Salem heard a knock on the door of his hospital room, drawing his attention from the smartphone in his hand upon which he was typing towards the closed egress that led into the hall. There were beeps and phones ringing, the shuffling of carts and feet, but he still heard over the ambient bustling a woman's voice calling out to him.
"Salem, are you ready?"
It was the friendly tones of his nurse, Rebecca, who'd become a facet in his recovery during Salem's stay. With her help, he'd went from being unable to walk and wash himself to ambulatory again, the product of many weeks of physical therapy that led to his current accomplishment of having dressed himself in his old clothes for release. Setting the phone down and slipping off the bed, Salem flexed his legs and stretched the muscles before answering.
"Yep, Becca, I'm all dressed. Sorry you missed the show."
The thick metal handle on the door twisted and unlatched from the frame, swinging open carefully to reveal the young woman pushing a wheelchair into the room, shaking her head and laughing at Salem's cocky humor.
"Nothing I haven't seen before, been there and done that." she teased with a wry smile, setting the brakes on the wheels next to Salem, waiting for him to take a seat. Croft tilted his head with a frown, lowering his eyes at the chair in an overdramatic fashion.
"Do I gotta? You know I can walk again, right?"
The woman shook her head back at Salem like a mother trying to get her kid on the bus. "Hospital policy for discharges. And don't -"
"Discharges, huh?" Salem smirked and chuckled as he reluctantly got into the chair, causing Rebecca to let out a defeated sigh.
"I knew you'd do that," she snorted playfully, releasing the brakes and starting to wheel him out into and down the hall. "Besides, your friend is here, they're waiting down at the entrance."
Salem nodded, gesturing to her with his cell phone as they politely rolled by patients and staff, some of which waved and greeted 'The Copperhead' as they passed.
"I know, he texted me already. You could at least let me push myself, though."
"Ohhh, no, not after that cafeteria incident last week. Your wheelchair independence has been revoked, mister." she responded, approaching a set of elevator doors and hitting the call button. "They're probably still cleaning up that mess."
The doors silently parted open, revealing an empty platform that they ingressed onto, Rebecca hitting the corresponding button for the lobby as the steel slabs shut once more.
"Besides, like you said, you don't need this chair, right? Don't you think it's time you got back out into the world? I'm sure your friend is going to be happy to see you, he brought a limo and everything."
"Heh. Yeah." Salem said with a touch of flat sarcasm. "I'm sure he's thrilled. Honestly, these past few weeks were probably the quietest of his life. Surprised he didn't pay you to smother me in my sleep."
"You think he'd do that?" Rebecca answered with mild surprise.
Salem shook his head and laughed. "Nah...not Drako. He'd much rather have the satisfaction of strangling me, himself."
Rebecca shared a brief laugh with Salem as the platform stopped moving with a 'DING', the monitor above the doorway indicating the Ground Floor. "He sounds like a good friend."
Salem nodded again as the panels shifted and opened before them, revealing the lobby.
"Yeah, he is. Don't got many like him."
With those last words, Salem picked up his phone and quickly tapped out a text to Drako, letting him know the pair were coming out as Rebecca ushered Salem through the visiting guests, furniture, and plants of the lobby, feeling the morning light cascading through the large windows outside and warming his face with a refreshing glow as they made for the large entrance doors.
"Salem, are you ready?"
It was the friendly tones of his nurse, Rebecca, who'd become a facet in his recovery during Salem's stay. With her help, he'd went from being unable to walk and wash himself to ambulatory again, the product of many weeks of physical therapy that led to his current accomplishment of having dressed himself in his old clothes for release. Setting the phone down and slipping off the bed, Salem flexed his legs and stretched the muscles before answering.
"Yep, Becca, I'm all dressed. Sorry you missed the show."
The thick metal handle on the door twisted and unlatched from the frame, swinging open carefully to reveal the young woman pushing a wheelchair into the room, shaking her head and laughing at Salem's cocky humor.
"Nothing I haven't seen before, been there and done that." she teased with a wry smile, setting the brakes on the wheels next to Salem, waiting for him to take a seat. Croft tilted his head with a frown, lowering his eyes at the chair in an overdramatic fashion.
"Do I gotta? You know I can walk again, right?"
The woman shook her head back at Salem like a mother trying to get her kid on the bus. "Hospital policy for discharges. And don't -"
"Discharges, huh?" Salem smirked and chuckled as he reluctantly got into the chair, causing Rebecca to let out a defeated sigh.
"I knew you'd do that," she snorted playfully, releasing the brakes and starting to wheel him out into and down the hall. "Besides, your friend is here, they're waiting down at the entrance."
Salem nodded, gesturing to her with his cell phone as they politely rolled by patients and staff, some of which waved and greeted 'The Copperhead' as they passed.
"I know, he texted me already. You could at least let me push myself, though."
"Ohhh, no, not after that cafeteria incident last week. Your wheelchair independence has been revoked, mister." she responded, approaching a set of elevator doors and hitting the call button. "They're probably still cleaning up that mess."
The doors silently parted open, revealing an empty platform that they ingressed onto, Rebecca hitting the corresponding button for the lobby as the steel slabs shut once more.
"Besides, like you said, you don't need this chair, right? Don't you think it's time you got back out into the world? I'm sure your friend is going to be happy to see you, he brought a limo and everything."
"Heh. Yeah." Salem said with a touch of flat sarcasm. "I'm sure he's thrilled. Honestly, these past few weeks were probably the quietest of his life. Surprised he didn't pay you to smother me in my sleep."
"You think he'd do that?" Rebecca answered with mild surprise.
Salem shook his head and laughed. "Nah...not Drako. He'd much rather have the satisfaction of strangling me, himself."
Rebecca shared a brief laugh with Salem as the platform stopped moving with a 'DING', the monitor above the doorway indicating the Ground Floor. "He sounds like a good friend."
Salem nodded again as the panels shifted and opened before them, revealing the lobby.
"Yeah, he is. Don't got many like him."
With those last words, Salem picked up his phone and quickly tapped out a text to Drako, letting him know the pair were coming out as Rebecca ushered Salem through the visiting guests, furniture, and plants of the lobby, feeling the morning light cascading through the large windows outside and warming his face with a refreshing glow as they made for the large entrance doors.
