Hush, the doctor is here.

3. Not alone?

There was a new cast around my leg thanks to Dr. Mitchell.
Tomorrow Brian would start physio with me because the cast needed some time to harden, and I was already tired from the little exercise I had today.
It was frightening to realize how quickly my condition had deteriorated.
But at this point I was assuming I was physically healthy before all this, I have no reason to think I wasn't.
Just getting in and out of the wheelchair had been challenging for me.
So after everything with Dr. Mitchell, Brian had brought me back to my room and I had fallen asleep soon after.

When I woke up again I had to pee.
Brian wasn't in my room, but the wheelchair was still standing beside my bed.
Surely I could get into it on my own so I can go to the toilet now?
I can't bother Brian with every little thing and the doctor said this was a cast I could stand on.

Carefully I got on the edge of the bed and hopped into the wheelchair.
Great, we got past the first hurdle.
Slowly I moved the wheels with my arms to move towards the bathroom.
Man, this was a bit tougher than I expected.
I really am out of shape.
But in the end I did manage to get on the toilet and thankfully I found out everything was still working as it should.

Well, I guess I should let Brian know that there are no problems in the peeing department.
That is one more thing for him to check off his little list of things to watch out for in my recovery, and one less embarrassing thing he needs to help me with.

With the pressure from a full bladder gone and still some energy left, I figured it would be a nice distraction for me to explore the space a little bit.
Maybe meet some new people to talk to.
Heck, it might just jog my memory a bit.

Slowly I rolled out of the bathroom and out of my room, and stopped to look down the long long hallway.
I still didn't hear a lot of noises, no TV's, radio's or other people talking.

Where is everyone?

While I was gathering the strength for my little exploration Brian suddenly popped around the corner.

"Hey gorgeous, what are you up to?"

He was clearly surprised to see me here and there was something else in his eyes I couldn't place but it gave me a chill.
Quickly I brushed off that uneasy feeling, so far Brian hadn't given me any reason not to trust him.

"Hi Brian, I got on the toilet myself."

I cheerfully replied with an uneasy smile.
He's not going to be mad at me for getting out of bed on my own is he?

"Everything is still working as it should. And because I'm not tired yet I wanted to explore a little, that's okay right?"

That one look on his face, it had only been there for a second but it made me second guess myself.
I wasn't doing anything I wasn't supposed to, right?
But Brian just gently smiled back at me, his eyes all soft again.

"Of course it is, but let me go with you. We don't want you to burn all your energy on the way and not have any left to get back to your room."

"You're right, let's go together. What's there to see around here?"

I waited while Brian got behind the wheelchair, and started pushing me towards the elevator.

"Let's see, the weather is really nice today. I could take you to the park nearby."

On the way out I saw nobody except a guard and a receptionist at the front desk, even though it struck me as odd I didn't ask any questions about it.
Somehow that felt like a dangerous question to ask.

At the park I was relieved to see other people walking around and enjoying the nice weather outside, I felt more at ease knowing that there were at least more people around the vicinity.
The street noises and the day to day chats of the people close by lifted my spirits.
It made me feel like I had been cooped up inside for too long, I loved the hustling and bustling outside the hospital.
There was even a small market near the park with street musicians close by.