“Admit it, you can’t beat me.” Shawn taunted Gus as he ambled down the hospital hallway.

             “Cut it out Shawn!” Gus complained, “You know that the doctors are going to put you back into a wheelchair if you keep this up!”

            At the mention of the dreaded “wheelchair” Shawn slowed down and pouted. It wasn’t like he could go all that fast using a walker anyway, but he sure tried. It didn’t help that today was the day he was finally getting out of the hospital and he was incredibly hyped up.

            The last four months hadn’t exactly been painful physically, but that fact didn’t make the time in the hospital any easier. After spending the first month in a bed with healing bullet wounds, he had to have physical therapy to get his muscles back into shape. So began a grueling regimen of high protein diet, that didn’t include jerk chicken, and hours of exercise. Two things that Shawn really hated.

            If it hadn’t been for his support system, he didn’t think he would have made it mentally. With his demeanor he went stir crazy before the first week was over. Luckily, Gus brought him new magazines every day and his dad kept him company when no one else was able to after Juliet had been discharged.

            Juliet had gotten to go home on the third week. They had kept her for an extra week “just in case”, but she had visited Shawn every day afterwards. Carlton had stopped by a couple times, claiming to be visiting Juliet, but when he just happened to show up after she was discharged, Shawn knew he cared. He made sure to rub it in his face a bit.

            This was the day though. He was finally being allowed to go home. It felt weird to everyone who had gotten into a pretty solid routine over the months. Shawn had even been allowed to look at some cases, after a lot of begging and crying about boredom. The chief had brought those personally, and even though he didn't say so, it meant a lot to Shawn.

            Shawn came to a halt at the hospital doors. His doctor was standing there waiting for him. “Now Shawn, you take care of yourself.” Dr. Straus patted Shawn on the shoulder as he passed him in the hall. “Keep that brace on as much as possible okay? Don't forget your therapy sessions. I'll visit those when I can.”

            Shawn nodded but inwardly groaned. He was required to wear a back brace almost 24/7 to keep his back stable until it fully healed and every couple days he had to go to more physical therapy. Dr. Straus said it would help his nerves to re-grow faster. Like the rest of his lower torso, he wouldn’t be able to tell if his back got re-injured without an x-ray so Dr. Straus figured they should be safe about it.

            “Catch you later doc.” Shawn shook his hand then Gus carefully helped him down the stairs to Henry waiting in the Blueberry. Shawn didn’t use the walker because he couldn’t move well, but because the numbness in his legs made him unsteady on his feet and prone to falling. Juliet once asked him how it felt, and he equated it to walking around after your foot fell asleep.

            When he first started trying to move around, he sprained both his ankles at the same time without realizing it. So when they started physical therapy, they made sure to strengthen the muscles in his legs to be able to support him better. It had been like learning to walk all over again, but every time that Shawn wanted to quit he thought of Juliet, and what more he could have lost had he not made the decision to jump in front of the gun. He would pay the price over and over again if it meant keeping that beautiful woman with him for even a minute longer.

            "We have everything set up at the house." Henry said as Shawn got in the vehicle. "Did you want to stop there first or the station?"

            "I wanna go home and get a shower first. I don't want to show up at the station looking like a homeless dude and smelling like formaldehyde." It had been about a week since he shaved and his stubble was currently out of control.

            Henry snorted. "Ok Shawn. Let's get you home."

            Shawn nodded and gave his father a grateful look. Henry had been there for him whenever he needed and their relationship had grown considerably over his hospital stay. Sure they still argued like nobody's business, but Henry had the chance to see how strong his son had become and Shawn had the chance to see how much his father actually cared for him, though neither would still admit either of those facts.

            "Kid, we're here." Henry got his son's attention because apparently Shawn was too lost in his thoughts to realize that they had arrived.

            Looking out the door, Shawn saw Juliet was waiting for him. He was surprised because he thought she would be back at work. She had only been back on active duty for a couple weeks. "Jules! Shawn called out and struggled to get out of his seatbelt. His dexterity had gone a bit south after the accident. Stupid numb hands. He grumbled to himself.

            Henry rolled his eyes and clicked the small button to let him out. "Don't forget your walker!" He called but Shawn ignored him and walked as fast as he could to her arms.

            Shawn clasped Juliet to him and buried his face in her pixy cut hair. This was a big day for both of them. "I'm glad you're here sweetie."

            "It's our house Shawn, where else would I be?" Juliet chuckled in his arms. Last month they had decided to move in together. It had been a huge step but both figured if each was willing to die for the other, they might as well live in the same place. For now they were sharing Juliet's apartment. Since Shawn was out of the hospital though, they could finally do some house hunting.

            "I thought you would be at work. How were you able to tear yourself away from Lassie enough to get some time off?" Juliet had told Shawn all about how Carlton had been extremely protective of her and they had practically been attached at the hip while at work. If anyone even jostled her in the precinct they would feel his wrath. She thought it was cute but apparently Chief Vick had told the head detective to stop frightening the rookies.

            "I told him I would keep you away from the station for one more day and he offered to do my workload." She admitted.

            "Ahem." Gus cleared his throat as he and Henry were still standing off to the side waiting to bring Shawn's things inside.

            Juliet's eyes widened and she apologized before helping bring some stuff in the house. Shawn obediently grabbed his walker and stuck some plastic bags on the handles, not wanting to feel like he couldn't help. As cool as it once sounded, being unable to feel pain was a lot more painful than he could have ever imagined.

---------------------------------------------

            “Shawn sit! I got it.”

            “Jules, I am not an invalid. They me out because they figure I was able to do things for myself.” He complained.

            Juliet grabbed the food from the counter and plopped it in front of her boyfriend. “Well, what if I wanted to get it for you?” She smiled slyly.

            Shawn smirked. She was so cute when she was trying to be sexy. He had to admit that she did look pretty good with short hair. It had grown a lot since her surgery and you couldn’t see the scar anymore though the new nest of blond curls. “And why pray tell would you want to get it for me?” He faked an innocent look.

            “So I could do this…” Grabbing the fork from the table, she sat sideways on Shawn’s lap and began to slowly and sensually feed him the spaghetti. They had so little alone time, even in the hospital, and now he was all hers.

            Shawn smiled as the fork moved towards his mouth. “I guess I could use a little pampering still.” As he took a bite he instantly regretted it. His taste buds rebelled and he started coughing while trying to reach for the water sitting on the table.

            The moment ruined, Juliet exclaimed, “Oh! I’m sorry!” She slid off his lap and went to the fridge to go get him milk, which would work better. Juliet had taken to liking really spicy foods since her sense of smell was damaged and she had forgotten that Shawn had survived on mostly bland hospital food for the past few months along with sporadic fast food and fresh pineapple.

            Gratefully grabbing the milk, Shawn downed it in a few gulps. He caught his breath and looked sheepishly up at Juliet. “Thanks Jules. Sorry.”

            She grabbed his hand and sighed. “It’s ok. I understand. We have to get used to things don’t we.” Juliet felt the familiar guilt over his condition.

            Knowing that look, Shawn put his finger on the side of her chin and moved her to face him. "Jules don't. How many times do I have to tell you it's not your fault."

            Tears stung her eyes. "Until I believe it." She whispered quietly.

            Shawn pushed back from the table and lifted her off her feet. One of the better side effects of the physical therapy was that Shawn had gained a lot of muscle and between the bad food and exercise he had lost a bit of weight as well.

            Juliet started to panic as he stood with her. "Shawn, you're not supposed to carry heavy stuff." She realized she dissed herself as the words came out of her mouth.

            Shawn laughed and took careful steps towards the bedroom. "You are not 'heavy stuff', and I want to do this for you Jules." He looked her in the eyes as he carried her. "I don't want you feeling guilty for the rest of your life. So what if I might not get feeling back? I don't mind." He shrugged as best he could with her in his arms. "I was willing to die for you Jules and I would do the same thing, again and again, because I...can't lose you."

             Juliet sniffed and hung on as they made it to the bed and lay her down and climbed in next to her. "I love you too Shawn."

            Shawn kissed her on the mouth briefly before stating casually. “You know, one thing I am looking forward to Jules, is you helping me with my daily body checks.” Juliet raised an eyebrow and he grinned devilishly. Because of his inability to feel pain, they had to check him over every day at the hospital to make sure he hadn't seriously cut or broken anything, especially his toes.

             “Oh, so you think I am going to help you with that do you?” Juliet asked coy fully as he pulled her in for another smack on the lips.

            With a slow smile Shawn grabbed her in a tight embrace. "I am expecting you to help me with more than just that woman..."

------------------------------------------

            The next day, Gus drove Shawn to the station. Chief Vick said that she had a case for them as soon as Shawn was feeling up to it. Of course, for Shawn, that meant the day after he got out of the hospital.

            Shawn felt a bit embarrassed for people to see him with a walker, but his fears were unfounded as only bright smiles and looks of respect greeted him as he entered the precinct doors. When the pair was fully inside, thunderous applause echoed throughout the bull pen. Gus looked over at Shawn and saw the shocked and emotional look on his face.

            "Wow guys, that was really...wow." Shawn said to the officers. "Glad to be back!" More applause sounded and a few of the officers came up and shook his hand.

            Everyone had heard what he had done and told him how brave he was. Shawn caught sight of Juliet through the throng of officers and realized, he hadn't thought about being brave. He only did what he thought was necessary at the time.

            "Gentlemen!" Chief Vick called to them from across the hall and motioned for them to come into her office.

            Nodding at the officers, Shawn followed Gus and closed the door behind him as he entered the room. "Hey Chief, I heard you had a case for us."

            Chief Vick was surprised when she heard from Carlton that Juliet had told him Shawn was coming into the station today. She knew she shouldn't have been surprised because after all, it was Shawn they were talking about. "Please have a seat."

            "That was quite a reception." Gus commented. "Did Juliet tell everyone we were coming?"

            The Chief gave them a knowing smile. "Actually, Carlton is the one that told everyone."

            Shawn's features scrunched and he put a finger to his head, remembering their entrance. He hadn't noticed Carlton at first but focusing on his memories he realized, the detective was there, and was the first one clapping. Popping his eyes open Shawn smiled widely and chuckled. "I'll be damned."

            Chief Vick smiled back before getting down to business. "So Mr. Spencer, Mr. Guster, I am sure you have heard about the killings that happened down near the docks...."

            Shawn only half listened as the Chief briefed them on the case he already knew about. He had read the paper and had a pretty good idea about who was responsible. They just had to do a bit of digging before he could have a "vision" of who the killer was.