Weeks went by slowly.

Physical therapy was awful. Newt hated it, but he grit his teeth and pushed himself as hard as he could possibly go before his bad leg betrayed him and collapsed. Hard work was his ticket out of the hospital, and he was determined to leave.

He wanted to spend time outside again without having to bust out like a criminal. Was that so much to ask? The short walks he got were far from enough.

Alby told him to be patient, but Newt had been patient for weeks! The frustration was building, and he felt bad for the times he'd snapped at his friends. He always apologized quickly, and they always understood and forgave him. That didn't mean that there were no more shouting matches, but no relationship was ever perfect.

Alby hated how Newt pushed himself so hard, yet he was always there to catch the blond whenever his legs gave out and he was left panting and dizzy.

Slowly... Newt could walk down the hall, then around the hospital, then whenever he so pleased to.

Newt was smiling much more at that point.

He left the hospital, waving at Thomas and Minho (he had of course promised to visit) with Alby's hand held in his own. "I'm glad that's over with.", he said as he looked around and spotted Alby's motorcycle. "Are you going to teach me how to drive now?", he asked playfully.

"Shuck no. Not until you can at least drive a car. That beauty right there is my baby, and don't you forget it!", Alby said with faked seriousness, mirth in his dark eyes. Newt raised his hands and set down in the back with no help at all. "Fine. I see how it is. To think I would be overshadowed by a piece of clunk bike. How do you go anywhere when it rains or snows by the way?"

Alby sat down in the front and twisted to face Newt. He took his hand again. "Never, no bike could overshadow you. Nothing could, got it?" Newt smiled slightly and Alby turned around, feeling pleased with himself as he started the bike and felt newt holding onto him so he wouldn't fall off.

"I am pretty shucking awesome, aren't I?"

"Don't get a big head."

"This is a bad idea."

"Come on! You said I would run again, and it's only one bloody mile. What's the worst that could happen?"

Newt was standing on the pathway in white shorts and a blue t-shirt. He stretched his arms and legs and bounced slightly on his toes. He still had a limp and would have it for the rest of his life, but he was ready for this... or at least he thought he was.

He stubbornly refused to back down, pestering Alby about going for a run and finally threatening to go alone before the other boy gave in.

Alby gave him a are you serious right now kind of look. "You don't want me to answer that."

"Let's go already." Newt began to jog at a slow pace, ignoring the slight pain every time his bad leg pushed off the ground. He smiled slightly and held in a laugh when he imagined how Thomas and Minho would react if they could see him now. They'd probably need a hospital stay themselves from the shock and worry.

Newt was proud to say he at least made it half a mile before he stumbled. A sharp pain shocked him and he gasped before tripping. Strong arms grabbed him immediately.

Alby was ready to turn them around, but then he saw how defeated and dissapionted Newt looked. He couldn't let him down, and that's what he would be doing by making them leave. Alby sighed and pulled Newt up. "Come on. Get on my back and we'll finish this. I'll let you down when you're ready."

And when Alby watched as Newt finished the last quarter mile on his own, he was glad he hadn't fled the hospital.