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The months drew on and Aaron remained in the hospital. To be honest he was content to stay there with that little girl and listen to her chat on and on about her day.
“Shelly was sitting next to me and she kept saying that Chad was going out with Britney but I told her that that just wasn’t true. Chad is like really quite and he doesn’t talk to anyone. He’s more quite than you Mr. Angel. Well anyways, she’s all jealous, that Chad is going with Britney and not with her. She thinks Chad is cute. I don’t know what she sees in the boys at school anyways. Your going to have to meet them sometime. They are all dying to meet you. I’m always telling them about you.” She said playing with her hair. She took Aaron’s hand, the one no longer encased in a plaster cast. His left arm was taking longer to heal. “Your going to have to come out of here sometime. I feel really bad for saying this. But I’m getting tired of coming to visit you all the time. Why don’t you come visit me. You don’t have cast’s on your legs anymore. I’ve seen boys with worse at school walking around using crutches.” She said. Ironically though Aaron’s innocence and lack of memory were nearly on par with the girls. He thought to himself and wondered the same thing.
Why wasn’t he out wandering around? He did want to go sight seeing with Cherry, to see, the orchards that Young Rivers was known to be famous for, that, and its water recycling power plants. He pondered this and decided against Dr. Rutherford’s advice to sit up. It took nearly iota of his miniscule strength but even so he sat up, encouraged by, Cherry’s wide smile. He scooted over slowly, weak as a babe, and set his pale feet on the cold linoleum floor. He shivered and pushed himself forward with his one good hand and stood on his own two feet. He only stood for more than a few seconds before collapsing on his bed, gasping for breath. “Come on I’ll help you!” Cherry said grasping his hand and pulling him forward. He stood again and with Cherry’s help they made it down the hallway. It was fairly warm that day so he did not feel all that comfortable.
By the time that the wires and needles had pulled free of his skin, their alarms, blaring out flat lines, they were already rounding the hallway.
Norre received the call on his W.P.U.S while he was on his way to pick up Cherry. She usually caught the bus there after school. He had trusted her and the doctors enough to allow this.
“Hello?”
“This is Mrs. Tatum I am the secretary at the Young Rivers hospital. May I speak to a Mr. John Norre?”
“Your speaking with him.” Norre said frowning, though, the secretary could not see his face.
“We don’t want to alarm you but your daughter and the “John Doe” patient have gone missing from his room. We have reason to believe that they haven’t left the hospital, we’ve, checked all the security feeds.” The secretary said. Norre’s blood ran cold.
“How long ago was this?”
“Less than thirty minutes ago.”
“Damnit! You should have called me when they disappeared!” He shouted into the vocal receiver. He hit the gas peddle and turned his truck around in the middle of heavy after school traffic and sped back to his house.
“We were assuming they went out for a wal-“
“That doesn’t mean anything to me! I’ll have a talk with your supervisor on duty when I get there. Monitor those damn security feeds this time!” He shouted hanging up on the secretary. He sped off down the highway with all speed.
“Call Montag.” He growled to his onboard A.I.S. system. The trucks onboard computers winked on, causing, a see-through holographic projection to appear. His step son’s face, Cherry’s father appeared. He was looking down at the screen with a frown on his face. He must have been out in the field checking on his parolees.
“Yeah?”
“Get a few guys from the force and head over to the hospital with me. I’m getting my gun.” Norre said quickly. “No time to talk. It’s your daughter.” He said hanging up. Montag would be there with a few of his other fellow cop friends. Norre’s step son was just as (if not more) protective of Cherry as was Norre.
He pulled into his driveway and dashed inside of his house. In only three minutes he had taken out and fitted his silenced handgun with an infra-red scope.

Norre met Montag in the hospital parking lot with two other sheriffs armed to the teeth one with a sniper rifle and the other with a tactical assault rifle. Montag had called in a few favors.
They swept the grounds in four different directions based on the tips that other patients and nurses had given them, establishing, a net about the hospital grounds. They checked the grounds and moved inwards, communicating via W.P.U.S.’s, over a closed line.
All in all it took them half an hour to locate the two. Norre received a response, over the communications channel.
“I’ve got a clean shot on the suspect. Requesting permission to fire.” Said the Sheriff.
“Fi-“
“Wait.” Norre said cutting off Montag before he could give the order. “Where are they?”
“In the hospital gardens walking around talking.”
“Wait there. I know were that is. I want to see the situation for myself.” Norre said striding in their direction.
“No take the s-“
“Montag shut up or I will shut you up!” Norre hissed. “The man just got out of bed. I highly doubt he’s dangerous. Hell. Cherry could probably take him down herself.”
“But-“
“But nothin’.” Norre retorted. “You’ll wait until I’ve given the order.” Montag’s line went silent. The man may have been a Sheriff but he also knew when to listen. If not begrudgingly.
Norre rounded a corridor and went down a flight of steps to the windows that overlooked the garden. The Sheriff whom had notified him had slid open a window and had the barrel aimed at their John Doe. Norre walked over and gestured for him to move aside and looked down the scope.
What he saw warmed his heart and made him chuckle softly to himself. The man was led by his granddaughter, Cherry, as she chattered. She was probably talking about the boys at school and how she hated them; he thought to himself. The man she led shuffled after her was like a lost puppy and hung on to her every word just like one. Norre smiled briefly, a, rare thing for him to ever do. Inside of a sad memory he remembered walking with his wife through that very garden. It was back when he was on temporary leave from the military and his wife was pregnant with their first and only child. Their daughter. It was also the place were they walked daily when his wife had later been afflicted with cancer. He then had left the military to care for his only daughter. He didn’t regret though. That was her legacy. Letting him watch their daughter grow up.
His wife and daughter were long gone and his granddaughter was all that remained of them. She walked the same path they had. It was both a sobering and somewhat heartwarming sight to see.
“Tell your men to go home Montag.” Norre whispered softly.
“Is she okay? What’s going on?” Montag asked quickly with an edge to his voice.
“Their just going for a walk. Their only walking around the garden.” He said with a touch of emotion to his voice. “Just a walk on a nice day.”
The doctors appeared later and expressed shock at the sight of seeing Aaron, his feet walking around. After all they, themselves had expressed , that he would never likely walk again. Well never walk again without aid. Dr. Rutherford came behind them and eyed Norre and the sheriff. “See. This was all very unnecessary.” The doctor folded his arms over his chest and contemplated the sight. “That little girl really is something.”
Norre nodded. “She’s got her mothers magic alright.” Cherry’s mother had had a way with all the creatures and things of the world. She felt and empathized with them in a way Norre had never seen. One day after Norre had gotten off of work he had come home to find his daughter nursing an injured wolfs paw, from the surrounding country side. Those day’s they were nearly extinct and very vicious. Upon seeing him the wolf had fled out the open back door. His young daughter had not realized how much peril she had been in. Now here her grand-daughter was. The daughter of her daughter, making a crippled man, walk again.
The increase in population back then had led the government to retract several restrictions on building in protected wildlife parks. The wild animals had not reacted kindly. Even now Norre was ashamed of what his nation had done in order to provide more space to live. Inter-planetary colonization and terra-forming took decades. Hundreds were born in minutes and fewer died. Technology was on the forefront and someone had to pay for an others comfort. He just wished it wasn’t drenched in blood. It was part of the reason why Norre had not been ashamed to leave the military on an honorary discharge. He had grown disgusted with the world he had fought for. It had become convoluted. At least here, some of the way the world was meant to be, remained here.

Montag walked down the hallway and went out into the garden with two male nurses. He had since holstered his gun. Now he was getting his daughter. Norre and him would have a talk later about letting Cherry talk with stranger, most of all, run off with one. Montag was not a bad man. He was just a bitter man. After the death of his wife, Cherry’s mother, he had become very protective of her. As the years passed he had become reclusive. In essence though, he was a good man, nevertheless. They walked out towards the two and Montag waved at Cherry. “He honey. It’s time to go.” He said in his kindest voice. Cherry turned to him and smiled, waving, her other hand holding Aaron’s. This sight infuriated Montag.
“Hey dad! This is my friend Mr. Angel.” She said smiling brightly. Her bottom lip stuck out. “Can’t we stay for five minutes longer? All three of us can talk!” As she talked the two male nurses moved towards Aaron and gently grasped his arms, beginning, to lead him away.
“I know. Maybe later. Your friend needs his rest.” Muttered Montag as he walked over and grasped her the arm. Cherry gave a whimper ,as, children do. She did not wish to leave so soon.

Aaron was content to go. As he walked past Cherry watched Montag ,grab, Cherry’s arm. When she made the noise he moved breaking free of the two male nurses, whose grips, were formidable at the least. Though he was still crippled he moved quickly and grasped Montag’s wrist. They made eye contact before Montag shoved him back ,causing, him to fall. “Don’t touch me!” Cherry grew frightened and began crying. Montag was furious. “See what you did?” He leaned in close to Aaron’s prone form. “If you ever touch me or my daughter again I will kill you. That’s a promise. This is a small town. I am the law!” He hissed in Aaron’s ear. Aaron did not flinch at the threat. He kept his silence, true, to his nature. He looked over his shoulder as the nurses led him away, briefly, making eye contact again.

Norre had seen everything. Dr. Rutherford had spoken with him before he came.
“Well. He can take care of himself now. Now that we have proof that he can react with others in a somewhat healthy matter; he can go home. Frankly, its all, thanks to that little girl of yours and Montag’s. Does he have anyone that he knows that can come get him? He won’t respond to any of us.” Norre was hardly surprised. The man was very quite. He knew that he was relatively healthy mentally, by, the look in his eyes. Norre could tell a man of cunning by his eyes. If anything he knew to stay away from them. But as long as Cherry could trust him; so could Norre. The girl had a knack for finding good people.
He sat next to Aaron on his hospital bed. “Do you have a place to live? Dr. Rutherford says that you are well enough to leave. Pretty soon you will be able get those last two casts off soon enough.” Aaron did not respond to Norre’s announcement. He turned his head and studied him though. “Since you don’t have an answer…As usual…” He murmured this last part. “You can stay with Cherry and Montag until we can get some word of were you live, or, some word from relatives.” Norre sighed patted Aaron on the shoulder. He stood and turned to leave. “Montag may be a little “rough around the edges” but he is a good man at heart. He just copes with pain differently. All people do. If you don’t understand, you will, one day.” Norre opened the door and left. As he opened it he swore he could hear the man whisper behind him, “Thank you.” He didn’t feel the need to investigate though. There were other things to attend to. Later Norre called Montag well after sundown.
“Hello?”
“Yeah its Norre.”
“What can I do for you?” Montag asked. There was still a hint of vehemence in his voice, probably, from the events that took place earlier.
“It’s about our John Doe.”
“What about him?” The tension in his voice was already growing and the conversation had barely started.
“Well he’s going to need a place to live and some clothes.” Norre was quickly losing his patience.
“What does this have to do with me?”
“Stop playing dumb with me, boy. Sooner or later your going to grow a pair and start living life again. This man needs a place to live. He’s a good guy. It’ll only be for a few weeks till he can rent an apartment.”
“What about my place?”
“Have you seen my place?”
“Good point. But only for a few weeks.” Montag said in a quite but harsh voice.
“Good man Montag. Good man.” Murmured Norre as he hung up.

Montag sat there in his living room, thinking, in the dark. He rubbed his bruised wrist. That man, their, John Doe. The look that man had given him had shocked him to his core. It was the look of a serial killer. Montag himself had seen how gentle he was with his daughter though. He had just gotten a bit hot headed seeing her taking such a liking to him. Sighing, he got up, and pulled off his uniform shirt then went and grabbed a beer. Tomorrow was going to be a terrible day. He just knew it.

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