Begonias

Chapter Thirty Seven|Recovery

Clay had to stay in the hospital for at least another month. Or, at least, that's what the doctors told him.

Honestly, he believed them the second he tried to stand up for the first time since he was admitted. Clay grunted as his legs twitched a bit under his own weight. It had been a month and a half since he'd been on them, so this was supposed to happen.

Clay saw the good in this. He was able to stand up for five minutes before his legs started to shake, and his fitness trainer said this was great news.

Clay, through all this, somehow felt better than he had in years. To him, it was like the world decided to kick him down a notch and teach him a lesson about how good his life was.

Day by day things got better. Soon he could stand for ten minutes, fifteen, half an hour. And then he could walk again.

Walking for the first time in two months was exhilarating in a way you could never understand without being in Clay's shoes. It made him want to smile and laugh and cry all at once.

George was with him along the way, encouraging him, supporting him, and just being there for him. Clay constantly thanked whatever's up there that George was here for him.

Clay had started to lift weights in physical therapy, and he would be lying if he said it wasn't tough. A couple of times he'd thought about giving up and dropping the five-pound weights.

When he felt like this, George would say things that made his heart melt, and his determination flare-up bigger than before.

"If you can't lift that, how will you piggyback me in the pool to chicken fight with Nick and Darryl?"

"If you can't walk through this water then how do you expect to run into my arms?"

And Clay's absolute favorite...

"When you can jog five laps around this room without needing a break, I'll give you a kiss."

Clay sighed dreamily just thinking about it. George was the light of his life even in these dark times, giving him hope when there is slim to none.

George was there with him more often than he wasn't. The days he wasn't there were the ones he worked the hardest, so he could surprise George with his progress the next day.

Dream's PT instructor was a very, very supportive member of the LGBT community. She and Clay talked a lot, her gushing about her girlfriend and Clay gushing about George.

He and George were adamant about not putting a label on this... Thing they had until Clay was recovered enough to continue making videos. They wanted to go public with it, but at the same time, they weren't sure if that was the smartest thing to do.

Anyways, Brie was a very, very physically apt dark-skinned woman whose presence demanded respect, but her personality was very supportive and understanding. Clay knew that he would most likely be friends with her even after he recovered.

One day while Clay was going through his usual schedule, a stranger came through the door. They were a tall lanky boy, probably about an inch or two shorter than Clay, with freckles and wire-rimmed glasses. They spotted Clay and smiled nervously, clipboard in hand as they went over to him.

"Hey, I'm Jared and I'm with Roses and Thorns?" Clay recognized the name of the charity foundation that had come up to support him, and his face lit up as he stuck a hand out to shake.

"Hey, I thought it was weird that no one had come here yet! What's up?" Clay pulled his hand away, glad to see that Jared's shoulders relaxed a little bit. He must be new to this sort of thing.

"We just wanted to check in with you, see how you're doing, maybe ask a few questions..?" Jared asked quietly like he was nervous.

"Yeah, of course! Uh, if you have any questions about my recovery physically you can ask Brie for the gory details." Jared smiled and shook his head.

"Uh, we actually want it from your perspective, if that makes sense?" Clay was a bit surprised at first before he nodded in understanding.

"Well, what would you like to know?"

Well, the next hour and a half were filled with questions and answers, and Clay even noticed that the boy wrote in shorthand, which really surprised him.

He honestly didn't know what shorthand was until his mom told him about his grandmother, and seeing it in this day of age was so rare that it kinda shocked him.

The conversation was pleasant and not at all rushed, causing Clay to be more specific with his wording, but he would be lying if he said he wanted to just go to bed after all that talking.

The boy said that whenever he wanted he could call the company and tell his story, and Clay thanked him as he was leaving, ready to pass out.

It was at the two and a half month mark that Clay didn't say a word to George when he visited the PT room to see him.

Clay just grabbed him by the shoulders, putting him in the center of the room, and motioned for him to stay right where he was.

And with that, Clay began to jog.

The first lap was the easiest for him, as was expected. He jogged at a slower pace, not wanting to waste what little stamina he had built up over the past month.

The second and third laps were about the same levels of unpleasant, just breathing a bit heavy.

The last two made his legs tremble a bit, but he was determined, and it was so worth it when he finished the final lap and walked back up to George, panting.

His eyes were wide, and he was grinning from ear to ear as he quickly wrapped Clay up in a hug, laughing a bit.

"I'm so happy. That... This is awesome." George said as he leaned away, looking up to Clay and seeing that his face was full of adoration and love. The look was so intense that George started to blush a bit as he smirked, reveling in the attention.

"Now, here's your prize." He grabbed the collar of Clay's shirt, pulling him down and meeting him halfway, on his tiptoes.

It wasn't fireworks as they kissed. It wasn't like the world had changed forever. But everything did melt away as Clay grinned into it before pulling away.

The pure happiness on the other boy's face made George lean in to kiss him again.