John woke up to the sounds of Pat moaning and thrashing about in his bed. Climbing out of bed, John went to Pat's side to calm him down, after he had called for Dr. Mike. Pat was so confused and scared, he didn't know where he was.
After giving him a sedative to calm him down, Dr. Mike began to tell Pat about his injuries. As they talked, their parents walked in, happy to see Pat awake, and talking. At first, they all discussed Pat's treatment and his therapy. The discussion got more serious as the morning went on, however.
"Son, your Mother and I were talking about this last night, and we wanted your input. What those boys did was horrible, just horrible, and yet, I have to ask, do you think they would have killed you?" Pat looked at his Dad seriously, saying, "Junior very well could have, he was that mad. His friends would have stood around and let him do it, too." Mr. Stephens just sat there for a minute a minute or two, and said, "That settles it, then. Not only are there criminal cases against each boy involved, but we're going to sue them in Civil Court, as well. I cannot believe that 5 "upstanding" young men such as those would have stood by and done nothing!"
Just then, Mr. Galvez walked into the room. "You won't like my news, either. The attack on Pat was planned, down to the last detail. The police believe Junior Davis was trying to kill Pat for revenge. But, thank God, they didn't succeed, and we have another hero at the High School."
Pat smiled, saying, "For what, Sir, taking a beating?" Mr. Galvez returned his smile. "No, Pat. For standing up for what you believe in, for defending your loved ones. Those acts alone outweigh any perceived disability you might have. Those bullies thought they were tough. Behind bars, they'll find out otherwise, but you, my young friend, are really the tough one."
Mr. Galvez gave Pat a very careful hug, and joined the family for a lively breakfast. He even went so far as to pledge his support in helping Pat's recovery at school. But, he had a surprise for the boys, being somewhat of a jokester, HOMEWORK! Laughing at the looks on their faces, he said goodbye and left.
As they all chuckled over the surprise, they finished their breakfast and continued discussing Pat's therapy. After 20 minutes more, it was decided to let the therapy proceed slowly, so that there would be a minimum of pain to Pat. It was also decided that the therapy would start in one or two weeks, depending on Pat's condition.
After lunch, Pat began to tire, so John promised to watch over him as the adults left. John lifted some leg weights, and walked in the hallway, but he made sure he was never too far from Pat. When suppertime came, John fed Pat his supper, much to Pat's indignation, and then he ate his own. They watched some stupid TV shows together and both fell asleep at about the same time.