lap as she closed her eyes for a moments rest, only to slip off to sleep her self.

It was early morning when Johnny woke up again. He lazily looked around the room until he found Elizabeth curled up and asleep in the recliner. "She looks cold." He thought to himself as he slowly moved his foot from off the pillow then grabbed his crutches and stood up. HE took the blanket and moved over to lay the blanket over his sleeping friend. In his condition he wasn't as stable as he might have been and he bumped the chair. Elizabeth came flying out of the recliner with a loud gasp. This startled Johnny and he stepped back and lost his balance and fell back onto his rear end. Both of them were shocked and surprised at first but then Johnny started to laugh and Elizabeth joined in as he knelt down beside him. After they had the giggles under control Elizabeth asked. "Are you okay?"

"I think so. I just ache a little."

Elizabeth offered him her hand saying, "Here, let me help you up, then I can get you some breakfast and then you can take your next dose of pain medication." While Johnny was in the bathroom Elizabeth scrambled some eggs with green onions and cream cheese in them and some toast on the side. "Do you want this in your room or at the couch," she called out as she was putting the finishing touches to his plate. She had been so busy with her work that she hadn't heard Johnny come up from behind her, so when he spoke to tell her his preference she jumped and spun around and threw the slice of toast she had been buttering at Johnny. "Don't do that!" she exclaimed and she held a hand up to her chest and rested back against the counter.

"Boy, you sure are jumpy."

"Not really I just didn't know you were behind me." Then she bent over to pick up the toast and tossed it in the garbage and put another slice on the toaster. "So where do you want to eat your breakfast?"

"I can sit at the table. Are you going to join me?"

"Sure." She turned to fix a plate for herself and took both of them over to the table. "What do you want to drink, milk or orange juice?"

"Can I have both?"

After getting the milk and juice and Johnny's meds she sat down across from him and they both ate in silence. Then Elizabeth helped Johnny back to his bed and settled him in. While she was fluffing and situating the pillows under his leg Johnny said, "I think you can go home now. I have your phone number and if I need any thing I can give you a call."

"Well your in lucky Johnny, I was planning on heading home, but only to shower and clean up then I will be back to check on you then I have some shopping to do. So it looks like you will have me out of your hair for a little while and you can get some good rest."

"You don't need to come back I'll be fine."

"To bad, you're stuck with me until tonight; I promised Dix that I would stay with you until bed time tonight."

Johnny let out a sigh, choosing to be grateful for the reprieve he was going to get.

After Elizabeth left Johnny called Roy on the phone and check on how he was doing.

They visited for a while and Johnny found out that Roy would be going home in a day or two but if all went well he would be back to work in 6 to 8 weeks. After that he snoozed in his bed.

Johnny heard Elizabeth return. She came into his room but he didn't open his eyes until there was a flash of light. Then his eyes opened to see Elizabeth standing over him with a camera in hand. Then there was a second flash of light as she took a second picture. "Hey, stop that!"

"Why, don't you think your future children would like to see these pictures and hear the rescue story behind it all?"

"No!" Johnny said as he sat up and tried to grab for the strap of the camera, but he wasn't fast enough.

"Maybe I should sell them to the phantom." She teased.

"You wouldn't."

"How much is it worth to you?"

"Now your black mailing me?"

"Yep. If you promise me you will stay in bed until I get back from the store you can open the camera and expose the film." She waited until Johnny agreed to his part of the bargain. Then she turned and left saying, "I'll be back in a couple of hours.