It was indeed Trent at the door, and he smiled at his patient when he opened the door and walked in.
"Ready?" he asked, smiling encouragingly when he caught the nervousness in Dec's eyes - knowing better than most the reasons behind that.
Swallowing hard, Dec just nodded, and together they got him settled into the wheelchair and started the short journey to the physio room.
Along the way, Dec kept glancing at the watch on his wrist, glancing around impatiently as if waiting for something. Trent stayed quiet, pondering the behaviour in silence as they walked down the corridor and into the treatment building.
Coming to a halt beside the bars, Trent gestured for Dec to undo the strap across his waist and wait for him to come back. Obeying, Dec watched as the other man walked over to a cupboard and brought out the robot suit.
"Again?" he asked, surprised - and mildly irritated.
Trent smiled knowingly, he knew exactly what his patient thought about the Ekso suit, and it nearly always amused him.
"Afraid so, but just a quick warm-up session, and then we'll do a few of the exercises before we let you loose" he explained, smiling wider as Dec's mouth twisted into something that resembled a cross between a grimace and a pout.
"Come on, the sooner we get through this, then the sooner you can show us what you've got" he added, trying to make it sound more enticing.
Sighing, Dec allowed the suit to be put on, and then he went through the - by now - very familiar motions of walking with the help of the robot. Trent had to admit that he was impressed with the smoothness and speed of his gait, and he suddenly felt more comfortable with letting Dec try on his own later.
After a twenty minute session, Trent acknowledged that that was enough, and he helped Dec out of the suit, passing him a bottle of water to sip on while they had a short break.
"How did that feel?" he asked when he returned from putting the robot back in its place.
Swallowing a mouthful of water, Dec shrugged.
"Almost normal - if you take out the stiffness of the metal robot suit" he replied, but his eyes were dancing dimly and a tiny smile curled at his lips, and Trent knew that he was just playing at being annoyed.
Although he couldn't really blame him for being relieved to be out of the suit - he'd tried it on once when they'd first received it, and it was bloody uncomfortable!
He was about to reply with some other jokey quip when the door to the room opened and they both glanced around to look at who was arriving.
Expecting it to be Charlie or one of the other physiotherapists, Trent got quite a shock when he saw the - at first - unfamiliar dark-haired headed man walk in, looking around like he'd lost something, then breaking into a wide grin when he spotted them.
"Was wondering when you'd get up here!" Dec greeted cheerfully, and Trent quickly realised exactly who the other man was, and he found himself feeling increasingly nervous (and, he didn't mind admitting, rather star-struck).
Over the past eight weeks, he'd gotten quite used to being around Dec, and they'd actually built up a good friendship - seeing each other for nearly an hour a day almost every day for nearly eight weeks will do that, he supposed - but he'd never actually met Ant, and so he was still a little intimidated by the celebrity status of the man in front of him.
Ant - for that is who it was - grinned wider and walked over to them, clapping a warm hand on his friend's shoulder before holding his other hand out for Trent to shake - which he did, albeit rather nervously.
Sensing the other man's unease, Ant chuckled warmly, understanding flickering in his dark green eyes.
Feeling strangely much more relaxed, Trent was struck with an idea.
"Actually, I'm glad you're here Ant" he smiled, getting raised eyebrows from the pair of them.
"I could use your help - Charlie, my assistant, has been called away to another ward, and I'm a bit short of a support beam" he explained, smiling wider when the comprehension dawned first on Ant's face, then Dec's followed seconds later.
"Sure thing" Ant agreed, imperceptibly squeezing Dec's shoulder before he walked around in front of him, holding a hand out to help him up out of the chair.
"Okay, Ant - I want you to just hold on until Dec tells you he's ready to let go, but stay close for the first couple of steps" Trent instructed, holding the back of the chair still as Dec readied himself to stand.
Ant nodded in understanding, before he glanced down at his friend.
"Ready kiddo?"
He frowned as he caught a flash of uncertainty in his eyes, tilting his head to the side as he knelt down in front of him and resting a gentle hand on his knee.
"Hey," he whispered, squeezing the minutely shaking limb under his hand. "You can do this, I know you can - just take your time, and I'll be right here, okay?"
Steeling his nerve and swallowing hard, Dec looked him right in the eyes as he nodded, his uncertainty replaced with determination.
Ant stood back up with a final squeeze and took hold of his friend's hands.
"Whenever you're ready, pal" he assured, bracing himself.
Adjusting his grip, Dec took a few steadying breaths and pushed himself upright and onto his feet. Standing still for a few moments, Ant could feel him leaning heavily against him, but as the seconds passed, he slowly started to push away until he was standing evenly on his own two feet.
"Okay, now whenever you're ready, I want you to take a step forward" Trent instructed quietly from about five feet away, where he was watching them very closely.
Ant could hear Dec's breathing getting faster, but he wasn't worried; he knew his friend was just psyching himself up, preparing himself to make that all-important move. He gave his arms an encouraging squeeze and he smiled down at him.
Taking one last determined breath, Dec's left leg shakily moved upwards and forwards in a step, followed moments later by his right, and - within seconds - he was walking. Admittedly, it was much slower and - Ant noticed - much more robotic and stiff than he was used to, but he stayed in position while they walked.
After walking for about ten metres, Trent brought them to a halt, clapping with a pleased grin on his face.
"Well done!" he praised, then he turned to Ant. "Now, let's try without Ant this time."
Nervous hazel eyes flickered back up to Ant's for a moment, smile dropping just the tiniest bit.
"I'll be right here, kidda" Ant whispered, smiling encouragingly. "Just take your time, and tell me when you're ready."
Breathing out slowly and deliberately, it took a few moments before Ant felt the grip on his hands loosening. He kept his own hold until the grip vanished completely, and then he slowly let go.
Taking a step backwards, he watched his friend closely as he stood still for another ten seconds or so. He and Trent were silent, both hanging on in anticipation as they waited for that all-important step.
It all looked to be going so well, right up until Dec actually tried to move forwards, when his balance - still not in the best shape without a support - went sideways and Ant had to leap forward to catch him and stop his fall.
"Oof, easy kiddo" he grunted as he took the majority of his friend's weight. He could feel Dec trembling in his arms, but whether that was from exertion or fear, Ant couldn't really tell.
"Take a moment, then we'll try again, okay?" he suggested, adjusting his grip and standing them back up again, frowning worriedly as Dec continued to lean heavily on him.
"Hey, come on son, you've just got to keep trying, you'll get it - I promise" Ant soothed, guessing why his friend was so quiet and still shaking; even after almost a minute of being held.
"But what if I don't?" the tiny question made Ant's heart tighten in his chest, the tone almost like that of a frightened child.
He started to unconsciously rub his hand down Dec's back, hoping to provide some comfort.
"You will, I know you will" he assured, sounding much more confident than he felt at that moment. But he needed to try and stay positive - one pessimist in this room was enough.
Dec raised his head and looked straight into his eyes, gaze turning questioning - and even the tiniest bit hopeful.
"You really think so?"
Ant smiled warmly and tightened his grip momentarily around his friend's shoulders.
"I really do" he replied, pulling back but keeping a grip on Dec's arms to help him stay balanced.
"You wanna have another go?"
Dec bit his lip, appearing to consider it for a few moments, but then Ant and Trent were both pleased when he nodded, some of his former determination creeping back into his eyes.
"Let's do this" he decided firmly, taking a deep breath to steel himself as he and Ant got back into their positions.
"Okay, just let me know when you're ready, pal" Ant instructed, and this time he felt Dec's grip loosen sooner than before. Obeying the silent command, Ant stood back a bit, and this time Dec's balance kicked in properly and he managed to stay upright.
Now for the tricky part: actually walking forwards.
This was it. This was the 'make or break' moment. My prospects for going home all hinged on these next few seconds.
But no pressure, right?
I slowly let Ant's arms go, and I was relieved when I felt myself standing on my own with almost no danger of falling over again. That was the first win.
Now, to get the second - and arguably the most important one.
I took a few quick breaths before I made to take that first step, taking care to go a bit slower than before. So far so good, I wasn't feeling like I was going to fall over any second. I moved my left leg a bit more, extending it out in front of me and pushing off from my right leg, landing squarely on my left foot. As I'd lifted my right foot up behind me and leveled my weight onto my left, I suddenly realised: I'd just taken my first step without help.
The excitement began building inside me as I took the next one. And another. And then another. And then another.
I'd walked barely five paces before I let out an excited yell.
"Ant! Look! I'm doing it!"
I shot my best friend a huge grin, my eyes were starting to sting with relief and I could already feel the beginnings of tears starting to form in them.
Ant was battling his own emotions at the sight: he was overcome with such strong feelings of relief, pride, and joy that his own tears were threatening to fall.
He stopped in his tracks and put a fist in front of his mouth to try and keep himself under control, but the sight of his best friend finally walking again - after more than eight weeks of uncertainty and fear and frustration - was just too much, and the tears started to flow down his cheeks before he could stop them.
He watched with growing pride (and increasingly damp cheeks) as Dec continued to walk around the room, albeit very slowly, but it was the one thing that they had both looked forward to for so long, and now the moment had finally arrived neither of them could quite take it all in.
Ant couldn't help a sob that broke free from his throat, watching his friend with such overwhelming pride as he bit into his fist to keep the rest of his emotions in check.
Dec, of course, heard the sob and turned around to face him, now looking concerned. As his gaze fell upon Ant's face, and saw his expression, his own eyes filled and he walked as quickly as he could over and wrapped his friend into a tight hug.
"You did it, kiddo" Ant whispered thickly into his ear. "You finally did it!"
I couldn't believe it either, and I know that not all of the tears that fell that morning were Ant's. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that at least half of the ones that ended up falling were my own.
We were both so overwhelmed that we just stood and hugged each other for at least a good few minutes before Ant pulled away and wiped both of our cheeks free of tears. He smiled at me, and I grinned back at him.
"Well, now there's nothing stopping you from causing trouble, is there?" he teased, laughing when Dec's mouth fell open in indignation.
As his friend spluttered in front of him, Ant wiped another tear from his eye and let his grin settle in more naturally, pulling him back into a tight hug.
"I'm so proud of you, kiddo" he murmured, discretely kissing his hair and letting Dec nuzzle into his collarbone.
Trent watched all of this silently with a stinging of his own in his eyes. It always moved him whenever a patient was able to walk again, and this was no exception. Even after working in this place for ten years, the strength of the human spirit and the determination of some people to walk again was just such an inspiration to him, and that's what kept him coming back to work every day.
Ant and I hugged for another minute or so, before I pulled away this time and started off on another walk - a part of me worried that it had been a fluke before, and that I suddenly wouldn't be able to do it anymore.
Thankfully, it wasn't a fluke, and I walked around the room for another ten minutes before I could feel myself starting to get tired, and Trent clearly noticed how I was starting to flag, and he brought the wheelchair back over.
I tried to protest, but secretly I was glad to be able to sit down - who knew that just walking would be such hard work.
Just as I settled back into the chair, we heard someone clapping from the doorway. We glanced over to see Dr Markui standing about ten metres away and grinning over at us.
"Well done! That was very well done!" she praised, walking over to the group and clapping Dec on the shoulder.
Dec just grinned brightly up at her, before a cog seemed to turn in his mind, and he smiled slyly up at the doctor.
"So, does that mean I can have a release date, yet?"
Ant whacked him lightly on the forearm, but Dr Markui just laughed, shaking her head fondly at his persistence.
"I'll have a chat with Trent about your progress once you're back in your room, and we'll decide from there" she promised, chuckling more as Dec seemed to pout a little in disappointment.
Trent then turned to Ant, gesturing to the chair.
"Actually then, would it be alright if you took him back to the room?"
Nodding, Ant grinned cheekily as he took hold of the chairs handles.
The very sight of that cheeky, evil grin made my stomach tie itself in knots......
"Muwhahaha! I have total control!" he cried evilly, making the doctor and Trent laugh, and Dec just groaned, letting his head flop back and he shot Ant a resigned look, though he was smiling.
"Do your worst" he challenged, eyes twinkling tiredly.
Ant smiled back knowingly; they both knew that he would do no such thing.
Although I wouldn't have put it past him on a normal day......
The walk back through the building and into the ward was quiet, both boys physically and emotionally exhausted from the session. When they arrived back at Dec's room, Ant stood back and looked expectantly down at his friend.
"You wanna try getting in yourself?" he asked, relieved when Dec nodded and readied to stand up out of the chair.
I was actually touched that he thought I could do this by myself. And - to be honest - I was relieved: I've been a bit sick of the forced shifting and moving around that everyone's done in the past, I'm glad to be given the choice to do it myself this time.
Standing - with only a hint of shakiness - Dec managed the few steps to the bed, perching up on the side before turning slowly and lying back onto the mattress with a sigh as his head touched the pillow.
Ant pushed the chair off to the side of the room before he came back over and sat down on the side of the bed, hand instinctively coming up to rub his friend's arm. He smiled fondly as he got a contented snuffle in response.
"You did real good today, kiddo" he whispered thickly, pride clear in his voice. "I'm so proud of you."
Dec just smiled sleepily up at him - it was clear that he wasn't going to be awake for much longer.
"Thanks for being here, Anty" he replied quietly, eyes fluttering further closed with every second.
Ant just chuckled warmly and his hand shifted to gently card through the sandy hair on the pillow.
"Go to sleep, son" he ordered, "You've had a big day."
I was more than happy to oblige - and so pleased that everything was finally looking up at last......
*****
To Be Concluded......
*****