Baby Steps

By Beej

Part 2:

Dr. Khan finished checking Jake’s wound and nodded for the nurse to apply the clean dressing. He smiled to himself as he wrote something in Jake’s notes. The young man was healing fast; Ben had said he would. The nurse smiled at him as she left, and he was about to leave Jake sleeping peacefully when he heard a soft moan. Turning towards the bed, he noticed Jake was frowning, and then his eyes slowly opened.

Jake blinked a couple of times to try and focus on his surroundings. He had no idea where he was. He tried to move, but a jolt of pain shot up his spine. He grunted and stayed still. He noticed movement by the bed and glanced in that direction.

"G’Day, mate. Feeling a little sore?"

"Who…?"

"I’m Dr. Khan; you can call me Ash if you like."

"Where…?"

"You’re at the Royal North Shore, spinal unit. I know your next word is going to be ‘what’, so I’ll save you the trouble. First of all, though, let me ask you something. What is the last thing you remember?"

Jake closed his eyes and tried to think clearly. He remembered that the team had won the footy, and he remembered the following day going on the celebration trip. He seemed to remember racing Shannon up and down the boardwalk, but wasn’t too sure about that. He did remember going with him to his truck. He thought that they stopped by the side of the main road to talk about something; after that it was a blank…or was it?

Suddenly his eyes shot open and he stared at Ash. "Shit…I got shot?"

"Yes, Aaron, you certainly did."

"Most people call me Jake, mate," he answered automatically before continuing. "Is Shannon okay?"

"Would he be the young man in the wheelchair? He’s just fine. He’s been sitting here with your wife since you were transferred. I think he’s gone home for a break. He’s been really worried about you."

"He’s a good mate, Doc."

"Jake, do you have any idea of who may have done this?"

"Not really. Who would want to take pot shots at two blokes in wheelchairs?"

"I’d say it was more precise than a ‘pot shot’ as you put it. From eyewitness reports, the bloke was quite a way off, and the police said the bullet is from a hunting rifle. I’d say the shooter knew just what he was doing and chose you as his target."

Jake frowned. There was nothing he was involved in at work that would cause anyone to hold a grudge against him. He didn’t know what to think, and decided not to try as his head was beginning to ache.

"How bad?"

"Let me get my co-surgeon to come by and we can both chat to you."

"That bad, huh?" Jake asked, resigned for the worst possible news.

"Don’t worry, Jake. I’ll be back in a minute."

Dr. Khan smiled at Jake and headed towards the door. It opened just as he reached it and he grinned, stepping back to give the new arrival room to enter.

"Looks like I don’t need to go get him after all. He’s come to us," he told Jake.

Jake looked towards the door and couldn’t believe who was standing there. "Dad! What are you doing here?"

"Hello, son. It’s good to see you awake at last. I’d just flown into town to take part in a lecture series when Ash got the call about you. I persuaded him to let me help with your surgery."

"How did it go?"

"Decidedly well. It was quite invasive, I’m afraid, so you’ll be more than a bit sore for a while, but Ash managed to get both bullets out."

"Both? I got shot more than once?"

"No, son, the original bullet was removed as well."

"Oh," was all Jake said before turning his face away.

"Jake…"

"Leave him, Ash. Let’s go to your office. I need to make a couple of calls."

Ash led the way down to his office and Ben made a quick call to Angie, asking her to bring his mother and brother to the hospital as fast as she could, assuring her that nothing bad had happened.

"Thanks for coming so quickly," Ash said, greeting Angie, Emily and Sam. "We gave Jake a bit of news that affected him profoundly, so much so that we weren’t able to go into details with him. We’re hoping that with you for support, he’ll let us finish what we started to tell him."

They all went along to Jake’s room. He seemed to be sleeping, so they were as quiet as possible as they all found a place to sit. After about ten minutes sitting in silence, a voice from the bed made them all jump.

"You gonna sit there all night, or do you have something to say?"

"Jake, we thought you were asleep. How are you feeling, darling?" Angie asked, walking over and kissing him.

"I’m fine," he replied, looking round the room, studying all the faces turned in his direction. "You brought backup in case I lose it, Doc?"

"Son," Ben began. "We thought it would be easier to have everyone here together so we didn’t have to repeat everything to the family after telling you."

Jake looked at his father, trying to see if he was keeping anything from him. He knew that his father had always been truthful about everything, so decided to believe whatever he said now.

"Tell me…" he said, grabbing Angie’s hand tightly.

"I’ll let Ash give you all the details, son. He’s the expert here."

"Thanks, Ben. Jake, I know what was going through your mind when we told you that I’d taken the original bullet out during your surgery." He stopped for a moment as both Angie and Emily took a sharp breath in.

"Please, ladies, don’t worry."

"I took a good look at the original medical notes. It seems that they were working from x-rays only. If an MRI had been done, it would have been more apparent that leaving the bullet alone just wasn’t the right way to go."

Angie realised that Jake was shaking, and squeezed his hand to reassure him.

"Would you like to elaborate, doc?" he asked.

"I’m sorry, Jake, but in my opinion, if the bullet had been removed immediately you wouldn’t have ended up in the chair."

Jake shuddered and closed his eyes, wondering if he could stand hearing any more.

"Shall I go on?" Ash asked.

"Might as well," Jake replied.

"Okay. In the doctor’s defence, from the x-ray it did look like trying to get the bullet out would have caused more damage and it may, in fact, have been closer to the spinal cord back then. I think your playing footy has caused it to shift a bit, and I have to say that if you hadn’t been shot again, the nerves would have slowly recovered on their own and you would have regained feeling and movement."

"I never really lost all the feeling, just the movement. Now you’re telling me that it shouldn’t have happened."

"I’m sorry, Jake. I can’t give you back all those months in the chair, however, I can give you the news that your spinal cord is no longer under compression, and as long as we can make sure nothing else happens to you, I can guarantee that you will get movement back. I can’t say just how mobile you’ll be; that really depends on how much work you want to put in with therapy."

Jake had tears in his eyes as he looked at everyone. "When do I start?" he asked.

"Whoa…not for a while yet. The new bullet has done some damage, so we need to keep you to keep as still as you can for a couple of weeks to give it a chance to heal up. One of your discs has sustained some damage, and your dad had to do some fancy stuff with a shattered bone, but if you behave, therapy could start in about three weeks."

"I’ve already called Kevin, son. He says he’ll fly over and we can get a routine worked out for you," Ben told Jake.

Jake didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry. On the one hand he was being told that he should get the use of his legs back; on the other, the news was that he wouldn’t have lost it in the first place if the original specialist had done an MRI. The thought of having Kevin working with him again did bring a small smile to his face, though. He was a good mate even if he was a hard task master. He was most likely the only one who would put up with Jake’s mood swings, and knew just how far to push him before letting him rest.

Shannon wheeled himself down the corridor, wondering if Jake would be awake when he got to his room. He’d had a hectic 24 hours, and was worried about facing Jake with the information he had to impart. He kept telling himself that Jake was his friend and that everything would be okay.

He pushed the door open and was greeted by a smile from Angie. Looking past her to the bed, he was delighted to see that Jake was awake and alert.

"G’Day, mate. How ya going?"

"Shan! Where the fuck have you been? I was worried about you."

"I had a couple of things to sort out. Jake…I need to tell you something; it’s important, mate."

Jake shifted in the bed, trying to get comfortable. He gave his complete attention to his friend, who was looking distressed. "Tell me, Shan; I’ll do what I can to help."

"Jake, I think I know who shot you."

"What?" Jake gasped.

"I went home to check a few things, then I called the cops. While I was waiting for them to turn up, I called a locksmith. I’ve changed every window and door lock in the house to stop him getting back in."

"Your dad? Why would he shoot me, mate?"

"I told you he basked in my success, didn’t I? Well, as far as he was concerned, when you took my place in the team you ruined his life. I checked his weapons and his hunting rifle was gone. The police have the house staked out, and they are looking all over the city for him right now.

"Shit! I didn’t know that he was that bad. I’m so sorry, Shan."

"I think I’m the one who should be saying that to you, Jake."

"Shannon, is it safe for you to go back to the house?" Angie asked.

"He wouldn’t hurt me, Angie; he’s my dad."

"He’s never acted like this before, has he? You don’t know what he might do in his present state of mind."

"Mate, do me a favour and stay at our place. I’ll get better faster without having to worry about your safety."

"Your place? You mean it? Man, I love your apartment," Shannon smiled at his friends. "To tell you the truth, when I was back at my place I didn’t think I could stay there now. I never really liked it anyway. It was dad’s choice."

"What will you do?" Angie asked.

"I think I’ll put it on the market after the police have finished with it. Should get a good price for it seeing as it’s all custom-designed for a wheelchair user. Hey, I may even look to buy an apartment on the wharf so I can bother you all the time."

Jake and Angie both laughed at that and told him he was welcome to use their guest room for as long as he liked, and that he shouldn’t feel the need to buy the first thing he was offered. Jake gave him the name of his friend in the management company for the wharf apartments, telling him that Josh would steer him in the right direction, and adding that if he waited until Jake was able to leave the hospital, he’d come look at the apartments with him.

Three weeks went by, and for a change Jake did what he was told. Kevin and Dr. Khan had a therapy programme all worked out, and the long road to recovery was about to take place. Jake really wanted to go home, but until Dr. Khan was satisfied that he wasn’t going to try doing too much too soon, he was to stay in the spinal unit. After the second week, though, he decided to give Jake a weekend pass.

"Welcome home, darling," Angie said, hugging Jake so tight he thought he was going to pop. "No exercise for the weekend. Ash said it would be okay to rest up for a couple of days."

"I can’t wait to be in my own bed for a couple of days. I’m hoping this means he’ll soon discharge me. We could fly up to the farm."

"That would be great, but let’s get this weekend over first. Would you like a cuppa?"

"Please, Luv. Where’s Shannon?"

"He decided that we should have the place to ourselves for the weekend. He’s staying with one of the team. He said he’ll get back early on Monday so that he can see you before you go back."

"Is it the same with Emily and Sam?"

"They are staying at The Blue. They said they would go back up to the farm next week now that they know you’re on the mend."

"We really are alone then? Fancy a snog?"

Angie laughed and ruffled Jake’s hair. "Cuppa first, then you can take a nap while I decide what to cook for dinner."

"Can we have takeout?"

"For you, anything, my love. Now, off to bed with you. I’ll wake you in a couple of hours, and then we can pour over menus."

Later in the evening, refreshed from a good sleep in a comfy bed, and full of tasty ‘real’ food and not the hospital fare he’d been living on over the past weeks, Jake sat on the sofa snuggled up with Angie, lights off, balcony doors wide open, listening to the boats creaking at their moorings in the marina below.

"I’ve missed this, Angel."

"As have I, my love. I can’t wait to have you home for good."

"If I have anything to say in the matter, it won’t be too long, Luv. I wanna come home, too."

The mozzies were making their way through the open doors as the couple watched the fruit bats fly off from their roosts in the Botanical Gardens, and Jake decided he would be more comfortable in bed. He got himself back into his chair and wheeled over to the stair lift, smiling to himself at the thought that soon he might be able to walk up the stairs instead of ride up to the bedroom.

Angie let him get ready for bed first so that she could help him if needed, then she slipped into the bathroom. Jake turned down the sheets when she walked towards the bed, and patted the space beside him. She cuddled up to him and kissed him goodnight, resting her head on his chest. She could feel his heart beating slow and strong as he ran his hand along her arm.

It wasn’t too long before she realised that his heart rate was increasing and his hand had dropped from her arm to her hip. She rose up on her elbow and gazed at him.

"Jake, you okay?"

"I think I’m more than okay, Angel," he replied, giving her a sexy smile. "I love you."

"I love you too, AJ."

"I want you," he replied, easing off one of his old t-shirts she had taken to wearing in bed.

He kissed her deeply as she slowly rose up on top of him, and they were soon lost in a passion they didn’t think they would ever regain. Dropping her head onto his chest, she sighed in contentment.

"Wow," she breathed.

"Wow, indeed. Like riding a bike."

"What?" Angie laughed sitting up.

"You never forget how to do it, Luv."

"God, you’re romantic."

"Ain’t I just!" Jake grinned before kissing her again.

They were soon spooned together and sleeping soundly, bathed in silver moonlight, happy in the knowledge that they were together and in love.

The weekend came to an end all too quickly, and Kevin arrived on Monday morning to take Jake back to hospital. He accepted the coffee Angie offered him and sat out on the balcony with Jake and Shannon, who were having a lively discussion about footy.

They were back at the unit by mid morning, and Jake was soon hard at work with the therapy. He was determined to get back to Angie as fast as humanly possible.

 Part 3:

"How’s he doing, Kevin?"

Kevin straightened up from the drinks machine and turned to face Dr. Khan.

"He’s going good, Doc. He’s actually listening to me for a change and not going overboard."

"That’s good to hear. I’m thinking that if he progresses as well as he has been, there may be a chance to let him go home next week. I understand that there’s a good place close to the wharf where he can do his therapy."

"Yeah, it’s where the disabled footy team train. They have all the equipment that you have here, and all the trainers are qualified therapists."

"That sounds ideal. I know he’s not happy staying here, and the trip up here to North Sydney every day as an outpatient would be a bit of a drag for him. I was thinking that I could get a couple of the therapists here to print up your schedule so that the trainers can give you a hand."

"Thanks, Doc. Appreciate it. Now, do we tell Jake the good news?"

"Let’s keep it as a surprise for him for now. I’ll review him on Friday and if he’s still going well I think he’ll be home by the weekend."

Kevin smiled before getting another cold can from the machine and heading back into the treatment room where Jake was waiting for him.

"What kept ya, mate?" Jake asked, accepting the drink Kevin offered him.

"Needed to get some change, Jake. You had enough for this morning?"

"I reckon. I’ll finish my drink then hit the shower. It’s a nice day; they might let me sit out in the gardens."

"I’ve no doubt. How about I call Angie to join us?"

"Ripper! If you do it now, by the time I’ve changed out of this sweaty gear, showered and dressed, she should be well on the way."

Kevin smiled as he took out his cell and walked to the balcony. Jake had finished his drink by the time he ended his call, so he walked beside Jake as he slowly wheeled himself back to his room.

His hospital room was more like a hotel room with its ensuite bathroom. Jake wheeled though and began to undress, then shifted himself into the shower chair and got into the shower. Kevin got a clean pair of sweats and tee shirt ready for him to change into and sat on the bed until Jake called for him. He was pretty much self- sufficient again, although he needed help to dry his back as he still couldn’t turn too well without pain.

Once dry and dressed, they headed out to the patients' garden and Jake closed his eyes, tipped his head back, and enjoyed the sunshine. He was almost asleep by the time Angie arrived, picnic basket in hand. Kevin jumped up to take it from her and she slid her arms round Jake and kissed the top of his head.

"Hey, sleeping beauty, you smell good."

Jake smiled then opened his eyes to look up at Angie. "Hi, Angel. Thanks for coming."

"I brought goodies," she replied, pointing over to Kevin, who was setting the food out on a nearby table.

"Aw, good onya, Luv. Real food. Can’t wait to get out of here and get some home cooking."

"I hope it won’t be too long," Angie sighed.

"Where’s Shannon? Haven’t seen him for a couple of days."

"He said that he had some legal stuff to take care of. I think the police have finished with the house and he’s making arrangements to sell up."

"Good. I’m glad that’s settled. Maybe he’ll come see me later in the week."

A few days later, Jake was resting after an extra hard physio session when the door to his room opened. He turned towards the opening, waiting to see if anyone was going to come in. He smiled when he saw it was Shannon; he’d missed his company.

"G’Day, mate," Shannon called out as he saw that Jake was awake. "How they treating you?"

"Not too bad, mate. Good to see ya."

"Sorry I’ve not been up. Got stuck with a heap of paperwork for the house."

"Did you manage to get it on the market?"

"I did. I was pleasantly surprised at the valuation, and the real estate bloke said that people are showing interest already."

"That’s great news, mate. Maybe when I’m sprung from this joint we can have a look at some new places for you."

"That would be bonzer, mate," Shannon replied, watching as Jake eased himself up into a sitting position. "You need any help, Jake?"

"No, ta. I’m right. I can manage to dig my heel into the mattress and I have enough strength to push myself up in bed."

"Good stuff," Shannon muttered.

Jake looked at his friend and wondered what was on his mind. Shannon looked up at him. "What?"

"What’s up, Shan?"

"Nothing," Shannon muttered.

Jake sat up in bed, watching his friends face. He said nothing, thinking that given time, Shannon would speak. It was a quiet five minutes before Shannon cleared his throat.

"I guess it won’t be long before they get you up on your feet."

"It’ll be a while yet, mate. I can move my legs, but there’s no strength in them at all."

"I know what will happen; it’s happened before."

"What you taking about, mate?"

"Just wait and see. You’ll say it won’t, but as soon as you’re upright again, you’ll have no need for your crippled friends."

"What?"

"Don’t deny it. Able-bodied people who suddenly find themselves in a chair seek the friendship of others in the same situation. If they manage to get up and walk again, they want their able-bodied mates, not some useless lump in a wheelchair."

Jake felt his anger rising. He had no idea where Shannon had got the idea that he was going to be dropped from Jake’s life if and when his legs were strong enough to carry him.

"Is that truly what you think I’ll do? Do you think so little of me? I thought you were my friend. Maybe it’s you who doesn’t want able-bodied mates. If you think I’m as low as that…you don’t know me at all!"

The last words were shouted across the room at Shannon, and he glared at Jake before swinging around and heading out the door. Jake fell back against the pillows, flung his arm across his eyes and sighed.

That’s how a nurse found him a little later. She lifted his arm to enable her to take his blood pressure, and she noticed that he was looking flushed. Resting the back of her hand on his forehead, she felt the heat emanating from him. She placed a thermometer in his ear and saw it was running high. She then took his BP and was alarmed to see it was sky high. Making him comfortable, she left quickly in search of Dr. Khan.

"Angie, can I speak to you before you go in to see Jake?"

"Ash, hello, of course you can. What’s up?"

"Jake’s had a turn. He’s running a slight fever and his BP went through the roof. He won’t talk to anyone so we don’t know how he feels in himself."

"When did it happen?" Angie asked, a worried expression on her face.

"Not long after Shannon left. I was told that he went like a bat out of hell down the corridor. He nearly knocked a nurse over as he came round the corner almost on two wheels."

"Oh shit! Do you think they had a blue?"

"I’m hoping you can find out. He’ll talk to you."

"Don’t be too sure, Ash. I’ll do my best to find out what happened. How is he now?"

"His BP is slowly coming down, still too high, though. Whatever you do, keep him calm."

"Will do. I’ll come find you before I leave."

"I’ll be in my office, got a load of paperwork to catch up on."

Angie slowly opened the door and popped her head in. Jake seemed to be asleep so she quietly walked up to the bed and sat down, watching his face. He seemed unsettled and was frowning as he slept. Angie sighed as she watched her husband, hoping that she could find out what had caused this blip in his recovery.

Jake woke; his heart seemed to be thumping in his chest, much too fast. He lay still, eyes closed, and tried to slow his heart rate. He felt he wasn’t alone and he cracked open one eye. He saw Angie sitting by the side of his bed, one arm resting on the bed as she read a book. He quietly reached out to touch her hand. She looked up and smiled.

"Hello, my love. How are you feeling?"

"Not too hot, or maybe a bit too hot. How long have you been here?"

"A couple of hours. Ash is so worried about you. Can you tell me what’s wrong?"

Jake sighed and turned his face away.

"Jake?"

Angie picked up Jake’s hand and kissed it. Keeping hold of it, she sat back in her chair and waited. Jake would talk when he was ready. She just hoped that it wasn’t something that was going to set him back too much. She really wanted him to be able to come home.

Jake was glad Angie was there with him. She wouldn’t force him to talk, but he knew that he would tell her what was wrong, sooner rather than later. For now he was content to lie there holding her hand. He could feel her calming influence over him.

Ash checked his watch. Angie had been with Jake for three hours now. Time to pay them a visit, he thought.

Angie looked round as the door opened and Ash’s head appeared around it.

"May I come in?" he asked.

"Of course you can, Ash. I think Jake’s sleeping," Angie replied, and then felt his hand squeeze hers. "Or maybe he’s awake," she added with a smile.

Jake shifted in the bed and opened his eyes, looking first at Angie, then at Ash.

"G’Day, Doc. Sorry to cause problems."

"No worries, Jake. Would it be okay to take your obs now you’re awake?"

"Go for it, mate. I have to say, though, you ain’t as pretty as my usual carer."

There was silence while Ash took his temperature and blood pressure. When he’d finished there was a smile on his face.

"It’s looking good. Your BP is back to normal and your temp is down as well. Looks like whatever caused the spike has gone."

"It’s all down to Angie. She’s a calming influence on me," Jake answered.

He pulled himself up the bed and Angie arranged the pillows behind him. Ash sat by Angie and they both listened to his account of Shannon’s visit.

"Oh, darling, I’m sure he didn’t mean it. Maybe he’s had it happen to him, or one of his mates, before and is scared."

"Maybe. He sure knew how to make my blood boil. I felt sick after he crashed out of here. He made out that I was shallow and I couldn’t take that."

"I’ll talk to him when I get back to the apartment. You mustn’t let this drag on. He’s a good friend, isn’t he."

"I thought so, Angie; I really did."

Angie walked to the main entrance with Ash. Jake had told her she might as well go home, as he couldn’t stay awake. Before he said goodbye, Ash told her he would check Jake first thing in the morning and if he was still stable he might let him go home before the weekend.

"Great, another weekend pass," Angie smiled.

"Not this time. I think he’ll do a lot better if he’s home for good. Kevin and I have worked out a therapy plan, although we were thinking about using the para-footy gym, and that might not work out now."

"We can always take him home to the farm. He had a therapy gym built up there to help him after a bad road crash."

"That might work. We could send one of the therapists up with Kevin for a week or two to help him out. We’ll talk about it tomorrow. I hope your talk with Shannon goes well."

Getting back to the south shore took ages. There was a wreck in the tunnel and traffic for the bridge was backed up forever. By the time Angie pulled into her parking space it was getting dark outside. She made her way up to the apartment and threw her things on the lobby table. The apartment was in darkness as she stepped down into the lounge area. There was no sound coming from the guest room either. She knocked the door and entered. It was empty, the bed was made, and there was no sign of anyone having been in there.

Walking back out, she entered the lounge room again and switched on a side lamp. On the coffee table between the two sofas lay an envelope with her name on the front. Opening it, she sat and read the note inside.