📎A/N. Hello my lovelies ... well another weekend almost over and back to work tomorrow :-(

It seemed you all had different ideas on whether Sydney should tell Ethan what she was up to... all though you all seemed to agree she was in the wrong. As usual this chapter is unedited, so if you spot anything let me know :-)

Take care and thanks for your support.

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The sun's last rays reflected off the massive windows of the hospital as Ethan pulled a backpack and a plastic bag from the back seat, closed the door and headed towards the entrance. He unconsciously sped up as he neared the building. Ethan had missed a few of his regular visits and hated interrupting Walter's routine.

The week had been long and tiring. While his trip to Qatar had been successful, he was pleased to be back on home soil. Ethan glanced at the bag he was holding. Hopefully, Walter would forgive his absence when he saw what he had brought with him.

"Hey!" Ethan smiled as he strode into Walter's room a few minutes later.

Walter, who had been sitting at his desk and concentrating on the tablet in front of him, looked up in surprise. "M-M-Mac," he cried out.

Ethan dropped his stuff on Walters's bed. "Sorry I'm late," he said as he sat down beside Walter. "What are you doing?" Ethan asked as he glanced down at the tablet to see a photo of a child in tears with four possible descriptions around it. He recognised the reading therapy app targeted to adults with neurological impairments.

"M-Mat-ch-ching," Walter said as he touched the phrase 'crying baby'.

Walter beamed as the screen then lit up with a large green tick.

Ethan leaned across to give Walter a hug. "Looks like you're on fire today," he said noticing the overall score.

Walter nodded and smiled proudly at Ethan's praise.

"I must have known," Ethan said as he retrieved the plastic bag he'd left on the bed and handed it to Walter.

Walters face lit up like a child's on Christmas morning. He looked inside the bag and, recognising what it was, squealed and pulled out the box.

Ethan laughed at his brother's apparent elation. "I thought we could play it tonight."

"C-c-can we?"

"Of course. I'll set it up before they call you for dinner."

Ethan, not seeing the remote on the TV, made his way to Walters's bedside table. Walter had a habit of leaving it in his top draw. Ethan opened the draw and frowned. The remote was there. So too was at least a dozen Butterfinger candy bars. "Hey Walter, what are these doing here," he asked, holding one up.

Walter glanced up from pulling the plastic covering off the Lego's Dimension box so he could get to the figurines and game inside. "S-s-nee," he said, promptly returning his focus to his unwrapping exercise.

"Wh–"

Bernie, who chose that moment to breeze into the room, cut Ethan off from finishing the question. "Mac, I was heading out and heard you were here."

"I managed to move a couple of things to come earlier," Ethan explained as he shook hands with Walter's primary therapist.

"L-L-Look w-what I g-g-g-got," Walter exclaimed, holding up a small Batman and Gandalf figurine.

Bernie's brows rose and he went over to see what Walter was excited about. "Wow! I'll have to give you a game next week," Bernie said as he inspected the game.

Walter cocked his head and thought for a moment before looking directly at Bernie. "D-D-Do you th-think S-S-Snee w-w-w-will pl-play?"

Bernie nodded his head and his eyes crinkled as he smiled reassuringly at Walter. "I'm sure she will."

"That's that second time he's mentioned S'nee," Ethan said, addressing Bernie. "It appears he's amassed a stack of candy bars, courtesy of this person."

Bernie chuckled and rubbed the back of his shaved head. "Who'd a thought Butterfingers would be a form of currency?"

Ethan stared blankly at Bernie, not sure how to respond.

"She's doing some research and has been helping out a few hours each day with Walter and Tamsin's therapy sessions," Bernie explained. "Walter has taken a bit of a shine to her."

"This S'nee hasn't been interfering with his progress has it?" asked Ethan, concerned at any possible impacts on Walter's welfare.

"No," Bernie reassured Ethan as he glanced across at Walter. "In fact, we've been a little surprised at the positive effect she's had on his progress."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Bernie said as he stroked his chin, "It turns out that Walter has taken a little bit of a shine to her." He then turned to Walter, who had started to listen to their conversation. "Haven't you Walter?"

Walter nodded. "S-s-nee's n-n-nice."

Bernie turned his head back to face Ethan. "We've had her helping with some of his strengthening exercises in the gym. You know we've been struggling with the amount of effort he's been putting into them."

Ethan nodded, this was a conversation they had had on a number of occasions. Walter would never walk again, or be able to hold his own weight. However, he did have some movement in his legs and they needed to build on the little muscle mass he did have. His brother was prone to go through the motions but not actually make an effort to extend himself.

"Walter has pushed himself during some of the sessions this week. We think it's been to impress his new helper," Bernie shrugged, "but nonetheless, he's advanced more with his effort in the past week than he has over the last few months. To the extent, we've seen the slightest improvement in his scores."

A flurry of hope rushed through Ethan. Walter's rehabilitation had been stagnant over the past few months.

Bernie quickly held up his hands to tamper Ethan's escalating mood. "Now before you say anything or get overly excited," he said, "the only reason he's made an improvement is because he made the effort. The only change is that he's got a little crush going and is trying to show off."

"So this helper – this S'nee ‑ is the reason he's making the extra effort?" Ethan clarified.

Bernie nodded in confirmation. "We are going to try and build on the momentum and hopefully he keeps it up once she leaves."

"Can't she stay longer if things are going well?" Ethan asked. His mind already working through the hierarchy within the hospital and the best methods to persuade them to encourage the researcher to stay. Even if he had to fund the study himself, he would.

"She's not an employee at the centre, and is only here in a research capacity for a few hours each day for two weeks," Bernie said, then frowned. "For all we know, Walter may go back to his old habits after the weekend and has had a couple of days off." He threw an apologetic glance at Ethan, "It's really hard to say at this point."

Ethan turned and looked at his brother who had lined up the figurines in front of his iPad and returned to the app he had been playing when Ethan had arrived. This time, he was munching on a Butterfinger as he concentrated on the new image presented to him. Ethan mind floundered. He had pounced on the single word 'improvement' and was not about to let it go.

"So what happens if he's still putting in the effort next week?" he asked, not taking his eyes off of Walter.

Bernie put his hands in his pockets and sighed. "Well, then we might have a problem."

Walter chose that moment to break into their conversation. "C-c-can w-w-we p-pl-pl-ay now?" he asked holding up Batman.

Ethan reassured him he would set it up as soon has he finished his conversation with Bernie. Satisfied with the answer, Walter returned to his iPad, clutching the small figurine for dear life.

"As I mentioned," Bernie said, returning to where they had left off, "she's only here for a short stint, doing some background research, and is just here to shadow and ask questions."

Ethan pushed the conversation, knowing everyone had a price. "Do you think she would consider a more permanent arrangement if she were well paid for her services?"

"She has a full-time job," shrugged Bernie, "but you could try." He bit his bottom lip and stared at the ground as if contemplating something. Bernie cleared his throat before looking back up at Ethan. "But I think you're getting the cart before the horse. We don't know if it will last. How about we wait and see how next week goes first. We also don't want him getting emotionally attached to someone who's not a permanent fixture in his life."

It was with reluctance that Ethan agreed with Bernie's assessment. They had no idea on whether Walter would continue to put in the extra effort. From his standpoint however, he wanted to take advantage of every possibility no matter how remote ‑ or how much it cost him.

"Okay where's that remote," Ethan declared once Bernie had left.

It was late into the evening by the time Ethan had convinced Walter to go to sleep. His brother had been so involved in the game that it had been difficult to pry the controller out of his hands. Walter had then spent the next thirty minutes reliving some of the achievements his character had carried out.

Ethan sat on his Murphy bed and watched his brother sleep. A gentle smile overcame him. In sleep, no one would suspect Walter anything other than a healthy adult. His brother's expression serene as his chest gently rose and fell with each breath. He sighed and got into bed. The hospital allowed family to spend the night with their loved ones. Something he took advantage of at least once a week when he could.

As Ethan lay on his back and stared up at the ceiling, he contemplated the earlier conversation with Bernie. It had played on his mind ever since. He craved for Walter's condition to improve. Everyone was adamant that there would never be a vast improvement. Too much damage had been done. However, with the human condition, who knew what was possible? And with the advancements in technology and science they may be able to get him at least part way back to the man who he once was.

The sound of footsteps from the hallway broke into his thoughts and he swung his head towards the door. It had been left a fraction ajar. The light from beyond shone into the room, alleviating Walter's fear of the dark should he wake up during the night.

Ethan could just make out a nurse breeze by, her long dark ponytail swinging from side-to-side as she walked. He turned back to face the ceiling and closed his eyes as the memory of another woman with dark hair flooded his mind. One that had haunted his dreams when he least expected it. If he was honest, it had been ever since that night on the beach where he had completely fucked up.

He had acted at a very primal level and instead of accepting her request to stop he had lashed out at her. Something he had regretted the moment the words were out. But instead of trying to explain and apologise he had simply made matters worse.

Since returning from the Vineyard, he had found the smallest of things triggered a memory of Sydney. At first, he had fought against it tooth and nail. In the end, however, he had to admit defeat and allow himself a small measure of wallowing.

He found he clung to the short time they spent together for the same reason he clung to memories from his past. It was the fleeting feeling of happiness. Something that had been missing from his life for a very long time.

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Ethan checked his watch. The traffic had been a little heavier than expected and he was worried that he wouldn't get there on time. Fate must have heard him as he had thirty minutes to spare before she was due to leave.

After his conversation with Bernie the previous evening he had spent hours trying to find information on the person he was about to make a very lucrative offer to. Throughout the week, Walter had continued to make minuscule advancements and had continued with putting actual effort into his therapy sessions.

Must to his consternation, Bernie wasn't much help in providing details of Walters new friend. He wouldn't even provide him with her full name, citing that since Walter had started to call her S'nee, so too had everyone else in the facility. Bernie had even refused to make an offer on his behalf, as the arrangement had nothing to do with the hospital.

What had most confused Ethan was when Bernie had advised he couldn't provide any more information as he had signed a non-disclosure agreement. Small alarm bells had gone off at the back of his head, but he had ignored it. His inherent need for Walter's well-being overrode his normally astute behaviour. His only justification for pushing aside his concern was that there was no way the hospital would put Walter at risk.

He knew as much now about this woman as he did the previous day – nothing.

Messaging Bernie that he had arrived, Ethan exited his car and by the time he'd reached the entrance, Bernie had replied saying they were still in the gym.

Ethan straightened his tie and picked up speed as he strode down the hallway towards the back of the hospital. He nodded to the familiar faces as they passed, not stopping to say hello. He was on a mission and was determined he was going to get his way, no matter the resistance this S'nee woman may have.

The doors of the gym swished open and he strode through the door, slowing down to glance around the room. He spotted Bernie on the far side of the gym. Walter was currently on the TG, Ethan's view was blocked by a woman frame. Her back to Ethan, she was leaning forward pushing down on his brothers knees. As he got closer, Walter's face came into view as he slid the glide board up to the top of the rails, straightening his legs in the process. His face registered the additional strain he was pushing his body through. His eyes were closed tightly and his jaw clenched with the effort. The moment he achieved his goal, the look of pure elation washed over his face. The woman held up a hand and Walter grinned as his came up to complete the high-five.

Ethan halted in his tracks. The feeling of pure joy at seeing his brother's expression and witnessing his achievement was so overpowering, it robbed him the ability to move or to know what to do next. He loathed to interrupt the momentum. Should he wait until the session was over, or should he let his presence known?

Walter chose that moment to look up and notice Ethan was standing in the room a short way off. "M-m-mac d-d-d-did ya s-s-s-see?"

Ethan's smile grew wide as he nodded. He had no choice now but to join the small group. "Sure did buddy. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing."

The moment he began to speak Ethan noticed the woman who was straddling the TG squat board stiffen. She slowly sat back up from her forward leaning position. Her back still to him didn't allow him to see her face. His brows knitted in a frown as he took in her dark hair in plats and a baggy t-shirt. Something about her was familiar.

"M-M-Mac c-c-come m-m-met S-S-S-nee," Walter called out enthusiastically

Ethan continued towards the small group and navigated the equipment so that he was now standing on the right of the TG next to Bernie. He turned to face the woman he had come here to see and his smile froze. He felt as though he had been hit in the chest by a demolition ball.

Surely, his mind was playing tricks?

Sitting at his brother's feet was the woman who had occupied much of his dreams the past few weeks. Sydney's face registered the same level of shock he imagined his to contain.

"You!" was all that his chaotic mind could voice.

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📎A/N. Bugger!  The cat's out of the bag now!!! 

... Anyone want to lay odd's on what you think he's going to say?  How's he going to react??

Don't forget to vote if you enjoyed this chapter.

Take care

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