Lean on me

Chapter 9

After a week of being in the hospital, Sloan was finally released. She sits on the edge of her hospital bed and gingerly puts her right foot on the ground. Sloan stands up, only to fall back on the bed when pain shoots up her leg. Jensen moves forward to catch her and tries to help her up but the girl shakes her head, slapping his hand away. 

"I can get it." She tells him. 

"Don't be stubborn." He says. 

"Me? Stubborn? Never!" Sloan says sarcastically, getting a few chuckles. 

She concentrates and stands up on her left foot, slowly setting the other foot down, smiling when she doesn't fall. Sloan takes a tentative step forward, slowly letting her hand release its grip on the bed railing. She walks forward and lands in the wheelchair that was waiting for her. 

"Ready to go home?" Jensen asks, kneeling in front of his daughter. She nods excitedly. 

"You have no idea." She says. He laughs lightly and stands up, grabbing the book bag of her things that he brought from the house to make her more comfortable. Doctor Robinson walks up and takes Jensen's place, kneeling in front of the teenager. 

"Don't forget, you have a follow-up appointment in a week and a half." He reminds her. "If any of your injuries start to really hurt before then, come see me." Sloan nods, although she knows that she won't let anyone know when she's in pain. 

"Thank you for everything Doctor Robinson." She says with a grateful smile. The doctor smiles back and leans forward, wrapping his arms around Sloan in a hug. She wraps her arm around him briefly before pulling away. He stands up and shakes Jensen's hand, reminding him of the appointment because he knows Sloan will forget. 

"Thanks, doc." Jensen says with a smile. He takes his place behind Sloan, handing the book bag off to Jared. 

Jensen pushes the chair out of the room and down the hall to the elevator. The three get in the elevator and ride in silence the whole way to the lobby, all of them wondering what happens now. 

"Do you think you can walk from here to the car?" Jensen asks once the group is outside, stopping at the curb. Sloan sees his truck at the edge of the parking lot and nods. "Are you sure?" 

"I'm sure. I can do it." She insists, determined. Jensen gives her an unsure look before nodding.

He holds the wheelchair still and Sloan stands up shakily, taking a few steps forward. She smiles when she feels her legs stop shaking until there were only small tremors in them. Sloan turns around and sees the three males watching her with smiles. 

"Let's go already! I'm ready to get out of here!" She says, making them laugh. 

They begin the journey to the car, Sloan limping slightly but not allowing that to slow her down. About halfway, she starts to feel tired, having not used this much energy in a week, but refuses to let the men know. 

When they finally reach the car, Sloan gets in the backseat behind the driver's seat, reaching across her body for seatbelt before buckling up. She goes to close the door but realizes her mistake in sitting in this seat instead of the one behind the passenger seat. She reaches for the door with her hand, but is unable to reach it. She tries to reach again, but stops with a wince when she pulls the stitches in her abdomen. 

"She needs help." Grayson informs Jared after a few seconds. Sloan turns to him with a glare. "You do. And you weren't going to ask for it." He says defensively. Jared quickly gets out of the driver's seat and closes the door for the girl. 

"Thanks." She says quietly, feeling embarrassed that she couldn't do something as simple as close the door. "I could've done it. I just needed some time."