Chapter warning: Violence & Language

Viola yells at another physical therapist till they leave the room. The aide helps her back into the wheelchair. Viola’s head is wrapped, she’s very thin, and can barely sit up. The aide wheels her back to her room, “Ma’am why do you keep doing that?” Viola barely glances at her. “You keep scaring people off like that you’re going to get a reputation,” the aide teases.

“Show me, someone, as good at physical therapy as you are at being a personal aide and then we’ll talk,” Viola smirks. The aide smirks. They talk only a little bit more as Viola does not have a great deal of strength yet. Viola eats what little she can, asks for a water bottle, gets put on an iv, and turns in for bed.

Viola waits for the aide to turn off the lights before they leave. When the door locks, she rolls over. She picks up the water bottle, rolls it onto her bed, and slowly begins practicing lifting it. Her secret workouts increase bit by bit.

The next morning a flower delivery comes to the front desk. The large blonde man and the receptionist seem to grin and chuckle like old friends as he drops off the flowers. He hangs around for a little while as they both gossip, even letting his butt sway back and forth as they talk. Much to the senior crowd’s delight. Then a crying therapist runs by. The delivery man, “What was that about?”

The receptionist sighs, “A recent patient is breaking our therapist left and right. I haven’t seen someone this stubborn in a long time.”

“Ohhh,” comes out of his mouth as he leans on his hand. ‘I wonder~”

A couple more deliveries and some more gossip later the pair see another therapist head to the courtyard. A little old lady comes around the corner laughing, “She really broke that one!” She looks up to see the delivery man waiting at the desk. She smiles and motions him over with her cane, “Well came on you sexy thing help granny get those beauties to her room.”

He grins and picks up the vase. He would never admit it but feisty old customers are his favorite to talk to, such interesting things come out of their mouths. They start talking the instant he gets beside her. He found out all the therapists the mystery patient is breaking are all creeps doing questionable things to patients, but the person is really nice to aides and general staff. Some of the older patients and long-term life care members are happy those therapists are gone anyway since they could not convince anyone how bad they were. “She seems like a smart little cookie. I bet when she gets some weight back on her she’ll be a handful. Not like she isn’t now,” the old laughs as she boasts.

‘You would think that person is her daughter,’ the delivery man thinks as he watches how happy the old lady is.

“Oh, there she is!” the old lady points to Viola going by. She shouts to her but Viola just waves over the chair as the aide keeps going. “Uh oh. Someone’s been naughty again and being sent back to her room for supper alone,” the old lady snickers.

“Such a naughty little thing,” the delivery man smiles.  

The next day, after all the normal deliveries are made, the delivery man pulls up to Cyclone’s Gym. He comes through the door holding a large bouquet of purple balloons that got everyone’s attention, “I’m looking for Steven. I heard the big boy is here. Though I see so many.” He smirks as he takes in the view of everyone looking at him but winks at Josh.

Steven barely makes the corner when Josh begins to motion to him. The delivery man catches the sign. “Steven!” he shouts as he runs over to him.

“Huh?” barely out of Steven’s mouth as the large man pushes on his chest.

“I have something for you!” he sings as he leans on Steven. Steven automatically back-peddles a little. The delivery man manages to push Steven around the corner. As soon as they round the corner, he watches to see who came over. After a moment, only a few members of the gym came to see, all of them were people he recognizes as long-time members. He sits Steven down on a bench, sat next to him, and begins tying the balloon bouquet on his wrist. Steven is about to say something when he cut him off, “She’s ok.”

“Huh?” comes out of Steven’s mouth as his head tilts.

The delivery man smiles. “Is that all you know how to say?” he chuckles. “We found her. Something going on but she’s hanging on. Feisty as ever and holding her own,” he finishes with a grin. Everyone roars in excitement. “Hush!!” he shushes the crowd. “Someone’s keeping a close eye on that girl and things don’t feel right. So, try to keep things a little quieter, no matter how big you are,” he snickers winking at Raph. He stands up just in time for something to smash into him from behind. He glances over to see Steven hugging him.

“Thank you,” he says before he let him go.

The man straightens his uniform out and smiles, “Could take tips like that all day!” He winks again at Josh. He hums a little as he left the gym. 

The group tries to keep its excitement down but still ends up cheering for a moment. Josh hushes them while still smirking. After a moment everyone turns to Steven, who is still frozen in place. Raph and Josh come to his sides and begin patting his shoulders. Steven looks at them with so much disbelief and relief in his eyes the pair could not help but smile. “I’ll take care of things out here for a while,” Raph begins.

“She’s ok,” Steven begins muttering as it finally sets in. Josh pushes him into the office. “She’s ok!”

Josh turns around to Raph, “Thank you.” Raph just smiles. Josh closes the door. When he turns around; he sees Steven already hugging one of the purple balloons, trying not to cry, and chanting, she’s ok. Josh coughs, a couple of tears fell off of Steven as he looks up, and Josh holds out his arms, “Maybe you want something a little firmer than a balloon to hug?”

Before Josh knows it his face is buried in balloons, his feet off the ground, and a grip tighter than any vise is squeezing him as he swings back and forth. A yahoo scream so loud it comes through the walls makes everyone else chuckle at Steven’s joy.

Josh’s head stops shaking long enough to notice he is starting to have trouble breathing. He pats Steven’s arm. Steven only stops swinging him around to look up at him with a large overexcited grin. “Down,” slips out of Josh, who finds himself blushing at the excitement his long-time friend had.

Steven lets Josh out of his grip, “Sorry.”

Josh pats his clothes straight and fidgets in place as he thinks, ‘Been a long time since someone hugged me that hard.’ He looks at his friend; he is stroking the back of his head, chuckling slightly, and with a slight red streak of his own growing on his cheeks as he glances at the strings on his wrist. “You’re really happy,” slips out of Josh.

Steven blinks for a moment before he glances at Josh before wishing he could disappear into his elbow. “Well… I mean,” he trips over his words. Josh snickers giving Steven only a moment warning before he pushes him back onto the couch. “Hey!” Steven shouts when he feels his shirt move. Something odd touches his skin. He glances down to see Josh shoving one of the purple balloons up his shirt enough that it is coming out the collar.

“You need to wear baggier shirts. Then I could fit a couple more in there,” Josh snickers.

Steven freezes.

“Want me to draw some eyes on it or something? Maybe a couple more would fit down here,” he teases pulling at the end of his shirt and top of his pants. “Though maybe you already got one in there,” he teases watching his friend change colors.

“You jerk.”

“I know.”

The two are quiet for a moment after all the playfulness. They just sit together.

Steven finally moves a little, “I didn’t think she’d make it. After those times…”

“Yeah.”

Steven leans back on the couch. He pinches the bridge of his nose, “When Doc takes something.”

“It never comes back,” Josh finishes. The pair have known Doctor Clarke the longest out of anyone at Cyclone’s Gym but Doctor Clarke’s reputation of absolutes preceded him. Josh wants to say so many things; that he has a connection at Queen’s Garden and could find out more information, who might be spying on her, that Viola won’t stop till she could see him again, that he looks silly cradling a balloon as if it is a person on his chest while a dozen more circled him. But for as happy and cheerful as Steven was only a moment ago, he is solemn now. His hope, and heart, are truly hanging on by a thread. Josh pats his knee before he stands up.

“Where are you going?” Steven tries to sound like he is teasing but it came out with exhaustion.

Josh grins, “To get you a bigger shirt. No matter how much weight she lost she’s not that small.” Steven snorts and leans back on the couch. Josh just watches for a moment. Josh leaves the room quietly. ‘She better make it back,’ came to mind as the door closed behind him.

Steven sits in a trace for a moment. He replays the last time he got to hold her and imagines the times she fell asleep on him. The loose balloons bouncing in his vision bring him back to his situation. “I hope you’ll be ok. I…I really want to hug you again,” he admits as the blush grows stronger and he curls up more.

Viola would not describe her situation as any semblance of ok. Doctor Clarke informs her that she would finally be going home but under specific supervision. A small woman walks into the room, “Hello sweetie.”

“Oh, fuck this,” Viola swearing and unfiltered resentment did not stop the woman. Doctor Clarke can not stop either woman from arguing. Unfortunately, Viola runs out of strength before she could declare anything legally.

The next time she wakes up they were at her home; the woman is rearranging things to be more appropriate, her husband bringing things in, and Doc trying to explain things.

The woman begins going through Viola’s closest. “Hey! Get out of there!” Viola shouts sitting up.

The woman brings an arm full of clothes out, “These are disgusting. I will get rid of them for you.” She begins to walk past Viola’s bed. Viola grabs her arm. “Don’t worry. You don’t need to thank me.”

“Put those back,” Viola growls.

“What? Naw,” the woman disagrees with a plastered-on smile.

“This is my house, my property, and my rules. Put it back,” Viola declares. Doctor Clarke puts his hands up to try and stop another argument.

The woman shakes off Viola’s hand. Viola sits up with her hand on the side table. The woman leans in her face. “You don’t own this house. And you’re in no shape to enforce any rules. So lay down and shut up while I finally make a respectable woman out of you,” she gleefully declares in Viola’s face.

Viola’s face rotates with a smirk. Doctor Clarke is about to say something when he catches a shift motion. The woman begins screaming as she drops the clothes. She looks down to see a small knife in her leg. Viola pulls it out. “Women like you don’t deserve respect and you will behave according to the house rules,” Viola declares sitting up.

Doctor Clarke moves to treat the woman’s leg as she curls around it. “You beast! You horrid child!” she screams as her husband finally makes it to the room. He takes her out of the room. “You’re a monster! Just like your mother!” she screams.

Viola holds up the knife, “Then you really should be more careful about following the rules.”

The woman fidgets in her husband’s arms. They disappear around the corner. Doc catches Viola sitting back on the bed. “We shouldn’t even have bothered! That little beast isn’t worth it.” She protests as Doc starts treating her injury. He pushes hard on it. “Ow! What are you doing? I thought you were a doctor?”

“Just testing if you were human,” Doc protests. The woman is about to say something. “I suggest you just make sure she doesn’t die, follow the rules, and go back to where you came from,” he mostly states towards the husband. He does not make eye contact with anyone.

“We came out of the goodness of our hearts!”

“No. You invited yourself; to brown nose and get some credit for treating THEIR daughter. That already failed. I suggest you leave before it gets problematic,” Doc declares. He does not state it but is going to make sure word spreads of her actions long before they ever get home.

“No. I’ll make a functioning woman out of that beast,” the woman bitterly sticks to her idea. Doc tightens the bandage. “Why you~” she begins to complain again.

“I won’t speak at your funeral.” Doc declares. The woman shakes a moment but still tries to glare. “Touch the property and be punished. Remember to follow all the house RULES or face the consequences.” Doc reminds her before going back in to clean up the clothes and mess on the floor.   

The time since his friend died was a draining period for Doctor Clarke, but he knows now that Viola is back in her home, things are going to start a new.