Second Chances

by Aaron Brinker

  A little while later, Michelle returned to the room holding Sam. Chaun asked, “Dad loading up her stuff in the car?”

  Michelle looked up at Chaun and nodded. “Yeah, he should be back up in a few minutes. You wanting to hold her.”

  Chaun smiled, “Of course I want to hold her.” Michelle walked over and handed Sam to Chaun. “How soon are you guys heading out?”

  “Shortly. With an hour drive home, and her being so little, it will probably wear her out.”

  Chaun raised his brow in agreement and nodded. “That is true. Be sure you guys call me when you get there and let me know you made it.”

  “We will. Don’t worry, she’s in good hands.”

  “I know she is.” Dave walked into the room. “She couldn’t have had that much stuff?”

  Dave sighed and looked at Chaun with a smirk. He pointed at Michelle, “You have no idea.” Michelle playfully slapped Dave on the shoulder.

  Michelle said, “Oh stop it, Dave.” All three of them laughed. She turned and looked back at Chaun. “If you are okay with it, I think we will go ahead and start heading that way. Like I said it is going to be a long drive, especially for the little one.”

  Chaun handed Sam back to Michelle who then put her in her car seat. “That’s fine. Like I said, though, just call and let me know you guys made it safely.”

  Dave said, “We will. You take it easy. The more you rest, the sooner you will be able to come home. We have kept your room how it’s always been. The nursery is set up where my old office used to be, right next door to your old room.”

  Chaun nodded. “That’s cool. Hopefully, I’ll be able to be back in it sooner than later.”

  “I hope so, son.” As they turned to leave Dave said, “Love you, son.”

  “Love you guys too, drive safe.”

  Michelle said, “We will. We’ll call you when we get home.” Dave and Michelle walked out of the room with Sam.

  *

  On the drive home, Dave drove, and Michelle sat in the back of their Black Lincoln Navigator with Sam. They would have loved to say the trip was uneventful, but unfortunately, that was not the case. They had just left the outskirts of Ft. Wayne heading south. Sam was sleeping. Dave and Michelle were talking about Chaun. Michelle began to shiver. She began to rub her arms to try and regain some warmth. “Do you have the air conditioning on?”

  Dave looked at the dashboard. He shook his head and looked back at Michelle in the rearview mirror. “No, it’s off, and all the windows are up. It does feel quite a bit colder in here, though. How’s Sam?” Michelle looked down at Sam to check on her. She let out a scream as Sam’s eyes snapped open to reveal not her usual blue eyes but pitch black irises. Sam’s head turned to where the eyes were focused directly at Michelle. Dave looked at Michelle in the rearview mirror. “Michelle, what’s wrong?” Michelle didn’t move. She was terrified. She just sat there with her hands shaking and peering into those black eyes. The color had drained from her face.

  What Dave and Michelle heard next almost made Dave jump out of his skin. Sam began to speak in a drawn out high pitched voice. “Your son’s an ass hole. You know that don’t you?” Dave kept switching his glance from the road to Michelle in the mirror. He was aware that it wasn’t Michelle talking due to her mouth not moving.

  With quivering voice, Michelle answered back, “Who are you?”

  The voice speaking through Sam said, “Who I am is doesn't matter. This is your warning. Chaun’s life will be a living hell.”

  Michelle sat with her mouth hanging open and face twisted in terror and pain. “How can you say that?”

  Sam’s eyebrows furrowed enhancing the menacing black orbs, “I will be the cause of his ruined life. He cannot escape me, no matter what he does.” Michelle watched Sam’s irises fade to their normal blue color. The car warmed back.

  She looked at Dave’s eyes in the rearview mirror. He returned her gaze. Dave asked, “Is it gone?”

  “Yes.” Michelle’s voice still sounded weak. She cowered against the car door and didn’t look at Sam. Nothing was said the remainder of the drive home.

  9

  Chaun sat on his bed, looking at the cast that ran the full length of his leg. Most of the reason he was still here was due to that leg. His other leg had broken below the knee. The X-ray techs had just left his room after taking x-rays of his leg. His parents had been home with Sam a couple days now. They called the day they had taken her home and said that she was doing fine. They had also stated that she had done fine on the ride home.

  About 20 minutes later, Dr. Smith walked through the door into Chaun’s room. “How are you this morning Chaun?”

  “I’m well.”

  “That’s good to hear. Your x-rays came back, and your leg is healed. I’m going to have someone take you down and get it removed. It improved sooner than expected. Since you were in the coma, motionless for two months, and that it was a clean break all helped in the healing process. We can supply you a boot for your other leg, but I don’t want you on your feet other than for a few seconds or minutes at a time. It will take a little while to build your strength back up in the leg. You will probably be in a wheelchair for the next week or two.”

  Chaun made eye contact with the Doctor. “How soon before I get to go home?”

  “We want to make sure you can walk well enough and that nothing happens to break the leg again or hurt any of the muscles or connective tissue. You have been off of it and not used those muscles for some time.”

  Chaun nodded his head. “Thank you, Dr.”

  “You’re very welcome.”

  A few hours later, Chaun was back in his hospital bed. The cast removal went smoothly. They said his leg looked fine. Chaun was unsure of how much longer it would be until he could go home. It was all up to Dr. Smith. Chaun was tired of sitting in a damn hospital bed. He wished he could just get up and walk around. The leg had been difficult to move since the cast was removed. They said it would take some time to get it moving again. He kept trying to move it little by little.

  Dr. Smith walked into the room followed by Denise. “How does your leg feel?”

  Chaun rubbed his leg, smiled, and looked at Dr. Smith. “It feels good, doesn’t itch as much as what it did, still hard to move, though.”

  Dr. Smith started lifting and prodding his leg checking the usual stuff: pain, circulation, color. He gave a slight laugh. “Of course it’s going to be hard to move. It’s been lying in the same position for over two months.” Chaun gave a slight laugh. “Does this hurt?” He began to flex Chaun’s leg holding under Chaun’s knee and pushing on the top of the ankle.

  “Nope, just sore.”

  “That’s good.” Dr. Smith patted Chaun’s leg below the knee. “Your leg muscles have atrophied, but that is due to not being used for the last couple months.” He picked up Chaun’s chart and updated his notes as he continued speaking. “We’ll keep you a few more days to see how things go with getting that leg moving and to make sure nothing will get injured the more you use it.”

  “Thanks, Doc.” Chaun paused, then asked with a hopeful tone, “Is there any possibility of me going down to the cafeteria to get my lunch instead of them bringing it to the room. I’d like to see something outside of this room for a bit.”

  The Dr. thought for a moment. “I don’t see any harm in it. Of course, you won’t be able to go on your own. I’ll see if one of the nursing staff would be able to take you. Sound good?”

  He smiled and nodded, “That sounds great. Thank you, Dr. Smith.”

  “You’re very welcome.” Chaun beamed.

  *

  Denise pushed a wheel chair into the room a short time later. She pushed it right up to Chaun’s bed. “You ready? I took my break, so we won’t be as rushed to get back up to the floor. I’ve got an hour.”

  “Awesome.” He began moving to the edge of his bed. As he slowly tried to stand Denise helped support his weight. Chaun smiled. “You didn’t have to.”

&n
bsp; Denise smiled, “It’s okay. It will be a decent change from the normal lunch conversation.” Denise placed her hands on Chaun’s arm to help him if needed. He noticed the softness of her hands. Her lotion or perfume was honeydew melon and cucumber. Once he was in the wheelchair, Denise backed it up and pushed him out into the hallway.

  “Depending on how crowded the floor is, my breaks are usually between thirty minutes to an hour. And today is your lucky day because there are a lot of empty beds.”

  As Denise started pushing the wheelchair down the hallway towards the elevator, Chaun gave a slight laugh. “That’s good to know.”

  The walls outside of his room were painted a light green on top and midnight blue below the wooden rail. The carpet was cobalt blue with golden bordering. When they reached the elevators, Denise pushed the down button. They both waited in silence for the elevator to arrive with its typical ding followed by sliding doors. Denise pushed Chaun into the elevator and pushed the button for the basement.

  Chaun’s brow, though unseen by Denise, rose slightly. “I didn’t get a chance to ask you the other night. How long have you been a nurse?”

  “I’ve been a nurse for about five years. Started out in Colorado, got into a bad relationship,” she paused, took a deep breath, then let out a long sigh, “and moved out here to get away from him.”

  Chaun’s brow furrowed, “I’m sorry you had to experience such a horrid relationship.”

  Denise looked like it did not bother her. She smiled halfheartedly still trying to suppress her painful past. “It’s not your fault. Some men are just ass holes, and you can’t change that. I’ve learned from it and know not to stay with a guy that does not appreciate me.”

  “You seem really strong willed. That’s a good quality to have, I admire you for it.” Chaun tilted his head back to look into Denise’s eyes. His comment was genuine. He chided himself mentally for not having Denise’s strength earlier in his relationship with Katrina.

  Denise blushed slightly. “Thank you.” The bell sounded, and she pushed the wheelchair out of the elevator and walked down towards the cafeteria. The entire way Chaun was just enjoying not being in the hospital room. He was surprised at how much he was just enjoying the feeling of movement. They arrived in the cafeteria to find that it was almost empty. The seating area was quite large and consisted of both tables and booths. It looked to easily seat 250 to 300 people. There were plants placed around the room.

  Denise fixed herself a salad with ranch dressing from the salad bar. Chaun ordered a grilled cheese and tomato soup. They both paid for their meals. Denise pushed Chaun to a table and sat down opposite him. A mother and little girl sat nearby, and as Chaun watched them, he grew quiet. His thoughts drifted to what might have been if they had done one thing differently that night. Even a change of a few seconds, either way, would have saved Kat’s life. Denise noticed him watching the mother and daughter. She saw the distant look of burning curiosity. “You okay?”

  Chaun blinked. He shook his head slightly as if attempting to erase the thoughts from his head. “Hmm? Yeah, just wondering what things would be like if we had left early or waited for even a few seconds longer that night.”

  The little girl had to be no older than eight with long brown hair. Her mom had told her not to blow bubbles in her milk. She turned and looked at Chaun, and continued to blow bubbles in her milk where she thought her mother wouldn’t notice.

  The mother looked up at her daughter after taking a bite of food. Her brow furrowed slightly at the sight of her daughter’s refusal to listen. She reached out and pulled at the fabric of the girl’s sleeve. “Laura Ann turn around, quit blowing bubbles in your milk, and eat your food. Leave that poor man alone.”

  Chaun gave a slight smile. “She’s quite alright ma’am.”

  The woman’s brow leveled. She rested back into her seat. “You sure? You looked agitated or upset.”

  “I was, but not because she was staring at me. She got me to thinking.”

  She looked at Denise and then back at Chaun. “Do you two have any children?”

  Denise blushed, and Chaun joined her in a laugh. “No ma’am. This is one of my nurses. My daughter is with my parents.”

  The mother’s eyes widened. Her tone was apologetic as she said, “Oh, is your wife there with her?”

  Chaun’s eyes looked downwards at the comment. His brow furrowed as he looked up. “No, she passed away a couple months ago.” The mother gasped and raised her hand to her mouth. “We had been in a car accident, and the Doctors were unable to save her. They were able to save my daughter, though. I just woke up two weeks ago after being in a coma.”

  The Mother’s hand moved from her mouth to her chest, “I’m sorry I didn’t know.”

  The mother was surprised to find that Chaun’s face portrayed nothing but genuine understanding. “It’s quite alright ma’am. You had no way of knowing. Your daughter just got me thinking of what things could have been like between my wife and Samantha if she had lived.”

  The mother nodded. “So that’s why you looked hurt or agitated? I wish things could have worked out that way. Sorry, I didn’t introduce myself earlier. I’m Sophia, and this is Laura Ann.”

  Chaun nodded. “Nice to meet you, Sophia, I’m Chaun, and this is Denise. Hopefully, I’ll be able to go home soon so I can spend time with Samantha.” His shoulders relaxed, he looked down, then raised his head smiling. “Any advice for a new parent?”

  Sophia’s tone softened. She looked at Chaun with an intensity that portrayed total caring and love that only mothers of a selfless nature can comprehend. “Mostly just be patient with them. I know it seems overwhelming at times, but it’s an enjoyable experience if you can just remain patient during the chaotic times.” She laughed. “Make sure you tell her you love her and show it by your actions. Make her the center of your attention when she needs it, and cherish the time you have. It goes by fast.”

  Chaun smiled and looked at Laura Ann who returned the gesture complete with empty spaces of shadow amid white. “Thank you, I will keep it in mind.”

  “You’re welcome.” She looked at Laura Ann. “You ready to go, sweetie. We’ve got to get home so we can let the dog out.” Laura Ann nodded her head while still drinking her milk. They got up and started walking out of the cafeteria. Sophia and Laura Ann stopped in front of Chaun and Denise. She shook hands with both of them. “It was nice meeting the both of you. I hope everything works out for you and Samantha.”

  Chaun reached out to shake Laura Ann’s hand smiling. She accepted. “Thank you, it was nice meeting you two as well. Have a good day.”

  “You too.” The two then walked out of the cafeteria passing the table at which they had been sitting. Laura Ann turned back once and waved.

  After Sophia and Laura Ann had left, Denise looked at Chaun. She could tell he was on the verge of tears. “You all right?”

  He nodded as a tear fell. He wiped it away. “Yeah, just still mulling over what might have been if I had made even one decision differently that night, and how different things might be today.”

  “I understand. Chaun, look at me.” Chaun looked up into Denise’s eyes. Her eyes were penetrating and stern, yet her brow was raised. Her tone was demanding and caring. “You need to quit beating yourself up over this. You had no way of knowing what was going to happen, let alone what minor differences would have caused things to change. No matter what we face in life, trials have to be taken as they come. We can never change the past, but only better ourselves for the future.”

  Chaun nodded in agreement. “You’re right. I just have to deal with what is and not what could have been.”

  The rest of their conversation consisted of small talk. They finished eating and returned to the hospital floor where Chaun’s room was located.

   10

  Chaun didn’t bother looking up when a familiar voice spoke. “Don’t tell me you’re still in this damned hospital.” Jake was standing just inside the door to Chaun’s
hospital room. Chaun knew by the tone of his voice that he had his usual smirk plastered across his face.

  Chaun looked up. There it was, that smirk. Chaun grinned stretched between his ears. “I see you finally stopped by for a visit.” Chaun started laughing. Jake walked over and, to Chaun’s surprise, gave Chaun a hug. “How the hell have you been?”

  Chaun nodded his head. He motioned to the chair next to his bed. Jake sat. “I’ve been okay. How are you holding up?”

  “They just took my full leg cast off the other day. They said I will probably be able to go home in a couple of days to a week, pending I don’t reinjure my leg.”

  Jake smiled, “That’s good.” His smile faded to a sullen frown. “I’m sorry about Kat. It’s lousy, how things worked out.”

  Chaun lowered his eyes and head, then looked back up at Jake. “I know it is. If one thing had delayed us, or gone differently that night, she might still be here. Luckily the baby is healthy and doing well. How’s Shannon doing since everything happened? I know she hasn’t thought much of me over the years. You know I’m not as heartless as she thinks.”

  Jake’s eyebrows raised as he sat back in the chair. “She’s holding up okay. Of course, being Shannon, she blames you for Kat’s death.”

  “Of course she does.” Chaun looked at the boards on the wall in front of him. “Did you make it to the funeral?”

  Jake looked down at his hand as he was fretting with a scratch on the armrest of the chair. “Yeah, it was a good service. You seem like you’re handling the situation pretty well.”

  Chaun shrugged his shoulders and turned to look at Jake once again. “Not much else to do when you’re sitting in a hospital bed and can’t move. I’ve had a lot of time to think. The guilt has been overwhelming at times, but it’s something I am going to have to learn to cope with considering there’s not much I can do to make amends.”

  Jake gave Chaun a questioning look, “What are you talking about?”