So sorry it took so long to update! It's been a crazy summer to say the least. I know this chapter may not please everyone, but it has a direction, you just have to wait out the ride. Thanks anyway for tuning in.
Chapter 18
Anna looked up from her book hearing the machine beep as another dose of pain medication disbursed. She glanced then at the patient as he lay quietly listening to the TV. She put a baseball game on for him since his vision was still somewhat blurry, although they were both told that it would pass once the slight swelling in his brain went down caused from the wound on his forehead. The surgery to remove his spleen was a major operation, but in the everyday life of the doctors it was a minor procedure that was a complete success. Besides the injury to his back, his eyesight had been the only other problem that they were concerned about, but after his second MRI, the doctor assured them it wasn't a permanent paralysis; an annoying one for now, but not permanent.
Steve reached up on his over bed table with both bandaged hands trying to pick up the cup of orange juice that was sitting on a tray from his breakfast. He lost the grip and accidently knocked it over.
"Shit," he moaned as Anna quickly got up before it overflowed from the tray.
"I got it," she said to him, picking it up and carefully walking it over to the bathroom and dumping it in the sink and then rinsing it off.
"Sorry," he apologized. "I'm all thumbs today."
Anna chuckled at his attempt to make fun of himself. She came back in and set the clean tray back on the table by his bed, wheeling it out of his reach. "Did you want water, or more juice?"
"Water."
She took the cup that was sitting on the table next to the bed and directed the straw to his mouth.
He took a couple of sips and then smiled. "How about some sugar with that water."
She rolled her eyes at his hideous ploy for a kiss, leaning down close to his face. "Would you like one lump or two," she replied playing along.
"Two please." He could see her face but the image was blurred as if he were looking at her from under water.
She kissed him once and then kissed him again, lingering close to him. "Anything else I can do you for you?"
"Lock the door," he smiled, "and crawl into this bed with me."
"That sounds like a fabulous idea," she purred, "but I'm saving myself until you are all better…and then my handsome prince," she kissed him again, "once I'm done with you, you are really going to experience the word, immobile."
He closed his eyes seeing the image of her in the picture lying on the bed. "That's good therapy," he whispered. He wished he could put his arms around her and hold her, but he couldn't even hold a glass of water. He could barely move his body, let alone embrace her. But soon, he thought, and then he was sure he wouldn't let go of her for months. "I love you," he said to her instead, his eyes still closed feeling that physical separation between them even though she was only inches away.
"Put your hands on me Anna. I need it right now."
She knew what he wanted, but more importantly she knew what he needed. She put her hand on his face and slowly glided it down over his neck, following the path to his shoulder, making her way back to his bare chest and under the blanket, careful to avoid the bandage from his surgery where they had removed his spleen, her hand continuing down the side to his naked hip and then repeating it up the same path.
His body tingled over the motion of her hand. It was the euphoric rush he'd been looking for; the same one that only she could give him with that simple, yet powerful gesture. Her hand rested on his face once again, only this time it was her voice that lifted him.
"I love you," she said before kissing him, not easing up with this one, but leaned in over him, giving him what they both had been craving for a long time.
He shifted his head, giving her better access as the kiss deepened. He knew then and there he wouldn't make it without her, maybe he could have, but he didn't want to.
He got lost in the feel of it, using his elbow on the bed to push up and get closer to her, but when he did the pain in his back erupted.
She felt his body tense up first and then he fell away from her into the pillow. She opened her eyes seeing the agonizing pain on his face as he tried to lie still, but seconds later shifted, trying to ward off the agony and find the right position.
"Oh god Steve," she whimpered, hating to see him like this. "I'm so sorry!"
He groaned through the pain not wanting her to take the blame, but not having the strength at the moment to even speak.
Anna quickly fumbled with the cord on his bed that would give him an extra shot of pain medication. She pushed the button over and over even though it only worked one time. "It's coming," she assured him, dropping it and putting a hand on his shoulder, gently massaging it, hoping to relieve some of his pain.
He felt nothing except the relentless torture that vibrated up and down his spine as if it were being pulled apart. A bead of sweat began to slide down the side of his face as he counted down the seconds until the medication would kick in. 'Hold on,' he encouraged himself, 'just a couple more seconds.' He held his breath praying it would end before he had to take in another one, even the simple task of breathing at the moment was excruciating.
Anna counted down the same as he as she watched him struggle. She was about to run and get a nurse when she saw him let out the breath he'd been holding and his body relax once again.
"Ok," he said almost out of breath. "It's over."
Anna wasn't sure if he was reassuring himself or her.
"Steve," her voice expressing her regret as she wiped off his sweaty face. "I'm so sorry."
He looked up at her blurred image hearing the remorse in her voice. "For what," he replied, feeling weak from the aftermath, but pain free, "that kiss was worth it."
She knew he was lying but appreciated the effort for her sake. "Here," she said holding up the straw to his lips, "take a drink."
He did as he was told, not feeling any lingering effects of what he had just gone through. He looked up at her. "Next time see if you can fill that water jug with a Longboard."
Anna laughed. "I'll be sure to relay that info to Danny or Chin."
"Is Danny bringing the kids up after school today?" he asked.
"Yes, and then I'm going to run home and shower and be back later tonight."
"No. I want you to stay home tonight and get a good night sleep in our bed, not a chair or whatever it is you sleep on over there." He glanced over in the direction he knew she was every night.
"I'm fine."
"I'm not asking," he replied. "I'm serious Anna. I may not be able see it on your face, but I can hear how tired you are in your voice. You need to get some rest."
"Steve…" she began when he cut her off.
"Please honey, just do this for me, ok?"
She'd been there six nights in a row, and he was right, it had begun to catch up with her. "Ok," she agreed. "I'll go home tonight."
"Thank you," he smiled. "Take the kids to dinner or something. They have to be sick of Danny's Jersey recipes by now."
Anna laughed, "He's actually a pretty good cook."
"Compared to who?" he said and then smiled brightly waiting for her to catch on.
"Very funny?" She stomped her foot. "I've been getting better."
"I know," he said apologetically.
"Just tell me, is hospital food better than mine?"
"No," held his bandaged hand out to her feeling her clasp onto his wrist. "I've actually been craving one of your peanut and butter and jelly sandwiches."
She moved her hand up and down his arm. "You sure are a funny guy after you get a dose of your meds. A regular Seinfeld."
"I am feeling pretty good," he said truthfully. "These few minutes after a dose are almost as good as jumping out of an airplane in full combat gear or rolling off the back of a rubber duck in the middle of the night with my scuba gear on."
Anna rolled her eyes at him, having no idea what a rubber duck was and didn't bother asking. She could see the extra dose of medication begin to take full effect on him. "What about sex? Almost as good as that?"
"Sex!" he shook his head. "Oh hell no. Nothing is better than being inside of you."
She laughed again over his blunt way of putting it.
"What about you?" he asked.
"What about me?"
"Sex?" The euphoric rush he got from the meds quickly turned on him, knowing with his back being the way it was he couldn't be with her like he used to for a while, maybe a long while. "Why did you bring that up? Are you concerned about me performing?"
Anna was caught off guard by not only the question, but also the way in which it was delivered. "What? No! Of course not." She looked at him wondering if he was joking again, but she didn't think so. "Why would you think that? And why would you even ask me that?"
He didn't have to see himself to know he looked like a mess. He had cuts on his face and knew the wound on his forehead was bad enough that they called in a Plastic Surgeon to stitch it up. For the first time in his life he felt self-conscious about his appearance. He couldn't even touch her. "Look at me. I'm not the same." He couldn't see her clearly, but wondered if all this time that she'd been there if she kept her eyes diverted instead of really looking at him.
"Steve?" she was stunned at the words that were coming out of his mouth. "You are the same. You're being ridiculous. Please tell me you're joking?" She stared at him, hoping he would smile and say something clever like he always did, but it wasn't coming and his expression seemed somber. She could almost see the word depression floating over his head. It was the only word she could use to describe the sudden change in him. It reminded her of her father when his moods would change so suddenly and for no particular reason. She was too young at the time to understand, but after his suicide when she was eleven she learned that it had been because of the heroin. She didn't put Steve in the same category as her father, not even close, but she knew what drugs could do to a person's thought process, and wouldn't let that happen to him.
"I'm not the same," he said again, feeling the change.
"But you are!" she argued. "Please don't start thinking this way. We have enough work to do with getting you back on your feet than having to deal with something as silly as me not wanting you in that way. I love you. Nothing will change that. I can barely stand next to you without my heart leaping out of my chest. Geez," she groaned, "I think about you all the time! Sometimes so much that my mind gets cluttered and I have to concentrate just to get back in a normal frame of mind. I mean seriously," she laughed, "if I had a dime for every time that I think about you…inside of me…" she whispered as if others were in the room that might hear her boldness, "we'd be billionaires."
How could he argue with that? It was uplifting to say the least. "Pervert," he said teasingly. "Got your mind in the gutter a lot don't you?"
"You made me that way with your wicked ways," she declared. "If you don't like it you have only yourself to blame."
"Hold on," he rebutted, "I didn't say I didn't like it, I'd just like to be able to give you some new material, sooner rather than later."
"You will," Anna assured him. "We have our whole lives to make up for these few weeks. And we will." She leaned over and kissed him again as he laughed over that.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that to you," he said sincerely, hearing that feisty side of her that could always put him in his place when he needed it.
"Don't be sorry. It was a concern. You got it out in the open; we talked about it, dealt with it, and put it to rest. Communication. That's how marriages survive. And if that's the truth, we'll last a hundred years."
Steve stared up at her image wishing he could see her. "God I love you Anna," he said even more sincerely, without a hint of skepticism left in him.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Steve lay in bed staring at the door to his room, impatiently waiting for Anna's arrival. He'd woken up that morning with his eyesight back on track. His only regret was that she wasn't there with him to share the happiness and for him to finally be able to see the beautiful face he'd been missing. He wished now he hadn't insisted she go home for the night.
His eyes scanned the drawings that were scattered throughout the room that Jenny had made for him. He'd kept himself entertained most of the morning admiring them. He glanced at the clock on the wall across the way, and then focused back on the door. He knew Anna would have dropped the kids off at school already and would hopefully be headed in his direction.
Not seconds after that thought crossed his mind did the door slowly open. A smile erupted on his face as she peeked her head inside, seeing if he was awake or if she needed to enter quietly.
She smiled back at him and he felt his heart rate soar, assured that if he were still hooked up to the heart monitor it would have caused all sorts of alarms and send the nurses scurrying to his aid, only to realize it wasn't a life or death situation, only a man head over heels in love. She was even more beautiful than the image he was forced to produce these last couple of weeks since that day she dropped him at the base.
"Good morning," Anna said cheerfully, pleased over the bright smile he displayed. He didn't show any sign of the troubled conversation the day before.
"Good morning," he replied, pleasurably watching the angelic image as she made her way over to him. He wondered if she would notice as he kept eye contact with her while she leaned over and kissed him and told him about sleeping in their bed, and the pillow that had his cologne still on it. She then went into her normal routine of filling up his water bottle and opening the window the tiny amount that was allowed to bring in some fresh air.
"I have another picture from Jenny," Anna said as she came out of the bathroom, screwing the top back on his water bottle.
"Good," Steve said, "I've been admiring the others all morning. It'll be nice to have a new one to look at."
Anna pulled the picture out of her purse and then froze, looking over her shoulder at him.
"You look beautiful this morning," he said, looking straight at her.
"Are you…can you," she stumbled her words excitedly. "Can you see clearly?!"
"I see YOU perfectly, that's all I care about."
Anna let out a joyful cheer and quickly went back to his side. "When did this happen?"
Steve shrugged, "When I opened my eyes this morning everything was back to normal. I actually thought I was going to go blind again staring at that door waiting for you to get here."
Anna laughed, leaning over to him. "I'm so happy," she said before giving him a kiss. "One down, one to go."
They both looked over to the door as Steve's doctor came in. He wore the basic white overcoat with a stethoscope hanging out of the front pocket. His dark complexion proved that he enjoyed living in Hawaii as well as his attitude.
"Aloha," he said to the two of them, giving them a shaka wave. "How goes this morning Admiral?"
"Admiral?" Anna chuckled, "we've been promoted from Commander."
"Shhh," Steve said to her, "I like the sound of that. If he wants to call me Admiral, so be it. Besides, he's in charge of my meds, he can call me anything he wants."
The doctor laughed, "I like your attitude Steve."
"His eyesight came back this morning," Anna announced happily.
"Really? That's fantastic! Now we just need to get you out of that bed."
"When is that going to be?" Steve asked. "I'm going crazy in here."
"Well, that's going to be for the rehab hospital to decide. You're being transferred this afternoon."
"What?!" Anna asked, "Why?"
"It's a normal procedure," Steve replied. "Cheaper for the Government."
"More or less, yes," the doctor agreed. "Steve's injuries were life threatening so he was brought here. But once the threat is over they transfer to a rehab facility for his therapy until he's ready to go home." He put a hand on his shoulder. "How is the back today? Any discomfort over night?"
"Not really."
"That's good." He pulled back the covers, exposing the staples from his spleenectomy and then carefully removed the bandage. "This is healing nicely as well. There should be no reason that you can't be up and around in the next day or two. The best medicine for a bad back surprisingly enough is exercise."
Anna reached down and squeezed Steve's hand, "Well if that's the case then you'll be over this in two weeks."
The doctor then checked the monitor over his head. "Good! I see that you have five extra doses of pain medication that you never tapped into. I like to see that."
"It was nice while it lasted," Steve grinned, "but the discomfort isn't that bad anymore."
"Excellent. That's good to hear." He put the bandage back over his wound and pulled the blanket over it. "Well, this is our last visit," he put a hand back on his shoulder. "I hope to catch you out in the waves soon riding a six-footer."
Steve and Anna both laughed. "So do I. Mahalo for all your help."
He waved off the thank you. "I'll be sending over an full report on your recovery to the rehab center so they should be up to speed on your condition." He looked over at Anna. "If you need anything, please don't hesitate to call me."
"Thank you," Anna smiled, reaching her hand across to him. "We appreciate that."
He gently shook her hand, wishing he would have won the argument to keep Steve at Queen's, but neither his administrated bosses nor the Navy were willing to foot the bill when the rehab could be contracted out cheaper at another facility. He was going to need a lot of physical therapy, hoping the staff at that particular hospital they were sending him too had rotated since the last patient he'd sent over there. They pushed too hard and wanted results too quickly, sending people on their way with a large bottle of Vicodin and a few exercise routines while the injuries were still in the healing stage, only to become worse over time from the lack of professional attention. It angered him that it was all about the money, the weak amount that the government allowed was never enough as far as he was concerned. Their motto should be, get 'em in get 'em out.
Steve seemed strong though, he thought, and his progress was coming along nicely and more rapidly than he had first diagnosed, so his concerns, although warrant, weren't as grave as others he'd seen transferred there. "Good luck Commander," he shook Steve's hand next.
"Thanks, and I will see you on that wave. Sooner than you think" He smiled; having no doubt in his mind that he'd be up and back to his normal self in no time.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Anna leaned over and kissed Steve goodbye in the wheelchair as the attendant stood behind him, getting ready to take him to his first physical therapy session at the new hospital.
"Good luck," she said. "I'll be back at around six or so with the kids."
"Can't wait," he smiled. "Maybe we could all go for a walk around the grounds," he said, feeling confident about this workout he was heading too.
Anna nodded with an encouraging smile. "That sounds like a good idea. I love you."
"I love you, too."
She watched him get wheeled down the hall, just as confident as he was that it would probably be the last time she saw him in a wheel chair. They had checked in the day before and so far so good. He wasn't attached to the pain medication intravenously anymore, opting out for the oral method instead. She was proud of him for that. His strength is what he relied on and she smiled to herself when she recalled him saying her presence alone was better than any drug.
She walked off as they turned the corner, a little extra skip in her step. Everyday that went by got him closer and closer to home, where he belonged she thought, missing the presence of him in the house so much.
She walked past a room seeing four beds with servicemen in them. It was quiet inside except for the TV that was turned to some daytime talk show. She made eye contact with one of the men and smiled, but he just stared back at her with a blank expression before turning away.
She continued on, passing three more rooms filled as well. Two of them the televisions blasted out the same show. The men didn't engage in conversation in those rooms nor did they seem to care what they were watching, they just sat and either stared at the TV or slept.
She then passed the nurses station on her way out only seeing two of them. One came hurriedly out of a room pushing a tray of med bottles while the other ate her lunch as she scanned through a stack of papers, marking off each one.
The physical surroundings were the same as Queen's hospital but the atmosphere was noticeably different. Anna turned her head in both directions not seeing any other nurses. This time of morning at Queen's was always staffed with at least six nurses, one for every three patients. She'd passed at least four filled rooms, not even counting the one the nurse had just come out of, and there were only two of them to attend the nearly sixteen that she had counted.
"Excuse me," she said to the one behind the counter. "How many nurses do you have on staff right now?"
The woman looked up at her as if that was the oddest question she had ever heard. "Three. Why?" she leaned forward looking down the hall toward the rooms Anna had just passed. "Does someone need something?"
"No," Anna replied. "I was just…" she paused seeing the curious look on the woman's face become irritated. "We just checked in yesterday and..."
"Yes, Commander McGarrett. I know. Room fourteen. Officers are required to have their own rooms but not their own nurses," she replied bluntly.
"No, that's not what I meant. I was just noticing…" she paused again seeing the irritated expression on the woman's face become stern. She decided to hold back her question of the short staff supply and quickly came up with another excuse "I was noticing that Steve doesn't have a water bottle in his room. He likes to drink lots of water. So if you could please."
The woman stared at her for a second before replying. "Like I said Ms. McGarrett, your husband gets his own room, but not his own nurse. I get a lot of patients from the base and everyone on my floor is the same rank as far as I'm concerned and receives the same care as needed by their chart."
Anna shook her head. "I didn't mean it like that."
"I know what you meant." She interrupted her. "I'll make sure he has a water bottle in his room. Okie dokey?" she said, dismissing her and going back to her pile of papers.
"Thank you," Anna said backing away, feeling as if she'd just made an enemy. She started toward the exit but the skip in her step from earlier was gone. She almost felt guilty for walking out the doors and leaving him there alone.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Steve sat on the edge of his bed sweating profusely after being left there by the attendee after his first session. He didn't want to move let alone lie back. He was told he'd be sore from the workout after being immobile for so long, but that was an understatement. He pushed through the exercise even though some of the moves were excruciating, not wanting to complain. He was a soldier at heart, and soldiers didn't complain, especially officers, knowing there were other servicemen being treated there as well.
He was sure he'd had worse pain before and knew this was all a part of the recovery. The therapist had to know what he was doing. He did it for a living after all. It would get easier, he told himself, the same as any workout you just start. Everyday it gets a little easier. He just wished he was at that day because right then and there he was beginning to feel a little nauseous, wondering if the therapist or one of the nurses was coming back, because he was pretty sure he couldn't lie back on his own and if he sat there for very much longer he was going forward off the bed, head first.
He gripped the side of the bed with both hands, trying to ward off another shot of pain as the door opened, seeing only a hand enter holding a six pack of beer, recognizing it as Danny's.
Help had arrived.
He jiggled the six-pack, "Stevie want a beer?" he sang out in a teasing voice. He finally came through with Chin and Kono behind him. Chin held another six-pack while Kono dangled a bag of Malasadas donuts in her hand.
"We come bearing gifts," she said laughing, "Anna told us…" she stopped mid sentence as she came around Chin getting her first view of him. All three of them shocked over his appearance.
"Jesus Steve," Danny blurted out, quickly setting down the six-pack on a small table by the door and going to his side, Chin followed suit.
Danny stood in front of him and bent over just slightly to be at eye level with him. "Are you all right?" his voice ringing out his concern over the taught expression on Steve's sweaty face.
"I just want to…" Steve began and then bent his head down as another shot of pain coursed up his spine. He felt faint and instinctly reached out putting a hand on Danny's shoulder to catch himself. The sudden movement didn't help ease the agony as his body verbally expressed it with a gasping whimper that set off all sorts of alarms to the three of them.
Chin quickly moved in next to him, putting a hand across his waist as he and Danny both held him back from falling forward. He looked over his shoulder as Kono dropped the bag of donuts on the floor and ran toward them to help. "Go get someone!" Chin told her.
She turned on her heel and headed to the door, flinging it open as she went through. "Hey!" she yelled down to the nurse's station as she ran. "We need help in here!" She reached the desk, looking around at the empty area. "Hey!" she yelled, slamming her hand down on the Formica counter several times. "Does anyone work here? Hello!"
A nurse came out of one of the rooms down the hall, hurrying toward here. "What room?" she asked concerned but the expression on her face was pure professional.
"I don't know," Kono pointed in that direction. "Fourth one down. McGarrett."
The nurse's attitude instantly changed, knowing it wasn't life threatening as his condition was only a back injury. "What happened?"
"What happened," Kono blurted out angrily, "is that he's sitting in his room sweating like a dog in obvious pain! When was the last time someone checked on him?"
She followed behind the nurse as they made their way to the room. "We have several patients on this floor. He should have rung his alarm if he needed assistance."
"He can't move!"
They came inside just as Danny and Chin helped lay him back on the bed.
"He needs something for the pain," Danny said to her as she came around the other side, irritated that she didn't have some sort of relief already in hand.
"When was the last time you had a dose of pain medication, Commander?" she asked Steve, ignoring Danny and Chin's angry glare.
"Why are you asking him?! Isn't that your job to know? It's been obviously too long!" Chin said, gritting his teeth, trying to keep his temper at bay even though he wanted to shake her.
"Since this morning, "Steve panted. "About…" he paused, bearing down through another wave of pain, his voice stressing over it, "seven this morning."
"I'll be right back." She hurried out of the room.
"This is bullshit," Kono blurted out.
"How long have you been sitting here?" Chin asked him.
Steve just shook his bent head; eyes closed, counting down the seconds until it was over. It had become a repeated routine that always helped, only this time the ten-second countdown was recurring over and over with no relief in sight.
Danny put a hand on his shoulder, knowing him well enough to know that he was in serious pain. "It's ok Buddy. She's coming back with something, just hang in there."
Kono came around the other side of the bed after taking a towel from the bathroom and rinsing it under some cool water. She laid it open in her hand and laid against his bent forehead, wiping away the sweat and then moving around to the back of his neck, leaving it lie there, hoping to bring him some relief. She looked over at Danny and Chin, seeing the same appalled expression on their faces as she felt.
They all glanced over at the door as two nurses hurried in carrying supplies.
"Excuse us," the one that had spoken to Anna earlier said to Kono and Chin as she came around the other side.
Kono backed up. "It's about time."
"Pardon me?" the nurse said, glaring back at her.
"I said," Kono repeated a little louder, "it's about time!"
Chin took her by the elbow and guided her around the other side, knowing his cousin well enough that if the nurse had the gall to say something back that Kono might just blow up.
Danny backed up as the quieter one stood by his side and proceeded to run an IV into Steve's arm. "Just a few more minutes Commander," she said passively. "How would you rate the pain from one to ten?" she asked him as the other nurse reached across and slid the hose to the IV bag into the tube coming out of his arm.
"Ten," Danny spoke up.
"It's pretty bad," Steve whimpered.
She looked at the nurse across the way and nodded, "Open it up."
She put a hand on his bicep, watching his tense, hunched over body slowly relax and his breathing eased, all in under fifteen seconds.
"Ohhh, man," Steve moaned. "That feels good, whatever that is. It's nice." He lifted his head, laying back the rest of the way on the bed and felt like he was floating off the mattress.
Danny smiled as he looked up at him with a lazy, sleepy grin, knowing whatever they gave him was kicking in full force. "Feel better?"
"Better," Steve sighed, "yes, better."
"What did you give him?" Chin asked.
"Morphine," the angry one replied dryly, gathering up the discarded supplies and wrappers. "Next time you are in need Commander," she said to Steve, lifting up a black cord and showing it to him, "press this button and we will come."
He blinked several times, looking at it and then nodded his response, not sure what he was agreeing to but didn't care at the moment, he was once again pain free.
"I'll remind him," Danny said to her.
"Fine." She walked past the three of them not saying another word, still angry over Kono's outburst.
"He'll probably sleep for a while," the other nurse said as she taped the IV hose to his arm, keeping it in place. "If you need anything else, please just tap that button."
"Thank you," Danny said, "but what about his back? Is someone going to come and examine him?"
"The doctor already made his rounds today. Someone will be by tonight after dinner. I'll notify his Physical Therapist though."
She filled up his water bottle and set it on the table by his bed before leaving the room.
Kono waited until the door shut before she spoke up. "They aren't the most attentive group around, are they?"
"Well you let 'em have it, didn't you?" Chin chuckled patting her on the back.
"Just think if we hadn't shown up," she replied, her temper flaring once again, "he'd still be sitting there, or laying on the floor!"
Steve listened to them talking as he lay in complete tranquility. He had no pain anywhere on his body. He'd never had morphine before that he could remember, but liked it. He liked it very much. The pain from only a few minutes before was already forgotten, replaced with that euphoric rush he was beginning to enjoy more and more. "You know what?" he mumbled, his voice in the same sedated tone that he felt, looking at them as they stood around his bed. "I think I might just come in to work tomorrow."
The three of them laughed.
"Oh yea," Danny said, "You think about that some more after you come down from your high."
"What?" Steve smiled, "come on. I have to get out of this bed. Watch me?" He sat up, using his elbow as a brace.
The three of them replied urgently with a negative response, Danny and Chin both putting a hand on his shoulder, keeping him down as he actually tried to get out of the bed.
"Whoa!" Danny scolded him, "What are you doing? Lay down!"
"I'm fine," he argued, "I don't feel anything."
"If you move again," Danny warned, "you'll feel my boot in my your ass, so just lay still." He looked across at Chin as the two of them exchanged a look that pretty much spoke what the other was thinking, that this solution to dope him up wasn't much better than the condition he was in before. Now he was too mobile and too drugged up to realize the consequences.
Steve laughed over the reprimand but also found it annoying. "You can't tell me what to do," he said angrily, but still did as he was told.
"Do you want me to call Anna," Kono warned him, hoping that would settle him down.
Steve looked over at her as his expression showed his concern over that. She wouldn't like him going to work just yet. He knew that. "No, I'll stay here," he quickly changed his attitude. He laid back and closed his eyes, feeling more relaxed now. "I'll wait for her to get here and she can tell me if it's ok."
Chin patted his shoulder as if he were a child. "I think that's a good idea. Why don't you take a nap until Anna gets here."
He only responded with a nod, picturing Anna sitting in a chair in his backyard down by the water. It was a good memory that he had locked away, feeling content as he slowly drifted off to sleep.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Danny sat up in the chair next to Steve's bed as Anna and the kids came in the room. Eric and Jenny both ran past her to his bed as she looked surprised over Danny's presence.
"Hi," Anna said, coming toward him. "This is a nice surprise." She directed her attention to Steve, whom she thought was awake. "Hi Steve, I bet you're happy to have…" she paused seeing him sound asleep, but what shocked her more than anything was the IV attached to his arm. "What happened?!"
"I thought you said he'd be awake," Jenny whispered loudly, not wanting to disturb him. Her face showed her disappointment.
Anna stared at Danny for an explanation.
He got up and went to the edge of the bed where they where all huddled. "Chin, Kono and I came down at lunch time to see him and I guess he had just got back from Physical Therapy…"
"He had his first session this morning," Anna informed him.
"Well when we came in he was sitting on the bed sweating buckets and in some serious pain. At one point he was about to pass out when Chin and I both grabbed him. Kono ran down the hall and got the nurses and they came in and gave him some Morphine for the pain."
"Oh my God!" She reached down touching his hand. "Is he ok? What did the doctor say?"
"The doctor hasn't been in yet."
"What?! Are you kidding me? First they leave him sitting here in pain and then they don't even call the doctor?!" She went for the door when he stopped her.
"Hey, hold up a minute." He put both hands on her shoulders, "Geez, what is it with you and Kono? Women!" he blew out a breath, "You're like mother bears ready to pounce if you feel a threat to one of your cubs. I remember once Rachel bit the head off some guy at a Yankees game for trying to steal a fly ball from Gracie. Scared the hell out of me."
"Danny," Anna said impatiently, "What is your point?"
"My point is," he began, wrapping an arm over her shoulder. "They took care of the issue at hand." He motioned toward Steve, "He's sleeping like a baby. Pain free. If you go down there yelling then it won't solve anything. The doctor will be by this evening."
She looked down at Steve as he slept. Maybe she had jumped the gun on his healing progress, they both had. She, as well he were just so anxious and ready for him to come home.
"I guess this may take longer than we expected."
Eric looked over at the two of them. "When is he going to wake up? I thought you said he might come home in a few days?"
"Yea," Jenny joined in. "You said we could go for a walk tonight."
"I guess it might be a little longer than we thought." Anna looked at his face again that showed a five o'clock shadow from the shave she'd given him that morning. He'd also lost weight since the accident, not a great deal but it was noticeable to her. She stared at the IV in his arm, feeling like they had taken two giant steps backward since leaving Queen's hospital the day before. She wanted desperately to help him anyway she could but felt helpless, and worse yet at the complete mercy of the people that were now in charge of his recovery.
She looked over at Danny with apprehension in her eyes. "Do you think he's going to get through all of this ok?"
He could see the worry all over her, and in the kids too as they stared at him waiting for his answer. They looked upon him now for guidance in Steve's absence, knowing he wouldn't let them down, or lie to them.
"Sure," he said with an encouraging grin, wanting it just as much as they did. "I think he'll pull through this just fine."
The silence in the room was interrupted as the machine above Steve's head beeped, dispensing another dose of morphine into his blood stream.