Chance for Home

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  “I guess I’ll have to add to your collection.”

  “I think you already spoil me too much.”

  “Nah.” He leaned down and gave her a kiss. “I’ll be back in a minute. I need to finish getting ready and make my mom some lunch before we leave.” He took a step back. “Can you do me a favor and let the nurse in when she gets here?”

  “No problem.” She waved toward the stairs. “Go finish getting ready. I’ll make your mom something to eat.”

  “Thanks. There’s still some of the leftover chicken parmesan in there. I was going to heat some up for her.”

  “Okay.” Kari went into the kitchen and set about heating up Susan’s lunch. She retrieved a bag of premade salad and added that to the plate, along with an individualized cup of ranch dressing left over from one of Ryan’s visits to a restaurant.

  After filling a glass with water, Kari debated briefly whether she should wait for Ryan to take it to her. A glance at the clock on the wall made the decision for her. Ryan was running late, and so was Susan’s nurse.

  Kari carried the food down the hall, adjusting the plate to sit on her arm so she could knock before entering Susan’s suite.

  “Come in.”

  Kari nudged the door open farther and moved the plate again so she would have a better grip. Susan was sitting on her couch, a book in her hand.

  “Hi, Ms. Strobel. Ryan is still getting ready for his game, so I thought I would bring you your lunch.”

  “Oh, thank you.” She set the book aside and motioned toward the kitchen. “There’s a tray over there you can put it on.”

  Kari did as she was asked, setting the plate and cup on the serving tray that had been left on the kitchen counter. She then carried it to Susan. “Here you go.”

  “Is there anything else you need?” Kari asked after it was settled in Susan’s lap. “I got you water, but I’m happy to get you something else to drink if you want.”

  “This is fine.” She eyed Kari. “It seems you’re here at Ryan’s house nearly as much as he is.”

  Kari didn’t see a point in disagreeing. “Lately, it does seem that way.”

  Susan took a sip of her water. “You aren’t the type of girl who is trying to get a key to my son’s house, are you?” Before Kari could answer the question, Susan continued. “You know the ones—first, they worm their way into a man’s home, and before you know it, the guy gets used to her being there, and she ends up with a ring on her finger.”

  “As I already told Ryan, I’m not the kind of girl who is comfortable having a man’s house key on my key ring.”

  “I can’t tell you how glad I am to hear you say that.” Susan gave a definite nod. “I might decide to like you after all.”

  Kari’s lips quirked up. “I hope so.”

  “Thank you for bringing me my lunch.”

  “You’re welcome.” Kari heard the doorbell ring. “I’ll be right back.” She answered the door and showed Lois into Susan’s suite. While Lois moved to the kitchen table to start organizing her supplies, Kari repeated her earlier question to Susan. “Is there anything else you need?”

  “This is fine. Thank you.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you later.” Kari said good-bye to the nurse and then continued into the hall. As she made her way back to the front of the house, she felt as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

  Ryan was everything to his mom, and for the first time since meeting Susan, Kari finally felt like she wasn’t a potential barrier between mother and son.

  Ryan jogged down the stairs, his phone in hand. “Sorry I took so long. I got a call from Shawn, asking for a ride. His car broke down.” He motioned toward his mom’s room. “Did the nurse get here?”

  “Yeah, your mom’s all set.”

  “Great. Let’s go.”

  “Maybe you should poke your head in real quick to say good-bye. I’m sure she would appreciate it.”

  “Kari, I’m already running late.”

  “It’ll only take a second.”

  His expression changed to acceptance. “Okay.” He jogged across the room and down the hall. Kari could hear the quick exchange with his mother, followed by his footsteps heading back toward her. “She’s good. Let’s go.”

  Once they were settled in the car, he turned to her. “Thanks for making me say good-bye. I think she was waiting for it.”

  “Glad to help.”

  “Yeah, that’s always how you are,” Ryan said. He pulled out onto the road. “I love that about you.”

  Chapter 25

  Kari hurried across the street to Ryan’s house, one hand gripping her long skirt so she wouldn’t trip. She had been nearly finished getting ready to go out to dinner with Ben and Maya when she received Ryan’s text. Can you come over right now? It’s urgent.

  Slightly winded, she knocked on Ryan’s door. Instantly, it swung open to reveal Ryan wearing a suit and tie.

  “Oh, good. You’re right on time.”

  “On time for what?” Kari asked, confused. “Your text said it was urgent.”

  “It is.” Ryan motioned her inside, his demeanor surprisingly calm.

  “What’s wrong? Is your mom okay?”

  “Everyone is fine.”

  Kari’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Then what’s so urgent?”

  “Come with me, and I’ll show you.”

  Curious, Kari followed Ryan through the house and onto the back porch. Her eyes widened when she looked out at the scene he had set. White Christmas lights twinkled in the dogwood tree to the right. Candlelight flickered from the center of the bistro table situated on the lawn a short distance away. The scent of grilled meat wafted on the faint breeze, and a picnic basket sat beside the table.

  Kari turned to look at Ryan. “What’s all this?”

  “I wanted to do something special for you.” Ryan took her hand. “I hope you don’t mind that I asked Ben to keep you occupied this afternoon so I could get everything ready.”

  “This is all very sweet.” She reached up and kissed him. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” He led her across the lawn and pulled her chair out for her.

  She sat, amazed that Ryan had turned his backyard into such a romantic setting. He sat across from her and pulled a wine bottle from a bucket of ice.

  “Sorry, Ryan, but I don’t drink.”

  “I know. That’s why I got sparkling cider.”

  Her smile was instant. “You’re really something. You know that?”

  “I’m glad you think so.” He popped the top and poured. “I hope you don’t mind a quiet evening at home.”

  “This is perfect.” She lifted her glass. “And very thoughtful.”

  Clearly pleased with how well his surprise had been received, he retrieved a bowl from inside the picnic basket. “I hope shrimp pasta salad is okay. It’s one of the few side dishes I know how to make that I can do ahead of time.”

  “It sounds wonderful.”

  “It’s one of my mom’s recipes.”

  “Did your mom help you make it?”

  “She made sure I didn’t mess it up,” Ryan admitted. “In exchange, I promised to save her some steak. Speaking of which, dinner should be ready.”

  Ryan got up and crossed to the grill. A moment later, he returned and served her a steak and put another on his plate.

  “Thank you.”

  Kari scooped them both some pasta salad, and as soon as she took a bite, she rolled her eyes in appreciation. “Mmm. This is good.” She leaned forward. “You will share the recipe, right?”

  “I might be persuaded, especially if you agree to go on a hike with me on Thursday.”

  Kari took another bite and considered. “I think I like it when you have days off.”

  Ryan took her hand. “Me too.”

  * * *

  “You did what?” Ryan stared at his mother with disbelief. For the past few days, he’d finally found a routine that worked for him. He helped his mother with her inf
usions in the morning, drove with Kari to and from his games, and returned home to go to sleep and start the whole process all over again. Now his mother was sitting in her favorite recliner, telling him she had just blown that routine out of the water.

  Susan repeated her statement from a moment before. “I fired her.”

  “Mom, you need someone to help take care of you, at least until you get through your antibiotic treatments.”

  “You’ve been helping, not Lois.”

  “Yes, and I leave on a road trip tomorrow morning,” Ryan reminded her.

  “Then I’ll do them myself.”

  “How?” he asked impatiently. “You need two hands to do the infusions, and one of yours can’t even reach the tubing.”

  “I can have the nurse change out the tubing for a longer set.”

  “The nurse you just fired?”

  That caused her to pause. “I’ll have the hospital staff do it for me. It will only take a few minutes to change it out.”

  “And your friends who work at the hospital live over an hour away.” He dragged his hands through his hair impatiently. Banking down on his frustration, he took a steadying breath and tried to swallow the anger bubbling inside him. “Why did you fire the nurse?”

  “The last two days when she had to do my antibiotics, she forgot to flush the PICC line out with saline before using it. When I reminded her, she said it was only necessary once a day.” Susan held up a finger as she made her point. “I am in this situation because I have an infection. I don’t need another one.”

  “I can call the home care service and ask them to send a replacement.”

  “I don’t want a replacement. I’m tired of being treated like I need a babysitter,” she said. “All I need is someone who can follow directions. It isn’t that difficult.”

  “I can do it.” Kari’s voice silenced the room.

  Ryan turned to see her standing in the doorway. Tonight he had planned to take her out on their first real date in weeks, but that prospect was yet another casualty of his mother’s decision. He processed her words, still not sure he had heard her correctly. “You can do what?”

  “I can help your mom while you’re away.”

  “Kari, I can’t ask you to do that,” Ryan said, uneasy. “The home care nurse was going to stay here with Mom around the clock. It’s a full-time job.”

  “And in case you haven’t noticed, I’m between jobs right now,” Kari said.

  “Mom, will you excuse us for a minute?” he said, not comfortable continuing this discussing with his mother in the room. He didn’t wait for an answer before he crossed the room, took Kari’s hand, and led her out of his mother’s suite and down the hall. He stopped to face her when they reached the living room, and he lowered his voice. “Kari, I can’t let you do this.”

  “Ryan, I was supposed to do a medical internship this summer. That situation blew up in my face, and I lost out on the opportunity.” She waved toward his mother’s room. “Let me help you out. It will be a good experience for me too.”

  He wavered. In truth, he needed someone. “Would you be okay staying over here?”

  “You do have a few extra bedrooms,” Kari reminded him. “If it’s okay with you, I’ll stay in the guest room on the main floor. That way I’m not too far from your mom if she needs help.”

  His heart swelled as he was once again struck by her kindness. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

  “You can start by convincing your mom that this is a good idea.”

  “She isn’t going to make it easy on you.”

  “Ryan, I promise I will make sure her needs are met, and I’ll respect her privacy as much as possible. If she doesn’t like having me help her, she can rehire the nurse.”

  “I guess if I put it to her that way, she’ll much prefer having you here.” He gave her an apologetic look. “I’m afraid our plans for tonight aren’t going to work out the way I had hoped.”

  “We can change them,” she said easily. “You’re going to be eating out for the next week straight. Instead of going out to dinner, let’s make something in. That way your mom can join us. If you want, we can all watch a movie together.”

  “There’s also a swimming pool in my backyard we haven’t used yet.”

  She grinned. “I like to swim.”

  “Maybe you should go change into your swimming suit, and we can hang out here for a while before we go to the store.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” She took his hand and gave it a squeeze. “And while I change, you can talk to your mom and make sure she isn’t going to lock me out of the house.”

  “You have a key.”

  “Technically, Ben has your key, but either way, your mom doesn’t know that.”

  He leaned closer and whispered in her ear. “We should probably keep it that way.”

  “Good idea.”

  * * *

  Kari opened the box of medical supplies and read through the instructions. Ryan had left early that morning for the airport, and she had arrived in time to say good-bye and see him off, along with her brother.

  With Susan watching, Kari followed her typical logic and lined up the supplies she would need on the table, beginning with the baseball-sized plastic bag full of liquid antibiotics.

  “I hear you’re studying to be a doctor,” Susan said, breaking the silence.

  Kari heard the derision in the words but didn’t understand the cause. She glanced at Susan and nodded. “That’s right.”

  She pointed at the medicine ball in Kari’s hand. “You aren’t doing that right. You have to flush the PICC line out with saline first.”

  “Yes, that’s what it says here.” Kari set the medicine down and opened the box of saline syringes.

  “Do you know how to use one of those?”

  “Actually, I do,” Kari said, careful to keep her voice calm and neutral. The last thing she needed was to be at odds with the woman she had been charged with caring for.

  “Doctors always think they know how to do everything.”

  “You’re probably right,” Kari said. “The truth is, most of what I know about medicine isn’t from college. I learned how to flush a PICC line when my best friend was going through chemo.”

  Susan’s eyebrows lifted. She didn’t say anything for a moment, and when she finally did speak, she was sympathetic. “You’re awfully young to have friends with cancer.”

  “I agree.” Kari selected the syringe and gently took Susan’s arm, resting it on the edge of the chair before working with the tube to insert the syringe. “Seeing Maya go through so many treatments at only twenty years old inspired me to pursue medicine.”

  Susan fell silent, watching closely as Kari completed the flushing process and hooked up the antibiotic treatment.

  Once Kari finished her task, she set the medicine on the table, making sure it didn’t pull at Susan’s arm. “May I be frank, Miss Susan?”

  “Please.”

  “I imagine a lot of doctors don’t give nurses and nurses’ aides the respect they deserve, but I’m not like that. I think I can learn a lot from you, and I really hope while I’m staying here that you will be willing to share some of your experiences with me.”

  Susan’s eyes met hers. “How did you know I worked as a nurses’ aide?”

  “Ryan told me,” Kari said, settling back in her chair. “He’s very proud of you.”

  “He is?”

  “Of course. You can hear it in his voice every time he talks about you.”

  “I wouldn’t think he would have time to talk about me much with this busy life of his.”

  “Ryan told me about you on our very first date,” Kari said, sensing an insecurity in Susan she hadn’t previously noticed. “He talked about how you raised him alone and how you were smarter than most of the nurses you worked with.”

  “I don’t know about that. I never got any of the advanced training they all have.”

  “That doesn’t mean you weren’t capable of it.
” Kari shifted in her chair. “Would you like me to turn on the television?”

  “I think I’ll read a bit.”

  “In that case, I’ll be right back. I’m going to go get my study materials.” Kari went into the living room, where she had left her backpack, and returned a moment later with one of her MCAT prep books.

  Susan looked at the book and then at Kari. “If reading that book is how you spend your free time, we may have to plan a movie night, or you’re going to be cross-eyed by the end of the week.”

  “Or we could do a movie day so we can watch Ryan play at night,” Kari suggested.

  “That would work too.”

  Chapter 26

  Ryan sat alone in the hotel restaurant, his phone in his hand. The Internet search of medical schools displayed on the screen didn’t inspire much hope.

  The likelihood of Kari getting into one of the local schools wasn’t impossible, but the competition in all of them was fierce. What would he do if her best prospects ended up being across the country? And then there was residency—four years of it. He couldn’t imagine the toll it would all take on her. And he thought his schedule was challenging.

  He thought of his baseball contract and wondered if his agent would be able to make some changes to help him follow Kari to wherever she ended up in med school. It might not be the best situation for his career in the long run, but if he could be with her, it would be worth it.

  “Hey, Ryan. Mind if I join you?” Ben asked.

  “Grab a seat.” Ryan motioned to the chair across from him.

  Ben flagged down a waitress and put in his order. “Have you seen Monroe yet this morning?”

  “No. Why?”

  “Gavin and Shawn insisted on helping him with a haircut last night after the game. I have to say, blond hair and mullets don’t always go great together.”

  “I’m just glad the practical jokes aren’t aimed at us for now,” Ryan said. “If we get lucky, the pennant race will slow them down for a while.”

  “That’s what happened last year.” Ben motioned to Ryan’s phone. “What were you looking at?”

  “Medical schools.”

  “Planning a career change?”

  He rolled his eyes. “I’m not looking for me. I’m looking for Kari.”