Chapter 9
It had been longer than the predicted week before Eliot was finally cleared for discharge, due to a few complications putting a delay on things.
The first was a seizure that they had hoped wouldn't be appearing. He managed five days being off his medication before overtiredness caused by a plague of nightmares sent his whole body into a sudden fit. It was not long after breakfast when it happened, so Nate hadn't arrived yet. Eliot had just been talking light-heartedly to a nurse when the weird feeling started again, he tried to say something, but soon he was falling back into his bed. The nurse acted quickly, turning him on his side and paging for the on-call who ran in only seconds later. It didn't take them long to stop the patient from fitting, and with some confirmation from the doctor over the phone, Eliot was placed back on his medication.
Later when the mastermind arrived, he was informed and left to break the news to the others. The team was now faced with the overbearing truth that their friend was indeed epileptic, and life would have to change for him quite a bit.
The second was some organ function tests that still hadn't improved despite a long healing time and attempts to fix them. After a few days of poking and prodding, it was confirmed that his kidneys were currently working at a 76% function level. This was after many trips to the dialysis ward to help take the pressure off his kidneys while they healed. They were, however, happy to report that at this stage, chronic kidney disease was often harmless with little to no symptoms. But it still meant another part of him that needed to be watched for any signs of decline.
There were also some concerns about his lung capacity being lower, but from what they could tell the damage was minimal and should have no real effect on his life other than a bit of breathlessness during certain activities. And to be honest, after multiple sessions of waterboarding at the hands of a few different warlords, the hitter wasn't surprised that he had lung damage. It was most likely already there, the accident probably just made it noticeable.
The last delay came from outside the hospital. The bed the team had ordered took a while to be delivered and until that arrived, Dr Davis was adamant that Eliot couldn't go home.
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"Before I sign off on out-patient, we need to discuss Eliot's treatment going forward and the types of things you need to look out for." Nate nodded from where he was perched on the side of Eliot's bed. "Here are some repeat prescriptions for the medication your brother will need to be taking daily. The first one is to prevent migraines, the second prevents seizures, and the last two are for pain relief. The bottom one is a lot stronger and should only be taken if the pain is becoming too much to handle." He passed the script over to the mastermind, pointing out each of the medicines as he spoke. "He'll need to be brought back here twice a week for physio sessions and his check-ups with me."
He again handed over a piece of paper detailing the dates and times of his patient's appointments. Nate inspected the information and then put it away without showing his teammate who was growing more and more annoyed. The hitter didn't like that he was being left out of a conversation about his own body and its needs.
"Now then, I also need to go over some rules and things to watch out for." Nate took out a notebook and pen, it was one that he'd been carrying around with him ever since Eliot's accident and it had everything that the doctors ever told him in it. "With nerve damage, there are a lot of things you have to avoid and keep aware of. For starters, you will need to check your brother every night for cuts or burns to his arm and leg. He may not always feel injuries when they happen which puts him at risk of infection. We want to avoid this as much as possible, especially given that he no longer has a spleen. If you find anything, just wash it out with some antiseptic and put a dressing on it." Nate quickly took note, earning an eye roll from the man next to him. "Due to the medication he will be taking, your brother should not drink any alcohol for the foreseeable future. Even if he wasn't on pain relief, it would be a bad idea as alcohol has been shown to have a negative effect on peripheral neuropathy, often making the symptoms worse." A slight groan could be heard from the bed which surprised the mastermind. Eliot had never been much of a drinker, only really partaking in a beer or two when others were drinking. So why did this upset him enough to cause a reaction, Nate didn't know? "As you can probably understand, people with head injuries often show changes in behaviour and mood swings. I want you to take note of anything you notice, but don't make a big deal out of it. Pointing it out may make Eliot feel uncomfortable and sometimes even guilty." The doctor turned to address his patient. "Eliot it is important that you know that none of this is your fault, and if there are any changes then that's ok."
The hitter smiled at the medic but it didn't read as convincing to the other con artist in the room. It concerned Nate that his friend wasn't more pleased to be returning home, as he'd always been eager to discharge himself early in the past.
"That should be everything. If you have any questions don't hesitate to call, and I'll see you next week Eliot."
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The ride home had been awful.
It started with the awkward moment where the entire team stood by the hitter in his wheelchair looking between him and the car wondering how this would work. Each of them mumbled something that sounded like an offer of help, but he simply sighed and rolled towards the passenger side of the vehicle. Using his good leg and the headrest, he pulled himself up and slid over into the seat. He was left out of breath and in pain but at least he hadn't needed help. The next few minutes were spent waiting in the car whilst the others all worked on folding down his chair.
The fifteen-minute drive from the hospital to the brewpub wasn't comfortable either despite him being able to stretch out. A lot of the roads had cracks in them and Eliot could feel every single one of them. He tried to hide the winces by turning his face to the window, but the looks Nate kept sending his way told him he was failing. One particular pothole sent Eliot shooting forward to grab at his leg, tears collecting at the corner of his eyes. He cursed inwardly as he tried to regain control of his breathing.
By the time they arrived home, their teammate was cranky, tired and in no mood to watch yet another comedy routine as the bunch of thieves struggled to unfold his chair.
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Because they knew they were bringing Eliot home that day, the pub had been temporarily closed while they got him settled. He was actually glad of this fact; he couldn't stomach the idea of even more people pitying him as he rolled through the restaurant. He just wanted to hide himself away where no one could see him.
Nate pushed Eliot through the bar and into the area marked staff only. He couldn't help but notice how the younger man flinched and looked away as they passed the kitchen. He was only now realising just how much of the hitter's life was going to be affected by this, how so many of his hobbies required two fully functioning hands or the ability to stand. He pushed a bit faster trying to remove the sting in his friend's side.
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There was something different about Leverage headquarters. The layout looked pretty much the same, maybe a few items had been pushed further apart so his chair could fit through. But there was something else...
The gym.
The glass room that housed his workout equipment now had curtains hung up, making the space private.
That was the direction Eliot was being pushed toward, and he assumed the change was made for him. As he rolled into the room, he could see most of his stuff had been moved into the large space. It pretty much matched the layout of his own room upstairs, except his bed had been switched to a hospital bed, and there was a bunch of physio equipment in the corner.
"Just tell us if you want anything moving, we tried to keep it how you liked it." Hardison was muttering quickly whilst waving his arms around in a manic fashion. "Me and Parker worked on the en-suite. The doctor suggested we build a wet room and we made sure there were plenty of handrails for you."
Nate was about to push him into the aforementioned bathroom, but Eliot waved him off, he knew he needed to practice going this distance by himself. He gripped both wheels as tightly as possible. His left hand, though weaker than it used to be felt fine, but his right barely managed to close around the metal loop. The hitter gritted his teeth and started to push himself forward slowly. It was a long process, and sometimes his hand would slip sending him crashing into nearby furniture, (the mastermind made a mental note to check his legs for injuries later), but eventually, he made it.
It was a nice space; they must have spent a lot of time working on it. He should be grateful, he knew that and made sure to send a quick nod and smile their way, but all he could see was another set of reminders of how useless he now was. The wet room had a chair inside because they knew he wouldn't be able to stand and take a shower, but also couldn't pull himself in and out of a bathtub. There were handrails because he couldn't be trusted not to fall over, and a frame around the sink so he could pull himself up more easily. They had even gotten him a new toothbrush with an extra-large handle so he could grip it better.
They did all of this for him and what could he do in return?
Nothing, that's what.
He was leaving them without protection and expecting them to help him recover at the same time. No, not even that. Because he wasn't going to recover, not fully. He was always going to need extra little touches just to do the most basic of things.
He used his left hand to turn his chair around looking down as he did. Long curls covered his face as he asked, "I'm gettin' pretty tired now. Do you mind if we finish this up later?"
They all nodded and quickly headed out to the main room. Nate stayed behind to make sure Eliot got into bed ok.
"I just need to check your legs over for any cuts." He received no protest, just a quiet grunt from the turned away face. There was a gash on the hitter's shin from where he collided with the dresser, Nate looked over at the piece of furniture and decided that something needed to be done about the multiple sharp corners that they had around there. He pulled a first aid kit that used to be in the kitchen cabinet from under the bed. "You have a cut on your leg. It doesn't look too bad but I'll put some antiseptic and a gauze on it anyway." a small shrug was his only response and he accepted it.
It wasn't until after the mastermind left, that Eliot dropped the mask and let the sadness wash over him to the point that it might as well just drag him under.