Angel looked at her closet door, realizing there was no way she could get the door open while in her chair. The way it swung towards the bedroom door, her chair wouldn’t fit between her bed, nightstand and door. “Can you get in my closet and get my teal dress. It’s short and cool and it should make it easier for me to manage.”
“Sure thing.” He opened the door and rifled through her clothing until he found the one she wanted. “I can rehang this door for you so it opens in the other direction, that way you can get in and out of it easier.”
“I appreciate it. I hate having to ask for help.” She dug through the middle drawer of the dresser and got out a white bikini and set it on her lap.
“Don’t worry about asking for anything, Angel. You would do the same for any of us so don’t you worry about a thing.” Rage kissed her forehead and moved towards her bedroom door. “You got it from here? If your wrist is too sore to push yourself down the hall I can come back.”
“Nah, I got it. It’s feeling better today. Besides, it’s a straight shot out the door and down the hallway. As long as I don’t have to use my left hand much I’m okay” The smile on his face was contagious and it made her smile back.
“Alright, I’m gonna go see if Ms. Lola is making enough breakfast for me too cuz the smell is making my stomach rumble.”
“Go on,” Angel laughed. “I’ll be in there in just a little bit.”
It was getting easier day by day to learn to maneuver so she could dress herself. She was pleased that it didn’t take too long to take off her pajamas and slip on the bikini and spaghetti strapped dress. She didn’t like seeing the scars on her legs or how frail they looked after being in casts for six weeks, but if she was going to be at home all day, why bother trying to cover it up? Besides, she was looking forward to getting into the pool later to exercise. In the water she felt normal again.
Her doctors described her spinal injury as an ‘incomplete spinal cord injury’. After her first surgery she had some feeling in her lower limbs and her bowels and bladder were functional without any issues. Since both of her legs had been broken in several places she was in leg casts for six weeks. When her feet were poked or subjected to heat or cold she had some sensations.
However, now that her casts were off, when she tried to move her legs on her own she didn’t have much success. It was as if her brain wasn’t connecting with the muscles in her legs when she tried to get them to move. Sometimes she would get a twitch here or there and a few times she was able to get some movement. It gave her hope that someday she would be back on her feet again.
Physical therapy was supposed to start on Monday and she was looking forward to seeing how it would go. The doctor had also recommended the use of a FES (Functioning Electrical Stimulation) bike. The purpose of FES therapy was to use electricity to push muscles into action to retrain the central nervous system. The cost of purchasing one was around twenty-five thousand dollars which was beyond her means. The hospital had one in their physical therapy facility that was always in use, but Angel was excited to be able to make an appointment to start using it now that her casts were off.
Joining them in the dining room she was greeted with the delicious scent of sausage, maple syrup and pancakes that Ms. Lola was arranging on the table. “It smells good in here. Thank you for breakfast, Ms. Lola.”
“My pleasure, darlin’ girl! I brought some fresh tomatoes and cucumbers my mister picked from the garden this mornin’ and a batch of strawberries fo’ ya.”
Angel couldn’t help but smile when the voluptuous woman wrapped her up in a warm hug and kissed her cheek. “You’re spoiling me, Ms. Lola. I like it! How is your mister doing by the way? Is he at the restaurant cooking while you’re here with us?”
Ms. Lola’s laugh was boisterous, loud and full of joy. “Yes, darlin’. Jedidiah is holdin’ down the fort until I get there. He loves the early mornin’ crowd with all the old farts from around town jibber jabberin’ while they drink coffee. He told me to give you his love and said he was gon’ drop by and see ya soon.”
“Tell him I can’t wait to see him. I appreciated him coming by the hospital with a box of chocolates. It was really sweet of him.”
“Oh lordy, that man, I tell ya—he loves to see you, Angel. He’s as proud of you as your daddy is, I’m sure. Always braggin’ on ya. Now then, you’ns eat up this food and enjoy your day. Nahni said she would finish cleanin’ up so’s I can get to work now. I can’t leave that man alone too long in my kitchen. No siree!”
“Thank you again, Ms. Lola. I appreciate you.” Angel hugged her and gave a kiss to her weathered cheek. She smiled when her father, brother and sister-in-law gave Ms. Lola the same loving affection. When Vito walked her out, Angel tucked into her stack of pancakes groaning when the fluffy sweetness melted in her mouth. The rest of breakfast was silent while they all ate until there wasn’t a crumb left.
***
Angel had two totes full of mail to go through. Most of it was fan mail, well wishes for recovery from her accident. Her family had tried bringing some of it to the hospital but she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to appreciate it at the time. Today she was going to begin tackling it, starting out by sorting the bills from the letters. Medical bills and insurance letters went in one shoe box. Since her hospital stay had been paid for, she made a mental note to have her father help her sort through these so she would know what to keep and what had been taken care of. Another shoe box was filled with credit card statements and other random bills pertaining to her apartment she’d had. It was mind boggling how much had accumulated in her absence.
As she filtered her way through the masses, one envelope caught her eye. It wasn’t because it was fancy with any sort of flowing script and it certainly wasn’t a bill. The stark white background was filled with colorful drawings of a child’s creativity artistically covering it front and back, but for the center area on the front with her name and the address to the shop where all her fan mail went. In the top left corner in careful cursive was a name that was as familiar to her as her own. Kylie Lane was one of the children she met at Sugar Creek Hospital several years ago. When they met, Kylie was receiving treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma at the tender age of seven. Angel stopped for moment remembering the day changed her life; the day she made a very special little friend.
Kylie, with her big smile and eyes so blue and bright, approached Angel without an ounce of shyness and took hold of her hand. The darling girl had a hot pink Angel Vega baseball cap on and was wearing little dangling angel wing earrings that sparkled with pink glitter along with hospital pajamas. She spoke with such excitement and enthusiasm in her cute country accent, Angel couldn’t help but smile.
“I know you, Angel! I watch all kinds a races with my daddy and he says you are the bestest girl racer ever. And I think so too!”
“Hi there, beautiful girl. Thank you for the compliment. I’m so glad to hear you like watching the races. I grew up watching them with my daddy too.” Angel squeezed her hand gently and squatted down beside her. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“I’m Kylie Lane. That’s my daddy right there in the Vega Racing shirt. His name is Bo and I gots a shirt just like his but I can’t wear it here. I gots to wear this nightgown and pj pants the hospital gives me so it’s easy for them to take care a me. But I gots my hat on so you know I’m your biggest fan even though it’s itchin’ my head like crazy. It’s bald,” removing her hat she pointed at the top of her smooth scalp, “see?”
A knot welled up in Angel’s throat and it took everything in her to keep her heartbreak from showing on her face. This sweet girl was the epitome of bravery and was quite literally bursting with joy despite her circumstance. All because she was meeting a racer she watched on television. No way would Angel ruin it for her by showing how the children’s illness ripped her heart to shreds and brought her to tears each and every time she left from visiting them.
“I see that,” Angel said. Her hand was g
entle as she smoothed her palm over the young girls scalp. “And you are absolutely gorgeous just as you are.”
“You really think so, Angel? Kids make fun a me sometimes cuz of it, but my daddy says I’m just as pretty as my mommy was when she was alive. So that makes me feel real special.” Kylie cocked her head to the side, her eyes looking much older and wiser than her years.
“Your daddy is a very smart man, Kylie. And if you look like your mom…well, she must have been the most beautiful woman ever, because you are lovely.”
Kylie’s dad rubbed his hand over his face and mouthed a silent “thank you”. No way could Angel imagine not only losing your spouse, but then having your daughter fall ill on top of that—life really wasn’t fair sometimes.
Angel had worn a pink bandanna with black angel wings on the sides around her head tied in the back. The length of her hair was hanging free down to her waist. She felt guilty for having it while this precious girl suffered with a bitch of a disease that caused her to be bald and have such tenderness on her head. Not to mention having to deal with meanness from kids who had no manners whatsoever. Yet Kylie still had such exuberance for life and a bright outlook. She was a joy and in that instant, had completely stolen Angel’s heart.
That day, Kylie had followed Angel as she visited with other kids and their families. Kylie’s father had tried to insist she leave Angel be and let her do what she came there for. But with a conspiratorial wink towards him, Angel assured him she needed an assistant to help her hand out teddy bears and asked Kylie if she would mind being her helper. Kylie was thrilled to follow along, watching Angel sign photographs and pose for pictures. Each time they began to walk to another room, Kylie took Angel’s hand again and asked questions about everything from racing to what kind of food was her favorite. Angel responded in kind, asking some questions of her own as they walked from room to room. She found out Kylie’s favorite color was pink. Therefore pink donuts, pink gum, pink candy, strawberry cake and ice cream and pink Popsicles were delicious. In her opinion pepperoni pizza was the best food on earth, especially with lots of Parmesan sprinkles and slushy apple juice. Her favorite thing to do at her grandma’s house was to help her pick cherry tomatoes and eat them when they were still warm from being in the sun. In fact, she admitted that sometimes she would eat so many that her tongue would get raw, so now her grandma only lets her eat ten cherry tomatoes at a time.
By the time they left the last room, Angel was carrying Kylie as she yawned. It had taken a couple of hours to make their rounds and it had worn her out. Bo met them in the hallway offering to take his daughter so Angel could go home but she told him she promised to tuck Kylie in before she left. When they entered her room, Angel was floored by what graced the walls. Picture after detailed, colorful picture of the world seen through a child's eyes brightened the otherwise dull hospital room. Michelangelo and Picasso had nothing compared to the beauty this little girl had created in Angel’s eyes. Big, bright flowers, grassy green hills, the sun on a bold blue sky, a moonlit night with stars, trees filled with red apples, and tomato vines in a garden with a gray haired stick woman bent over pulling weeds were just a few of the artistic designs. But the one that brought tears to her eyes was a stick girl on a pink motorcycle complete with a wheelie bar on back. The girl had long dark brown hair with big white angel wings outlined in pink on her back. There was black asphalt in front of her and in the distance you could see the finish line. The picture next to it had grandstands full of little stick people cheering. But the fan that stood out the most was a little girl that was wearing a pink Angel Vega shirt and had the same hot pink hat on that Kylie had worn today. Her arms were up in the air and there was a bubble above her head that said “Go Angel Go”.
“Kylie, these are the most amazing drawings I’ve ever seen. You’re so talented!”
“My daddy is an art teacher so he’s teaching me everything he knows. He’s even gooder than me, Angel. Maybe one day you can come visit me at home and see all the stuff we’ve made together.” She turned to look at her dad who was beaming a bright smile, obviously proud of his daughter. “Would that be okay, Daddy? We could make her our famous homemade pepperoni pizza cuz she likes lots of Parmesan sprinkles on it just like I do. It could be a coming home party for me since I’m ‘posed to go home on Tuesday.”
“Honey, Angel probably doesn’t have time to do something like that. She’s a very busy lady.” Bo looked as if he was embarrassed by his daughter’s invitation…probably because he thought Angel would say no.
Angel looked at him and smiled. “Actually, I’m off for the next two weeks so I’d love to visit if it’s okay with you, Bo. If it’s going to be a coming home party we should have some of that slushy apple juice you were telling me about, Kylie.”
His mouth dropped open and he stuttered a little bit, stunned at her acceptance. “Of course. Any time you’re free. I can’t believe you said yes…”
Kylie giggled and wrapped her slender arms around Angel’s neck and hugged her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Yes! Slushy apple juice for sure. Thank you, Angel! I can’t wait!
Angel tucked her in bed and kissed her cheek, putting her new teddy bear in bed next to her. “Sweet dreams, Kylie. I’ll see you soon.”
Angel took a deep breath and dabbed the wetness at the corners of her eyes and ran the letter opener along the seam of the envelope with care. This was one she would keep forever. It would be added to a box of letters and pictures she saved from Kylie over the few years since they met. With a gentle tug she freed the pale pink stationary from the envelope and opened it up. As always, it smelled like Kylie’s favorite perfume, Loves Baby Soft.
Dearest Angel,
I am so thankful God kept you safe. I miss you so very much. You are my bestest friend in the whole wide world. Daddy said you got hurt real bad in an accident and can’t walk. I’m so sorry! You are still so special and even more now since you ride on wheels all the time and not just when you’re racing. I bet you can beat people in wheelchair races now!
Oh, shoot! Daddy just told me it wasn’t polite to say that. I’m sorry! :( I thought it was cool. It’s one of the fun things when I go to the hospital to ride in wheelchairs cuz sometimes the nurses will push me real fast and I feel like I’m flying. Maybe you can give me a ride in yours and we can go fast and laugh. That would be fun. I hope you come see me soon. It seems like it has been a billion kazillion days since I saw you last. Oh! I have good news…I got a puppy for my birthday last week! I named her Pinky. LOL! She’s a little pug with black fur and white on her face and belly. She snorts like a pig sometimes but it’s so funny. She snores too, almost as loud as daddy. I swear I can hardly get any sleep now with those two around. S’ok cuz I love them anyways. I hope you come see me and Pinky soon. I promise you will love her. ‘Cept she licks a lot. Daddy said we need to read a book together on how to train a dog so she’ll mind better.
I tried to call you and tell you that daddy and I pray for you to get better every night but your number isn’t working anymore. So if you haven’t been getting any phone calls, that’s why. Maybe the phone company doesn’t know your phone ain’t actin’ right. When you get it fixed call me and let me know you got this and that you are doing better. I love you with every bit of my heart and you are still my favoritist racer of all time.
Your bestest friend forever,
Kylie Lane
Xoxoxo
P.S. Oh gosh! Pinky just sneezed on this…sorry. LOL!
P.P.S. Just in case you wondered…I don’t care if you are in a wheelchair or not. Just like you don’t care if I’m bald-headed or not when I’m having chemo or radiation. You are still beautiful to me.
Angel re-read the letter a few times, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and tucked it back in the envelope. Dammit. She missed Kylie’s birthday and didn’t think to call her and tell her she had her home phone turned off when she had to move in with her dad. While she was feeling sorry for herself in the ho
spital she hadn’t really thought about anyone other than herself. Now she felt like a selfish jerk. But, now that she was out of the hospital and working on getting her head on straight, she would schedule a time to go visit her sweet little friend and try to make it up to her.
Setting that letter to the side, Angel picked up the next one, treating it with just as much care as the first one. When Nahni told her how many letters she had at home to respond to, Angel asked her to have some cards printed up with Vega Racing on them that she could send to her fans that wrote her. It was the least she could do in return for their thoughtfulness. But at the rate she was going it may take her a month to get done. Lord knows she would need her mind busy today especially since Dakota was going to be here. Her emotions had already been off the grid, especially when it came to Mr. Tall Dark and Delicious.
Chapter 10
Dakota was up early. He showered and dressed in tan cargo shorts, Adidas sneakers and a red tank top. Today he was taking the advice of his buddy, Rage. Things needed to be fixed at Vito’s house so Angel had more freedom to move around unassisted. Since Vito had to work, Dakota enlisted the help of his best friend, Tank and his dad, Noah to help with renovations. When he called Vito the night before and asked if it was okay, Vito had laughed and told him ‘good luck’. It wasn’t exactly encouraging, but his spirits were high. He was bound and determined to be such a presence in Angel’s life she would eventually cave and let him in her heart.
Reflecting On Wishes (The Wishes Series) Page 9