As Johnny finished packing his backpack, there was a knock on the door. He quickly moved to answer, swinging open the door. "Hey, come on in."

"I'm a little early," Mary Lynn replied as she closed the door behind her, "I hope you don't mind."

"Nah, it's okay," Johnny answered as he zipped up the pack and slung it over his shoulders before grabbing his walking stick, "The sooner we get out there, the better. Ready when you are."

They left the apartment, and Johnny locked the door behind him before carefully making his way down the stairs. The heavy pack affected his balance somewhat, and he was starting to question the wisdom of taking so much with him. But if he wanted to take some photographs today, he didn't have much of a choice.

It was going to be fine. He was going for a hike on one of his favorite trails with a good friend. What better way to spend a day?

They loaded up the car and headed put, falling into casual conversation as they so often did these days. By the time they arrived at the park, Johnny felt a lot more ready to take on the trail that awaited them. And if for some reason he needed some help navigating the trail, Mary Lynn was right there.

Johnny hoped he wouldn't need it. He still had a few shreds of pride he'd been trying to hold on to through this whole recovery process in a nearly constant attempt to live something resembling a normal life. Returning to one of his favorite trails was just another part of that.

As they started up the trail, Johnny stepped carefully, navigating the loose dirt and relying heavily on his walking stick. It was harder than he remembered, but he had to remind himself that it had been over a year since he'd been out here.

It almost seemed as if that had been in another life. Johnny remembered now that he'd last been up here just a few days before that last rescue. Had he talked about it with the guys at the station? He couldn't remember now. It hadn't seemed important at the time, just another hiking and climbing trip among many.

The thought made him unexpectedly emotional, and he paused for a moment, leaning on his walking stick.

"John?" Mary Lynn's voice penetrated his thoughts.

"I'm okay," Johnny answered almost automatically, "Just got to thinking about the last time I was up here. It wasn't that long before, well, this happened. Haven't been up here since then."

"I see why you wanted to come up here," Mary Lynn replied quietly as she moved to stand next to him, "It's beautiful."

Johnny took a deep breath and exhaled. "It's a little harder than I remember. A lot's changed."

"You'll get used to it," Mary Lynn assured him, "Just like you have been."

Johnny huffed in irritation. "I know. I know. That's all I've been doing. Adapting and learning. Getting used to things as they are. I'm just tired of it. I want things to be, well, normal again."

"This is normal now," Mary Lynn reminded him, "There might be a lot you can't do, but there's a lot that you can do. Don't forget that. That you're out here at all is something to be proud of."

Johnny glanced at her. There was something about her that stirred up feelings that definitely went beyond friendship. Whether she felt the same was a different story, and he wasn't quite ready to risk their friendship if she didn't share those feelings.

He wrapped his free arm around her shoulders and squeezed her. "You're right. I know you're right. Just needed the reminder, I guess."

Mary Lynn smiled widely and slipped an arm around his waist in response. "Good. Ready to keep going?"

Johnny released Mary Lynn and thumped his walking stick on the ground. "Ready."

They continued up the trail, pausing every so often as Johnny pointed out various features and wildlife. The slower pace made it easier to navigate the trail, and he noticed things he hadn't before.

Maybe there were some advantages to this new version of normal.

When they reached a clearing, Johnny paused again to take his pack off his shoulders and set it on the ground. He opened it up and found his camera bag, opening that up as well to pull out a camera and one of his lenses.

Mary Lynn followed suit, opening her pack and pulling out a smaller bag. She opened that to reveal a small camera. She glanced at her camera before glancing at Johnny's. "I didn't realize how serious you were about photography."

Johnny shrugged as he attached the lens. "I didn't get serious about it until, well, before this happened. I haven't picked up a camera since then. Felt like the right time."

"No, this is a perfect place," Mary Lynn told him, "It's really something."

"I used to go climbing over there," Johnny pointed to the rock formations that lay beyond the clearing, "Don't know if I'm ever gonna do that again."

Mary Lynn snapped a couple of photos before turning her attention back to Johnny. "I thought there were some climbing groups through the rehab center."

"There are," Johnny acknowledged, "Just haven't gone out with any of them. I seem to have a hell of a lot less time than I used to."

Mary Lynn laughed at that. "You do seem to be keeping yourself busy."

Johnny trained his camera on a spot and clicked off a couple of shots himself before responding. "Suppose I have. It's better than sitting around at home, right?"

"Right," Mary Lynn nodded firmly, "Do you want to keep going?"

"Sure," Johnny nodded as he closed up his pack, "There's lots more to see."

They continued up the trail, and they continued their conversation as they went. It seemed to get a little easier as they went, and Johnny figured he was just adapting to the trail conditions.

Finally, they reached a fork in the trail, and Johnny could feel the day's activity start to catch up with him. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but he hadn't considered how challenging the return trip might be.

"Oh, this is gorgeous!" Mary Lynn's voice caught him off-guard, and he looked behind him to see her moving slightly off the trail into the wooded area, "John, come see this!"

He couldn't help being surprised and amused at her enthusiasm as he followed. It seemed so unlike her. "Yeah, it's pretty incredible."

Mary Lynn was taking photos when Johnny caught up to her, and she lowered her camera as he approached, that same broad smile lighting her face. A few tendrils of her hair had come undone from her ponytail, and Johnny resisted the urge to reach out and tuck them back.

She took care of that herself as her smile started to fade. "Sorry. I got a little carried away."

Johnny carefully made his way over to her with a quiet laugh. "Got a feeling you don't let yourself do that too much."

Mary Lynn shook her head. "It's not exactly ladylike, is it? My mother would always scold me if I got too excited about much of anything, so I learned to keep it to myself."

Johnny moved in closer. "Kinda like seeing you loosen up a little."

Mary Lynn smiled ever so slightly. "Don't get used to it."

"Listen, there's a time and place for everything, right?" Johnny took one of Mary Lynn's hands in his, "Believe me, if you get excited about something, I'm not gonna think any less of you for it. So get excited all you want."

Mary Lynn squeezed his hand, and for the briefest moment, Johnny wondered what would happen if he just kissed her. A loud squawk above his head quickly distracted him from that thought, and he looked up to see the source of the sound flying high above the trees.

"What was that?" Mary Lynn asked.

"Not entirely sure," Johnny answered, "There's lots of birds of prey out here. Could have been anything."

Mary Lynn checked her watch. "I suppose we should start back."

Johnny did the same, nodding in agreement, and they started back toward the trail. This was going to be a bit more challenging, and Johnny found himself a little on edge as he started back down the way they had come.

He pushed the worry out of his mind. As long as he took his time and paid attention to where he stepped, he'd be fine. Besides, if he got in real trouble, Mary Lynn was right here to help.

The idea of relying on someone to help was still something Johnny was getting used to. He'd gotten so used to taking care of himself that it stung his pride to have anyone help him. Sure, he had stayed with the DeSotos a few times after an injury, but that was only short-term. Having to rely on them for a longer time had been tough, and having to rely on other people even after he had returned home still stung.

But it had turned out not to be so bad, after all. He and Marco had gotten to know each other a lot better over the course of those weekly grocery trips, and sure, he and Chet gave each other a hard time as much as they ever did, but Chet had turned out to be someone Johnny could count on when things got tough in ways Johnny never could have imagined.

And then there was Mary Lynn. Getting to know her simply as a friend had been, well, if not the best thing to come out of all of this, certainly the most interesting. Regardless of how things ultimately turned out between them, it was good to get to know Mary Lynn as a person and not some chick Johnny was trying to get a date with.

Mary Lynn turned to look over her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, so far so good," Johnny answered casually, "Just gotta take my time, you know?"

"Well, if you need a hand, say so."

Johnny smiled to himself. "I will. Don't worry."

They continued down the trail at a much slower pace than they had climbed up, but Johnny didn't mind. It gave him time to look around and notice more things he hadn't noticed on previous hikes, and the easy conversation that was taking place between him and Mary Lynn made this all feel a lot more intimate than perhaps it should have.

Finally, they made it back down the trail and back to the car, both of them dumping their packs in the back seat and all but collapsing into their respective seats with a sigh. "That was fun. Thanks for inviting me," Mary Lynn told him with a tired smile.

"Thanks for driving," Johnny answered, "Would've been a little tough getting here otherwise. Good to have the company, too."

Mary Lynn gave him a puzzled look as she started the car and pulled out of the park. "Do you usually go alone?"

"I used to go alone all the time," Johnny told her, "You know, get a couple days off and head out for an overnight. I'd set up camp and just hike and climb all I wanted. I mean, sometimes I'd go with a couple of the guys from the station, but I used to like going by myself, too. Not sure I'd do that now."

Mary Lynn's brow wrinkled in a frown. "No, I can't imagine that would be very safe."

"Oh, I always let Roy know where I was going and when I'd be back," Johnny assured her, "But now…well, I don't know. It'd just be different, I guess."

Mary Lynn looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, I read in one of my journals about how they're developing adaptive technology for vehicles. Hand controls, reversed pedals, that kind of thing. It might be worth looking into."

"Sounds expensive."

"There are organizations that can help with some of the cost."

Johnny shook his head. "I don't wanna take charity. I'll manage. Been doing it all this time."

"It's just something to think about," Mary Lynn replied, "It's quite remarkable how far the technology has come."

Johnny didn't want to think too much about that. The idea that he could drive again and not have to rely on the bus or his friends for transportation felt like too much to hope for. "I don't know. Maybe I'll ask Jack about it next time I see him."

"Well, if anyone would know who to get in touch with about that, Jack would be the one," Mary Lynn told him, "I'm surprised he hasn't mentioned anything."

"Guess it's never come up," Johnny replied, "I mean, I do have a little money leftover from when I sold the Rover, so…well, I guess I'll think about it."

Mary Lynn smiled at that. "It's not that I mind driving you around. I like you and I enjoy your company. But I also know you'd prefer to be as independent as possible."

Johnny let out a huff. "Yeah, I would."

Mary Lynn pulled in behind Johnny's apartment house, and they both climbed out. Johnny grabbed his pack before they started up. The day's activities had finally caught up with Johnny, and it took him longer than usual to get up the stairs. He could feel his stump swelling inside the socket, and he wanted nothing more than to take off his prosthetic as soon as possible.

But he had promised Mary Lynn dinner after their hike, so he'd manage until later. He'd just take it as easy as he could. Hopefully his discomfort wouldn't be too obvious.

As soon as Johnny unlocked the door and they went inside, he dumped his pack and started toward the kitchen. "You can put on some music or something if you want," he called out as he started getting everything out.

Soon the sounds of the album Mary Lynn had chosen floated through the apartment, and Johnny found himself humming along as he worked, shifting his weight slightly to his left leg to avoid causing any more discomfort as he chopped vegetables and put them in the pan.

"Anything I can help with?" Mary Lynn asked.

Johnny shook his head. "Kitchen's pretty small. It really only fits one person."

Mary Lynn leaned against the entry, and Johnny glanced over to see a worried frown cross her face. He let out a brief sigh. "You don't need to hover. I'm fine."

"I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to," the words came out more sharply than Johnny intended, and he paused to collect himself, "Sorry."

"No need to apologize," Mary Lynn replied quietly, the hurt in her voice obvious.

Johnny felt like dirt. He gave the pan a stir and put a lid on it before approaching Mary Lynn and taking her hands in his. "I'm sorry anyway. It's just, well, I think maybe I overdid it today and I'm kinda sore. That's all."

Mary Lynn fixed him with a curious look. "You should have said something."

"I know, I know," Johnny released her hands and returned to the stove, "It's just that I already had this planned and I didn't wanna let you down."

"It's okay to acknowledge your limitations," Mary Lynn reminded him, "Matter of fact, I'd rather you did instead of plowing ahead and hurting yourself."

Johnny scoffed at that. "Kinda late for that now."

"If you say so."

"I say so," Johnny told her firmly, "This won't take long. I'll give a holler when it's ready."

Mary Lynn acknowledged that with a nod and left Johnny alone in the kitchen. Everything was coming together now, and it was a lot easier than he thought it would be. It wasn't much different than cooking for himself, which he'd been doing more and more, but still, cooking for someone else made him nervous.

"Okay, I think we're ready," Johnny called out.

Somehow they managed to work around each other to fix their plates and head back out to the living room. Johnny let out a quiet sigh of relief as he sat down. His stump was throbbing, and he knew he should take his prosthetic off sooner rather than later, but right now he just wanted to enjoy this meal with Mary Lynn.

"This is good," Mary Lynn told him.

"Thanks," Johnny answered as he took a bite himself, "Hey, you're right, this is good. I guess I'm not a half-bad cook after all."

"Most of the time it just takes practice," Mary Lynn told him with a laugh, "Or so I hear. I'm not much of one myself. I don't have the patience for it."

"Guess I'll have to practice some more, then," Johnny teased her, "At least you'll be able to get a good meal somewhere."

Johnny could have sworn Mary Lynn's face colored slightly, but she looked away before he could be sure. Now he didn't know what to say. Maybe he was reading this whole thing between them wrong.

"Every guy I've ever dated has expected me to be a typical woman," Mary Lynn told him, "Like they expect that I'll be a housewife if we ever get married. But I don't want that. I never have."

"Huh," Johnny had to ponder that, "Guess I never really thought about it. Never thought that far ahead."

"Right," Mary Lynn shook her head, "Rumor has it you were quite the ladies' man. Or you were trying to be."

"Yeah, trying was more like it," Johnny scoffed, "Didn't get very far. Gotta say, that's one good thing about this whole time. I haven't gotten dumped by anyone in almost a year."

Mary Lynn laughed at that. "I suppose that's one way to look at it."

They continued eating and chatting, and Johnny once again found himself just enjoying Mary Lynn's company without the usual pressure he felt when he was dating someone. He didn't have to impress Mary Lynn. She seemed to like him just as he was.

Was that the trick? Could it really be that simple? No, it couldn't be. There was no way.

"Are you done?" Mary Lynn's voice broke Johnny out of his thoughts, "I can start cleaning up."

"Oh, uh, you don't have to."

"I don't mind," Mary Lynn replied, "It seems only fair. Besides, you need to rest, at the very least."

Mary Lynn was right, though Johnny was loathe to admit it. "Fine, but I don't expect you to do that every time I cook for you."

"Implying you might want to do this again?"

Johnny could feel himself heat up. "I mean, maybe. Seems like it's working out for us."

Mary Lynn smiled widely at that as she started toward the kitchen. "We can talk about it."

Johnny rose from the couch, wincing slightly. He really needed to get this thing off. He could figure out whether Mary Lynn was trying to flirt with him or not later.

He made his way to the bedroom and took off one of his boots before undoing his jeans and sliding them down. Sure enough, the area where his stump inserted into the socket of his prosthetic was swollen. God, he hoped he'd be able to get this damn thing off. Otherwise, he'd have to wait until the swelling went down, and there was no telling how long that might take.

He sat down on the bed and undid the strap before slowly working the prosthetic. No dice. The socket was snug against his stump.

"Great," he muttered to himself, "Just great."

No, it would be okay. He'd just have to wait it out and let the swelling come down. It wasn't ideal, but it wasn't the end of the world. Surely this wasn't the first time this had happened to someone.

"John?" Mary Lynn's voice called out.

"Uh, yeah, hold on," Johnny called back, pushing himself off the bed, doing up his jeans and shoving his other foot into his boot before heading back out.

Mary Lynn looked puzzled. "I thought you were going to take off your prosthetic."

"Uh, well…I'll just do it after you leave," Johnny tried to sound casual.

Mary Lynn appeared skeptical as she wiped down the counters and the stove. "Are you sure?"

"Well…actually, I think it's stuck," Johnny confessed, "Overdid it and now the stump's all swollen."

"Oh, that's not a big deal," Mary Lynn wiped off her hands on a towel, "It happens more frequently than you'd think. And it's hard to get the right angle to get it to release. Do you want help?"

Christ, this was embarrassing. "Yeah, suppose I do. Otherwise I'm going to be stuck in this thing for God knows how long."

Mary Lynn nodded and followed Johnny back into the bedroom. "I swear I'm not trying to get you into bed," he told her as he took off his boot and undid his jeans.

"I believe you," Mary Lynn looked amused.

"Not that I don't think you're attractive," Johnny continued, his nerves getting the better of him, "Because you are. But I get that you just wanna be friends, and that's okay with me. Just so you know."

Mary Lynn's expression barely changed as she examined the area around the socket. "Okay, I'm going to try to wiggle it to see if I can get it to release. Let me know if I'm hurting you."

She either hadn't heard a word he said, or she was ignoring his words. Johnny wasn't sure which he preferred. He decided to just concentrate on getting this damn thing off, then they could have that conversation, he supposed.

"Wow, that's really stuck," Mary Lynn commented, "Okay, hold on."

She continued working at it until it finally broke loose, and she landed on her rear end while Johnny let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks. You okay?"

"Yes," Mary Lynn replied as she rose to her feet and propped the prosthetic against Johnny's night stand, "Mind if I take a look at this?"

"Sure, go ahead," Johnny answered, "Doesn't look too bad from where I'm sitting."

Mary Lynn's hands smoothed over the end of Johnny's stump and underneath, startling him. It had been a long time since another person had touched him, and God help him if he actually reacted. He'd never be able to face Mary Lynn again.

"Looks like it's just swollen," Mary Lynn told him as she rose to her feet, "Do you have anything for the swelling?"

"I used to have some ice packs, but I don't know if I still have them," Johnny replied.

"Hmm," Mary Lynn sounded thoughtful, "How about a towel?"

"Oh, got plenty of those," Johnny pointed toward a shelving unit.

"Great," Mary Lynn found a towel and started to leave the room, "I'll be right back."

Johnny heard water running, and Mary Lynn soon returned, handing a wet towel to him. "Here, try that. It's not as cold as an ice pack, but it should help."

Johnny wrapped the cold towel around his stump. The relief was nearly instant. "Feels better already."

"Good," Mary Lynn sat next to him on the bed, "Now, what were you saying?"

"Uh, what do you mean?"

"When I was trying to get your prosthetic loose," Mary Lynn patiently explained, "Something about how you found me attractive?"

Johnny felt his face heat up again, and he looked down at his stump, keeping pressure on the cold, wet towel. "Oh, that. I didn't think you were listening."

"I was listening," Mary Lynn responded, "I'm flattered."

"But?"

"No but," Mary Lynn told him, "I find you kind of attractive, too."

"Is that right?"

"Mm-hmm," Mary Lynn moved in a little closer, "We do get along very well as friends, and if you want to keep it that way, I don't object."

Johnny thought about that for a moment, not sure if he was feeling brave enough to ask the question he wanted to ask. "What if I don't wanna be just friends? What if, I don't know, maybe we were more than that?"

Mary Lynn frowned, apparently deep in thought, and for a long moment Johnny wanted to kick himself for even asking. He should have just left well enough alone, been content with Mary Lynn's company as a friend. That should have been enough.

"I don't know, John," Mary Lynn answered carefully, "Don't you think that'll change things between us? I don't want to ruin our friendship if it doesn't work out."

"I mean, sure, things'll probably change," Johnny acknowledged, "Maybe for the better."

"Maybe," Mary Lynn agreed with a nod. She seemed to come to a decision, looking up at Johnny, "Okay, I'm game if you are."

Johnny felt as if a weight had been lifted. "Yeah, I'm totally game. Maybe dinner and a movie or something. I don't know. You pick, I'll pay."

"And I'll drive," Mary Lynn responded with that same amused expression from earlier.

"I'd kinda appreciate it if you did," Johnny teased her, "Maybe someday I'll be able to drive us around."

Mary Lynn let out a short laugh. "That sounds like an excellent plan. I'll check my schedule and we'll figure out a good day."

"Yeah, I'll do the same," Johnny told her, nudging her lightly with his shoulder, "And hey, thanks. For everything."

"I don't mind," Mary Lynn replied, "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, the towel's helping a lot," Johnny answered, "Next time I'll know better."

"Still learning your limitations," Mary Lynn told him, "Nothing wrong with pushing them a little. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. Usually people learn from it."

"Well, I'm gonna try and learn from it," Johnny replied, "Maybe we won't go for quite as long next time. If there's a next time."

Mary Lynn nudged him back. "There's definitely going to be a next time. But for now, I'm going to get going. I have to work tomorrow."

"And I have, well, everything," Johnny huffed, "A day off from work, but lots of other stuff to do."

"It's good for you, you know that," Mary Lynn told him as she rose from the bed.

Johnny set the towel aside and grabbed his crutches to follow her to the door. "Yeah, I know. Gonna keep doing it."

"Good," Mary Lynn replied, pausing at the door before turning toward him and wrapping her arms around him, "I had a good time."

"Hey, yeah, I did, too," Johnny responded, shifting so that he could put an arm around her, "Even if it ended on kind of a weird note."

"It's fine," Mary Lynn assured him as she pulled back, "I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, soon."

Johnny closed the door behind her and locked it, pausing for a long moment. It had been a strange day, no doubt, but somehow it had all worked out.

Now to see if things between him and Mary Lynn would develop further. There was only one way to find out.