Once Shattered, Twice Shy

by Benjamin Dahlbeck

  Sheila listened with distracted attentiveness as Lorraine filled her in on her health issues and the progress she was making with the new pills. When she was done, Sheila turned to Wade and asked how he was doing with his arm. He told her about his doctor visits and caught her up on his progress. He also mentioned the health-care people driving them to appointments and what an unexpected help they had turned out to be.

  “Well, you don’t need to worry about them anymore,” said Sheila.

  “What do you mean?” asked Wade.

  “I’m here now. I’ll take you guys to your appointments and help with errands and stuff like that. It’ll give us all time to bond again,” she said with enthusiasm.

  “But… we’ve got a good routine going,” Wade stammered.

  “Nonsense!” said Sheila, “Who better to help you out than your own sister?”

  “But you aren’t going to be here that long, are you?”

  “Of course! I figured I’d stay through Christmas. I want to make sure Jack knows how good he’s got it with me. A couple of months alone should give him enough time to realize his mistake. In the meantime”—Sheila rose from the couch—“I can lend you guys a hand. It’ll be fun!”

  She went into the kitchen to fix some Cokes for everyone while Lorraine and Wade looked at each other in silence. Wade had a feeling his mother was happier than he was about the return of Sheila.

  A FEW days later, Wade was getting ready for his doctor appointment when Sheila knocked at his bedroom door.

  “Are you ready?” she asked.

  Wade stopped trying to button his shirt and went and opened the door.

  “Is Joe here already?” he asked.

  “Who’s Joe?”

  “The health-care guy who takes me to my appointments.”

  “Oh, he’s not coming,” said Sheila with a dismissive wave of her hand.

  “What?”

  “I called that office first thing Monday and cancelled yours and Mom’s appointments.”

  “Why the hell did you do that?” Wade snapped.

  “I told you the other day I’d take you guys to your appointments. I saw the card by Mom’s phone and called them and told them y’all wouldn’t need them for a while.”

  “You had no right to do that!” Wade said with a level of anger that surprised him.

  “What is your problem?” said Sheila with the superior tone of an older sister. “It’s just some nurse driving you around. It’s not like you’ve got an oxygen tank or some blip machine to monitor. I’m saving you money by driving you. Besides, I’ve got that huge rental car that’ll go to waste sitting in the driveway.”

  “Look,” said Wade in a fluster, “just let me finish dressing, and I’ll meet you downstairs.”

  “Okay.” She turned to walk downstairs muttering about “gratitude,” while Wade shut the door and tried to stifle his disappointment and annoyance.

  Once they were in the car on the way to the orthopedist, Sheila asked Wade what was wrong.

  “I don’t have a problem with you driving me,” he explained, “and I appreciate you doing it. It’s just that I was in a nice routine with Joe and I looked forward to seeing him each week.”

  “Even so,” said Sheila, “you needn’t have snapped at me like that.”

  “Joe’s not ‘just some nurse.’ He’s a highly trained medical assistant who started this health-care service with his friend Patricia. He wants to give high quality service in the home.”

  “I see,” said Sheila. “Got the hots for him, do you?”

  Wade could only make indignant noises in reply.

  “Oh, dear,” said Sheila in her big-sister tone, “it’s classic transference.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Transference. I’ve discussed this with all my therapists. You’re in a vulnerable place and some cute guy has come to your rescue and you’ve projected all kinds of romantic notions onto him.”

  “I have not.”

  “Have too.”

  “Have not!”

  “Have too!” Sheila smirked. “You were very upset when I said you weren’t seeing him, and you’ve defended his profession. What’s that if not the reaction of a wannabe boyfriend?”

  “Oh, shut up!” barked Wade. “You think you’re so smart. If it’s all transference on my part, then why did he ask me out last week?”

  Wade told Sheila about the dinner and the ghost tour and what a pleasant evening it had been “until your stupid phone call interrupted us.”

  “Well, ‘sah-ree,’” she said with mock remorse, “I didn’t realize my marital difficulties interrupted your fantasy date.”

  “It wasn’t a fantasy,” he retorted, “I like him and I think he likes me. I mean, why would he ask me to do something outside of business hours if he wasn’t interested?”

  “Oh, he’s interested all right. He’s interested in getting you into bed.”

  “What makes you so sure that’s all he wants?”

  “Because that’s all any of you men really want! He’s just using the guise of caring as a way to get into your pants. It’s why men go into service industries in the first place.”

  Wade looked at Sheila with incredulity.

  “No, really,” she continued, “Remember my first husband, Phil.”

  “Yes, Phil Farmer the fitness instructor. I always liked saying that.”

  “Anyway,” Sheila went on, “he was always acting interested in the ladies’ workouts and was always ‘checking on their progress’ and being very solicitous, but in the end, his goal was to get them all into bed. He didn’t really care about their health or fitness level. He used that as an excuse to ingratiate himself with them until he could bang them.”

  “I don’t think Joe’s like that at….” Wade began.

  “And Craig, my second husband.” Sheila rolled along. “Dr. Warner, ‘The Caring Chiropractor.’ Oh yes, he cared, all right. He cared about his clients until he’d had his fun in bed with them. All that time I thought I’d married an extra-special guy because he made so many home visits.”

  “I know, Sheila, but Joe isn’t….”

  “And now Jack! I thought he was different, but apparently not. So you mark my words”—she waved a finger at Wade—“this guy simply wants to fuck you and run, just like the rest of them. You should be glad I arrived when I did. I can spare you the heartache I’ve had to go through over and over again.”

  “But….”

  “Oh, this GPS is for shit!” Sheila grumbled, “Where the hell is the doctor’s office?”

  Wade gave her directions to the orthopedist’s, and they spent the rest of the drive in silence. In his head, Wade mentally argued with his sister, but a seed of doubt had been planted, and he spent the rest of the day figuring out how to deal with it.

  “BUT WHY would he say he didn’t need me anymore?”

  Pat brought Joe a glass of water and sat down in the chair by his desk, “I told you, I don’t know. And it wasn’t Wade who called. It was some woman.”

  “Not his mother?”

  “No. It didn’t sound like Mrs. Meadows.”

  Joe thought for a few minutes, then said, “I wonder if it was his sister.”

  “His sister? I thought she lived in California.”

  “She does, but I told you she called right when I was dropping Wade home. Maybe something’s happened.”

  “Could be.”

  “I should call him.”

  “No,” Pat put a hand on the phone on Joe’s desk, “I’d wait if I were you.”

  “Why?”

  “Do you really want to get involved in their family affairs?”

  “Actually, yes, I do,” said Joe with authority. “I want to be involved with Wade, and that means being involved with his family. We had a really good time together Friday night, and we were about to have our first kiss when his sister called. I don’t want to lose the momentum.”

  “It seems to me that you already have.” Pat looked
at Joe with concern. “If Wade’s sister is at their house, something is going on, and if you push things, you might screw things up.”

  “Gee, thanks, Pat. But what if I wait, and we can’t get things restarted, and I’ve lost my chance?”

  “Well, then, maybe it wasn’t meant to happen.”

  “God, I hate it when people say that! What utter bullshit.”

  “Just trying to help.” Pat shrugged.

  “Stop talking in fortune cookies. That’ll help for a start.” Joe stood up from his desk. “I’ll go get our lunch and think about what to do.”

  JOE DECIDED the best course of action was to wait a few more days before doing anything. Friday arrived and when the postman delivered the mail, there was a small blue envelope with Wade’s return address on it. Joe tore it open immediately. It was a thank-you card that read:

  Dear Joe,

  Thank you so very much for the wonderful time last Friday.

  I enjoyed myself immensely. The ghost tour was a hoot. I also enjoyed our conversation over dinner and afterwards.

  As you may know by now, my sister Sheila is home for several weeks (marital problems). She might stay through Christmas. I’m sorry this means I won’t see you weekly for errands. Thank you for taking the time from your office to help me each week. I appreciate it more than you know. Dr. Douglass said I could be ready for surgery as early as December. I wish you’d been with me to hear the good news. Is it too early to book you to take me to the hospital?

  I’m sure we’ll talk before then. Thanks again for everything.

  Sincerely,

  Wade

  Joe felt a surge of relief. He showed the letter to Pat. She read it and handed it back to him.

  “Well, what do you think of that?” Joe looked triumphant.

  “Very nice.”

  “Nice? Of course it’s nice, but don’t you see? He had a great time! He wants to do it again. He wants to see me again.”

  “I don’t want to dampen your enthusiasm, but where does he say he wants to see you again?”

  “For surgery. In December,” Joe said, pointing at the card for emphasis.

  “Exactly. For surgery. In a month.”

  “His sister is in town, and the holidays are coming up. Life gets tricky when there are so many family events to deal with. The point is,” he said with an air of triumph, “that he wants to see me again, and he wants to talk before then.”

  Pat looked at Joe with great affection and said, “You really have it bad for this guy, don’t you?”

  Joe looked at his friend with a serious expression and said, “Pat, I’m in love with him.”

  WADE HUGGED his sister good-bye, and she got into her rental car to drive to the airport. The last few weeks had gone by in a flurry of activity and long-distance phone calls. Thanksgiving came and went. Lorraine admitted she was glad to have both her children home for the holiday. They all had a nice time, but Wade secretly wished there had been some way to invite Joe to their dinner. He could not think of an excuse, though, and Maggie said he should wait until afterward anyway.

  He shut the back door, went straight upstairs to his study, and picked up the phone. He dialed and waited. Wade felt a thrill in his chest when he heard the familiar voice.

  “Grant and Gillis Home Care, how may I help you?”

  “Hi, Joe. It’s Wade.”

  “Wade! It’s so good to hear your voice!”

  Wade smiled at this and said, “Yours too.”

  “How are you? How’s your sister?”

  “She’s fine. She just left to fly back to California.”

  “So soon?” Joe said aloud, although in his mind he said I thought she’d never leave!

  “Yep, she and her husband have sorted things out. I’ll tell you about it later. I have other news.”

  “Yes?”

  “Dr. Douglass has scheduled me for surgery next week, and I was hoping you could take me. He said I’ll need someone to stay with me overnight for that night and the next. You could… or whoever… could stay in Sheila’s room.”

  “I’ll be there,” said Joe. “What are the specifics?”

  Wade told him, and Joe set everything up. He would take Wade to the hospital and stay overnight the first night. Tina would come relieve him the next morning and stay with Wade all day, and Joe would return that night.

  “After that I can stay over for as long as you need me to,” he added.

  “Thanks. They want me to start PT that next day and go twice a week.”

  “Not a problem. I’m happy to take you.”

  “Joe, I….” Wade began.

  “Yes?”

  “I’m… I’m glad you’re… well, here… you know, to help. It means a lot to me, the extra care you’ve taken. I’m sorry if I’ve been weird at times. I’m not used to this kind of help, and it’s taking some adjustment.”

  “You’ve been fine,” Joe reassured him. “And I’d do it for free.”

  Wade was relieved Joe could not see him blush.

  They talked a bit more before hanging up. Wade was glad he would see Joe again soon. He never thought he would look forward to any kind of surgery.

  ON THE way to the hospital, Wade told Joe about Sheila.

  “For the first week she wouldn’t even take his phone calls. I spoke with Jack twice, but Sheila didn’t want to hear what he had to say. Finally he called again to tell her that his secretary’s biopsy came back positive.”

  “So he really was checking her breast for a lump?” Joe asked.

  “Yes,” said Wade. “Apparently it was very small, which is why she wasn’t sure what to do, so she asked him to check it. It’s benign and can be easily removed. Sheila feels so guilty about jumping to the wrong conclusions that she wanted to get back and help the secretary out by filling in at the office till she’s better.”

  “That’s nice of her.”

  “Yes, although I can understand why Sheila was so suspicious. Her two previous husbands were jerks. We don’t seem to pick the right men in this family.” Wade gave Joe a sidelong glance before continuing. “But I told her that this guy is different. Jack is an honest and caring person. He’s not like the other guys she’s known. It can be unsettling, but it’s a good thing.”

  “Yes, it can be difficult to know how to behave when you meet the right person.” Joe paused before adding quietly, “Especially if the circumstances are strange.”

  They arrived at Piedmont Hospital and found their way to the right offices. Wade began the tedious task of filling out paperwork, and when he came to the line asking who would be taking him home, he wrote “Joe Gillis,” but was not sure what to write under “Relationship to Patient.” He did not want to write “Home Care Assistant,” because he felt Joe was more than that to him.

  “Are you okay?” Joe asked when he saw Wade pause in the paperwork.

  “Sort of,” said Wade, “I’m suddenly very nervous about everything.”

  Joe took Wade’s hand and looked him in the eyes and said, “Don’t worry. I’m here for you. I won’t leave this waiting room until you come out again and I can take you home.”

  Wade felt a lump in his throat but managed to say, “Thank you. I’m glad you’re here with me.” He squeezed Joe’s hand, let go, and wrote “Close Friend” on the line. He finished the paperwork and handed it in. A few minutes later, a nurse came to take him to the surgery.

  Dr. Douglass came in and explained the procedure to Wade while two nurses prepped him for the surgery. They inserted the IV and talked to Wade some more.

  The next thing Wade knew, he was waking up in recovery. Dr. Douglass spoke to him about the surgery. The nurses talked with him and asked who was in the waiting room.

  “Joe,” Wade slurred. “Dear, sweet Joe.”

  He was not sure how much time passed before he was helped up, dressed, and escorted into the lobby, where Joe was waiting with an anxious expression on his face that touched Wade’s heart. The nurse explained to Joe about the drug
s used during the surgery and what care Wade needed for the next two days. Joe said he was a nurse, so they could feel free to get technical with him, which they did. It all sounded like gibberish to Wade.

  Back in the car, Wade giggled a bit when Joe buckled him into the seat.

  “I like it when you do that,” he declared, and a voice deep in his brain said, Stop talking!

  Joe laughed and said, “I can do it as often as you like. Now let’s get you home.”

  Lorraine was waiting in the kitchen when they arrived, and Joe told her what the nurses had told him. She helped Joe get Wade up the stairs and into his room. The effects of the anesthesia were starting to wear off, and Wade was feeling nauseous. He told them to keep an open path to the bathroom.

  “Do you want me to stay up here too?” Lorraine asked.

  “No, you rest tonight, I’ll probably need you tomorrow,” Wade said.

  “If anything happens in the night out of the ordinary, I’ll come and get you,” said Joe. “I’m here if he feels sick from the anesthesia.”

  “I’m glad he’s in such good hands,” said Lorraine. “You’re a good man.” She gave Joe’s arm a squeeze as she walked out of the room. “I made some sandwiches for you, Joe, if you get hungry. I put them in the mini fridge in the study, so you don’t have to go down to the kitchen.”

  “Thanks, Mrs. Meadows.”

  “At this point I think you can call me Lorraine,” she said with a smile.

  Joe blushed. “Thanks, Lorraine.”

  He turned his full attention to Wade. “Now,” he said, “it’s going to be a long night for you. Hopefully you can sleep, but Dr. Douglass said you might experience nausea. I’m going to keep the lights on in the bathroom, so you can see your way there. I can sit in here with you or sit in the study and you can call me. At some point I’ll go into Sheila’s room to lie down, but I’ll let you know.”

  “Okay,” said Wade, “I have the feeling this may be a rough night, though.”