Awfully Cute

Back in the bed, Aaron looked at Sam as if she were crazy. She was actually gonna leave him loose? Why? Bum leg or not, he could cause a heap of trouble. There were so many things just in this infirmary alone that he could get a hold on to cause mayhem. Was she that stupid? 

For the first time since she'd arrived, he suddenly realized how she was dressed. He'd been so focused on his own misery, he hadn't noticed how casual she was, and that her hair wasn't neat and tidy. She'd been in bed. And she was awfully cute.

He rolled over and sighed with content. He couldn't begin to describe how good it felt just to be able to lie on his side. Having been cuffed for so long, he'd been forced to lie on his back all this time, but his favorite position was to be curled on his side. It hurt his knee a little, but it was worth it. Glancing up at Sam again, he rolled his eyes. "I won't cause any trouble," he promised. "Go back to bed." He should be angry. He shouldn't have let her be so...so...nice. He should be taking advantage of every opportunity to try and escape. But...as irritated and alone and miserable as he felt...at the same time, he felt strangely calm. 

Left alone, he closed his eyes, and eventually did get a couple hours worth of sleep. He didn't stay in bed the entire night...but no one was called back in. And once it was a decent time, he was woken up by the sound of Rick getting to work...

Rick flipped on the lights and scanned the infirmary as he sighed. He was in no better mood this morning than he had been the last couple days, and now spotting Aaron, he immediately saw he was not restrained. For a moment, his blood ran cold. Their murderous maniac was loose? Great. It was a good thing he had a bum leg. "Who let you loose?" 

Aaron remained on his side, not moving. "I did." 

"Congratulations." Rick was no going to play any games. Especially when he was alone in here with this guy. He approached with confidence, even though he was just a bit afraid, and grabbed Aaron's wrist to slap the cuff back on. "We're not having any trouble on my watch," he grumbled. 

Aaron sighed. Oh well. It had at least lasted a little while. After that, it was time for therapy, and once again, both of Aaron's wrists were restrained. As much as he hated it, at least that meant Rick still had a healthy fear of what he could do. Versus Sam, who seemed bent on giving him way too much trust. In the end, he was on his back with his knee propped up with pillows and ice. And while Rick wasn't looking, he had one cuff off, and had started on the other one, using another paperclip.


Hearing about Seth, Laura's heart broke for Nate, and she hugged him close. "I'm so sorry... that's such an awful thing to have gone through." He'd never talked to her about it before...she'd had no idea. 

Her hand came up to gently brush the tears from his cheek. "Garret's going to be okay," she assured softly. "This is a much different situation. Reese may be hard on him, but he won't turn him away when he's in need. And neither will we. He's got you looking out for him...so he's not going to end up like Seth." 

She gave him another squeeze before sitting up and tugging on his hand. "Come on...let's go to bed, okay? Things will look better in the morning."