Hard Love (Wild Hearts, Contemporary Romance Book 3)

by Nancy Adams

  Yes, all his life, Robbie had been making plans. Now, life had happened, and things would never be the same.

  Aunt Kay got the new wheelchair out and snapped it together, then opened his door and pushed it as close to him as she could. Robbie leaned out of the car and caught one side of it, then swung himself out by reaching out to grab the roof line of the vehicle and use it like the trapeze that hung over his bed in the hospital. That hanging bar made it much easier for him to sit up and get in and out bed, and it hadn't occurred to him until that moment that he would miss it.

  Aunt Kay pulled him back a bit, and then shut the door before pushing him toward the ramp that led up to her front porch. Anna was already running up the ramp, happily calling for Linda as she got close to the door. Robbie reached down and grabbed the wheels, pushing himself up the ramp and onto the porch. He glanced over his shoulder at Aunt Kay.

  “I've got to be able to do this kind of stuff for myself,” he said. “But if you could get the door, that would probably make it easier for me.”

  Aunt Kay smiled and stepped around him to pull the screen door open so that he could roll on inside. Her house was just as he remembered it, although there seemed to be a few minor differences. She had mentioned having some doors changed, and he could see where that had happened, but there were other things, too. The living room floor used to have a very thick, shaggy-type carpet on it, but now it had a new carpet that was low and easy for his wheels to roll on. The big dining room and kitchen had hardwood floors, so they wouldn't be any problem at all.

  There were other subtle changes, as well, but he couldn't put his finger right on them. He decided that it didn't matter that much, since he'd be living here for at least the next few years. With no other family, there really wasn't much of a choice, so he was grateful for the fact that Aunt Kay was such a wonderful person.

  There was a commotion toward the back of the house, and he heard Anna laughing happily. A moment later, she came running from a bedroom, and for just a moment, Robbie felt like things might be okay. The sight of Anna coming toward him, followed by their mother, seemed so natural that he could almost believe that his mom had had a miraculous recovery.

  But then, that hope was dashed. The woman he had always known as his mother let Anna lead her to him, and she smiled a childish smile. “I'm Linda,” she said, and there was something in her speech that spoke of the brain damage she had suffered. “Me and Annie like to play. You want to play?”

  Robbie forced himself to smile as he looked into the eyes he had known so well for so long, and accepted the fact that his mother was no longer behind them. “Hi, Linda,” he said, choking slightly. “I'm Robbie. Maybe we can play later, okay? I'm kinda tired right now.”

  Linda smiled and nodded her head vigorously. “Okay, me and Annie gonna go play. Bye-bye,” she said, and then she took Anna's hand and the two of them hurried back to the room they had come from.

  Robbie sat there and stared after them for a moment, and then he heard Aunt Kay say something. He turned to her. “Sorry, what?” He noticed a young woman standing beside Aunt Kay.

  “Robbie, this is Julie. She helps out with Linda. She's what's called an adult babysitter, someone who specializes in taking care of people like Linda, people who are physically adults but can't really take care of themselves. Julie, this is my nephew, Robbie.”

  Julie smiled and held up a hand, and Robbie reached up to shake with her. “Hi, Julie,” Robbie said. “Listen, thanks a lot for helping out with my mom. I mean, I know that isn't really my mom, not anymore, but she's still my responsibility, so I appreciate it.”

  Julie shrugged and nodded. “It's my job,” she said. “I know how it feels; my own mother had early onset of senile dementia, and became a lot like that. She was more like a child than an adult, but at least she did remember who I was, some of the time. I know how hard this can be to deal with, so if there's anything I can do to help you, just let me know.”

  Robbie nodded and thanked her again. He looked up at Aunt Kay. “Can I see my room, or where I'm going to sleep?”

  “Of course,” Aunt Kay said. She turned to one side, and Robbie saw the door that used to go to her room. “Since you can't get up and down the stairs, I put myself up there, and gave you my room.” She stepped over and opened the door, holding it for him as he rolled inside.

  There was a bed that was very much like the one he'd had in the hospital in the room, complete with the trapeze and all. Robbie grinned, and then Julie stepped into the room.

  “I helped your aunt get everything set up for you,” she said. “We went to Cincinnati last week, and got all your things in your room, and of course, we got your sister's things, and clothing and such for Linda. I hope I got your computer all set up right.” She indicated a desk that was against the wall, with his computer set up just the way he’d had it back home. He smiled and nodded.

  “It looks great,” he said. “Thank you.”

  “We got all the things out of your closet, and your aunt said we needed to bring your gun cabinet, but she's got that in storage for right now. And you ought to take a look in the bathroom, she had a lot of work done there so that it will be easier for you to use.”

  Robbie had known that his aunt's bedroom had its own bathroom, and he wheeled himself over to look inside it. The first thing that caught his attention was that it now had a sliding door. That made it much easier for him to get in and out, since he didn't have to pull the door open, and then pull it closed again behind him. He could roll right up to the door, slide it open with one hand, roll inside, and turn around to pull it closed the same way.

  “Now check this out,” Julie said, as she pointed to a trapeze bar that hung in the room. “It's a powered trapeze,” she said. “See those two buttons on it? One of them makes it go up and down, and the other will turn it left and right. You can use it to get on and off the toilet, as well as in and out of the bathtub. When she said you were 13, I suggested this, because I know it can be embarrassing to need help in the bathroom. Since the insurance company is paying for it all, your aunt just threw a fit until they approved it.”

  Robbie stared at the system, then reached up and grabbed the bar to give it a try. By using the buttons, he found that he could get around the bathroom just fine, and he smiled up at Julie, and at his Aunt Kay, who had come into the room. “Okay, this is wicked awesome!” Robbie said. “Seriously, this is fantastic.”

  The three of them went back into the living room, and then Julie went to check on Anna and Linda. She came back a moment later, and said that they were sitting on Linda's bedroom floor and coloring pictures together. Aunt Kay smiled. “That works out great, until they start fighting over the crayons.”

  “Oh, they usually get along pretty well,” Julie said. “They're both pretty well behaved, especially when you consider how alike they are.”

  Robbie looked at her. “How alike they are? What do you mean?”

  “Well, Linda's mental condition is about the same as your sister's. Mentally, and emotionally, she's probably a lot like a four- or five-year-old child. That means that they tend to want the same things, and usually at about the same time. That's okay when it comes to things like what to have for lunch or what cartoon to watch, but if they both want the same Barbie doll, then I have to get in the middle of it pretty quickly. They won't actually fight, but they'll sit there and scream at each other until one of them gives in.”

  Robbie chuckled. “Okay, one thing about Anna—Anna never gives in. If mom—I mean, if Linda is that much like Anna, then neither one of them will ever give in. Sounds like they'd probably just sit there and scream at each other until one of them falls asleep.”

  Aunt Kay let out a shriek of laughter. “I told you,” she said to Julie. “I told you Robbie was the smartest person I've ever met. Didn't take him long to figure that out, did it?”

  Julie was laughing, also. “You were right, too,” she said. “We'll have to keep him close, so he can figure out how t
o deal with the real problems when they come up.”

  “Real problems? Like what?”

  Julie and Kay looked at each other, and then Aunt Kay turned back to Robbie. “Linda tends to get into things,” she said. “Like, she'll go into the kitchen and start opening cans or boxes, and dumping them all together into a bowl or pan. She doesn't have any idea what she's planning to do with it, she just wants to get into it. The doctor says it could be tiny, residual bits of memory of things like cooking dinner. Every once in a while, though, it results in a major mess.”

  “Yeah,” Julie said. “Like the other day, when I left the two of them watching a Rugrats cartoon while I hurried to use the bathroom, but when I came out she had dumped a box of cornflakes on the kitchen floor and she and Anna were dancing on them. Linda said the crunch was like the music they were dancing to. When things like that happen, it's very important to make her clean up after herself. She won't ever learn to be an adult again, but she's quite capable of learning anything a child can learn, such as better behavior and how to clean up her own messes. It's important to make her learn what she can.”

  Aunt Kay was sitting on a chair, and Robbie had stopped his own chair next to it. She reached over and laid a hand on his shoulder, smiling sadly at him. “It's like I told you in the hospital,” she said. “From now on, when you deal with her, you have to be the grown-up. You have to be strong, and take charge with her. I know this is unfair to you, this is a horrible thing for anyone to have to deal with, and especially when you're so young yourself.”

  Robbie shrugged. “Life is what happens while you're making other plans. My dad always used to say that, and now I really get it.” For just a moment, Robbie was overcome with emotion. He clamped his eyes shut, and it was obvious to the two ladies that he was fighting back against a flood of tears that wanted to be set free. Every muscle in his upper body clenched, but then his face softened and relaxed, and a moment later he opened his eyes. “Okay, so this is life. You'll have to help me get used to it all, and probably teach me what I need to know to deal with—with Linda.” He looked at Julie. “So, you actually live here?”

  She nodded her head. “Yes, I have the room right next to Linda's. I'll be staying here, at least for quite a while, to help get everything situated for all of you.

  Aunt Kay grinned at him. “Julie is off on Wednesdays,” she said. “That gives her a chance to get away from us, and let her hair down a bit. I figure, after a week of dealing with all of this, a day off and away from us all will probably do her good.”

  “Oh, come on, it's not that bad. But, yeah, a day off now and then is a good way to let off stress. Maybe sometimes, if you want, Robbie, we could get out and do some stuff together on my day off.” She grinned and winked at him. “You know, I'm only 18. That's not that much older than you, and you're pretty cute. I already warned your Aunt Kay that I was probably going to flirt with you, right after she showed me your picture.”

  Robbie blushed right red, and Aunt Kay burst out laughing. “Maybe you'd better take it a little easy on him, Julie,” she said. “I mean, he might not be ready for an older woman.”

  “No, it's—I mean,” Robbie stammered. “Julie, I—I'd love to go and do something with you sometime.” His face felt like it must be on fire, and he was sure that he was as red as he'd ever been.

  “Great,” Julie said. “Let's plan something for sometime soon, then. Right now, you need to get yourself settled in, and kind of get used to living here. We don't want to hit you with too many changes all at once.”

  “Yeah, cool,” Robbie said, and he was sure the grin on his face was probably making him look a bit silly. He started to say something else, but then suddenly thought of Janine, and felt a little guilty. He hadn't talked to her since the night before they had left home, and he was sure she was probably worried about him. Surely, he figured, the word of the accident would have gotten around town, so she would know that he'd been hurt and in the hospital. He turned to his Aunt Kay. “Aunt Kay, I was wondering, would it be possible for me to call home and talk to a few of my friends? I mean, I'm sure they've all heard about the accident, but I haven't talked to anyone back there since we left.”

  Aunt Kay nodded, and squeezed his shoulder. “Of course you can,” she said. There's an extension in your room, right next to the bed. You can use the phone any time you want to.” She looked serious, then. “Robbie, something you need to understand is that the insurance company is providing a lot of money to cover the expense of you being here. All of you, I mean, not just you. Since I've been appointed as your guardian, they're giving me an allowance to cover the extra expenses, and since you're basically the man of the family, now, that means you're kind of paying the bills around here. You can use the phone any time you want, like I said. And if you need anything, all you've got to do is let me know.”

  Robbie sat there and looked at her for a long moment, unsure of exactly how to react to what she had said. He was the man of the family, now? What exactly was that supposed to mean? He supposed, after a moment of thought, that it referred to the fact that he would be the next one to be old enough to make decisions for the family. He'd already thought about that, but it was too early to worry much about it. He finally just smiled and thanked her.

  “Okay,” Julie said, “it's almost lunchtime, and I know I'm going to have to feed those two pretty quickly. What about you guys? Are you hungry, ready for lunch?”

  Robbie nodded emphatically. “Holy cow, yes! In case you've forgotten, I've been eating hospital food for the last two weeks. Let me tell you, that stuff just doesn't cut it. One of the most exciting parts about coming here was knowing that I would get to eat some real food!”

  “No problem,” Julie said. “Since it's your first day home, and because I know the girls will love it, I was thinking that maybe it's time for pizza. That sound okay?”

  Robbie pretended to swoon in rapture, rolling his eyes up into his head while smiling like an idiot. Aunt Kay cracked up laughing, and Julie giggled like a schoolgirl as she got up and headed toward the kitchen. Robbie brought his eyes back into focus in time to watch her sashay out of the living room. He knew that all her talk of flirting with him was just that, talk, and undoubtedly designed to distract him from the heartache of seeing his mother this way, but regardless of the reason, she really was pretty cute. With him being 13 years old, a pert female derrière wasn't something to escape his notice.

  “Robbie,” Aunt Kay began. “There are going to be some things we need to talk about pretty soon, but I'm not going to rush you on them. I thought that maybe I should give you some idea what they are, though, so you can think about them and let me know when you feel like talking. Okay?”

  “Sure, Aunt Kay,” Robbie said. “What kind of things?” Robbie turned his attention to her.

  Aunt Kay, he noticed, looked a little uncomfortable, but she didn't say anything at first. She looked down at the floor for a moment, and then looked back into his eyes. “Robbie, when the accident happened and I was notified, I didn't know what to think at first. I mean, your father was always one of the strongest, nicest men I ever knew, and when they told me he was gone it was quite a shock. With your mom being in a coma, and at the time they said they didn't know if she would ever wake up, it suddenly dawned on me that what we had to worry about was you two kids. I called my lawyer, I mean that very day, and got everything started so that I could become your legal guardian. That was no problem, since I was next of kin, and it was all done within a couple of days.” She trailed off, and seemed either embarrassed or worried.

  “Aunt Kay, I know you did what you knew was best for us,” Robbie said. “What's the problem?”

  She looked up at him again, and smiled softly. “Well, there are several things. First off, is your house back in Cincinnati. I own my home here, and there are a number of reasons why I don't want to leave Maxwell, so I'm planning on us living here, of course. Considering you're only 13, and Anna is so small, it would be quite a few ye
ars before either of you could ever use the house. I think that we should consider selling it, and put the money into a trust for you and your sister. There’s also a large insurance benefit on your father, life insurance paid off when he died, and I've had that money put into trusts for the two of you. Any money that comes from the insurance companies lawsuit will go there, too.”

  Robbie sat there quietly for a moment, just thinking over what she had said. “But, Aunt Kay, just having us here is going to cost you a lot of money. I mean, look at how much you had done to your house, and I know none of it was cheap. Then there's Julie, you're paying her to help take care of—of Linda. Some of that money ought to go to you.”

  “Oh, no,” Aunt Kay said. “The insurance company is paying for all of that. They paid for all the work on the house, they paid Julie's salary, and they give me an allowance, like I said, to cover all the costs of having you kids here. They give me money to cover buying your clothes, to pay for school, extra money for things you might want to do, like going to movies or out to eat sometimes. And they give me some money just because this is sort of my full-time job, now. Goodness, they even give me extra money just to cover paying bills, like electricity and water. That's what I meant, when I said you're paying the bills around here.”

  Robbie shrugged. “Yeah, I kind of figured that was what you meant. And that's okay, I'm glad they're giving you the money. I know it can't be easy, having us dumped on you like this. And I really, really do appreciate all that you do for us.” He smiled at her. “Aunt Kay, I don't know what to think about the house, not right now. I mean, you're probably right and we should sell it, but—I grew up there, y'know? It's not going to be easy to just let it go, knowing I'll never see it again.”