The Way of the Fist 🐉Tory Nichols🐉

25. REHAB

JACK

"Let's go, Speed Racer." I heard Johnny shout from outside the apartment. "I'm gonna work those gimpy legs like a...rented mule." Johnny said walking into the apartment with Miguel. "Hey." I said looking at him as my dad stretched my legs. "Sorry. I thought you said 10:00 that you'd be alone." He told me. "Sorry, my dad used to be a physical therapist." I explained. "Be done soon if you wanna wait, Johnny." Dad said. "Now, if you're feeling any pain, Jackie, let me know." Dad told me. "Still no feeling whatsoever." I answered. "No worries. Positive thoughts, remember? You're doing great." Dad told me. "At what? At letting you lift his legs?" Johnny asked him as I chuckled. "Watch it, Johnny. The only reason you're here is because Jack wanted you to be. Don't think for one second that this changes anything between us." Dad told him. "Dad. Come on. Lighten up." I stated. 

I sat in my wheelchair outside watching my dad get into his car to go to Cobra Kai dojo. He drove off before I turned around and wheeled my way towards my apartment. I looked up to see a magazine in my face with a woman in a bikini on the cover. My eyes went wide before I looked up to see Johnny with a fishing pole. "What's this?" I asked him. "This is a collection of the tastiest babes of 1988. Not gonna get to see 'em unless you grab it." He told me. "OK." I answered reaching for it. "Gonna have to try harder than that." Johnny told me. "You know I cam find these pictures on my phone right?" I told him. "It's not the same. Chicks are hotter on the page. But you won't know unless you get off your butt." Johnny stated. "Or you can keep getting foot rubs from your dad." He added. "OK." I said reaching for it. "Weak! That all you got, Holland? I thought you were an 8-Time Karate Champion?" He asked me. I squinted my eyes before looking up at the magazine. I pushed up on the wheelchair before reaching up at the magazine. The wheelchair fell from under me and I collapsed to the ground. "You all right?" Johnny asked me as I sat up. ""Yeah." I said as Johnny picked me up. "All right. I got you, bud." Johnny told me setting me in the chair. "Here we go." He said. "All right, gimme a minute. We'll go again." He told me slapping my shoulder. "I think I still have my Vanna White Playboy, that'll get you going." He said. "Don't you get it? You could dangle Tory in front of me and I still wouldn't be able to stand up." I told him before rolling the wheelchair away. 

"You know why they call this hibachi?" He asked me as I watched him fire up a grill. "They don't. It's a kettle grill, genius." I answered. "Hundred years ago in ancient China, there was a tiny little village of dairy farmers, living fat off their milk and cheese. When the drought came, they needed water from the river. The Chinamen didn't want to do their work." He explained. "Not sure that's the appropriate term." I pointed out. "China people, whatever. The point is, they were laying around in hammocks waiting for rain. So a wise man gathered a bunch of twigs and stuffed it under the sleeping villagers. Know what he did then?" He asked. "He lit a fire under them?" I guessed. "Exactly. That's where the expression comes from. You know what that wise man's name was?" He asked kneeling next to me. "Hibachi?" I answered with a sigh. "Damn straight." He stated. "Yeah. Except that hibachis are from Japan, not China, where there weren't many dairy farmers, historically, or hammocks.  Think I'd fall for that?" I explained. "No. I knew you'd be too busy calling my bullshit to know what I was up to." He answered. "Oh, yeah? What's that?" I asked with a smirk. "Lighting a fire under you." He answered. "What did you do?" I asked looking under me to see my shoe was on fire. "What. Did. You. Do?!" I exclaimed staring wide-eyed at my shoe. I went to reach down when Johnny pinned my arms. "Are you insane?!" I asked. "Depends who you ask. Come on, Holland! Shake a leg!" He told me. "I can't!" I answered. "Can if you want it that bad." He stated. "I know! It's all that I want!" I shouted. "Then focus! Tell your brain to tell your legs to get their asses moving!" He voiced. "OK." I said breathing quickly. I tried desperately before watching my ankle catch on fire. "Oh, shit!" Johnny stated. "Sensei, it's going up my leg!" I shouted before Johnny put it out with a fire extinguisher. "Really thought that would work." He sounded. "Why didn't it?" I asked him. "My foot was on fire. I didn't feel a thing. Why is nothing working? It's fine. I should probably clean up before my dad gets home." I breathed before heading back into my apartment. "See ya." Johnny said.

MIGUEL

I stood in the arcade while the others were in the old laser tag arena messing around. I was playing skeeball before my phone dinged. I pulled it out to see a text from Jack. "Ever wanted to know what it's like to be set on fire? It's not fun. At all. AT! ALL!" He texted sending an image of a scorched shoe. I called him. He picked up after the first ring. "What the hell did you do?" I asked throwing the last skeeball and walking away. "I'll tell what I did. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. It just happened and I couldn't do anything to prevent it." He answered. I thought for a moment. "Johnny?" I asked. He was silent for a second. "Yeah." He voiced. "Thought so." I stated before seeing Tory and some other Cobras heading in the direction of the laser tag arena. "Oh, Shit. That's not good." I whispered. "What's wrong?" Jack asked. "I gotta go. I think a fight's going down between the Cobras and Miyagi-Dos." I answered. "How do you know?" He asked. "Because....Tory's here." I sighed. "Tory's there?" He asked quietly. "Yeah. Sorry, bud. I gotta go." I said before hanging up and shoving my phone into my pocket. I ran off after them.

JACK

I sat in my room I turned around before seeing Johnny in the doorway. "AAH!" I exclaimed before holding my chest. "Don't do that! I can't defend myself, jackass!" I shouted grabbing the heaviest object nearby and threw it at him. "We're going for a little trip." He told me wheeling me out of my room. "What? Wait. I don't. Why? Wait, I haven't." I said grabbing onto the doorframe. "Calm down, hairmop. I'm not going to kill you." He said.

I looked around as Johnny wheeled me down a hallway. "And I thought this place looked scary from the outside. Where are we?" I asked him. "It's a fieldtrip." He told me. "Here. Take this and follow my lead." Johnny said handing me a bag. "OK." I said. "Nice try. Come back when he's 21." A man told me. "Yeah, that's gonna be tough. He'll be dead by then." Johnny said. "What?!" I exclaimed with wide-eyes. "Great. He wasn't supposed to know yet. He should be dead already. Every day's a gift." Johnny continued. I looked at the man before letting out a cough and sneezed. "He's got a bucket list. Getting past that door is number one on it." Johnny told the man as I held up my pointer finger. "All right. Go ahead. Hey, good luck, kid." The man said letting us in. Music hit my ears as Johnny wheeled me through the cheering crowd. "That's Dee Snider, the most badass rocker ever." Johnny told me. "How's this part of my physical therapy?" I asked. "It's not. Just forget about all that and have some fun!" Johnny said taking out cans of beer and giving one to me. I raised the can into the air. "Yeah!" I shouted. I took a selfie of me and Johnny. "Can I get a copy of that?" Johnny asked. "Don't worry, I'll tag you." I said. "Tag me? What the hell does that mean?" He asked. "Check your Facebook." I said. "I don't have Facebook anymore, I threw my phone away." He answered. "You do realize it's on your computer too, right?" I asked looking up at him. "Yeah." He answered. "All right. All right. So, I hear there's a Make-A-Wish kid in the house tonight." Dee said. "Yeah, right here. Right here! Yeah! Here he is." Johnny shouted pointing at me. "There he is. There he is. Ladies....let's make that kid's wish come true!" Dee said pointing to the girls to my left. I looked over to see three hot girls wave at me. "Hey." I said waving. "Now repeat after me! I wanna rock!" Dee shouted. "Rock!" The crowd answered. Johnny tapped my chest. I looked up at him and he pointed down at my foot. I saw my foot tapping. "YES!" I cheered. I turned to Johnny before giving him a hug.