Jen

Jason forces a short laugh to surface. "Yeah, alright. I don't know what I'm complaining about anyway. I've only been in here one day."

The look on Katie's face enters his mind, reminding him that whether it was 24 hours or 24 months, it wasn't any easier.

"Look, I appreciate everything you're doing, and I apologize if I seem like I don't. I don't have anyone else to fight the system for me right now, so I know we have to stick together. If I think of anything new, I'll let you know...but I think I covered about everything for this one scene."

Jason pauses, catching her eye. "Try to reassure Katie, will ya? If there anyone who doesn't need this, it's her."


Rick frowns and moves closer to Misty, automatically starting to check her vitals. Her pulse seemed a little rapid...he shines a light in her eyes. "Misty...does it hurt anywhere? What's it feel like?"

Carson can sense Rick's concern, and his eyes narrow slightly. "Normal procedure for a cold, Doc?"

Rick straightens up and looks at Carson. "You of all people shouldn't have to ask why we would treat any illness with the utmost caution."

"What do you..." Carson raises an eyebrow straightening a little. "Are you implying that I..." He pauses, knowing the truth in Rick's eyes. "Look, she was fine a while ago, alright? I don't know anything."

"Good. Then you get your hind end over to the sink, get some cold water in a bowl and a clean cloth. She's getting a fever and I want to catch it before it gets worse." Rick points to the counter sternly.

Carson opens his mouth to argue, but obeys, feeling unable to do anything but follow orders at this point.

Rick leaves Misty for a moment, coming back with a syringe. "Hon, I just want to take a small bit of blood from ya. How you doing, hmm? You still awake?"


Kyle lets Katie look him in the eye for a moment, before turning his gaze to the water. "Yeah, I'm sorry...I guess I've just been a little touchy lately, and I shouldn't have let it get so far that anyone else would have noticed it."

He pauses in thought. "I figured you'd ask eventually anyway. I just...guess I didn't feel much like talking about it, and the other guys respected that so they didn't say anything either."

Kyle thinks for a moment, tucking his hands in his pockets. "Jen fell last week at home. She was trying to get something off her bookshelf and got up out of her wheelchair to do it. Her foot caught on something and tripped her. She couldn't get herself back up, and nobody else was home at the time. She finally got to a phone and called me, so I could come home and help. She said she was fine, but she wasn't moving right. I took her to the doctor the next day and..."

He stops, letting another sigh escape. "When Jen fell, she snapped something in her spine that was already damaged. The doctor said that it was severe enough that he didn't want her doing anything...she needed to use her chair at all times, and reduce her movement to the bare minimum, in the hopes that her body would heal itself. If she were to cause any more damage by either falling again, or simply moving the wrong way too quickly, it could be permanent. As it is, all of her therapy has stopped, and she's immobile...back to square one, only worse."

Kyle shakes his head, still focusing on the water. "There's the hope that if no more damage is caused, her spine will repair itself. She does have an appointment in six weeks for the doctor to see if any improvement has been made. If not, he will then decide if surgery would help, or if it's indeed permanent."

He shrugs lamely. "Jen's determined not to change her routine. She's got it in her head to do just what she's been doing all along, and forge ahead, no matter what. I guess I can't blame her, and I'm proud of her attitude....but I guess I worry about her. I don't want her to live the rest of her life in a wheelchair...but I know it's her life and not mine so... yeah. That's what's happening in that end of the world."