90- Freedom

"Oh GROSS!" Ryan exclaimed in disgust. "Why does it smell so bad?!'

"Well, I told you there would probably be a little smell," Scott said levelheadedly, "It's not that bad."

Scott was doing his best to look unbothered for Ryan's benefit, but was stealthily breathing through his mouth. The whirring sound of the mini saw echoed through the exam room. The long awaited day for Ryan's casts to come off had finally come. The physician in charge had taken Ryan's larger leg cast off first, and the stench coming off the limb was nearly unbearable.

The whirring stopped, and with the hard protective layer of the other leg cast removed, the physician set to cutting away the gauze underneath. Ryan would have been ecstatic about having both legs finally free, except of course that the smell got worse.

"You're doing great," the doctor complimented, seemingly unfazed by the odor. "After we get the plasters cut off your arms we'll get a nurse in here to help with a quick sponge bath before we hand you off to the physical therapy staff for an exam so they can work on your treatment plan, okay?"

They were at the only rehab and physical therapy clinic Scott was able to find that had a decent omega ward. The best part was they had a contract with the hospital Ryan was first treated in, so taking care of paperwork and switching care providers was relatively easy. The facilities here were supposedly top-notch, and they were relatively highly rated online. Scott could certainly say he was impressed with what he'd seen so far.

Before too long, Ryan was finally cut free of his last cast. They'd been given the option to keep them given the drawings on them, but after being exposed to that awful smell Ryan was more than content with the numerous pictures they'd taken. The stench was still unbearable, and with that same yucky smell coming off his arms he couldn't even bear plugging his nose. Instead, once the doctor had finished and left, he laid back on the exam table and focused all his effort into NOT breathing through his nose. His arms and legs felt weird, weak, and cold, and even he could tell he lost a lot of muscle. He moved some things experimentally. Even his hands felt weak.

"Does it feel weird?" Scott asked in an uncanny echo of Ryan's thoughts as he reached down to stroke his fiance's hair.

"Feels a lot weirder than I thought it would."

The nursing staff didn't leave them waiting long, and were quick and efficient in getting Ryan deodorized. Almost more impressive was that the chief physical therapist came in to start the evaluation exactly as the nurses were wrapping up. He was a man with a similar build to Scott, only with slightly narrower shoulders and clearly a few years older.

"Nice to meet you." He introduced himself. "You must be Mr. Neel, right? I'm Dr. Kwan, I'll be the therapist in charge of your case."

Ryan shook his hand apprehensively, but the man had a surprisingly gentle grip. "Nice to meet you too… Um… Ryan's fine. Oh! And ah, Dr. Kwan, this is my fiance, Dr. Scott Kranston."

"Doctor." Kuan reached out to shake Scott's hand as well.

"Doctor." Scott responded in kind.

"Medical?" Dr. Kwan asked.

"Fertility specialist, and RE."

Ryan could tell Scott was posturing at least a little. He had a good feeling the therapist was probably an alpha too, but he'd also caught sight of the guy's silicone wedding band.

"You don't say?" Kwan seemed genuinely surprised. "My wife and I have been trying for our second kid for a while now. We might just have to stop by your practice!"

Ryan could tell Scott relaxed at that. He hid his smile behind his hand. It was easy enough to forgive little bouts of possessiveness like that, especially with everything that's happened. It was cute.

"Unfortunately," Scott replied, "I'm on leave until my fiance makes a full recovery."

"Perfectly understandable." Kwan switched his focus to Ryan. "Alright, Mr. Ryan! What do you say we get you evaluated and start that tour of our facilities, hm?"

The evaluation wasn't anything like what Ryan thought it was going to be. First he was touched and pinched in various places to check for nerve damage. Then he had to move everything to check for loss of mobility. After that he had to squeeze Dr. Kwan's hand as hard as he could, then push and pull against him with his toes, his feet, his arms… If anything, it confirmed to Ryan how little strength he actually had. And ridiculous as the whole thing felt, Ryan did his best to take it all very seriously.

"Thank you Ryan, you did great!" Dr. Kwan praised. "I think we'll have to focus most of our effort on your left leg here at first. It's going to take a lot of hard work on your part, but We'll do our best to get you walking before you know it!"

Ryan practically beamed at the news. He looked over to Scott to confirm what he was just told. You could almost see the stars twinkling in his eyes, he was so excited.

"Now Ryan," Scott chided very gently, not wanting to hurt Ryan's motivation, "I know how hard you can work, but you have to remember with recovery, if you push yourself too hard, you can do more harm than good and actually make things take longer."

"He's right," Dr. Kwan agreed. "Which is why we'll be monitoring your recovery process closely.

"Dr. Kwan, do you think I'll be strong enough to go through a mating like a week and a half from now?" Ryan asked, not letting any of it diminish his excitement.

"I wouldn't advise it. In your state injuries like sprains and pulled and torn ligaments would be more likely, which could potentially set back your recovery schedule by months." Dr. Kwan answered very matter-of-factly.

Ryan caught Scott nodding in agreement. Oh well. It was worth asking. Not that it didn't bum him out a little. Despite what Scott had been telling him repeatedly, it definitely carried more weight now that he'd been told so by two medical professionals. He couldn't let that get him down though! He had a goal! He had to be recovered enough by his next that there wasn't any doubt about his ability to participate!

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Now, Ryan knew this place was supposed to be impressive from the information Scott had showed him on their website. However, pictures and words were completely different than seeing the facilities in person. It was like the fanciest gym Ryan could ever have imagined, all handicap accessible! There was a pool with a mechanical arm to lift people in and out, a running track with a handrail, weight sets in several different styles… They even had a few treadmills submerged in their own little glass pools! Dr. Kwan told him he'd be getting a lot of use out of that particular bit of equipment once he'd gotten some strength up.

And Ryan wasn't their only patient currently, several people were in the middle of several different recovery exercises, and using several different kinds of medical equipment to help. There was even a guy in what looked like an adult-sized baby walker, taking some shaky steps with a prosthetic leg while the device supported some of his weight. Apparently Ryan would get to use one of those too.

Facilities and equipment weren't this place's only draw. There was a masseuse and chiropractor on duty to help with patient recovery, and there were even private rooms for long-term patients who needed extra help and overnight stays. Then, there was the real reason Scott insisted on Ryan getting his therapy here.

They had their own omega ward.

It was tucked in at the end of the long-term stay hallway, with the bright pink omega-safe symbol prominently displayed on the windows on the heavy metal doors. Even though no one was using it right now, Dr. Kwan had to unlock it via keypad to continue the tour. The entrance was every bit as high-security as the one in the hospital, with three locked doors and a security station before you got to the patient rooms.

"We don't have anyone scheduled to use these facilities until you need to use them, Mr. Ryan. And, you should be the only one here at the time unless we get another case," Dr. Kwan explained. "Safety is our top priority with all our patients, and only beta individuals who have undergone an intensive screening process are allowed to work in this area while a patient is using it."

"That's good to know," both Ryan and Scott said almost simultaneously.

They were shown one of the rooms next. It was virtually identical to a hospital room, but without windows. There was however, a little metal cabinet set in the wall that was easily reachable from the bed. Scott figured it was a passthrough to the similar cabinets he'd seen on the walls in the hallway, kind of like the sample collection cabinets the fertility clinic used.

"You'll receive meals and other things you request through here," Dr. Kwan opened the cabinet, confirming Scott's suspicions. "Both doors can't be opened at the same time, as an added safety measure. Sheets are changed twice a day, and patients are bathed once daily. You can request either all male or all female assistance for those if you have a preference."

Dr. Kwan went on to explain how while there was a loose schedule, care staff were only allowed in the room under one of three conditions. One, the patient has indicated via a button on the bed that they were allowed to come in, two, via pulling one of the various alarm cords on the walls that reached to the floor, in case the patient had fallen and needed assistance, or three, in case the patient in question couldn't leave the bed, there was an optional alarm for if the person's weight left the mattress. He even assured them that personal items were welcome, and while the television in the room had basic cable, it could also access an extensive library of pornographic material.

While Ryan could admit the amenities looked comfortable, he still wasn't entirely keen on having another heat at a medical facility. Not much could be done about that though. Scott had assured him he wouldn't have to be sedated this time, which would be at least a little better…

With the tour over, Ryan was led back to the main facility. It was time for the hard work to begin. He and Scott were walked through several basic exercises he could do either on his own or with assistance to build up some strength while at home. Most of it was easy enough, which gave Ryan a significant confidence boost in terms of not only being able to walk again, but the greater goal of being strong enough to go through a mating. Then there was the thought of being strong enough to get back some of his independence, and hopefully start working again. Not to mention that Scott had to go back to work at some point too…

"I know that look," Scott broke Ryan's chain of thought. "If you think I'm going to let you work until you hurt yourself you've got another thing coming, Hot Stuff."

Ryan pouted, but he knew he was caught. "I promise I won't overdo it, Cuddle Bug. I'm just excited there's finally something I can DO, you know?"

Scott leaned over to kiss Ryan's hair, paying no mind to the third wheel physical therapist. "Don't worry, we'll get through this like we've gotten through everything else. Together."