Warm Bodies: The Answer

Lost and Found

This is looooong one folks. The longest chapter in the whole story, would you believe. Hope you enjoy it. :) Btw, while it has Joshua in it, it's really about brothers, and worth seeing to the end.

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Rowan stood on the tarmac, leaning on the cane he'd been using in his rehabilitation, hating the fact he needed one. His gut twisted uncomfortably as the jet came to a stop in front of their small gathering, and he let out a slow breath to steady his nerves.

He was not looking forward to this.

But, he'd volunteered to do it, so he had to suck it up.

The Colonel gave him a slap on the arm and stepped forward to meet the disembarking group. Rowan hung back, and glanced at the man in front, before looking back down at his hand, the knuckles white as he grasped the head of the cane.

Dammit, just look at him.

Releasing a sigh, he raised his head again, catching Joshua's quick glance his way, before the man, flanked by two of his own soldiers, stepped forward to grasp the Colonel's offered hand.

The handshake was short and stiffly formal, and both men walked back from it with haste, neither being too comfortable with the contact. The Colonel shared a few words that Joshua nodded to and Rowan didn't hear, pointed to a few soldiers, then gestured towards Rowan, who stood as tall as he could as he met the man's gaze.

Joshua looked over him quickly, noting the cane, then glanced away, his gaze sweeping between the two soldiers beside Rowan. Then the man walked over while talking briefly to the soldier on his right, who Rowan didn't recognize.

Rowan didn't say anything as Joshua approached. There wasn't anything he could really think to say.

Joshua stopped in front of them and nodded towards the Hummer parked nearby, not meeting Rowan's eye.

"That our transport?"

Rowan tried not to sigh and failed, then nodded, then realized Joshua wasn't looking at him so he needed to speak up.

"Yeah, I'm going to dr-"

Joshua had already walked away, signalling to his men to follow.

With a sharp look at the Colonel, Rowan gritted his teeth and took his steps, slowly and carefully, towards the vehicle.

Joshua had already climbed inside and was looking away, towards the far terminal - something Rowan was thankful for as it meant the man couldn't see him working so hard just to walk.

It'd been a tough month and a half. The coma had left him with very little muscle strength, and some frustrating learning difficulties. He'd had to build up the strength to use his legs again, and had only started walking on his own a week ago. Trying to concentrate on anything for a long period of time, even something as simple as playing the guitar, left him irritable, with a headache only the strongest painkiller could touch. It'd been hard. And it'd been even harder on Julie, who'd had to shoulder raising their baby while he was stuck in hospital.

They were doing alright now though, and he threw himself at every diaper change and middle-of-the-night comforting he could, to try and make up for it.

Hope had started smiling in earnest and making all sorts of noises, adding her own hilarious harmonies to his songs, even mimicking his popping fish sounds when he gave her baths. She was moving more, responding to them more, and growing more beautiful every day.

He adored her. When the physical crap got him down, all he had to do was think of her popping away in the bathtub to turn his mood around. Thinking about her at all did the trick actually, the popping was just a bonus.