North

North Chapter 6 / 6

"You OK?" Amanda asked the next morning, after the kids had gone to school.

"I'm fine," Daniel replied, as he tried to pour himself a coffee, propped up on his crutches.

"I told I wasn't accepting 'I'm fines' for a while, and you've been jittery all morning," she said.

Daniel let out a sigh. "I... I had a bad dream last night."

"You've been through something incredibly traumatic," Amanda said comfortingly. "It's understandable that it'll take some time to get over that."

"I just felt..." Daniel's voice trailed off.

"How did you feel?"

Daniel let out a small huff of laughter. "As stupid as it sounds... I felt unsafe without Johnny here."

"Well, maybe you should ask him to come stay here a while," Amanda said. "He'll need someone to help him anyway."

When Daniel arrived at Johnny's room, pushing himself through the door in his wheelchair, Johnny looked upset.

"You OK?" Daniel

"Yeah," Johnny sighed.

"Desperate to get out of here?" Daniel said knowingly.

"Yeah, but..."

"Has something happened?" Daniel asked.

"The main head doctor guy came to see me today with the results of all the scans and shit they've been doing," Johnny said, looking despondent.

"Was there some bad news?" Daniel asked, worried.

"Most stuffs good," Johnny said shrugging. "Talking and memory, all that's OK."

"That's great news," Daniel said, feeling relieved. "So what's got you so down?"

"My left sides not doing so good," Johnny said.

"What's that mean?" Daniel asked.

"Like my left leg and hand," Johnny said. "I can move them and feel them, but he said there was some weakness in them, and it might be a while before I can walk properly again."

Daniel's heart sank.

"What are you looking so freaked out about?" Johnny asked.

"It's my fault," Daniel replied quietly.

"What?" Johnny asked.

"If you'd got treatment on the first or second day this wouldn't have happened."

"So you think I should have left you there alone?" Johnny asked sharply. "I'm not some kind of pussy who just leaves a friend to die because they have a bit of a headache, Daniel."

"It wasn't just a headache," Daniel said. "You literally had spinal fluid dripping out of your nose!"

"Yeah, and since I had high pressure in my head isn't it a good thing that it was dripping?" Johnny asked. "Better out than in, man."

"Seriously?" Daniel asked. "Where the hell did you read anything about the human body that makes you think that's a good thing?"

"I'm just saying, it's not your fault. I knew what I was doing. It was my choice, and I took it."

"You're crazy," Daniel said, shaking his head. "And this settles it. When you get out of here you are coming to stay at my house where I can keep an eye on you."

"What?" Johnny asked. "I don't need you to look after me. I'll be OK on my own, and Miguel and Carmen live practically next door."

"Miguel has school and Carmen has to work. You are coming to stay with me," Daniel said. "I already have someone coming in starting tomorrow to help me during the day so Amanda can go back to work, so I'll just tell them it's for two."