by Dale Mayer
“Not sure what’s going on,” he said, “but a lot of people were here today.”
“I hadn’t even realized what time it was,” she said. “I’ve just been so busy.” She looked at the food in front of her and said, “Oh my, was it fish and chips today?”
“Well, the chips are looking a little less than perfect right now,” he said, “but this is a fresh batch of fish.”
She immediately held out her plate and said, “Any coleslaw to go with that?”
He smiled and gave her a big dollop of it. “What else?”
She shook her head. “This might be enough.” She walked to the side, dumped vinegar all over her fish, picked up a fork and knife, and headed out to the shade. She wanted to be alone today. She wanted to be away from everyone. She could feel eyes on her, and she didn’t know if it was Iain or Dani or someone else. But, for the first time, she understood the need to be alone and the need to just exist without having to give an explanation of what had gone on. It was amazing just what silence of the mind could do. It felt right. By the time she had eaten her fish and coleslaw, she pushed her plate back to the side. It was good, but she’d had enough.
Almost immediately Dennis was there, and he scooped up the empty plate and asked, “More?”
She shook her head. “No, that was wonderful.” Then she looked at his hand and asked, “What is that?”
“Pineapple cheesecake,” he said with a fat smile, and he put it down in front of her.
She stared at it, looked at him, and said, “What if I’m dieting?”
“It’s a small piece, but I can take it away if you want,” he said. Almost instantly the plate disappeared.
“No, no, no,” she protested. He chuckled and put it back down, and he disappeared instead. She stared at the dessert, wondering how he could have known that cheesecake was one of her favorites. When he returned a few minutes later with a small china teapot and a cup, she realized just how much he noticed about people. She said, “You’ll make me cry.”
“No,” he said. “No crying. I’ve already had a lot of that. But if you want a hug …”
Immediately she bounced to her feet, and he reached out and gave her a gentle hug.
“Don’t know what’s bothering you today,” he said, “but tomorrow is a whole new day.”
She smiled, feeling the tears in the corner of her eyes, and she nodded. “It is indeed,” she said. “And I hadn’t realized just how much I need that tomorrow to come.”
“It’ll all be okay,” he said. “I hope it’s not anything wrong with you and Iain?”
She shook her head. “As far as I know, it isn’t,” she said. “Just some other stupid stuff.”
“It’s always stupid stuff,” he said. “When you break it all apart and take a look at the little bits and pieces, you’d be surprised at just how much stupid stuff it really is.”
Seated again, she realized how innocent-sounding and yet how very important Dennis’s words were because all this in her mind had built up to something huge, and yet it really wasn’t. Even feeling that hugeness, what she heard from Dennis was something about how she could break it down into smaller bites and deal with it. And she was grateful, not for his intervention, but for his final words to help her put some of this to rest.
When she poured her cup of tea, a shadow fell across her face. She didn’t even have to look up to know. “There you are,” she said in a teasing voice.
“I wondered if you wanted to be alone,” he said quietly.
“I did,” she said with a nod. “So, thank you for that. But I’m okay now.” He looked at her with worry on his face. She smiled, seeing the gentle giant for who he was. A man, as Dani had said, with a good heart. “Just some troubling thoughts.”
“Anything I can help with?”
“No,” she said with a shake. “Just a few things I needed to work out for myself.”
“And you’re good?”
“I’m good,” she said. “Look what Dennis brought me.”
He stared down on the cheesecake, then looked over at Dennis. “How come you got cheesecake?” he protested, his voice ever-so-slightly louder.
“Well, if you ask him nicely, he might bring you a piece.”
“Nah,” he said. “I think he saves the best pieces for the girls.”
“That’s such a sexist remark,” she said, chuckling.
“But you know it’s true,” he said. Yet his grin was wide and infectious.
She smiled at him. “I really am grateful that you came here to Hathaway House.”
He stared at her in astonishment, and his smile fell away. He reached across and grabbed her hand. “That’s the nicest thing anybody has said to me,” he said, his gaze focused on her.
She squeezed his fingers, then dug her fork into the cheesecake, held it up, and said, “You want the first bite?”
He looked at it, looked at her regretfully, then shook his head and said, “No, it’s yours. Go ahead.”
“But the thing about me is,” she said, “I can see a treat like this and realize that two people can enjoy it.” And so, she held the first bite out once more. Obediently he opened his mouth, and she popped it in. He closed his eyes, and a happy sigh escaped.
“I do love cheesecake,” he muttered.
She chuckled, and they shared the small piece between them, like a special treat. When it was gone, she put the plate off to the side, fork on top, and slowly drew her tea closer. They were still holding hands, something that she really enjoyed. She looked at his thumb, seeing the calluses of a working man’s hand versus hers, which were usually kept in very good repair, except for scratches from various animals. She hated to wear gloves, and she always felt that the animals needed the skin-to-skin contact to help calm them down.
“So, what was causing you all that trouble?”
“Just realizing,” she said, “that it’s okay for somebody to do really well and for the other one to do not so well and then have the roles reversed. It’s okay to be jealous for a little bit, and it’s okay to acknowledge that jealousy was really something else and then to step past it.” She looked at him and smiled. “See? Big thoughts.”
He squeezed her fingers and slowly slid his hand away. “You know something? That’s one of the things that I was thinking about. Not the same thing, but I heard from Badger.”
Her eyebrows rose. “What did he have to say?” She leaned in eagerly.
“He thought that setting up a center like he had done was a perfect idea,” he said slowly. “He even had a couple suggestions of who to contact here locally and also contacts about possible grant money.” He looked at her a little dazed. “I really didn’t expect that.”
“And yet I think that’s what Badger does, isn’t it? And if he can help you help a dozen others, then his job has just multiplied with even greater benefits.”
He smiled, nodded, and said, “It’s still early yet though. I need months more here.”
“And I’m glad to share this time with you while you are here,” she said, “because you’ll get what you need to fully heal and because I really enjoy having dinner together.”
“So, maybe dinner on a long-term basis?”
She looked up at him and could feel a flush rising on her cheeks. “I’m game,” she said, tilting her head. “What about you?”
“There’s a lot about life that I could face alone, but I would much prefer to have someone at my side. Someone who’s you.”
“Knowing that you can face it alone,” she said, with a knowing smile, “allows you the freedom to not have to.”
“Exactly,” he said. “I’m not 100 percent by any means.”
“You’re right,” she said. “You’re more than 100 percent. You had been knocked back about 30 percent, then picked yourself up, and moved forward at such a fast pace to exceed 100 percent. So I know you’re well past where you were when you first came in here.”
He looked at her, smiled, lifted her fingers, and kissed the tips. �
�That’s one way of looking at it. I think you’re biased though.”
“It’s the best way to look at it,” she said. “I couldn’t care less about your legs, the one missing a foot or the one that’s being strengthened right now. I know your history comes with baggage, and apparently mine does too.” And she chuckled. “It’s all about tomorrow and every other tomorrow ahead of us.”
“I do have some friends in town,” he said. “I think I mentioned Bruce to you.”
“Yes, and?”
“He’s coming by for a visit next weekend,” he said. “I’d really like you to meet him. I’ve told him so much about you.”
“You did call him back?”
“I did, and I sent him the pictures that Dani had taken. At that point in time, Bruce wouldn’t take any more no-talking from me,” he said, laughing. “He knows me too well. I’m starting to feel whole again. I think that’s what all this means. I’m starting to feel balanced and grounded, with a real future before me.”
“As long as that future,” she said, “involves me in some way, then I’m perfectly okay for that to happen.”
“I was hoping you’d say that,” he said gently. “And, if you were any closer,” he said, “I’d attempt to kiss you, but we do have a table between us.”
Instantly she got up and walked around the table to sit in his lap.
He burst out laughing at her spontaneity.
She chuckled, leaned over, and whispered, “Did you mean it?”
“Oh, I meant it,” he said. “Will you be part of my future? Will you be part of my life? You’re already part of my heart, and my soul already knows where you belong.”
She nodded and smiled, then gently stroked his lips and said, “My soul knows too.”
He reached up, and she leaned down. And when their lips aligned, it was like a promise coming true. When she lifted her head, she heard cheers from everybody around them. She looked out in astonishment, the whole cafeteria full of people listening and watching them. She reached up to clap a hand to her red cheeks, but Dennis just chuckled. He came over with a huge piece of cheesecake for both of them to share in the celebration and said, “That’s what we like to see. Happy endings.”
Epilogue
Jaden Hancock stared at the email from his buddy. He typed in a quick response. Is this for real, or are you just full of crap? He sent it back just as fast. He watched and waited until he got a reply. Iain had been at Hathaway House for several months now. Jaden had heard a few intermittent responses but nothing major, until this one where Iain said he was a new man, and his life was great. If there was any way Jaden could make it happen, he should be coming to Hathaway House too. But, instead of an email coming in, his phone buzzed. He stared at it in surprise and said, “Iain, is that you?”
“It is,” said the boisterous voice of his old friend. “And, no, I’m not full of shit. I’ve done a tremendous amount of growth and improvement here. Coming to Hathaway House was the best thing I could have done.”
“Just because it was good for you doesn’t mean I should do it,” Jaden said cautiously. “I don’t travel well.”
“Then don’t take a truck, like I did,” Iain urged immediately. “You know how I felt about that. It was the worst mistake ever. It put me back weeks.”
“Well, I don’t have a whole lot of choice,” he said. “I’m not sure exactly how I would get there, but just traveling alone would probably kill my back.”
“And I also know that you think this is as far as you can go and that you’ve already adapted and that you’ve already moved on, so why bother? I’m here to tell you that you can go a whole lot further physically.”
“Says you,” Jaden scoffed.
“Absolutely, I say so. I’ve got a call in to Lance too because I think both of you in particular could do well here.”
“Maybe. But just the thought of having new medical staff and of starting all over again, trying to explain the problems, the difficulties, and the pain …”
“I get it,” Iain said. “I really do. I just don’t want you to shortchange what could be much improved on a physical level. I’ll send you some photos here in a minute. Of course they’re not terribly pretty, but they show the progress on my leg. And it exceeds the progress we were told to expect.”
“Sure, but you had surgery. You’ve had lots of improvements. You’re as good as you’ll get.”
“No, that’s the mentality from where you’re at,” Iain said quietly. “I’m at a much further place.”
“So, does that mean you’re done with rehab now?”
“No, not quite,” Iain said, “but I can see the end in sight.”
“You certainly sound different,” Jaden said with a frown. His buddy really did sound good, healthy, happy. He sounded like he was a completely new person. “What brought that about?”
“A lot of things,” Iain admitted. “A partner for one. My physical health back for another. My future. All of those things are dead important.”
“Did you land a partner?” Jaden sagged in his wheelchair in a daze. “I thought you figured that would never happen?”
“And I figured wrong,” Iain said firmly. “Along with my mind-set, I needed to shift a lot. And sometimes, when you’re stuck in the same place, you just don’t see how different some other place can be.”
“It’s not so bad here.”
“You want to stay there?”
“No,” Jaden said, looking around. “It’s pretty crowded, and it’s starting to look like we’re all the same.”
“So come here,” Iain urged. “Try something different.”
“How different?” Jaden asked. He stared down at his hands and wondered what happened to the big, stalwart, and strapping young man he’d been, up for any new adventure possible. Ever since he’d been injured, his world had coalesced into this little tiny circle around him.
In a way, it was how he liked it. It was safe. The thought of moving to a new state, moving to a whole new medical team where he’d have to be reinterviewed and reexamined and poked and prodded all over again was enough to make the bile rise up the back of his throat and to give an instinctive and immediate no to the plan. But he also knew that Iain had been in a very similar position as Jaden. And, if Iain had had progress, what were the chances of progress for Jaden?
Then he shook his head. No, there wouldn’t be any because this was definitely a case of there was no more progress available for Jaden. He’d already become as good as he could get. He wouldn’t get any better, even if here—or there—a little bit longer.
While he listened, Iain talked about the food and the pool and the people and the animals. Jaden was more than a little shocked. When he finally put down the phone at the end of their conversation, Jaden stared out the window. He was sitting in a large lounge, and about twelve of them were watching a football game on TV. All of their wheelchairs were lined up, like geriatric patients. People had gotten into the same mind-set here, and that’s what he understood now that Iain had seen for himself in places like this.
Jaden had become part of the norm, and that norm became his reality, and anything else looked scary and different and impossible to achieve. He wheeled himself back ever-so-slightly, trying to distance himself a little bit, to see just what was possible.
When his phone buzzed again, he looked down to see images of Iain’s leg—the original leg, which he’d certainly seen right after his buddy’s surgery. That hamburger blue-black and red gross-looking thing was supposed to be a leg, and then several more photos popped up, showing the improvements. Jaden stared in surprise. Of course his own leg would heal naturally anyway, and it would look a whole lot better with time, even if he stayed here. But when he got to the next picture of Iain’s leg, where it showed a strong and fit, heavily muscled leg, followed then by the picture of Iain himself standing on a prosthetic, with no wheelchair or crutches, and a beautiful woman at his side, Jaden’s heart lurched.
Crap, he badly wanted something like
that for himself. His one good leg was okay. As for his other leg, the doctors had managed to save it, but it was a facsimile of the hamburger that Iain had started with. But just to think that maybe Jaden wouldn’t need crutches or a wheelchair down the road? That would be incredible.
He stared at the wheelchair in the first picture of Iain’s leg for a long moment. And then, with determination, Jaden headed back to his room. Somewhere had to be an application online or a phone number that he could call and see about getting in that same center. He sent his buddy a text. Put in a good word for me, he said. If there’s a space, I really want my name on that next available bed.
It’s as good as done came back the instant response. Now, phone them, and then send in your application with whatever medical crap they need. You won’t regret it. I can promise you that.
This concludes Book 9 of Hathaway House: Iain.
Read about Jaden: Hathaway House, Book 10
Hathaway House: Jaden (Book #10)
Welcome to Hathaway House. Rehab Center. Safe Haven. Second chance at life and love.
Jaden Hancock knows that things could be a lot worse. He still has two arms and two legs, even if one of his legs is so badly damaged it’s virtually useless. And it’s not that he isn’t willing to work toward recovery—it’s just hard to see the lack of progress even after weeks of therapy. While he knows that he needs to accept the current state of his body, that acceptance feels like giving up. And he’s not prepared to do that.
Brianna Kole crossed the country to get away from her old life. As the newest member of the staff at Hathaway House, she’s polite but not overly friendly. The last thing she wants is to get attached and to risk getting hurt again. But, in spite of her reservations, she and Jaden gravitate to each other as the two newcomers to the facility. After that, it isn’t long before Brianna’s questioning her feelings … and his.
Find Book 10 here!
To find out more visit Dale Mayer’s website.