Once we get close to my property, I surprise her by stooping down in front of her and lifting her onto my back so I can carry her home. She laughs heartedly, wrapping her arms and legs around me in a warm hug.
"Would you take me to visit my grandmother?" she asks quietly in my ear. That's a random request, I thought to myself.
"Absolutely. When?"
"Whenever you have the time."
"All right. Um, let's see … I had planned to go back to the city tomorrow. We can leave a little earlier if you'd like, and we can go visit her then. Does that sound like a plan?" I set her back on her feet and climb the few steps leading to the deck.
"That sounds great. Thank you. I hate that you have to drive me around … and Laura, too. You both have been so good about that."
Dropping her down in the mud room, we remove our sandy shoes and hang our coats on the pegs near the door.
"Joy, you never ask for anything. I won’t refuse you when you do. Plus, that's what boyfriends do, right?"
"I wouldn’t know. I've never had one before. Well, at least not a real one."
"Well, you have a real one now," I whisper against her lips before claiming her mouth. What started out as a tender kiss rapidly turns heated and passionate. How we ended up naked with her on top of the washing machine, is a blur to me.
~.~
The following morning, we leave Bainbridge relatively early, so that we can unpack and let Conrad out of the kennel before visiting her grandmother. As soon as Joy gives me the name of the cemetery, I Google it and the GPS directs us the short drive from the house. Parking in one of the small spaces provided, I help her out of the car and once we find the headstone, I turn and give her a kiss.
"I'm going to be about ten feet away on a bench over to your right. You take all the time you need and call me when you’re ready, all right?" Kissing her forehead, I place her hand on her grandmother's headstone. Before I turn to leave, I stop to read the inscription.
Wife of Joseph ~ Mother of Renee ~ Grandmother of Joy
I take one last look at Joy as she stands there with her hand on the headstone, looking at it as if she's reading it. I kiss her once again, and slowly walk over to the bench, keeping an eye on her. She slowly lowers to her knees and stays in that position for a few minutes. She talks to her grandmother, shifting to sit on her hip and lays her head gently against the marble stone. Staying that way for longer than she should, I fear her legs will be cold and wet sitting on the damp grass. I begin walking toward her, hoping she’ll soon be over her visit, or at least allow me to get her up off the chilly ground.
"…I love him, Gran," she whispers to the solid stone. "I love him so much, it hurts. I think you would, too. He takes good care of me. I'm sorry I let you down by losing everything. I'll try to make it up to you. I'll do better; I promise."
My heart tightens hearing this confession. When she raises her hand to touch the gravestone, she sweetly kisses her grandmother's name. I'm happy when she moves to stand, and wait until she's completely on her feet before I approach. My heart breaks to think she believes she's let her grandmother down. I know her gran would be proud of her. Reaching out to her, I brush the loose, dead grass from her slacks. Her legs are cold as I suspected they would be and she has a slight limp from sitting so long on her hip.
"Are you all right, baby?"
"Yes. I didn't realize how much I miss her. I have no family left, Matthew." I pull her into my arms, knowing she's going to cry.
"You have me,” I remind her. “You have Laura and Brian, too. And what about my parents? We are your family now and we all love you." When she lets out a gut-wrenching sob, I hold her tight and let her have her cry.
Three days after our visit to the cemetery, I call Dr. Becker, our staff psychologist, to schedule an appointment for Joy's first session.
"Hey, babe? What do you think about coming to the office with me tomorrow? I think it's a good time to start." I chuckle at the surprised look on her face.
"Really?" she squeals.
"Really. I've made an appointment for you to see Dr. Becker and then to have a blood panel done. That won't take too long."
"The sooner we get all these tests out of the way, the sooner you can do the surgery," she says eagerly.
"The harvesting will take a few days, so we should be able to do the surgery in about four weeks. I don't want to rush you."
"You aren't. I'm just as excited as you are. I will do whatever you say and whatever it takes," she promises.
"Okay, then. Your appointment with Dr. Becker is at nine o'clock, and depending on what she says, we will move forward. Don't eat breakfast or have any coffee—you need to fast."
"Okay, Dr. Davis."
The following morning, I notice how quiet she is on the way to the office, and I reach over to take her hand to reassure her that it's going to be all right. When I raise her hand to my lips, I look at her out the corner of my eye and find her smiling at the gesture. Maybe it's me who’s nervous and not her.
Approaching the open door at the end of the hall, I knock on the door frame.
"Hello, Dr. Becker, this is Joy Johnson, my first candidate for my procedure. Joy, this is Dr. Adrienne Becker." I let go of Joy's hand, and she extends it toward Adrienne.
"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Johnson."
"Joy, please. It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Dr. Becker."
"Matthew, I’ll make sure she’s returned to you in one piece. We shouldn't be too long today." I nod, bending to place a chaste kiss on Joy's cheek.
"I'll be thinking about you, baby," I whisper against her ear, so that only she can hear. I then run my thumb over her full bottom lip. "Be good and answer all the questions, so she can make a sound assessment. Don't hold anything back because we need you to be forthright and honest, all right?" I smile when she nods, and I kiss her lips lightly. Leaving the room, I find Jessie outside the door.
“Hey, Jess. How's it going?" I ask.
"It's going good. Laura is finally settled, and she wants to have the crew over for a formal dinner. You in?" he asks as we head for his office.
"Absolutely. Just shoot me an email telling me when, and we'll be there," I reply, taking a seat in the chair across from his desk.
"So, Joy ready for her surgery? How's that going?" he asks, sitting forward and folding his hands on his desk.
"She's with Adrienne right now, and then I'll take her for her blood panels. I don't want to plan too far ahead until I hear back from Becker. This is a huge step for her to take, and I don't think she's had time to think of all the changes that she'll be going through. Simple things like learning to read normally again since she was only twelve when she lost her sight and she may have forgotten. Then there’s driving … shape identification … the list is endless."
"Yeah, but we have an awesome teaching center here. She'll do great. I'm sure of it," he reassures me.
"Hey, I got a call from Mom and Dad. They want us to meet them next door in the new building. Can you join me?" I ask Jessie before leaving to return to my office.
"Absolutely. Do you and Joy want to meet me and Laura for lunch?"
"Sure, sounds good. Joy should be done by then."
After Jessie sends Laura a text, we head downstairs and meet my parents in the new office building. In typical Lillian Davis fashion, she has her interior designer with her. We spend several hours going over the designs for our respective offices, which is over the minute Joy texts me saying she’s with Krista and is waiting for me. I call the lab to let them know we are on our way.
“Joy's ready for her blood work. Jess, are you planning on going to Julia's for lunch? We can meet you there," I say over my shoulder as I kiss my mother good-bye.
"Yes. Julia's in forty-five minutes?"
"We'll see you there," I say as I turn to leave. "Bye, Mom. Don't spend too much money."
"Don't worry, Matthew, we’re financing our office renovations ourselves," Mom says as she focuses on the blueprin
ts in front of her. I smile at Dad and hurry next door to meet Joy.
"Hey, babe. Sorry I'm late," I say, putting my arm around her shoulder and kissing the top of her head. She was sitting next to Krista's desk when I came in, and I give Krista a smile in thanks for taking care of her. "I was with Mom and Dad going over the plans for the new office. Krista, you might want to ask mom to show you your office so you can choose your color scheme." I chuckle at the surprised look on her face. "You also might want to start looking for a new receptionist for us as well. We'll talk more later. Come on, baby, let's go get your blood work done, and then we’re meeting Jess and Laura for lunch. Does that sound good to you?"
"Yes, I'm starving,” she says with a sigh, holding her stomach. “Bye, Krista. See you around?"
"You bet."
"This shouldn't take long. Once they get what they need, we'll be done for the day," I say, tucking her in under my arm. "So, do you want to talk about your meeting with Dr. Becker?"
"Yes, but later, all right? When we have time to sit and talk."
"Here we are then. Let's get this over with." When we arrive, the phlebotomist is ready and waiting. It doesn't take long to draw the seven vials of blood, and after they put a bandage over the needle insertion point, I whisk her off to meet up with Jessie and Laura. When we get to the restaurant, I'm grateful that they've ordered appetizers.
"Here you go, baby. There's a potato skin right in front of you." I grin when she squeals, then takes a very manly bite, letting out a deep moan in gratification.
"I think she's hungry," Jessie says, chuckling at her.
"She is. She had to fast for her blood work, and I wasn't sure she was going to make it." I look up as Kathy approaches to pour water in our glasses. "What do you want, baby?"
"I'll have a fat, juicy cheeseburger with extra American cheese and an extra side order of fries, please." I can't help but laugh because I know she won't be able to eat all of that. It's an ironic case of one's eyes being bigger than their stomach.
"I'll have a club, Kathy. Thanks," I say, handing my menu back to her. "Did you guys already order?"
Waiting for their answer, Kathy looks at Jessie with big doe eyes and then at Laura. I'm certain she's not quite over her infatuation with him.
"So, Jessie told you that I want to have a formal dinner party?”
"Yes. I haven't had a chance to tell Joy, so why don't you fill us both in?
After lunch, Laura offers to take Joy home since I have a few reports I need to finish. That, coupled with the fact I want to talk with Dr. Becker to get her thoughts as to how Joy's first exam went.
"Hello, Matthew. Come in. I'm surprised it took you this long to come see me." She snickers while shuffling the papers on her desk. "I was just writing my report for the file."
"So, what do you think?"
"Well, she's a very bright and delightful young woman. Very well-adjusted and aware of what's going on around her. When asked her thoughts of her life in general, she explained about the recent events regarding Ms. Ford. She's very shaken and disturbed by Emma's harassment, the destruction of her apartment and livelihood, and ultimately, Emma's death."
"Do you feel she needs therapy?" I ask, shifting in my seat.
"It probably wouldn't hurt, but when asked about her relationship with you, she was not as forthcoming with her feelings. She tends to hold that close to her, and what I could glean from her was that she doesn't feel worthy of you and fears abandonment."
My breath catches in my throat that she believes I would abandon her, that I would leave her.
"She has minor issues with feelings that you may have asked her to live with you out of some misguided pity. She thinks because it was your ex who destroyed her apartment, you may feel obligated to remedy that."
"That isn't why I asked her to live with me," I say more for myself than for Adrienne.
"I gather that a lot has happened in the short history of your relationship?"
I nod in acknowledgment.
"Did she explain everything that has happened?"
"Yes. Frankly, I'm surprised that you both have survived the drama and have come out the other side as close as you are. Lesser events have broken many a couple," she says, looking at me over her bifocals.
"Yes, well, it almost didn't survive. But we did discuss it, and are better for it now. So, what are your thoughts as far as her mental readiness to move forward with the surgery? Did you explain to her the changes that she will be going through once she does see again?"
"I did. I think it shocked her. I made her realize that she will basically have to relearn a lot of what she forgot prior to losing her sight. At the end of the day, I think she's prepared. She is open to seeking the services at the center for help and life training. I recommend that you move forward with the surgery."
I let out the breath I'd been holding, waiting for that last statement. I am, however, a little concerned about Joy's thoughts regarding our relationship. I know she loves me, but she is uncertain of the solidity of it. I must remedy that.
"Thank you so much, Adrienne. I look forward to your report.”
"Matthew, I think I would like to see Joy a few more times if possible. I don't believe the concerns she has are detrimental to the progress of the surgery or her recovery, but she has a certain degree of low self-esteem when it comes to you and her relationship with you. I would like to work with her regarding that, if you don't mind."
"Is there something you’re not telling me? Is there something I'm doing that is hurting our relationship? Did she say anything to you?"
"No, but we all know that you can be rather intense, Matthew. I doubt I can re-educate you on toning that down, but I certainly can educate Joy in dealing with it and, well, ignoring you when you turn up that intensity."
I can't believe she just said that … and to my face too
"Come now, Matthew, don't look so shocked. You and I both know I'm right. Unless you can learn to tone it down, I think Joy would benefit from some guidance, don't you?"
"Am I that bad?" I ask, perplexed. I look at her, and she nods before bursting out in laughter.
"Do you want to make an appointment for yourself as well?"
"I'll think about it, Adrienne. By the way, this conversation goes nowhere." I burn a look deep into her eyes to get my message across.
"That goes without saying, Dr. Davis." I can hear her laughing at me even though I'm halfway down the hall.
Me? Intense?
Naw.
Chapter 12
"Are you nervous about the surgery?" Laura asks after we settle on the couch.
"Yeah, a little bit. After how hard it was to talk Matthew back into doing it, and his concern that I would be upset if it didn't work, I wondered if there was a possibility that it wouldn't." Taking a sip of my soda, I set it back on the coffee table.
"I think that was his fear talking,” Laura suggests. “I think what happened between you two over the holidays really messed him up and a little self-doubt surfaced. I seriously don't think that he would spend his entire adult life developing a procedure like this, and then present it to the medical community for approval, if he didn't think it would work, do you?"
She's right. He has spent his career on this, and he has approval and acceptance by the research center in New York. All they need is the proof that the procedure works and then his life will change. I am very proud of him.
"No. You're right, Laura." I sigh. "Just think, this time next month, I will be sitting here, looking at your beautiful face. It will be like meeting you all over again." I smile when she reaches over to take my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"I'll just be the same ol' Laura."
"So, how are you settling in here? Is it everything you had hoped?" I ask, wanting my best friend to be happy.
"You have no idea. He’s perfect. He treats me like a queen and never fails to show me how much he loves me. The person he was before we met no longer exists." I smile when I hear h
er giggle. "It got to the point that wherever we went, he would run into one of his conquests. Joy, women are freaking brazen. I could be standing there, with his arm around me, and they would come up and openly hit on him like I wasn't even there." I can’t help but giggle when her voice raises a few octaves.
"You should have heard some of the things Matthew would say to Jessie when Jess thought you didn't want him anymore! Matthew was really messing with his mind. It was so funny," I say, recalling his antics.
"Really?"
"Matthew told him you had that date with Peter on the same night they went to the club with the group from New York. He thought Jess was going to sit in the corner and cry." I smile at the memory when Matthew told me he knew Jessie was in love with Laura.
"I remember. I was surprised when he told me he was falling in love with me," she says, laughing. "I didn't want to believe him because I was afraid to allow myself to fall for him but, if you think about it, it was too late. I fell for him when we bumped into each other that very first day."
"Funny how life turns out, isn't it?" I sit and ponder the events in my own life and Matthew and I meeting has led us to where we are now.
"Okay, enough sappy shit. Help me plan this dinner party. I was thinking of just having us six, but I think I'm going to invite Lillian and Leland too and maybe one or two doctors that Jessie wants from the hospital. What do you think?"
"I think that's a great idea. Do you know what you’re going to serve?" I ask, trying to think of something that she could make for ten to twelve people.
"I might bring in a chef to cook for that night. Maybe have a prime rib or salmon. I don't want to be tied to the kitchen if we are going to have that many people."
"Have you had a dinner party for twelve before? I've only ever had you and Brian, and most of those involved eating with our fingers."
"No, this is my first formal dinner party. I may ask Lillian for some pointers, but I'm going to try to do this on my own. Don't be jealous, but the Internet could become my new best friend for a few days." I giggle, and that's when we hear Jessie and Matthew walk through the door, laughing. A sound I can’t get enough of.
I See You (Seeing You #2) Page 17