-o-
"You OK?" Amanda asked the next morning, after the kids had gone to school.
"I'm fine," Daniel replied, as he tried to pour himself a coffee, propped up on his crutches.
"I told I wasn't accepting 'I'm fines' for a while, and you've been jittery all morning," she said.
Daniel let out a sigh. "I... I had a bad dream last night."
"You've been through something incredibly traumatic," Amanda said comfortingly. "It's understandable that it'll take some time to get over that."
"I just felt..." Daniel's voice trailed off.
"How did you feel?"
Daniel let out a small huff of laughter. "As stupid as it sounds... I felt unsafe without Johnny here."
"Well, maybe you should ask him to come stay here a while," Amanda said. "He'll need someone to help him anyway."
-o-
When Daniel arrived at Johnny's room, pushing himself through the door in his wheelchair, Johnny looked upset.
"You OK?" Daniel
"Yeah," Johnny sighed.
"Desperate to get out of here?" Daniel said knowingly.
"Yeah, but..."
"Has something happened?" Daniel asked.
"The main head doctor guy came to see me today with the results of all the scans and shit they've been doing," Johnny said, looking despondent.
"Was there some bad news?" Daniel asked, worried.
"Most stuffs good," Johnny said shrugging. "Talking and memory, all that's OK."
"That's great news," Daniel said, feeling relieved. "So what's got you so down?"
"My left sides not doing so good," Johnny said.
"What's that mean?" Daniel asked.
"Like my left leg and hand," Johnny said. "I can move them and feel them, but he said there was some weakness in them, and it might be a while before I can walk properly again."
Daniel's heart sank.
"What are you looking so freaked out about?" Johnny asked.
"It's my fault," Daniel replied quietly.
"What?" Johnny asked.
"If you'd got treatment on the first or second day this wouldn't have happened."
"So you think I should have left you there alone?" Johnny asked sharply. "I'm not some kind of pussy who just leaves a friend to die because they have a bit of a headache, Daniel."
"It wasn't just a headache," Daniel said. "You literally had spinal fluid dripping out of your nose!"
"Yeah, and since I had high pressure in my head isn't it a good thing that it was dripping?" Johnny asked. "Better out than in, man."
"Seriously?" Daniel asked. "Where the hell did you read anything about the human body that makes you think that's a good thing?"
"I'm just saying, it's not your fault. I knew what I was doing. It was my choice, and I took it."
"You're crazy," Daniel said, shaking his head. "And this settles it. When you get out of here you are coming to stay at my house where I can keep an eye on you."
"What?" Johnny asked. "I don't need you to look after me. I'll be OK on my own, and Miguel and Carmen live practically next door."
"Miguel has school and Carmen has to work. You are coming to stay with me," Daniel said. "I already have someone coming in starting tomorrow to help me during the day so Amanda can go back to work, so I'll just tell them it's for two."
"I can't do that, man," Johnny said.
"Why? It's no big deal."
Johnny stewed for a moment, then admitted, "Because I can't afford to pay for it, OK?"
"Johnny, you almost died saving me," Daniel said softly. "If anything I owe you more than the cost of a bit of nursing care."
"No, I can't do that."
"You can't go home on your own," Daniel said. "You need someone to keep a watch over you in case you fall over, or have you forgotten that one side of you doesn't work properly right now?"
"Yeah, but it's only in my left side," Johnny said. "It's literally like the least useful side."
"I'm not taking no for an answer," Daniel said, patting the bed covers. "You're coming to stay with us."
-o-
It didn't take long for Daniel to almost regret asking Johnny to come stay with them while he recuperated, but every time Johnny did something that annoyed him, he closed his eyes and chanted "He saved your life, he saved your life," in his head, and that seemed to help.
The first carer quit after Johnny accused him of sexual harassment for offering to wipe his ass after helping him to the toilet.
The second carer quit about 30 seconds after being hired when Johnny winked at her and said she was free to wipe his ass any time.
The next morning, when Daniel wheeled himself into the kitchen, Amanda was sat having coffee with what appeared to be a 6ft 7, heavily muscled, tattooed biker.
"Hey, you're up," Amanda said with a smile. "I want you to come and meet Paul."
"Er, hi Paul," Daniel said, wondering what the hell was going on.
As they shook hands, Amanda said, "Paul is a carer who usually works with children with challenging behaviour. Kids who are on the spectrum or have ADHD, but he's between families right now."
"Really?" Daniel asked, raising an eyebrow. "And when can you start?"
"Right away," Paul replied with a grin, and 30 minutes later Johnny was sat at the table, freshly showered and dressed, without a single peep of protest.
-o-
The next couple of weeks were oddly wonderful, Daniel thought.
Yeah, there was the constant stream of appointments with doctors and physiotherapists, and working to get back on their feet was tiring, and very often painful, but everything seemed to be going well between them.
Daniel wondered if Robby would come visit them both, but when he asked Amanda if that might happen she shrugged her shoulders in defeat.
"I know Sam's been texting him and letting him know how Johnny's doing," She said. "I don't think she's had much luck with talking him into visiting, but hopefully he'll change his mind."
Miguel came round every day after school to spend time with Johnny though, and it was heartening to watch the boy help Johnny with his exercises.
Johnny was definitely improving with Miguel's help, and soon he was able shuffle across small distances, as long as he had someone by his side.
The first time Johnny managed to walk to the bathroom and back, Daniel held out a bottle of Coors Banquet in celebration.
"It's just the one," Daniel said. "You really shouldn't be drinking at all."
"Yeah, I know you've got the rest of this six pack stashed somewhere," Johnny said, opening the bottle. "Maybe we should split it."
Amanda wasn't very happy to come home and find them sitting on the kitchen floor surrounded by empty beer bottles.
-o-
Daniel found that there was something oddly touching about watching Miguel and Johnny work together.
Miguel was always respectful, addressing Johnny as Sensei, and helping him through his exercises with humour and gentleness.
"You don't need to come over every night," Johnny said one evening, as he took hold of Miguel's hand and pulled himself out of the chair. "Don't you have homework to do?"
"I do it before I come here," Miguel said, as Johnny found his balance on his feet. "And you helped me to walk, remember? I'm just repaying the favour."
As Daniel sat, watching Miguel gently hold Johnny's elbow as he slowly walked round the patio, he began to wonder if maybe he'd misjudged not only Miguel, but also Johnny as a teacher.
Miguel was a really great kid, and there was no way he could have turned out like that if he'd been at the old Cobra Kai, back when Kreese was running it. Yup, Daniel had definitely got Johnny wrong, and he felt oddly emotional as he watched them turn to face each other.
"You ready?" Miguel asked, and when Johnny nodded Miguel pushed him into the pool.
"What the hell are you doing!" Daniel shouted, as he grabbed his crutches and hobbled to the pool edge.
"No, don't worry, he's got this," Miguel said as Johnny flailed under the surface of the water.
"He's drowning!" Daniel shrieked.
"He can do this," Miguel said proudly. "Come on, Sensei, kick!"
"Help!" Daniel shouted, throwing his crutches on the floor and preparing to jump into the water.
Johnny appeared on the surface of the water, gasping for air, then he let out a laugh as he slowly turned in a circle.
Miguel knelt down and held out his hand, then pulled Johnny to the side of the pool, and helped him up the steps.
"Told you I could do it," Johnny said to Miguel, as he lay on the patio, his wet clothes clinging to him.
"You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Daniel shouted. "Don't ever do that again!"
"It was just a little... What's the word for it?" Johnny asked as he looked at Miguel.
"Hydrotherapy," Miguel supplied.
"That's the one," Johnny nodded.
"I give up," Daniel said, as he picked up his crutches and hobbled inside.
-o-
Amanda had shouted at Daniel for leaving Johnny laid on the patio like a beached whale. Miguel had come inside asking for help, because he couldn't get Johnny into his chair due to the weight of his wet clothes, and instead he was sat shivering on the floor.
"You can be a real asshole sometimes, Daniel," Amanda complained as she dried Johnny's hair with a towel.
"That's right," Johnny nodded, as he pulled the fleecy bathrobe around his dry pyjamas. "I mean, I could have caught pneumonia out there on the patio, and you walked away and left me."
"It was your idea to get pushed into the pool!"
"That's the thanks I get for saving your life," Johnny said with a wry smile.
"Shut up," Daniel said, as he went to the refrigerator, and took our a bottle of Coors. He pulled off the cap and handed it Johnny. "There, I'm sorry."
"Apology accepted," Johnny nodded.
-o-
They watched a film later, and halfway through Highlander Amanda had made them both splutter into their beers by asking, "Isn't Mel Gibson supposed to be in this film?"
Daniel felt tired after that, and despite the great music, he soon found himself falling asleep against something warm.
-o-
"Well look at you, all cosy," Amanda said, as Daniel blinked his eyes open the next morning.
The room was still in semi darkness, and he could smell the coffee in the air as he pulled at the blanket that was tucked round his chin.
"What time is it?" Daniel asked.
"It's 7.30."
"In the morning?" Daniel asked, scrubbing at his eyes.
"Yeah, in the morning," Amanda replied with an amused note in her voice. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah, I did actually," He replied, then he realised he was in the living room, on the sofa, and the warm thing he'd been hugging all night was Johnny, who was still sound asleep. "What the hell? Why didn't you wake me up?"
"You just both looked so relaxed I didn't want to spoil it," Amanda said. "Besides, I don't think I could have woken you up even if I'd tried."
"Really?" Daniel asked.
"Yeah, I mean I took about 20 photos, and one of them accidentality had the flash on. Even that didn't wake you up," she replied.
"Oh my god, I'm never going to live this down, am I?" Daniel asked, as he scrubbed his hands across his face.
He watched as Amanda went through to the kitchen with an amused look on her face, but he didn't tell her it was the best night's sleep he'd had since he got home.
Johnny still hadn't woken up, despite the conversation and the increasing light in the room, Daniel shrugged his shoulders, tucked his chin against Johnny's shoulder and let himself fall back to sleep.
-o-
Daniel was making quick progress, moving from a chair to crutches in just a few weeks, and Johnny decided he was just going to will himself to walk, which is how he ended up spraining his left wrist after falling in the kitchen.
"No more walking on your own!" Daniel warned him, after he arrived back from the hospital.
"Whatever," Johnny said, waving his good hand at him.
"I'm serious," Daniel warned. "You need to work with the physiotherapist to build your strength back up before you try again."
"I'm not letting that hippy touch me," Johnny said. "He smells like flowers, and no guy should smell like flowers. It's not right."
"We need to get you back on your feet," Daniel said.
"Oh yeah?" Johnny asked. "What's the rush? You want rid of me already?"
"Because you can't teach Anthony in a chair," Daniel replied.
Johnny paused. "You're going to let me teach him?"
Daniel smiled. "Yeah, I am."
"OK, grab a lighter," Johnny said, as he wheeled himself towards the door.
"Why do I need a lighter?"
"Because you're gonna set fire to me," Johnny replied.
"I'm gonna what?"
-o-
The first day that they went back to the dojo to start training again, all the kids had gathered round them offering hugs and congratulations.
The cast had been removed from Daniel's leg the day before, and he was hobbling around the garden still on his crutches, while Sam and Miguel demonstrated the moves at the front of the class.
Johnny had absolutely refused to appear in front of the kids in the wheelchair, and instead sat by Daniel in a lawn chair, shouting instructions.
"Sam and Miguel have kept them sharp while we've been gone," Daniel said after the class, as Amanda helped Johnny shuffle his way into the dojo and sit in the chair.
"Yeah, they did good," Johnny agreed, sounding less than enthusiastic.
"You OK?" Daniel asked. "You seem a bit down."
"I'm fine," Johnny said.
"Yeah, I've heard that so many times that I know it's never true," Daniel said with a grin.
"It's just... You got your cast off, and you're gonna be walking normally soon and I'm still stuck in this thing."
"You're getting better," Daniel said. "I see the changes every single day even if you don't."
"Daniel's right, Johnny, you're making amazing progress," Amanda said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"I think maybe if I could use crutches I'd feel a bit better about it," Johnny said.
"You know that won't work until your left arm is strong enough to support you so, again, work with the physiotherapist," Daniel said.
"And don't forget you've got that appointment with Dr. Parker on Monday," Amanda reminded him, as she knelt down in front of Johnny. "She's literally like the top neurologist in the state, and she's gonna help you get back on your feet."
"OK," Johnny said, still sounding unsure.
"You'll be out there shouting 'Quiet!' at those kids in no time at all," Amanda said with a smile.
Johnny let out a small laugh, then smiled as he said, "OK."
It always surprised Daniel just how easily Johnny and Amanda got on. At dinner they chatted, laughing at each others jokes, and Daniel found himself almost feeling jealous at times.
"Johnny and I don't have the baggage you do," Amanda said, over a glass of wine after Johnny had gone to bed. "It's understandable, but you're getting past it. Even I can see that."
"I just wish it was easier," Daniel replied. "He gets me so wound up though."
"Well, Johnny is practically a force of nature. He's literally like a whirlwind, and you like everything to be calm and balanced and under control," Amanda replied. "Maybe you need to learn to embrace the chaos and meet him halfway?"
"Embrace the chaos," Daniel repeated. "OK, I can try that."
-o-
Daniel had been able to drive Johnny to his appointment with the new Neurologist, and after suffering a full 45 minutes of Johnny making jibes about Daniel's driving, they finally arrived at the doctors office.
"You wanna stay?" Johnny asked, looking slightly nervous.
"Yeah, I can stay," Daniel nodded.
The doctor seemed nice, and she seemed to be very impressed with how far Johnny had progressed in his physical recovery already.
"Can I ask you, have you experienced any personality changes, Johnny?" She asked.
"Personality changes?" Johnny asked. "Like what?"
"People who have head injuries like yours often experience mood swings, or have difficulty with impulse control. They can be irritable or aggressive, prone to reckless behaviour or excessive drinking."
"Wait," Daniel said. "What if he had all those things before the accident?"
"Oh ha-ha," Johnny said sarcastically, then he turned to the Doctor, and said, "But yeah seriously, if I had those things before the accident, would the head injury cure them?"
The doctor looked down at her desk, and took a deep breath, then asked, "Johnny, have you ever undergone psychological testing? When you were younger or as an adult?"
"What?" Johnny asked, and Daniel sniggered.
"Mr. LaRusso, I think perhaps you should wait outside for the moment," the Doctor said with a withering stare.
-o-
An hour, and one private appointment later Johnny emerged from the room with a bunch of pamphlets and a prescription and promptly threw them all in the nearest trash can.
"Don't you think you should keep those?" Daniel asked.
"Nah, come on, let's go do something fun," Johnny said, as he wheeled his chair down the hall. "There's a bar around the corner. Let's go get shitfaced."
"I'm driving," Daniel pointed out, as he hobbled after him on the crutches.
"So we'll get an Uber," Johnny said.
"Do you even know what an Uber is?" Daniel asked.
"Nah, but we'll figure it out."
"I think you'll mean I'll figure it out, since you still don't have a phone," Daniel said, as he hobbled down the corridor after Johnny.
"Don't get smart, Daniel. I'm pretty sure I could still kick your ass even with just the two working limbs," Johnny said, as he wheeled the chair towards the elevator.
"Your left arm and leg kinda half work, so technically we have the same amount of limbs," Daniel replied. "It's a fair fight."
-o-
The bar was empty, with no-one present apart from the bar tender who was idly refilling the shelves in the quiet time before the evening rush.
They settled into a booth at the back, away from the harsh sunlight that spilled in through the large glass windows at the front. Johnny had pushed himself out of his chair, and slipped onto the shiny worn leather.
They drank in oddly comfortable silence, and as Johnny was ordering two beers for every drink Daniel had, it wasn't long before Daniel was ready to ask him something that had been bugging him for a while.
"Can I ask you a serious question?" Daniel asked.
"Sure," Johnny said. "You wanna know where babies come from?"
Daniel laughed and shook his head, then he quietly asked, "Did you know how sick you were in the woods?"
Johnny looked at him for a second, then started picking the label on his Coors bottle before finally admitting, "Yeah, I knew."
"So putting aside all the heroic bullshit," Daniel said, waving his hands. "Why were you so willing to drag me out of there knowing that you were probably dying?"
Johnny finally looked up from the bottle. He was quiet for a moment, then he cast his eyes back down. "Someone has to get rid of Kreese, man. Someone has to get Robby away from him, and that's you."
"You can do that," Daniel said.
"Nah," Johnny said, shaking his head. "You're more likely to beat him than me."
"Why do you think that?" Daniel asked, genuinely confused.
"Because you've done it before," Johnny said. "You can do it again."
"Yeah, but I had people who helped me along the way," Daniel said. "Even if they weren't there in that final fight, I couldn't have done it without them, and I was never fighting alone."
"Kreese knows how to push my buttons, man," Johnny said. "He knows all my weaknesses, and he's going to use them against us."
"It doesn't matter, because I'll be there backing you up."
"Yeah, but he knows everything I know. He knows all my moves because he taught me them," Johnny said, still not looking up.
"Don't you see?" Daniel said, reaching out and placing his hand on top of Johnny's. "Yeah, he taught you everything you know, but you know all his moves as much as he knows yours."
"Maybe," Johnny said, shrugging his shoulders.
"There's no maybe about it," Daniel continued. "You can predict what he's teaching those kids. You show us what he's teaching, and we teach our kids how to defend and counter."
"You think that'll work?" Johnny asked. "You don't think he'll have something up his sleeve to surprise us?"
"Maybe he will," Daniel said, then he gripped Johnny's hand tighter, and said, "But there's only one way we come out of this on top, and that's together."
"Together," Johnny repeated, nodding his head slightly, then he held his hand up and ordered another round of drinks.
-o-
Daniel fidgeted as he waited for Amanda to arrive. He wasn't looking forward to it, because he knew she was going to be SO pissed, and his alcohol buzz was wearing off already, which was definitely a bit of a downer.
He sat stiffly, holding his crutches in one hand, while Johnny reclined in his chair, his head resting against the leather back as he snored softly.
"Lucky bastard," Daniel said, shaking his head.
He couldn't believe how easily Johnny had talked him into it, but when he'd switched from Martinis to Coors Banquet for the sake of feeling nostalgic for the time they were lost in the woods he should have known it was all going to go to complete shit...
"OK, does someone want to clue me in?" Amanda said, as she appeared at the cell door.
"Thank god you're here," Daniel said, as he stood up.
"Yeah, so this is new," she said, as the officer next to her opened the door. "Can't say I've ever seen my husband sitting in a police holding cell before."
"It's all his fault," Daniel said, pointing at Johnny.
"It's what?" Johnny said, as he lifted his head. "How is it my fault we got arrested?"
"It was you who suggested going to the bar," Daniel snapped.
"Yeah, pretty sure everything that happened after that was a joint venture," Johnny replied.
"You went to a bar?" Amanda asked. "You were supposed to be at a doctors appointment. Please tell me you went to the appointment."
"Yeah, we went," Johnny said. "Everything's fine."
"She asked if he'd ever had psychological testing," Daniel laughed.
"Shut up, LaRusso," Johnny snapped.
"So we're back to LaRusso?"
"When you piss me off, yeah we are," Johnny said.
"Oh my god, can we please stop," Amanda said, raising her hands. "Can someone please explain to me why I got a call from the police to come pick you up?"
"We didn't do anything wrong," Johnny said.
"So why does your shirt look like you cut it up for a zombie Halloween costume?" Amanda asked. "It didn't look like that this morning."
"I fell out of the chair," Johnny said.
Amanda looked at him, and raised an eyebrow. "And that made your shirt look like it's been attacked by a cheese grater?"
"He was doing about 40 at the time," Daniel said.
"You were doing what?"
"Encino has some steep hills," Johnny replied.
"That's right, it does," Daniel agreed.
"Wait," Amanda said, holding her hands in the air. "You were doing 40 miles an hour down a hill in your chair?"
"Yeah," Johnny nodded.
Then she turned to Daniel. "And where were you while this was happening?"
"Sitting on his knee," Daniel replied.
"OK, first of all, what?" Amanda asked. "And secondly, why didn't anyone in here take you to the hospital if you had a fall out of your chair?"
"Calm down, I'm fine," Johnny said, then he pulled up his sleeve, revealing the purple and red road rash that extended from his wrist to his elbow. "This stings a bit though."
"Oh. My. God," Amanda said, throwing her hands up the air. "I'm officially going to be the only adult living in a house full of children, aren't I?"
"Hey, it was your idea to send us away together," Johnny protested. "You wanted us to work it out and be friends, and you got what you asked for."
"Yeah, so in a way this is kinda your fault," Daniel agreed.
Amanda looked between them both, then said, "I think I preferred it when you two were fighting."