Will's POV

Saint Bartholomew's Hospital – March

I was starting to get bored. I didn't mind taking trips to the sunroom in the wheelchair. It was nice to be out of bed and I talked with some of the other patients. Some of them looked at me with pity in their eyes once they found out about my accident, but others acted like it was no big deal. My back did hurt if I stayed in the wheelchair too long and I still felt like I was in some sort of adult pram.

Louisa and Mother would visit and I was given updates on the house. Louisa would show me ideas she had for the interior and Mother talked with me about how the garden was progressing.

"We might have to wait until Spring for some of these," Mother explained as we looked through the gardening book.

Lily was doing well at the new school and Louisa had brought the letters from the headmaster and Lily's teachers. They were very happy with Lily's turnaround and she even volunteered to do some work in the student shop.

"Wish they had something like that when I was going to school," I told Louisa.

"Me, too," she said.

Stevie loves helping Louisa feed me and I was happy when I was finally upgraded to normal food. I still had my protein shakes.

"What's with the look?" Louisa asked while she walked in the room. I was trying to enjoy the movie I was watching, but my dark mood distracted me.

"Just having a bad day," I said. She removed her shoes as she slid onto the bed with me and she placed her head on my left shoulder. I wanted to put my left arm around her. She slid my left hand into her hand and we watched the movie.

"Still no word on the care center?" she asked after a few seconds.

"Maeve keeps telling me there isn't a free room."

"We could look into another place."

"No thank you."

We became quiet as I tried to focus on the movie and Louisa sighed.

"Do you know what tomorrow is?" she asked and I glanced at her.

"I have no idea," I said. I was being honest. I was losing track of what day it was.

"It's March nineteenth."

"Oh."

19, March. The day of my accident.

"It's been a year," she whispered and I saw her move her hand toward my chest. I couldn't feel her moving her fingers on my chest, but I sighed as deeply as I could anyway. "Do you…? Do you ever have dreams about the accident?"

"More like nightmares," I said.

"Me, too."

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

"I should have let Mick call me a cab or tell Rupert to handle things with Jeff. If I had done that…"

"Stop," she whispered and I just felt her fingers moving over my collarbones.

"I don't remember anything afterward I got hit. The first thing I do remember is hissing, dripping and beeping sounds and something was sticking up my nose. Then I did a memory checklist. My name. How old I was. What I did for a living. Things like that. I even thought about the first day we met," I said and I could just see her smiling.

"I was so embarrassed," she said, softly.

"You were adorable," I said and she moved her fingers along my jawline. "I thought about our first date."

"I wasn't sure if I wanted to be the other woman."

"You never were," I assured her. "I still think it was funny how you and Georgie spent the whole night talking fashion when I brought you to meet my family. I thought about the first time you met Lily and all the holidays we went on."

"I nearly died on our first holiday," she said as she lowered her head.

"You looked really cute in that pink ski outfit," I said, changing the subject, and she smiled.

"Speaking of skiing…"

"I know," I said a few times then we went quiet again. "I remember when I asked you to marry me."

"That almost didn't happen."

"I thought about our wedding."

"My wedding dress nearly went up in flames."

"I thought about the reception."

"And…"

"Hold on. Are you seeing a pattern here?"

"Yes," she said with a dark look.

"Is there something you want to tell me, Clark?"

"Uh…"

"Tell me."

She sat up then she carefully went to sit on my stomach. She took hold of both of my hands and she told me what happened with Alicia after she and Grace had come to see Louisa.

The anger I felt boiled in my ears and I wanted to scream. Louisa had moved to kneel over me and she moved her fingers behind my ears. She hushed me while I breathed in and out a few times and I started to calm down. She held onto my shoulders as we locked eyes and her hair dribbled down over her shoulders.

"Mother wasn't lying," I said, softly.

"About them not taking Stevie from us?" she asked and I barely nodded my head.

"The restraining order would account for Rupert not visiting me as much as he said he would. She might have wanted to see me."

"I have been sending him text messages and updating him on your condition."

"The last thing I was thinking about was when you were pregnant with Stevie. The thought of not being there for either of you…"

She knelt on the bed as she leaned in to kiss my lips and I sighed through my nose.

"Well… This is…interesting," made her turn and I could just see Maeve standing in the doorway. Louisa turned back with a bright blush on her cheeks then she carefully got off the bed.

"You didn't have to move on my account."

"I… I was…," Louisa stuttered as she placed her shoes back on then she stood near the bed. Maeve headed for the bed as she stood at the foot of the bed and I wondered if I was blushing.

"No need to be embarrassed. I've seen it before," Maeve said.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked. I had some tests done the day before.

"More like something's gone right. A room opened up in the care center. If you like, we can move you there next week."

"That's wonderful!" Louisa said then she saw the look in my eyes. "Isn't it?"

"Yes. It's wonderful," I said and Maeve frowned.

"Having a bad day?" Maeve asked and I barely nodded my head. "I thought so. Do you want the room?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll go call them and reserve the room."

"What about the tests from yesterday?"

"I had them done to make sure you can go to the care center. You're fine," she said then she left the room. I looked at Louisa and she seemed to be lightly bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"What are we going to do about the flat?" Louisa asked.

"I offered Georgina the flat," I said.

"Think she's still interested?"

"You can ask her once you tell my parents about me being able to go to the care center."

"And you're sure you're happy about this?"

"It's better than this," I said with a grin.

"Then I better go tell them."

"Yes. I think you better," I teased and she kissed my lips before she almost ran out of the room. I looked at the television as I felt my dark mood vanishing and I leaned back against the pillows.

Stortfold – a week later

I wasn't sure how long it would take to get from London to Stortfold by van as I sat in the wheelchair and I had my eyes half-closed. I was never one who could sleep in the car. Not that I got motion sick. It just didn't feel comfortable. The driver had the radio on to the news channel and he barely looked in the rearview mirror. Louisa and the rest of the family had gone ahead and Georgina had agreed to take over the lease to our flat.

"We're almost there," the driver said with a fake smile as he looked in the rearview mirror.

"Yay," I grumbled.

The van moved by the iron gate then down the long, paved drive and I closed my eyes. I could just feel the van stopping then the soft click of the engine being turned off and the door opening. I heard another door opening then the small lift moved and I could feel the breeze moving through my hair.

"Will?" made me open my eyes and Louisa quickly walked to the wheelchair. She had Stevie in her arms and Lily was close behind her.

"Are you ok, Daddy?" Lily asked.

"I'm fine, Kiddo," I said and Louisa placed Stevie on my lap. The driver moved the wheelchair as we headed for the front doors of what I thought was an old manor house and one of the interns opened the doors. The driver turned the wheelchair around so I was looking at the front lawn and I noticed the paved drive, the well-kept lawn, the tall trees and I could just see the top of the towers to Stortfold Castle. I wondered why the driver had turned the wheelchair around as we went inside and the intern closed the door. The driver turned the wheelchair around as I looked at the curved staircase leading upstairs and the three stained glass windows above the first landing.

"Whoa," Lily whispered while she looked around.

"Not what you expected, right?" Maeve asked while she walked closer and a tall, muscular man was next to her.

"Who's this?" Louisa asked as she looked at him.

"This is Nathan. He's your new medical caregiver," Maeve said as she looked at me.

"Hey," Nathan said with a New Zealand accent.

"Hello," I said.

"Let's get you settled in," Maeve said and Nathan headed for the wheelchair. The driver moved away as Nathan placed his hands on the handles of the wheelchair and he pushed the wheelchair to the left.

"Who's this little guy?" Nathan asked and Stevie looked at him.

"This is Steven. I'm Will," I said.

"How old is he?"

"He turned a year last month."

"He looks like you."

"I've been told that. Are you from New Zealand?"

"Yep. Born and raised."

"How long have you…"

I stopped talking when I saw some of the people sitting in the wheelchairs in the hallway. The men looked to be as old as Louisa's granddad and the women had such defeated looks on their faces.

"Is this a senior center?" I asked.

"In this part of the house, yeah. The men and women are housed in the West Wing. Kids in the East Wing," he said.

We went through the doorway after an intern opened the doors to the West Wing and I saw more people sitting in wheelchairs in the hallway. Some of them looked miserable and one of the men had bandages wrapped around his wrists.

"What floor is Will's room?" Louisa asked as she walked next to the wheelchair.

"He's on the top floor," Nathan said as he stopped the wheelchair near the lift doors and he pushed the call button. "His parents brought his stuff over yesterday."

I looked at the lift doors as the lift doors opened and we went in the lift car. Nathan has turned the wheelchair around so I was looking at Louisa and Lily and I sighed.

"Just hit the top button when the lift comes back down. We'll wait in the hall for you," Nathan explained and the lift doors slowly closed. I wondered if I really was going to see them again and I half-closed my eyes. "You ok, Mate?"

"I'm fine," I said and he lightly patted my right shoulder. The lift doors opened as we went out into the hallway and Stevie looked up at me. I gave him a little smile and Louisa and Lily arrived a short time later.

"This way," Nathan said and he steered the wheelchair to the right. I looked at the landscape paintings on the walls and there was a window at the end of the hallway. He turned the wheelchair to the left then he opened the door with William John Traynor on the erasable whiteboard to the left of the door. He pushed the wheelchair in the room and I looked at the two windows at the back of the room. Dark blue curtains hung on either side of the windows and a small, dark wood table was between the windows.

"This is nice," Louisa said after she and Lily walked in the room and Nathan went to help her unpack my things.

"That looks better than the bed you had in the hospital," Lily said.

"And you have a great view," Louisa said as she looked out the window.

"I can't see it from here," I told her and Nathan moved the wheelchair to the window. I looked out at the view and I could see the towers of Stortfold Castle. Louisa placed her arms around my shoulders as she leaned her head against mine and I sighed.

"Well? What do you think?" Maeve asked and Nathan turned the wheelchair around after Louisa moved back.

"It's nice," I said and Maeve walked to the wheelchair then knelt down next to it.

"But you feel like you're stuck here and you will never see your family again."

"You're telepathic now?" I teased and she smiled.

"No. I've dealt with people who feel that way."

"Then, yes, that's how I feel."

"Daddy?!" Lily gasped.

"You really don't believe that, do you?!" Louisa asked.

"I understand Georgina had to work, but I thought your parents, Treena and mine would be here as well as the three of you," I said with a pout and Stevie looked at me with a sad face.

"We are here," Mother said as she, Bernard and Josie walked in the room.

"Treena told me to tell you she had to work and she and Tommy will visit you tomorrow," Josie said while she walked to the wheelchair and she gave me a hug. "And Granddad told me to say hello."

I looked at all of them when Stevie reached up and Josie lifted him up so he could hug me.

"Paba," Stevie said and my eyes widened.

"Did…? Did he just say 'papa'?!" Bernard asked.

"Not exactly, but it's close enough," I said and Stevie moved back, smiling.

Maeve showed us around the room as she explained how there was a small clinic on each floor and emergency ramps were at the end of the hallway in case of fires. She also brought in a surprise. A wheelchair with a joystick. Nathan helped her transfer me from one wheelchair to the other after Louisa removed Stevie from my lap and Nathan made sure I was comfortable.

"Try moving the joystick," Nathan said as he placed my fingers around the joystick and I frowned. "Just move the joystick up to go forward."

I looked at my fingers as they slightly moved the joystick and the wheelchair moved forward until I let go of the joystick.

"Move it down to back up," Nathan said and I moved the joystick. "Whoa! Stop! You're about to hit the bed!"

I let go of the joystick and the wheelchair stopped.

"Guess we have a lot of practicing to do," he teased and I laughed.

"How about we go downstairs and I'll show you around?" Maeve asked and I barely nodded my head.

Louisa, Lily, Stevie, Mother, Bernard and Josie left a little while later and I watched their cars heading down the long driveway. A part of me wanted to yell for them to come back. Sighing, I moved the joystick and Nathan and I went inside.

Over the next few weeks, I got to know Nathan and I was amazed with how well he handled my moods. He was great at doing my daily and nightly routines and he would play music during my PT sessions. We went outside and he showed me the back garden. He would park the wheelchair under an oak tree then he'd sit on the bench and we would talk.

Then I got my first attack of autonomic dysreflexia. It not only scared me. It scared him as well. We were both amazed with how quickly he reacted and I had to spend some time in the small clinic on my floor.

June

I was sitting outside in the back garden when Lily, Louisa, Treena, Tommy and Stevie walked closer and I saw Louisa had something sticking out of her purse.

"Hello," I said with a small grin.

"You look a lot better," Treena said as she hugged me.

"Feel better."

Louisa placed Stevie on my lap while Tommy looked at the other patients and he frowned.

"Uncle Will? Are all these people like you?" he asked and Treena softly gasped.

"Some of them are. Don't stare," I told him and he nodded.

"Paba," Stevie said and I looked at him. "Go?"

"You want to go for a ride?"

"Go!"

"Hang on," I said and I flicked the joystick with my finger. The wheelchair moved around the path as he smiled and I steered the wheelchair around some of the benches. I could see some of the patients watching us then quickly look away and I stopped the wheelchair next to Louisa.

"Yay!" Stevie said as he clapped his hands.

"So… How are things going?" Treena asked.

"Same old same old. I wake up and wait for someone to get me up. I have my hair washed, my teeth brushed, someone dresses me and someone gives me a shave. Nathan comes in and we do my morning routine. I have breakfast then go to PT. I have lunch. I come out here for some sun and air when the weather allows. Sometimes, I get some tests done. Nathan does my afternoon routine and I take a kip. I have dinner. I watch some television before bed and Nathan does my night routine. Finally, I go to bed," I said.

"You went to my birthday party," Lily reminded me. I was surprised when Maeve allowed me to go to Stortfold Castle for Lily's fourteenth birthday party. Lily was able to switch schools when we moved back to Stortfold and she quickly made friends. Her new friends loved being able to party at the castle and Mother had a special walkway made for me. She even had a dance floor constructed and I surprised when Lily asked me to dance during a slow song. She sat on my lap and I moved the wheelchair around in circles. Though I'm not supposed to cry, some tears did fall and Lily hugged me.

"You're right," I said with a small nod. I glanced at Louisa's purse and she noticed me looking at what was sticking out of the top. "What is that?"

"This is the deed to our new house," Louisa said and she removed the deed from her purse. Treena removed Stevie off my lap as Louisa sat down and she showed me the deed. I learned how to read things like deeds quickly as I looked at the information and I blinked my eyes a few times.

"Wow," I said with a meow and Stevie giggled.

"Kitty!" Stevie said as he pumped his arms up.

"When will you be moving in?" Maeve asked.

"Not until late July/early August," Louisa said then her face became serious. "We still want you to be Will's doctor."

"I am no matter where you're living."

"And we want to keep you on as his medical caregiver," Louisa said to Nathan.

"That's good to know. Where's the house located?" Nathan asked.

"It's at the back of Granta House. We even have a bedroom for you if you need to spend the night."

"Sounds cool," he said with a nod.

"Do you live around here?"

"My flat's in town."

"Great!"

I enjoyed seeing the joy on Louisa's face and I was also glad I wasn't going to have to find a new doctor or medical caregiver.

A loud scream suddenly filled the air and Stevie started crying. Tommy ran to Treena as she held him to her side and Lily hushed Stevie.

"Oh shit," Maeve said as she quickly ran off and I flicked the joystick to move the wheelchair to Lily.

"What's going on?" Louisa asked as she walked to Lily and took Stevie into her arms.

"Looks like one of the patients is having a fit," Nathan said then he ran off.

"Does this happen often?" Treena asked while she watched Maeve and Nathan trying to calm down one of the patients who was screaming and he was waving one of his arms back and forth.

"It happens at least once or twice a day. It's worse when it's in the middle of the night," I said and Stevie made soft sniffs. Louisa used a tissue to wipe his eyes and nose and he placed his cheek against her right shoulder.

"Then it's a good thing you'll be leaving here soon."

"I wish it was sooner."

The screaming grew louder and some interns ran outside. Nathan and the interns tried to stop the man who was screaming from swinging his arms, but Nathan got hit in the face.

"Bloody hell!" Nathan shouted as he cupped his nose and one of the interns led him inside the house.

"Let's go," I said and I flicked the joystick. We headed in the house as the screaming stopped and some nurses ran by us as they headed outside. We made it to the front door as one of the interns opened the doors and we went outside. We headed for the car as Louisa opened the back car door and Lily got in the car with Stevie. She placed Stevie in the car seat then she came to me and she hugged me. "Sorry you had to see that, Kiddo."

"It was scary," she said as she moved back. "Oh. I aced those exams I took last week."

"That's my girl," I said with a grin and she got in the car. She placed on the seatbelt and Louisa closed the door. Treena had placed Tommy in the other car seat and she closed the back car door before she walked to me. "Sorry."

"Stop," she said and she hugged me.

"Hope Tommy won't have any nightmares."

"If he does then Uncle Will's going to have to buy him a present."

"Deal," I said and she moved back. I watched her get into the car and she closed the passenger door.

"Are you going to buy a present for Stevie if he has nightmares from all this?" Louisa asked as she slid her arms around my shoulders.

"Yep," I said and she kissed the side of my head. "I want to go home."

"Soon," she promised then she hugged my shoulders. I watched her get in the car then I backed up the wheelchair and she started the engine. The car headed down the long drive as I blinked my eyes a few times, flicked the joystick and I went inside.

Later that night, Nathan came in my room for the nightly routines and I notice his nose was swollen.

"it's not broken," he assured me and he helped me get into bed. He did the nightly routines when he noticed the look in my eyes and he wrote the information in the medical chart. "Not the first time."

"You got hit by someone before?" I asked.

"It comes with the job," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Then I better tell you I have muscle spasms and I tend to swing my arms around or kick out."

"I read about that in your medical file."

"Hearing all that screaming reminds me of something I saw in a movie."

"Was the movie My Left Foot?"

"Yeah. I can do a pretty mean Christy Brown impression."

"I'd like to see it."

"Nah. I don't want the nurses running in here, thinking I'm having a fit."

"That wouldn't be a good idea. The guy who had that fit earlier was drugged up to his eyeballs and strapped to his bed. I heard they called his family and told them what happened."

"You think they'll do anything about him?"

"Dunno."

Nathan finished up as he placed the medical equipment in the drawer in the small table by the bed then he headed for the door. He placed his hand on the light switch when he turned and he looked back at me.

"Night, Will," he said.

"Night, Nathan," I said and he flicked the switch to turn the light off. The light in the hallway cast shadows on the walls and I felt like I was back in my nursery. I listened to the sound of the lift, the soft moans coming from the other rooms and I sighed, closing my eyes. I wished I was leaving this place in the morning and I slowly drifted off to sleep.