Chapter 15
That night, Eliot Spencer slept like a log.
It was the first time in months that the hitter felt positive about his possible future.
His mood only improved when the heist went off without a hitch.
"El's plan is holding up; the staff change has left a huge hole in their security," Hardison mentioned gleefully as he scanned and altered footage of his girlfriend breaking in. "Getting two staff members that hate each other on the same shift was a stroke of genius. They're too busy with their pissing contest to even notice we're here. What made you think of it?"
Eliot who was still at the brewpub leaned back as he watched the action unfold.
"Did this job in Tibet, the two guys I was with couldn't stand each other and we almost got caught because of it. I ended up knocking them both out and running the job solo."
Soon enough, Parker was back downstairs posing as a waitress, the stolen files tucked neatly under her shirt.
"Great job guys," Nate called out as he exited the building. "That's probably the smoothest heist we've ever had."
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Four weeks later
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"Come on Eliot, just one more step for me."
The physiotherapist stood at the end of the small walkway, as his patient clung onto a couple of parallel bars. Eliot had managed four steps, but the last one that would take him to his goal was proving to be an impossible feat. The sweat that was pouring down his body was making his grip tenuous at best, and he really didn't want to fall over in front of the very hot medical staff. He was also extremely tired, his bad leg and arm shaking under the pressure. These were the first proper steps he'd managed since the accident, and although they didn't seem like much for most people, this was a big accomplishment. He just wished he could do more, or that it wouldn't take so much out of him.
The hitter gritted his teeth and pulled out the last of his strength to take that final step. It was shaky, his foot barely lifting off the ground as he hung on for dear life to the metal bars, but he slowly closed the gap between himself and the therapist he was crushing on.
"How was that?" The words were hardly legible between the gasping breaths he was taking, but Eliot could tell that the message had gotten across.
"That was great Eliot," the medic pulled a wheelchair around so his patient could collapse into it. "Keep this up and you'll be running circles around me in no time." His laugh was infectious, he even got the exhausted hitter joining in. "Come on, we need to get those legs massaged before the cramps start settling in."
Eliot gladly let the man push him into the next room where another staff member helped lift him onto a table.
"So, Benny, what have you got planned for me today?" He finished the question with a flirtatious grin, flashing a straight row of pearly whites to the slightly younger medic.
"Well actually, I got some new oils I've been wanting to try out... if your game that is?"
Eliot was always up for anything Benjamin offered; these sessions were an absolute godsend after the physio he went through. He was no stranger to cramps these days, but that didn't mean they couldn't crimple him the same. But if they were quick enough with massages, they could make them less intense so that the pain pills could do the rest.
"Hit me."
With a nod, Benny walked over to a medical cabinet and pulled out his usual peppermint-scented oil, but also grabbed something labelled 'Helichrysum Oil' as well.
"This is meant to be great for treating muscle spasms," he held up the large bottle he'd just gotten out. "I thought it might be better than the usual stuff I use."
He poured the liquid onto his hands and then began working it into Eliot's tense muscles. The hitter had a lot of scaring on his leg that had to be worked around, making it hard to get all the places that were starting to lock up. It had been a tough day, pushing Eliot right up to his limit, and they knew that no amount of massaging was going to completely eradicate the cramps, but it helped a lot.
"Can you point your right foot for me, I need to see where the muscles have seized."
It was weird seeing his legs now. There was very little tone as the muscles had shrunk from lack of use. They were also pale, missing the sunlight they would normally receive during his time in the garden.
"I'm going to give you something a little stronger today, just because you have a tight spot right where a large pin is placed and I don't want to touch it and risk causing you more pain."
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After a short respite, Eliot was escorted into the office of one Dr Fiona Levine, occupational therapist.
"Sorry for the mix-up Mr Krane, somehow a meeting got scheduled at the same time as your appointment." The confusion had caused the normally very put-together doctor to appear frazzled as she rushed to gather her notes. "I'll just be a moment, why don't you get yourself comfy."
Eliot wondered how he was supposed to get more comfy when he was already pretty relaxed and almost drifting off.
"I'll be honest doc; Benny gave me the good stuff so I'll probably be asleep before this session ends." He could already hear his speech slowing, a slight slur on the ends of his words.
Dr Levine laughed, finally ready to start the session that should have happened earlier that morning.
"I'm guessing your physio was a tough one today, did you manage to reach any milestones?" The information was written in the patient's notes but she liked to hear them talk about it so she could gauge their thoughts and reactions.
"I took five whole steps." He spoke in a mocking tone, but the small smile let on the truth, he was proud of what he accomplished. "Felt like running a marathon though."
"Five steps is good. After those setbacks a month ago, we thought it would take you a lot longer to get here, it's pretty amazing how far you have come."
And wasn't that the truth.
A nasty depressive episode had completely stripped the patient of all his progress. She was still waiting for him to talk about it, knowing the cause could help them prevent similar episodes in the future. His brother had offered up some small details about a conversation they'd had and some ideas he wanted to try to fix things, but there were still some huge gaps they needed to address. For one, Eliot's brother didn't actually know anything about the younger man's past, apparently, they were only half-brothers and they didn't meet until both of them were adults. In fact, the only people who could give her some answers were Eliot himself or his estranged father.
"Yeah, I know, I just wish there was more I could do." He looked down at his hands that lay unmoving in his lap. He was so tired after doing so little and it frustrated him sometimes. "Little things, like cooking a meal or doing the laundry. I don't like feeling like a burden."
"I thought you were helping out at your brother's consulting firm?"
"Oh, I am, but it doesn't feel like enough to justify me being there. I should be doing more to earn my place back." The pills were really kicking in now, and the effort it was taking to keep up with the conversation was increasing with every passing minute.
Dr Levine could see her patient's eyelids drooping and knew that she wouldn't have him for much longer. "Do you often feel like that? That you need to prove your worth in some way just to exist?"
Eliot shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I don't know, maybe," as his body slipped further into his chair.
The medic leaned down and reached into her bottom drawer. "I want you to do something for me while you're at home." She pulled herself back up with a plain-looking book in her hand. "This is a journal. I want you to write in it about what you are feeling during the day, and then at night I want you to re-read it so you can fully understand what goes through your head on a daily basis." She slid the book over to Eliot who looked at it with hesitancy.
"Will you be reading this?" He asked, feeling uncertain about the task.
"No. But if you want me to read certain sections or have any questions about something you wrote, then I will happily go through it with you." She smiled at the confused look she received. "Sometimes patients write something in the heat of the moment, and they need help understanding why they felt that way so they can stop it."
The hitter nodded, his head bobbing a few extra times as he succumbed to sleep.
The doctor quietly shuffled past him and out to the waiting area.
"Mr Krane," Ford's head popped up at the sound of his current alias. "Your brother is ready to go, I'm afraid he's fallen asleep in my office though."
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By the time he woke up, Eliot was already back at the brewpub, and somehow lying in his bed. He was just about to push himself up when a knock sounded through the door.
"El, you awake yet?" The soft voice that echoed into the room belonged to Nate as he snuck in quietly, trying not to wake the hitter if he was still sleeping.
"Nah, I'm up," Eliot mumbled through a long yawn, he was still pretty sleep logged, his brain functioning at about 48%.
"I brought you some lunch." It was then that Eliot finally noticed the tray that his friend was balancing on one arm, a large plate piled with sandwiches lying on top of it. "It's about time you took your meds."
The hitter nodded, using the bed controls to lift him into a sitting position. He ate with gusto whilst the mastermind watched from the side, his own food resting on the bedside table.
"How was physio today? You were out of it by the time I picked you up and the doc told me not to wake you."
"It was good, I managed a few steps on the bars. I had a bad cramp though afterwards so I had to take the stronger pills, that's what knocked me out." It was rare that he took the stronger stuff he'd been prescribed. Doctor Davis was concerned about the possibility of addiction, but after his fall last month, the meds became a necessity. They were only for times when the usual stuff proved ineffectual.
Nate hummed in thought, he didn't like hearing how much pain simple tasks caused his friend.
"Dr Levine gave me this to pass over." He took out the same plain journal that the doc had shown Eliot earlier. "She said you would understand what it's for." The mastermind looked at the hitter, expecting some explanation.
"It's my homework, I have to write down any strong thoughts or feelings I have during the day." He went to reach for the book, but his legs were still aching and the meds had long since worn off. Nate saw the wince and placed the item down somewhere within Eliot's reach before taking the bottle of pills and shaking two out.
"You going to do it?" Nate asked, handing the other man his opioids.
"Maybe, I don't see the point but if it keeps her off my back I might as well. Not like I have much else to do."