Stuck In The Box: A New Normal

Chapter 8: It's Only Me And My Shadows

The next day, Roger got his trach, nasogastric tube, some IVs and the pleural tap removed. He can now start his physiotherapy by walking on his walker. "Are you ready?" Chris asked. "I dunno, I'm nervous about walking again," Roger said. "You can do it, I promise you," Dr Hayley said. Roger nodded. Dr Hayley and Chris helped him stand up as he tried to walk. "Okay, baby steps, nobody's expecting you to walk too much," Dr Hayley said before Roger's knees buckled as he fell. "Roger!" Chris exclaimed, trying to help Roger up. Roger attempted to stand up and try to walk on his own only to fall down again. "We can continue his physiotherapy later, let him rest and we'll also run some tests in case something's wrong and why he couldn't walk," Dr Hayley said. Chris nodded and tried to help Roger back to his bed.

"I don't think I could walk again," Roger said. "Roger, don't say that, you will walk again, I know so," Chris said. "And the drums? I'll take over for a bit until you recover," he added. The 2 remained silent as Chris didn't move unless he had to as more doctors and nurses came in to check on Roger. After rounds of tests and failed physiotherapy attempts, Chris learned that Roger is paralysed and not only he needed to be on oxygen but also on a wheelchair. "So, will he be able to walk again?" Chris asked. "It will take a while for him to walk again, it'll take time," Dr Hayley said. Chris sighed while Roger started crying. This was the first time in a while he was able to cry because the trach prevented him from doing so. Chris tried to comfort him as Dr Hayley left the room to give the 2 boys a moment.

"I know it's hard for you right now but you'll be able to walk soon, don't worry," Chris said while soothingly rubbing Roger's shoulder. "What if people stare at us, what if there will be another person similar to Gary, Tony and their gang or Emily or Kodilea," Roger said before Chris cut him off. "We dealt with other people staring at us for a while, Roger, it wouldn't be anything new but we dealt with it," Chris said. "Ever since I learned I was gay, Tony, Gary and the gang would push me around and bully me but I don't care, I knew who I was," he added. "Did anyone stare or give dirty looks to Curt, John or Andy just cuz they were disabled?" Roger asked. "Yeah, some girl couldn't stop staring at the bald patch Curt failed to hide once, another person gave dirty looks to John and Andy because John was carrying Andy. There's this one time where Emily literally took out Curt's hearing aids," Chris said.

"Really?" Roger asked. "Yeah, if anyone wants to make fun of you because you have a scar as a result of a trach, a nasal cannula, a port or a wheelchair, I'll fight them for you," Chris said. "All you could do is heal," Roger said. "And all you could do is write with your mind," Chris said back. "Dr Hayley said my powers would be twice as powerful, maybe I'll be able to write with my mind without being triggered or gain a new power," Roger said. "You probably will, Curt actually gained xenoglossy and can also pick up skills easily," Chris said. "You sure?" Roger asked. "Yeah," Chris said. The 2 teens fell asleep again, just taking a nap because Roger had a long day. Chris didn't know what time it was until someone shook him awake. "Chris, wake up," Nick softly said.

Chris woke up seeing Nick and the other Wild Boys in the hospital room. "What? What time is it?" Chris asked. "It's 3 pm now, we have just finished school and we wanna pay a visit," Bryan said. "So, how's Roger? Is he alright?" John asked, looking at Roger's sleeping form. "He started doing physio today but whenever we tried to get him to stand, we failed," Chris said. "It's just temporary, he'll be able to walk eventually," he added. That's when Roger began to stir and started to hug Chris in his sleep. "Hey, you alright?" Chris asked. Roger opened his eyes and shook his head. "You know he does that whenever he's sick? He's very clingy," John said. Chris felt Roger's forehead and noticed how warm he was. "He has a fever," Chris exclaimed.

Martin pressed the emergency button as Dr Hayley and a few nurses came in. "What happened?" Dr Hayley asked. "He has a fever," Chris said in a worried tone. One of the nurses grabbed a thermometer and checked Roger's temperature. "39.3°C," the nurse said. "Just let him rest, okay? Don't make him do much," Dr Hayley said. Chris nodded and continued to hold onto a very sick Roger. Dr Hayley did some tests on Roger, including checking his heartbeat and breathing. "He's showing signs of pneumonia, it's not severe but he just needs time to heal himself instead of adding more and more medication," Dr Hayley said. Chris could easily hear Roger wheezing, he knew it's a sign of pneumonia because Curt and John had pneumonia which resulted in pulmonary fibrosis.