Authors note - Thankyou for taking the time to read my work, i know this chapter is fairly short, but it is only the introduction to the story about how Joe and Jacob meet. Enjoy.
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It was mentally exhausting, and that's without adding how physically exhausting it was to push yourself every day, into something that felt so impossible. Joe gripped the edges of his bed, the small comfort of a mattress felt like a prison these days, and despite how he had been advised to wait for a nurse to help him into his wheel chair, he was just to stubborn.
Relying on someone so completely was to much for him. He was a strong man, reduced to nothingness and nothing in his life had ever angered him more. The staff in the small private hospital watched him non-stop, because they knew the minute they turned their backs he would try to do stuff on his own, rather than ask for help. He had shared this argument with them over and over again, but only one person seemed to hear and understand him, and that unlikely person was none of the females, but a man.
His name was Jacob, and he stood at only five feet four inches, but he was strong for a little guy, being that he could lift Joe and move him about easily, and Joe was three times his size or rather he had been before he had lost the use of his legs. He leaned over the side of his bed, and reached out a hand for his wheel chair that had been conveniently placed out of reach. But his hand fell just short and his body tipped violently towards the floor.
The impact as he made contact with the tiled flooring knocked the air clean out of his lungs. He grunted and twisted against the pain that shot through his spine, and he realized to his horror that his tumble must of made a considerable amount of noise, for nurses and doctors come rushing towards him from all directions. Squawking their disapproval as he managed to grab hold of the wheel chair, and used it's foot rests to drag it closer towards him.
Overwhelmed by the pain he didn't have the energy to try and drag himself from the ground. But it also made him grit his teeth in annoyance at the female nurse who forced her arm beneath his elbow. She meant well, and she was only trying to help him but as far as Joe was concerned he had been helped enough, and he just wanted to do something on his own. He wanted to sit there against the cold tiled floor, untouched and unbothered by the people around him, so he could reflect upon what he had just done, without people giving their opinions on how stupid his actions were. He just couldn't take it any more.
Jacob's voice peeled through the people, and Joe looked up just in time to see the concern flash across his face. The man was a softy, always the most caring of people no matter how Joe warned him that if he kept putting to much of his feelings out there, he would make himself ill from the reality and the sadness that surrounded them ever day. The woman's nails pinched at his skin as she gripped him tightly, but it was useless, she wouldn't be able to help Joe even if she had wanted to, and he found himself glaring at her defensively as he pulled his arm out of her grasp.
"Off!" he gritted the words out at her through his teeth.
"Now Joe, there is no need to be like that." she frowned down at him and braced her hands against her hips, as though he were nothing more than an irritating child.
"It's Mr Archant to you."
"I'm sorry I'm late." Jacob took his coat off and threw it against Joe's bed. "It's ok Mary, let me handle this."
Ever the diplomat, Jacob gave the woman a tender smile and ushered her away, and she left but not without giving Joe a dirty look first.
"I'm ten minutes late and you already get yourself in trouble?"
