Chapter Text
An icy morning greeted the city as the New Year began with a frosty introduction. The two detectives who handled the lone deviant division in all of Detroit had been given the day off, but that didn't exactly keep them out of trouble. While Hank decided to wisely put down salt on the front walkway and driveway, Connor decided to take Sumo on a walk and not wear more winter appropriate clothing. As a result Connor ended up losing his balance when Sumo saw a squirrel and pulled on the leash in Connor's grip, causing the deviant to stumble forward over the slick surface and twist his right ankle in such a severe manner that he ended up fracturing it to a degree he couldn't walk on it any longer.
Limping back to the house with Sumo leading the way Connor told Hank about his little problem and ignored the laughter from the senior detective as he let Sumo inside the house, then limped over to the car. Being driven to a facility for treatment wasn't the way Connor wanted to begin the new year, but he had little say in what was going to happen after he became a victim of his own failed grace.
Sitting on the exam table of the treatment room Connor let Dr. Abby Grayson examine his fractured ankle and determine whether or not he needed to have the joint repaired or replaced entirely. The way the brunette haired technician managed to not laugh at Connor for his little accident and keep her hazel eyes focused on her task was greatly appreciated by the embarrassed deviant.
"Lucky for you the break isn't irreparable." Abby confirmed as she examined the break with her gloved hands. "It'd take almost a week for the appropriate replacement joint to arrive, and then it'd take another week for your prototype software to recalibrate to the new joint so you can work in the field again."
Doing his best to hold still Connor patiently waited for Abby to finish her assessment. "How long until this break heals?"
"Seventy-two hours."
"Three days?"
"Sorry, Connor. I can't speed up your healing process." Walking over to the far wall's glass storage cabinet Abby selected a roll of blue tinted ace bandages and a plastimetal support to keep the ankle stable as it began it's slow healing process. "Keep your weight off of it and don't walk without crutches until AFTER I personally remove the support brace from your ankle in three days."
"Crutches, too?"
"Yup." Popping the 'p' at the end of the word Abby gave Connor a somewhat sympathetic grin, but knew he would heal from the injury just fine. "Which means no more walks with Sumo until you're healed."
"I'm sure Sumo will understand."
"I'd hope so." Carefully the technician began wrapping up Connor's right ankle to keep it still and supported as he healed. "I hate to think what it'd be like if our pets held grudges against us."
Bored out of his mind Connor laid over the length of the couch in the livingroom and tossed Sumo's green fetch ball into the kitchen for the dog to chase and then bring back to him. Accepting the green ball with his right hand Connor carefully wiped off the drool with a paper towel and tossed the ball again to watch Sumo run after it and continue to get some exercise in place of their usual daily walks. The way Sumo's nails rapidly pattered over the hardwood floor and linoleum floors in the livingroom and kitchen echoed throughout the house made Connor long for the sound of his footsteps rhythmically stepping over the sidewalk and the grass in the dog park.
It was boring to be laid up with a broken ankle, but Connor had no choice but to endure it until the three days were over. No matter how many times he threw the ball and no matter how many of Hank's books he read, Connor just couldn't deal with the boredom that came from being immobilized.
"Good boy, Sumo." Accepting the ball yet again Connor saw how much Sumo was panting and decided that they had played enough fetch for the day. "Go get some water and go lay down." Putting the ball down on the coffee table Connor readjusted his legs and made sure he didn't aggravate his ankle. "This is very inconvenient."
The front door opened as Hank finally finished taking care of the front walk and driveway, and he shrugged off his coat, gloves and shoe before sitting down in the recliner next to the couch. Kicking up his feet on the recliner's footrest Hank sighed and looked over at Connor resting his ankle. "Sucks, doesn't it?"
"It does." Confirming the observation Connor watched as Sumo finished getting his drink in the kitchen and then plopped down on his pillow in the corner of the livingroom. "Have you broken a bone before?"
"Yup. When I was seven I fell off my bike and fractured my left wrist, then when I was fifteen I got rough during football practice and I fractured my right two knuckles, and then when I was seventeen I dislocated my shoulder and swore I broke it with how much that hurt."
"Guess I should be grateful that I have plastimetal instead of bones."
"Don't think being an android invalidates your pain, kid. You're allowed to complain about being hurt just like any other human."
"Thank you for being supportive." Connor could see Hank was tired and ready for a rest of his own. "And I'm sorry you had to shovel the driveway alone."
"It's not a big deal. Once you're healed up you can clean up Sumo's messes in the backyard and we'll call it even."
"Somehow I doubt picking up the backyard and shoveling snow are exactly 'even'."
Chuckling a little Hank just shook his head and rested his back after taking care of his chilly chore outside in the cold. "Could be worse."
"How's that?"
"You could be trying to house-break him! Puppies are as messy as they are cute, and it's really hard to discipline them sometimes."
Contemplating the notion Connor readjusted his broken ankle on the couch and sighed somberly. "I'll take you word for it."
"Relax, son. Just three days of rest and you'll be back to climbing up rooftops and riding on the tops of trains like always..."
"I don't always climb over rooftops and ride on top of trains." Giving Hank a somewhat dirty look Connor elaborated on such a claim. "Only when it's necessary and even then it's incredibly rare."
"But the fact that you can do that kind of stuff says a lot about your physical resolve, kid. A broken ankle and a pair of crutches won't slow you down for long, if at all. You're a quick healer and you have a lot of stubbornness inside of ya'. That gives you a lot of fighting spirit."
Scanning his healing ankle as it remained cushioned by bandages and plastimetal support Connor let out a soft sigh through his nose and nodded his head in agreement. "You're right. It won't hold me back."
"Besides, this is just the beginning of a brand new year for you." Tucking his right arm under his head Hank leaned back in the recliner and enjoyed having a day off to begin the year. "There's a full three-hundred and sixty-four more days left to get through. What else could happen to ya'?"
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