Henry

by Cilika Kunovic

  “Daddy, I am what I am — like it or not.”

  To which Trevor responded, “And we’re all tired of your games. Why can’t you be normal? I have no idea where they picked you up. It couldn’t have been a normal birth.” Poor Trevor . . . everything had been topsy-turvy since that party at the Lake House. He simply wanted to live a normal life, without all these complications. So why not co-operate and try to bring the whole mess to an end?

  “Anyway,” Olivia wanted to know, “why are we the only ones doing anything about it?” She wanted to be with Mark and dream about their upcoming wedding; she wanted to be left alone in her own dream world. But Mark suddenly got up and excused himself, saying he was going home. He couldn’t stand the tense atmosphere.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Weeks passed and Henry’s condition did not improve greatly. The swelling subsided, and Dr. Sheridan was optimistic; however, Henry was still in a comatose state. He looked much better, but that did not satisfy Dominic, who was beside himself day in and day out.

  “Henry, you have got to want to come out of this coma. Why are you hiding behind this state of nowhere? I know that you can hear me. I can feel it in my bones. Dr. Sheridan feels it as well, even though he hasn’t said it out loud. It is up to you to make the first move. Henry, give me some sign of life, please. I need you, and whether you like it or not, you need me, too. I am not giving up, so you might as well do something about it.

  “I have to go now, but I’ll be back tomorrow, with Sasha in tow. Maybe she can knock some sense into you. Remember, I am not giving up.” Then he left, tears running freely down his cheeks as if he were ten years old.

  “Where have you been?” his mother asked him as soon as he walked through the door.

  “Where do I usually go at this time of night? You know what my life is all about. By the way, Mom, has anybody called for me?”

  “Not that I know about,” came the answer.

  Sasha came in and immediately asked if there was any news regarding Henry. “Have you seen Henry tonight? I meant to go there but I had to work longer tonight.” She glanced at their mother and asked, “What is bothering you, Mom? Is everything all right?”

  “Why should anything be bothering me?”

  Dominic, too, was perplexed at the sight of his mother, who was hesitating about something. “What is it, Mom?” Susanne refused to answer. “Mom, what is going on here?” He was worried that their mother had heard some news and was afraid to tell them.

  “I was fired today. It is not my fault that so much is going on these days. You are never home anymore, and Sasha only comes home to ask about you before she leaves again and doesn’t come back for hours.”

  “So, tell us, Mom: What happened at work today?” Dominic asked, worried.

  “Well, I went looking for Sasha. I wanted to know where she goes, when she leaves the house after school.” She felt quite uncomfortable telling them this and burst out crying.

  “Yes, but why did they fire you?” Dominic wanted to hear some details, knowing none might be forthcoming. He felt guilty. It was true that they had both been busy attending school, working, dating, and, lately, going to visit Henry. Suddenly it all came crashing in on them. Poor Mother, she is feeling lonely.

  “Well, I can’t go back to work, after I go looking for Sasha, because I get very upset and therefore I wouldn’t be any good at my work.” She was crying now even more.

  “Mom, how often have you gone looking for me?” Sasha asked, knowing it must have been quite a few times, or they wouldn’t have fired her. “Why didn’t you just ask me where I went? I often tell you where I’m going, and you just wave me off as if to say I am intruding.”

  “You both blame everything on me. I don’t live with your father for a good reason.”

  “Mom, I don’t want to talk about Father ever again.” Dominic stood up, annoyed. “I am sorry if we have neglected you somehow. Believe me, it was not intentional. As far as you stalking Sasha, I am ashamed of you. You had a good job. If I were you I would be going there tomorrow and begging to get it back. I am tired of having to act as your father, as well as Sasha’s. At least Sasha doesn’t want it that way anymore, but as far as you are concerned, you are simply jealous of my adoration for Henry.

  “Henry is the only father I ever had. I love you and I always will, but you have to grow up and start looking after yourself. I will be very proud of you if you can manage that.”

  “Don’t you talk down to me!”

  “Well, then, get up and stand on your own feet, so we can look up to you.”

  Sasha interrupted, “Mom, you must stop stalking me, or I will personally get the police after you. I mean it, Mom.” With that, Susanne walked out of the kitchen and went to bed.

  The next day, Anna Miller couldn’t help but feel that Sasha had something on her mind. Luckily, she knew better than to pry. Sasha had always come to her whenever she needed help, so Anna waited for Sasha to come to her.

  Sasha couldn’t help but wonder if her mother had gone and tried to get her job back. The day was dragging. She wanted to go home and find out what had transpired; or if Susanne had done something foolish, as she had so many times in the past.

  Dominic spent the day wondering why he had been so hard on his mother. He went to the hospital to have a chat with his best friend. Surely Henry would not argue with him.

  “Hi, Henry, I’m back, as I promised last night. There is no getting rid of me, so you’d better just put up with me. What does Dr. Sheridan have to say about your condition? Will you be dancing around any time soon? I am getting mighty tired of coming here every day for nothing. You’d better get on with some kind of healing. If it hadn’t been for the fact that I can walk here, I would be charging you for the bus fare. By the way, I hear that Tom has been visiting you quite often. He’s a good friend.”

  At that, Sasha walked in. “Hi, Henry. Hello to you, too,” she greeted her brother. “As I would expect, the two of you have been gossiping about me. Henry, you have no idea how these people keep track of me. If I didn’t know better, I would expect you to stalk me as well.” Sasha winked at her brother as if to say, Help me, here — I don’t know what else to say.

  But Dominic knew all about not knowing what to say. Quite often he would talk to Henry as if he were a bit abnormal; but if it would help, it was well worth it. “How was your day, Sasha?” Dominic was trying to make conversation. “Did you go home before you came here?”

  “No, I wanted to see Henry before going home, so that I can just stay at home, once I am there. Anyway, Bryan is coming over for the evening.” She winked at her brother.

  “I am going to go and see Nicole at the centre, before she goes home. She has to work late again, and I will escort her to the bus stop. I worry about her at night.” Then, he suddenly realized he shouldn’t be talking like that in front of Henry in case he understands what is going on. A lot was going on lately. Going to school was not even an issue anymore, as if that were the least important thing on the agenda. What used to be a priority had simply become a chore. Were it not for this duo’s dedication, the studies might have been dropped completely. After all, this was their second last year of what was to be their future. The summer had passed, and the season was well on its way into the fall.

  Speaking of the fall, Sam had been speaking with his partners about Henry’s Lake House: What was to be done about it? “I am sure that Dominic and Sasha are looking after Henry’s house in the city. The lake house will have to be closed for the winter, as well as secured from vandalism. We all know we can’t put the whole load on Tom. Barb tells me that Anna has offered to send the boys up and do what needs to be done to prepare the house for the winter.”

  “Do you want us to take charge of that?” Bill asked. “You know that we are all willing to help.”

  “Why don’t we take a drive up on Sunday and take the kids with us? Barb wants to go as well and we can all see for ourselves what will need to be done. I will ha
ve a talk with Barb tonight and let you know what she has to say.” Sam was not at all eager to go up there again but he knew he needed to look after things.

  In the meantime, Susanne did what she had to do and reluctantly told her employer how much she wished to be reinstated. She used her children as an excuse, making them responsible for her distraction. Her boss, however, knew the situation and gave her another chance — her very last chance.

  “Dominic, how would you like to go up to Lake House on Sunday?” Barb approached him, when he came by that evening with Nicole. They had both been to see Henry and were feeling desperate about his standstill condition.

  “Sure, Mrs. Preston — what brought that up?” He seemed to be a bit startled. “Who all is going?”

  “That I don’t know for sure but I do know that you and Sasha have been asking about going up for quite some time. I have my sources, you know.” She winked at him.

  “I would love to go. I know I can speak for Sasha as well.” He seemed excited.

  “You said you went in to see Henry; how is he doing today?” She had seen him the previous day. There was no change, as far as she could tell. “I have this built-in instinct that I will have to go and bully him out of his hiding place. It has worked before, you know.” She did not elaborate. Barb had helped Henry come out of his shell after he lost Serge.

  Trevor wanted to come along, but Olivia decided to spend the day at home. She and Mark have had problems ever since the night when she had refused to co-operate regarding what she saw the night of the party.

  “Henry, we are going to Lake House tomorrow, to see what needs to be done. Fall is here, and the place needs to be winterized, as you well know.” Dominic tried to explain it to his buddy. “I was hoping to get your blessing to do so, but you still refuse to co-operate. Don’t get me wrong, but enough is enough. If you were meant to die, that would have happened already. Anyway that is my opinion. With all due respect, you have not been of any help where that is concerned.”

  Just as Dominic was about to continue telling Henry off, he suddenly had the feeling that Henry was trying to open his eyes. Or, perhaps he had just imagined it? “Henry, did you just attempt to open your eyes? Oh, please, Henry! Please try again!” But Henry was tired. “It’s all right. I know you did it and I know that you will try again. I just wish Nicole were here — she has become your ally in more ways than one lately. She is very protective of you and your state of health.”

  There it was again! Henry was truly trying to say something, and Dominic was beside himself. Now it was time to tell someone — but whom? It was late, and the doctors were not around at night, except in emergencies. He didn’t want to leave Henry and go looking for a nurse and didn’t want to disturb Henry at that late hour of the night. He decided to stay a while longer and hopefully have a talk with Dr. Sheridan the next day.

  “Henry, it is late and I have to leave. I will be back tomorrow. Please try to get a good sleep. Okay?”

  He kissed Henry on the forehead as usual and went home with a sign of hope. A weight was starting to lift off his shoulders, even though he knew there would be a long road ahead. He was bursting with excitement about Henry’s hopeful recovery. He had to tell somebody — and soon, before he burst. He called the Prestons with the good news.

  Facing the situation at home was another thing. He was not allowed to show excitement in front of his mother, but Sasha was excited with him. He found out their mother had been given another chance at work, and that was good news. Even if only for a while. “Mom, I am proud of you for getting your job back. It takes a lot of guts to do that.”

  Susanne was in a better mood that night. She also promised not to stalk her daughter anymore. She felt quite ashamed for doing so. Her children were all she had, so why not try and trust them?

  The phone rang and it was Susanne calling. At first Barb expected it to be Dominic for Nicole.

  “Hi, Barb — I haven’t heard from you in a while.” Susanne was calling her friend in an optimistic mood for a change.

  “Hello, Susanne. I agree with you and I have no excuse on hand. What’s up?”

  “How about a luncheon date? Are you up for it?” She was hoping to get a chance to talk with Barb about the latest developments. “I was thinking tomorrow.”

  “Same time, same place?” Barb knew that Susanne liked their usual spot.

  “I will see you there.” The date was set, and they were both looking forward to having a chat.

  Sam decided to pay Henry a visit to see how his buddy was doing. “Hello, Henry. You sure know how to get yourself out of doing your job.” He wanted to tease Henry for lying in bed while the others were working hard. At the same time, Barb wanted to peek in on Henry before she met Susanne for lunch. So, there they all were. It felt like good old times.

  “Now, were the two of you gossiping about me?” She teased Sam and then looked at Henry, who was trying to open his eyes. “Why, Henry, are you trying to show off by opening your eyes? Dominic was trying to convince us that you were doing it. The poor boy was beside himself the night that you first showed any sign of rejoining the human race. I don’t think he has eaten a proper meal since you’ve been here in the hospital.” She was trying to see if he was aware of being there, or was still in a daze about his whereabouts.

  Sam was afraid that she was being a bit too forward with Henry. “Go easy on him, will you?”

  However, Barb ignored him and said, “Henry, can you please try again?” Sure enough, there it was again! “Dominic has been sure for some time that you could hear him and knew what he was saying to you. He has faith in you, so please don’t disappoint him.” Sam was amazed at how his wife and this old man communicated. He was proud of her and delighted with the progress.

  “Susanne, what prompted you to call and arrange for this luncheon? Usually I am the one who calls you.”

  “Well, I was hoping to have a decent talk with a grown person. My kids drive me crazy with their demands. I have been so busy keeping up with them that I nearly lost my job.”

  “What?”

  “Well, you know. They are both busy with their schedules and I can hardly keep up with them.” But Barb knew what had been going on at the Lamberts’ place. Dominic was unable to keep it to himself. He is so overwhelmed with all the responsibilities in his life that he had to confide in Nicole.

  “Are you coming along for the drive to Lake House on Sunday? We are all going, except for Olivia. She wants to stay at home. I am sure your kids will forgive you for not joining them this time if you prefer not to bother.” Barb was rather hoping Susanne would decline.

  “Oh, yes . . . they want to go . . . but I have too much to do.” She was being evasive.

  “So, what did you have in mind? You said you wanted to have a talk with a grown person.”

  “I just had to have some grown-up conversation. The kids are way too advanced for me. I am from the old school, you know.”

  Yes, Barb knew about that very well. She was tempted to ask how Sasha was doing lately. She knew that Sasha was dating young Bryan Young, whom Barb had known for some time through his parents. They just happened to be her clients.

  “Are you talking about Sasha’s dating lately, or is it something else that is bothering you? She is old enough to date, and Bryan is a nice young man.” She hoped to get her point across.

  “I simply don’t understand young folks these days and their ways when it comes to dating. We were different in our time. If I say something, they look at me as if I was crazy.”

  “Yes, we were different, all right, and look where it got you. Thank goodness I can’t complain too much; but I do still have the old-fashioned kind of marriage. Everything seems to depend on me. Today’s married couples do more together, while our husbands seem to think we are supposed to do it all. I can’t imagine Sam ever cooking or ironing or vacuuming. Don’t take me wrong — he is a good man, but an old-fashioned one just the same. Let the kids make their own mistakes. They will lea
rn from them.

  “I have never said this to you, but I am very happy that Nicole and Dominic plan to marry, and I hope you feel the same right back.”

  “That is not a problem for me. However, I don’t trust Bryan. Now, I know what you are about to say, but my conviction stands.” Again, Barb was tempted to teach this woman a hard lesson if only it were worth it.

  Barb had had enough of Susanne for the day and was looking forward to visiting Henry as soon as possible. She couldn’t wait to see more progress. She and Susanne soon went their separate ways. Barb went to her office, where Trevor was waiting for his ride home. He was back early from a school trip and was starving. He made sure he wouldn’t have to wait for food until they got home. He asked for food as soon as he saw his mother entering the office, claiming starvation.

  “If you don’t stop eating and growing, we will go broke soon,” she teased her son. “Let me get a few things finished, and then we will go home. Go and get yourself a big burger while you are waiting.” She gave him money, and he not only got a burger, he got himself a large sub and a drink. Now he was ready to wait patiently.

  On their way home, Trevor took the opportunity to ask about going to the lake. “Mom, are we really going up to the lake on Sunday? I think perhaps, Henry got the strength to make some progress because Dominic mentioned the Lake House to him. What do you think?” He was very serious about it.

  “Well, something was going to get him going sooner or later. I am sure that Dominic talks to him about anything and everything, just to stimulate his brain and make him recall some of the things that would make him want to live and enjoy life again. Dominic has a great relationship with Henry, as you know.” Every time Barb thought about the boy and his mentor, she would get a bit teary-eyed. She had that kind of relationship with her father toward the last years of his life.

  “Dominic was never close to his father. I guess I am very lucky to have my dad there for me. I don’t always agree with him, now that I am older, but he is all right most of the time.”