Being awake was great. The awake part was more than great in fact. Being able to move all his fingers and toes, and arms and legs, and being able to see Lee whenever he wanted. Actually being able to talk to her, and touch her and smile at her and see her smile back. Those things were all amazing. There were also things that absolutely, positively, undeniably sucked. One of those things was the heart monitor. It beeped. And beeped. And beeped, oh, and beeped. That was irritating as hell and when Tarin had taken it off, Doc had flipped. It was a silent fit, but he’d thrown it, then Lee had jumped on the band wagon.

Food. Or the lack there of, that was the other thing that totally sucked. Tarin was already getting sick of ice chips and chicken broth. That was not going to fly for long. Tarin was tired of laying in bed too, a bed without Lee. Well…Lee had been there some too…but not in the capacity that he wanted. At least the Doc was starting to relent a little, not on the Lee part…but on the food part. That’s where Lee had gone, she’d promised him Jello. Like some kind of 8 year old recovering from the flu, Tarin was stoked. Maybe it would even be Cherry Jello. Getting up out of bed was something he was stoked to do too, Lee didn’t know it, but he’d been practicing and had managed to stand up on his own for a full minute. Walking around the bed was on tap for the next day. Tarin nearly slapped himself on the forehead. Pathetic.

"Honey, I'm home!"

Tarin grinned at her approach. This made all the things that sucked seem pretty insignificant. After all the tears Lee had shed, she deserved to hover. At least for a couple more days. “Hi, love. Is it Jello time already?! ” He grinned, then his eyes fixed on the person with her.

“Shin!” Tarin said, breaking into a broad grin, “I was hoping you’d stop by! I owe you a big thank you.” Tarin held his hand out to shake, this kid was an example of exactly how someone should treat the wife of a man in a coma. Sam needed to take some lessons.

Shin smiled and Shook Tarin's hand. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better. And sadly, the Jello isn't ready yet. We felt like it'd be better spending that four hour wait somewhere else." He let go of the hand, reaching over to snag a chair from nearby and pulled it up in front of him, spinning it to sit down and rest his arms over the back.

"So how are you feeling? Is DocProf treating you nicely?" He knew for a fact DocProf would. "He might be a little terse about patients trying his patience now and then, but slip him a root beer and he'll cheer right up. Did I mention he's the root beer champ?" Shin looked over at Lee, adding the last part thoughtfully. "Sometimes, we have to tell him to take it easy. All that sugar'll rot your teeth, you know? Too much, too soon? But anyways~"

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a portable TV, setting it down on Tarin's bedside table. "This if for you. Thought you might want something to listen to while you were stuck in bed. The infirmary doesn't really have cable..." He grimaced. "I know I'd be a bit bored. I'll... be wanting it back after you're done, though." Shin smiled.

He hoped that wouldn't be too long from then...

Tarin seemed quite excited about the idea that she'd be bringing jello back for him. Not exactly what she would have expected, he hadn't seemed all that eager about the jello to start with, though Lee supposed it probably had to do with his other options, or lack thereof. Given the choice between jello or nothing to eat, jello must be looking good, and Tarin must have just been trying to make the best of it, especially since she had actually offered to make it for him.

However, Shin beat her to the explanation that the jello wasn't ready yet when he stepped forward to shake Tarin's outstretched hand.

Lee blinked. Tarin was shaking hands, and actually seemed happy to see Shin. When was Tarin ever nice to men who knew her? It almost seemed like the moment another man laid eyes on her, regardless of who it was or what she may or may not feel for that person, Tarin was not only jealous, but instantly disliked them.

No, that wasn't entirely true. For whatever reason, Tarin kept giving her brother the benefit of the doubt, kept trying to make things work there

And then Tarin's thanks to Shin made sense to her; his body had been in the coma, but his mind, spirit, whatever you wanted to call it, had been following her, so would have seen all of her interactions with Shin, would have seen how he was almost continually helping her, trying to make things just that little bit easier for her.

Things seemed to be going rather well, though. Tarin and Shin seemed to be getting along almost like old friends, so while she watched and listened, Lee took a seat in her chair by Tarin's bed.

Then Shin pulled out a little portable TV, saying he knew he'd be bored if he was stuck in the infirmary, and all Lee could do was stare at him in shock as he offered to loan it to Tarin. "You're just thinking of this now?" Lee asked with a slight laugh. "I've been sitting here for a month, bored and worried out of my mind, and you only think to pull out a TV now? Thanks Shin," Lee finished, rolling her eyes at him.

Shin was really an amiable kid, Tarin could help but think as he sat down and started to chat like they were old friends. It was weird, really weird, especially since Tarin hadn’t known the kid at all before the coma. Tarin felt like he knew Shin, but there was really no way that he could reciprocate the feelings. No matter though, Tarin was genuinely grateful to him. Was that subtle suggestion Tarin detected though? Tarin looked past Shin to Lee and rose an eyebrow. Now she was recruiting the mansion kids to tell him he needed to take it easy.

“Yeah…Doc really works himself too hard sometimes. If he’d stop watching me like my head’s going to fall off he’d probably be able to relax a little bit.” Tarin said with a sweet smile in the direction of Doc Prof’s office. “I’ll remember the root beer thing though, maybe if I bribe him he’ll leave me and Lee alone.”

Now Shin was giving him a TV? That was interesting, super interesting…and it was something to do. Tarin took the TV, then chuckled as Shin said he’d be wanting it back, “I should only be here a couple more days. I’ll make sure you get it back.” He flipped it on, playing with the buttons and dials, it really worked. The kid had brought him a TV. That was awesome.

Apparently Lee thought so too, because she rolled her eyes and commented on how Shin was only bringing the TV out now. Tarin burst out laughing and grinned in Shin’s direction, “It’s a male solidarity thing. He knew, as a woman, television wasn’t vital to your survival. Besides..it’s March, isn’t it? That means around the clock basketball. Maybe I’ll be more willing to spend time in this stupid bed if I have something to watch….orrr maybe Shin just likes me better.” The last was said with a bright, cheesy grin in Lee's direction. Then he realized how long they said the jello would take, "Four hours?" he said, a pained look crossing his features. "That's the worst part..." he said, grabbing the glass full of ice chips by his bed, "I just can't make myself pretend that these are steak...and I'm starving."

"Heh, actually I just got the thing the other day." Shin muttered helplessly to Lee, scratching the back of his head. "And yeah. Basketball. What's your favorite team? This season, I'm rooting for the Heat. They've gotten a lot of wins this year thanks to that new coach of theirs. And then there's Wade..." He grinned. Ah, sports talk. If only there were more of you, the time would fly by like pigs from a gun.

Apparently Shin had only gotten the portable TV a few days ago, and that was why he hadn't offered it for her use but was offering it for Tarin. Fair enough. Plus, Shin had already done more than she could have expected him to do for her, for both of them, before he had brought out the TV. She had only been kidding anyway, but then Tarin went on claiming it was because apparently TV was integral to male survival.

And then the sports talk started. Lee heaved a sigh and leaned back in her chair. Even though she didn't actively follow the sport, Lee could more than hold her own in any hockey discussion. But basketball? Really? To be honest, Lee didn't understand basketball, didn't understand some people's fascination with basketball.

And apparently, her husband was one of those people...

Anything that would help keep Tarin in that bed so he wasn't pushing himself too far too fast short of her physically holding her down had to be a good thing, but Lee still wasn't entirely sure about the idea of this 'round the clock basketball'.

"You do know that you're going to have to make it up to me if you're about to subject me to that much basketball, right?" Lee asked looking over at Tarin, who was suddenly seeming much happier to be there. Then Lee had a great idea of how she could 'punish' Tarin for making her watch basketball, and she grinned evilly at him. "You'll have to take me to see one chick flick for every game you make me watch."

But then Tarin was complaining about how long the jello was going to take, and Lee's smile slid off her face. "I know, hon," she said softly, leaning forward again to grab his hand that wasn't reaching for his glass of ice chips. "But my cooking's bad enough to start with, I don't think we want to risk trying to rush it at all.

"Oh, and Shin helped me out a lot with the jello," Lee pointed out, sure she had a damn good idea what Tarin had to be thinking at that moment. "So I'm sure it'll turn out alright, but I'll still try it first, if you want me to."

Sports. Tarin had never been particularly athletic, but there was something about March that brought out the rabid sports fan that had been suppressed somewhere deep down inside of him. Josh was a big sports fan, his father had been a bit sports fan, Ash wasn't a fan of anything, but Tarin had a feeling that he would have been a big time sports nerd if he hadn't had to spend half his life running from city to city.

Shin started talking about the NBA though and Tarin's nose wrinkled in spit of itself, "I've never followed the pro league." he said slowly, trying to respect his young friends obvious enjoyment of the NBA without giving away his incredible disdain for it. "I'm much more into the NCAA. The tournament especially. Which is why it's about perfect that you loan me this now." Tarin said, still smiling at Shin.

Lee had conditions if Tarin was going to subject her to that much basketball. Well that wasn't really fair, was it? She was the one insisting that he stay in bed, a wicked smile crossed his features, "Well Lee, if basketball isn't something you're interested in, I'm sure I can think of several other ways we could spend our time together. You're the one pushing me to take things slow though."

She wanted to see chick flicks though, and Tarin grinned with the realization that this wasn't really punishment at all, "Though...your request seems reasonable. An even trade it is! Basketball for chick flicks."

And there Lee went again, bemoaning some skill that she simply thought she couldn't do. It was funny how she could have the same attitude towards cooking that she'd initially had about their relationship, sex, and spending the night in the same bed. It was like she had a mental block on everything that had to be broken down before she could progress. She really did have trouble cooking though. Tarin had every belief that could change though. He'd play along now, though, he didn't want to bicker.

"Well then, Shin, I've got even more to thank you for." He said, winking in the young man's direction. "I think that Lee's trouble cooking comes from a simple lack of practice though. I'm glad you were there to help her out though. In fact. I never got around to that big thank you." Tarin paused a second to collect his thoughts, then continued, "You've really been great through this whole thing. I don't know how much Lee told you, but I was watching. I really appreciate what you did, and if there's anything you need that I can do, don't hesitate to ask."

The NCAA, huh? Well that was cool too. Shin’s head turned from Tarin to Lee and back again as they conversed. It seemed they really had chemistry. He raised his eye at the notion of ‘chick flicks’. Why would one ever flick a baby hen? The conversation finally swept back to him, though, and his ears perked up.

>>“Well then, Shin, I've got even more to thank you for. I think that Lee's trouble cooking comes from a simple lack of practice though. I'm glad you were there to help her out though. In fact. I never got around to that big thank you." Tarin paused a second to collect his thoughts, then continued, "You've really been great through this whole thing. I don't know how much Lee told you, but I was watching. I really appreciate what you did, and if there's anything you need that I can do, don't hesitate to ask."

Shin bowed his head. “I’m glad I could help. I got into this mansion job to help people. I’m just thankful we got a happy ending. And don’t worry about any personal debts. If I need help, I’ll ask, but…” He looked Tarin in the eye. “I don’t want you to feel obligated. But anyways,” slipping out of the chair, Shin got to his feet. He glanced towards the kitchen, then over to the clock on the wall. “I think I’ll check on that Jello now. It should nearly be ready. Lee, you can stay here with him while I check. Take care, kids.”

Turning, he walked out the door to the kitchen to scope out the dessert. Time had really flown talking about sports. The minute hand was practically rocketing around the face of the clock in avoidance of being caught on one digit longer than it had to. With a chink, the fridge door swung open and he looked at the red wiggle in a container. It was ready. Scooping it up, he walked back to the infirmary. He got back ten minutes after he’d left. Popping through the door, he set it on the table next to Tarin, handing him a spoon with a grin.

“Your weapon, good knight. Time to take that first stab at the dragon and tell us how it bites!”

Tarin was thanking Shin for what the young man had done over the past month, and Shin was accepting that thanks, though saying he was simply glad he'd been able to help.

As she sat there and listened, Lee was reminded again just how great a guy Shin was. She was so lucky to have met him here, to be honest, Lee wasn't exactly sure what she would have done to get through this month if it hadn't been for Shin.

And then he was doing it again, Shin was offering to go check on the jello while she stayed there with Tarin. All that Lee was able to do was smile at Shin, in thanks for everything that he had done for her, before he walked out of tho room.

Then Lee turned back to look at Tarin, a one sided smile on her face as she shook her head. "You are so not allowed to complain when we go see chick flicks any more," she told him. "You could have pretended not to like them there, that it was punishment. But you agreed that it was a good idea, so no more pretending you don't want to be there."

Scooting her chair closer, Lee leaned her head on the bed beside Tarin and looked over at him, a small smile on her face. "I can't wait till we can get out of here," Lee said softly, leaning a little further to kiss Tarin. "To get back home." Another kiss. "Alone."

When she heard Shin's voice, signalling that he was back in the room again, Lee jumped, her head lifting off the edge of the bed once more, as she looked over to see him carrying the container of jello over. And offering it to Tarin. If Shin said it was ready, if Shin said it looked good to go, Lee had to believe him, right? THere was a small part of her that wasn't quite so sure that the jello would have turned out properly since she was the one who had made it. "Are you sure you don't want me to try it first?" Lee asked, glancing over at Tarin as he was handed the jello and a spoon.

Shin took his thanks more maturely than Tarin could have possibly expected from someone who at least looked so young. Shin was probably somewhere within a few years of where Tarin had been when he’d had to strike out on his own. Tarin suddenly wondered about the kid’s story. How had he ended up in the mansion? And so well adjusted too. The kid was just about as mild mannered and friendly as a person could get. Such a contrast to some of the people Tarin had watched while he’d been stuck out of his body.

It really was weird just how fast time could go, because in what had only seemed like minutes, Shin was getting up and commenting that he was going to go check on the jello that he and Lee had made. Lee liked him too, Tarin was glad. He’d been such a better shoulder for her to cry on than Sam. In fact, Tarin was still glad he hadn’t seen that particular mansion inhabitant since he’d woken up. That situation would involve awkward thanks for the way he’d taken care of Lee the first night she’d been in the mansion.

Lee was thinking about other things though, things that made Tarin’s eyebrows raise nearly to his hairline as she scooted up close to his bed and kissed him. Tarin kissed back happily, then chuckled when Lee put an emphasis on the word alone. Alone would be almost too good to be true at this point. It seemed like big brother was watching everywhere in this place. He grinned wolfishly anyway and leaned forward for another kiss, “If you’d stop chaining me to this bed, I’m sure we could find plenty of places to be alone here.” He said, a pointed look on his face. Hoping that Lee would at least take him a little seriously. Despite the fact that he’d promised he’d be good, Tarin didn’t know how Lee expected him to get stronger if she was hovering over him every second of the day and admonishing him every time he tried to sit up on his own, let alone get out of the bed.

Then Shin was back, Tarin glanced at the clock and was sort of amazed that 10 full minutes had gone by. Time moved so much faster when a person was in their body. Then there was jello. The jello had set, it was there! And a spoon! For him!

Tarin took the utensil and clear plastic container eagerly from Shin and grinned at the jello like a cat grins at a caught mouse. Real food! Well…close to real food anyway.

Lee was offering to taste it and Tarin hugged the container protectively to his chest, much like a mother would an endangered child. “Just because you helped make it, doesn’t mean you get to steal any of it.” He said, then horridly took a scoop and shoveled it into his mouth.

An explosion of flavor erupted in Tarin’s mouth and his taste buds did a dance of joy that they’d been deprived of performing for over a month and he closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the pillows for a minute.

“I never knew that Jello was so awesome…” he said, then took another bite, savoring the jiggly, sweet, jellow deliciousness that it brought. Life was good.

“Thanks so much guys…” he said, a few minutes later, after no trace of jello remained in the container. “Seriously…that was amazing.”

Tarin was very interested in the idea of 'alone time' with her. Of course he was. Any moment, of pretty much any day, he was all for that, so why would this be any different. It didn't seem to matter to Tarin that he had spent the last month laying, unmoving, in a bed.

"Alone might be doable," Lee whispered in Tarin's ear, her head still resting on the bed beside him. "But having the energy and strength to make it worth the lecture we'd get from Doc when we got back..."

That was another thing entirely. Lee knew that Tarin thought he would be fine, he didn't seem to realize just how weak his body was at that point in time. But Lee had seen him losing weight over the last month, had seen him fall as he tried to go to the washroom on his own the previous day. His mind hadn't been stuck in the bed for a month, his mind, spirit, whatever, had been following her around. Of course he didn't think his body was as bad off as it was.

Before she knew it, or maybe it was because she and Tarin actually had something resembling alone time at that moment, Shin was back with the container of jello and a spoon.

And if Lee had thought Tarin was excited about the jello when they had simply been talking about it, that was nothing to how he looked now that he was actually holding the container. A container that he actually hugged to his chest at her mention that she could try it for him to make sure the stuff was even edible.

Apparently, though, Tarin was much more concerned with getting something in his stomach whether it was edible or not, and refused to let her have even a bite despite the fact that she had made it. Well fine then, if that's the way he wanted to be...

All Lee could do as Tarin was eating was sit there and watch him with a smile on her face. It really wasn't much, he was simply shovelling jello of all things into his mouth, but he was moving and doing it himself. And it really did not take Tarin long to clean out the entire container, something else that Lee found quite impressive.

"You're welcome, hon," Lee said, not quite matching the sincerity that had been in her husband's voice, only because of just how much feeling he had shown there. "I'll see what else I can smuggle in here for you later."