Supposedly, Rhodey wasn't going to walk again. Every doctor Tony had taken him to, all the physical therapists–you have to understand, some people just can't be fixed. He was getting used to being numb from the waist down when he woke up.
Wanda tightens the clamps over his wheelchair, giving him a sad smile. He liked the Sokovian girl, she seemed level-headed and genuine. At one point, Tony had begged her to heal his friend. Wanda had held her fellow Avenger with tears in her eyes, telling him that the best she could do was heal his mind. She could never be sure where her ability was reaching, if it was tearing through muscle or organs.
But she did try. And Rhodey was thankful.
"I found someone." Tony looks sick. He's been sick for a while now, but the doctors insist that he's fine. No one believes it. "People call him a miracle worker. We're going to Nepal."
-
The wheelchair doesn't fit through the door. It's embarrassing, to say the least. Wanda gives him a sympathetic look, as if she's read his mind. He hopes she hasn't.
Tony had told the oddly-dressed woman by the door that they were looking for Stephen Strange. She looked as though it wasn't strange at all, disappearing back into the temple to leave them in the street. It was an odd mix–a rich superhero from America, a dark-skinned military man, and a Russian girl with a face like a statue. People give them odd looks.
"Uh...hi. I'm Doctor Strange." The man leaning in the doorway scratches his head. "Can I help you?"
Tony steps forward. "Yes, actually. I was wondering if–"
"Wait a minute." Stephen raises a finger, squinting. "You're Iron Man! Wow, I-I'm a huge fan," His eyes graze over Wanda, then Rhodey's legs. "Scarlet Witch and War Machine too? I love you guys!"
Wanda grins. Rhodey leans forward, placing his palms on his forehead. Thankfully, Tony notices.
"I was wondering if you could heal my friend."
Stephen straightens. "Of course. I'm sorry for not getting to you sooner, I guess it just...never crossed my mind."
"Just like that?" Ah, skepticism. Rhodey wants to hit Tony over the head with his wheelchair.
"There is one condition," The doctor shifts in the doorway. "It's going to take a while."
"How long?" This wasn't part of the plan.
"Uh, probably six months or so. Depends."
Tony removes his sunglasses."I'm sorry?"
"Six months. Maybe more."
He sighs, running a hand through his sweaty hair. "Rhodes?"
"I'll do it." James says without hesitation.
Tony places his sunglasses back over his eyes, pulling at the edges of his tuxedo. "Alright. I'll see you, Rhodey," He places a hand on his shoulder with a smile. "try not to make anything worse."
-
It was eight months before he could walk.
Rhodey was well acquainted with Kamar-Taj by then, but it was no less humiliating to be rolled across the clearing while others walked.
He'd been left out in the rain. It was an accident, truly–his companion had gone inside only for a moment before water began falling from the sky. What they don't tell you about your uniforms is that vibrant, elegant, flowing–not functional as a rain jacket.
Rhodey's shoulders sag as liquid runs down his skin.
Paralysis.
Strange had told him not to attempt the spell until he was ready ("in both mind and body"). It was soon, he said. Not today. Rhodey trusted him, but it didn't make the pain any less.
He brushes the edges of his fingers against one another, murmuring under his breath. Only when his head begins to hurt do tingles run through his legs. It's a start–at least he feels anything. He chants through the spell twice more.
His big toe twitches. The words go silent against his lips.
Rhodey coughs, and gives himself a push against the handles of the wheelchair. He collapses, but there was something. A twitch in his muscles–a promise.
Rhodey was going to walk.
