“How’s he doing tonight?” Genuine concern is laced in every word.
“I just got in, so this is my first night with him. According to the notes, he’s not in the clear but he’s holding on.”
“He’s not been himself lately. More tired, not wanting to walk as much. I should’ve pushed him to go to the doctor sooner. He’s been so bad about his checkin’ his sugar since mom died.” He exhales heavily. “I missed the signs. I wasn’t payin’ attention to him.”
Going over to Maverick, I put my hand on his shoulder. “Mav, stop. You will drive yourself crazy with the shoulda, coulda, woulda game. He’s getting medical attention now. If he gets out of here, maybe this will be the wake-up call he needs. A lot of people don’t take diabetes seriously until it wrecks their health. He’s got some serious challenges ahead, but he’s alive and getting stronger. Think positive, not only for him, but for yourself.”
His dark eyes burn into me. “Thanks, Kenzy.”
My pager goes off, alerting me to another patient’s needs. “I gotta go. Look, I’m on duty until seven tomorrow. When you leave this time, go home and rest. I’ll call you if something changes, but wearing yourself down isn’t going to do either of you any good. First visitation is six in the morning, so I’ll still be here when you return.”
With a squeeze of his shoulder, I leave to attend to my other patients.
Maverick
It’s been the longest forty-eight hours of my life. I thought watching Mom was bad, but nothing could’ve prepared me for seeing my dad lying in the hospital with his leg gone. I was at work when the call came in. A page came over the radio from the office for me to come down off the rig. Working on the oil rig isn’t only dirty, it’s loud and it’s dangerous. My phone is never on me because that’s not a distraction any of us on the rig need. After making arrangements for a man to take my spot, I made my way to the office.
By the time I got off the rig and to the hospital, Pops was already back in surgery. I was left in a waiting room pacing alone. He went in for a routine doctor’s appointment and ended up here because he didn’t take care of himself. Six hours of surgery it took to get all the damaged tissue removed. Six agonizing hours where I didn’t know if I was going to see my dad alive again.
I’ve only left him to shower and change clothes. The ICU waiting room has become my second home. Pops is heavily sedated since his body needs to rest and not strain. He’s only been awake twice that I’ve been able to see him. Both experiences killed me inside. The more aware he becomes of what’s happened, the more the pain seems to hit him. I can’t imagine what he feels like or what he’s going to do after he heals.
Walking in tonight, I never expected to see Kenzy here. Jessika said this is where she worked, but I didn’t know what department. I don’t know why, but knowing she’s looking after my dad gives me the first moment of relief in days. She’s always been tender, kind, and caring. Nursing is the perfect job for her. For the first time since my dad was brought in, I’m going to go home and attempt to sleep.
Chapter Four
MaKenzy
Richard Collins spent almost two weeks in intensive care. Once truly stable from the severe infection that was ravaging his body, he went to a step-down care unit. They’re beginning physical therapy now and he will soon be transferred to the wing of our hospital that’s better equipped to teach him how to maneuver with his wheelchair and strengthen his muscles as he continues to adjust.
It’s going to be a long road to recovery, but he’s got a second chance at life. Had his foot and subsequently his leg not been treated, the infection in his soft tissues could’ve made it to his heart and killed him. Things won’t be easy and he needs to better manage his blood sugar, but maybe this wake-up call will be the shove in the right direction.
Every patient that comes through, I can’t help but become attached to. Mr. Collins is something special, and I find myself visiting him between my shifts. Maverick and I chat in passing; he’s not looking as exhausted, but the stress and worry are certainly evident.
Moving through my daily grind, time passes and Richard is in rehab. I can’t visit him there as often because the visiting hours conflict with my schedule. Today, I manage to make the window of visitation.
“Hey, Richard.” I greet him with a full smile as I enter his room.
He’s sitting up in his bed with a wheelchair close by. This is a good sign, I hope. I grab the seat and pull it closer to his bed so I can hold his hand. “How ya feelin’?”
“I’m alive,” he retorts stoically. His only reaction is to squeeze my hand slightly.
“How are they treatin’ ya?”
“The food is shit, but the food with you was shit too. They work me hard, make me get myself around. This ain’t no picnic at the park, Kenzy.”
“Mav tells me he’s movin’ in to help you.”
“Yeah, more to babysit me, but if you wanna call it help, so be it.” His tone is bitter.
There is a grieving process for everyone. Richard needs to grieve the loss of his limb and the loss of his free capabilities. I’m not saying he’s not going to be able to do everything he once did. With modern technology, if he gets a proper prosthesis, he could potentially walk again. Everything he does now, though, will be done differently. Change isn’t easy for anyone. Richard needs time to filter through all of this.
Maverick is grieving too. He’s grieving the man who taught him to throw a baseball, the man who ran behind him holding the seat of his bicycle as he learned to ride without training wheels. He’s grieving the man who was a superhero in his childhood fantasies. The unbreakable strength he always saw in his father’s eyes is now distorted. These are all things Mav has to face.
The dynamic of their relationship is changing to one beyond father and son to one of caregiver and patient. Eventually, Mav will be able to move out and let his dad have his independent life once again, but for now, I agree it’s best for him to live with his dad and help him get a routine.
Learning to use a wheelchair in a controlled environment is one thing. Using it day to day is another. If Richard wants the freedom to go out, he’s going to have to invest in a handicapped vehicle that’s built for wheelchair patients. In order to be able to drive with his left foot, he’s going to need to keep his diabetes under control so he doesn’t lose sensation and feeling in that foot. Add to that the task of getting out of the house, maneuvering the wheelchair in and out of the car, and then going somewhere that isn’t necessarily prepared for a chair. Businesses are required to have doors wide enough for a wheelchair, but private homes are not. His friends may not have a house that’s accessible to him. There are so many obstacles that lie before him to overcome, having Mav around just so someone who cares is there will help.
“Well, you know once you’re home, they’re gonna send home health nurses by for a while to make sure you’re settlin’ in and see if you need anything,” I say with a smile and a wink, trying to lighten his mood.
“My luck, I’m gonna get the male nurse comin’ to the house. Or I’ll get one older than dirt,” he jokes with me finally.
“Or you could get a hot little number with long blonde hair to come fluff your pillow.”
He laughs out loud for the first time since I met him. “Oh, sweetheart, it’s dark-haired beauties for me and my boy,” he replies, raising his eyebrows as I hear someone come into the room behind me.
“What’s for your boy, Pops?” Maverick asks.
“Kenzy here says they may send me a blonde nurse to the house. I was tellin’ her we like our women with dark hair, light skin, and eyes so deep you could be lost in them for years.”
“Mom was beautiful, Pops, as is Kenzy,” Maverick says with his gaze locked on me.
“Sure wish they would send Kenzy to the house to check up on me instead of some stranger.”
“Richard, I’ll be by to check on you. I haven’t left you yet, and I’m not going to. With home health nurses they will usually
send one or two out, and they will have a schedule. In time, they won’t be a stranger because you will get to know them. Plus it’s just for a few weeks or months for you to finish healing up and get settled at home.”
Maverick
Kenzy’s going to follow up with Pops. My chest tightens when she eases my dad’s fears of strangers coming and going through his house. This whole thing has been so much change for both of us, and so incredibly hard. Here she is weeks later still coming to visit him, and going out of her way to make sure my old man is okay.
I’ve missed a lot of work, but my job is secure because I’ve been with the company since graduating high school. My dad worked for them thirty years before he retired, so my boss is more than understanding. Once Pops gets home and settled in some, I’ve got to get back to it.
Knowing we have a long road ahead of us, I’ve given up the lease on my apartment and already moved my belongings back home and into storage. Pops will be released soon, and I’m ready for us to take the steps to move on in life.
Heath works construction. He rallied together with the boys to build a ramp for Pops and install all the extra handicap rails to his shower, pulls on the kitchen cabinets for him, and adjusting the hanging racks in his closet to be easier for him to reach.
This has been a real wake-up call for me. With the way I work out and diet, diabetes isn’t an issue, but it’s time to settle down. Life is short to let a good thing pass me by. Kenzy Davis is a good thing, and she’s not slipping away.
Chapter Five
MaKenzy
Three Months Later
Richard is doing well at home; the home health nurses have released him. Now it’s up to him to maintain his future health. Maverick is back to work. He and I have gone grocery shopping, not only based on what I know as a nurse, and him working out, but based on the nutritionist’s recommendations as well.
More and more we spend small blocks of time together, like going to the grocery store, or I went with him to the pharmacy to pick up the right bandages for Richard’s wounds. As a diabetic, until Richard is more in control of his sugar, Mav will find ulcers throughout his father’s skin. They will need care and to be covered when necessary.
I’m at home, cleaning and doing laundry. It’s my day off, so it’s catch-up time. My phone rings, and when I look at the screen it says Maverick calling. He should be at work.
“Pops fell. I’m in Midland at work. Can you go over?”
“Sure thing, sweetie.”
We disconnect and I head over to Richard’s house. When they were about to discharge Richard, I agreed to be the backup for Mav when he has to work. Therefore, I have a key to the house and can make my way in without waiting on Richard to get to the door. As I head through to the back of the house, I can hear water running.
Making my way into the master bedroom and then to the master bath, I find Richard lying on the shower floor with a gash on his forehead that’s bleeding. His arm is bleeding as well, but I can’t tell from what.
“Get the hell outta here,” he barks at me.
Silently, I turn off the water, grab a few towels so I can dry him off, and begin to clean up his wounds.
“I said, get the hell outta here. What, are you deaf today?”
“Richard, you’re obviously in a mood today. Fine. But see, you’re in quite the conundrum. You’ve fallen, you need help up. I’m going to help you, clean you up, and get you situated. You can kick me out when I’m done, okay?”
He grumbles but allows me to dry him off and then bandage his new wounds once I get him to his chair, clothed, and then to his bed. Laying out his afternoon meds, I check his blood sugar and find it’s a little low. Unstable blood sugar allows for moodiness as well as weakness, dizziness, and fatigue.
No wonder he fell in the shower. He knows to wait for Maverick when showering. Today was an act of defiance, and a stupid one at that. If he had hit his head somewhere else, he could’ve lay there and died. Stubborn man.
Maverick
Kenzy let me know she’s at the house keeping an eye on Pops until I get home. Apparently, today he wanted to attempt more independence. His blood sugar unstable with a leg gone, this was a nightmare before it began.
Arriving home, I walk in to smell food cooking in the kitchen. The living room is clean with fresh vacuum lines in the carpet. Everything’s been dusted, polished, and wiped down. With two guys living together, as much as I try, it’s not been this clean since before Mom got sick.
“Pops, I’m home,” I yell out so he can get in his chair and come to the kitchen.
Making my way to the kitchen, I stop in my tracks to take in the sight before me. Kenzy has her hair pulled back in a messy bunch on top of her head. She’s wearing some of those pants I see the women wear to Jessika’s yoga class and a tight-ass blue tank top. Her back is to me as she’s bending over to check something in the oven. Her plump ass sticking out makes me want to caress it. I can smell the garlic and my stomach growls loudly.
“Hey, Kenzy,” I say, and she turns to face me with a smile.
“Dinner is almost ready. Manicotti. I’ve made garlic bread and salad that’s already on the table. Your dad’s sugar was a little low today, so the pasta and sauce shouldn’t overdo it. We need to watch his carbs on the bread, though.”
She’s thought through dinner for my dad’s needs as well. Could this woman get any more perfect for me? Before I can say anything else, Pops is wheeling himself into the kitchen to join us.
“I thought I told you to leave,” he says harshly to Kenzy.
“Well, now that Mav is home and since you still want me to go, fine, I’ll leave.” She pulls out the dish from the oven and begins to move about to actually go.
“Whoa, wait a damn second,” I say to Pops. “Why are you kickin’ Kenzy out?”
“I don’t need no babysitter. I don’t need her watchin’ over me, or you for that matter. Both of y’all can get the hell out.”
“Pops, Kenzy has made us a nice meal. Let’s just sit down and eat, okay?”
Pops doesn’t speak. He picks up the glass bowl holding the salad on the table and throws it across the room. The sound of the glass breaking and sprinkling the floor resonates around us as he follows through with the bread basket.
“What the fuck, Pops?”
“Have your damn dinner. Since you two won’t leave, I’m going to bed. I’m a grown-ass man. I don’t need shit from anyone.”
Kenzy is already cleaning up the larger pieces of glass and food as my dad turns and wheels away. Going over, I grab the broom and begin to sweep up the smaller shards.
“Kenzy, I’m sorry about that. Thanks for everything.”
“No need to apologize, Mav. We all have bad days; he can, too. I’ll clean up and head out. Tomorrow’s a new day, and he’ll be better.”
“Let me make it up to you. Let me take you out to dinner?”
“Thanks, but no thanks. Look, Mav, you have a lot on your plate right now. Focus on that.”
Not knowing what to say, we both finish cleaning up in silence and she leaves. I’ve never been turned down before. I know Kenzy’s attracted to me. Obviously my current circumstances don’t bother her, as she spends her free time checking in with Pops. What is going on in her pretty head?
I’ve never had someone captivate me like Kenzy does. I remember in high school being drawn to her smile, but she didn’t talk to anyone but Jessika. Those two were always inseparable. She was cute in the underlying way back then with a sweet innocence, but now she’s the whole damn package. She’s invaded my thoughts and my dreams. I need an opening and opportunity to make her mine. For once, I want something more than just a hookup. Looks like everything is changing, and not just for my dad.
Chapter Six
MaKenzy
My day shift at work passes quickly. Part of me wants to go straight home and climb into a bubble bath. However, I have a stubborn man to prove a point to, so I make the turn to get me to Maverick’s house r
ather than go straight to my apartment complex.
Pulling up, I see Mav’s truck in the drive. That’s good. If Richard is still in his mood, I may not be welcome here tonight. I’m not giving up on him, though. I’m sure he was embarrassed to be laid out on his shower floor, naked and injured. He was too weak to reach up for the grab rails that were installed before he came home from rehab.
When I walk in, I hear the two Collins men talking in the kitchen. Maverick is leaning against the fridge as I enter the room. The look of shock on Richard’s face when he notices me is priceless.
“What are you doing here?” he asks in surprise.
“Came to check on you.”
“I was a real asshole yesterday, yet you’re back here to check on me. I’m not your patient anymore, Kenzy. You don’t have to be here,” he says with real emotion backing each word.
“You’re someone special, Richard. Look, I don’t have a dad. He bailed before I was born. If I could pick one, I would want him to be strong, resilient, and stubborn just like you. And since I don’t know him, I hope whoever he is, wherever he is, that he’s a fighter like you.” I smile at him, feeling a little raw. This is more than I’ve shared with anyone in a really long time.
“Kenzy—” Maverick says, standing up with a beer in his hand and closing the fridge behind him.
“Well, you’re something special too, Kenzy,” Richard adds, cutting off Mav.
“You can’t push me away, even if you try. So get mad, yell, throw things, and let it out. I’ll be here to pick up the pieces with you.”
Mav stalks towards me in such a way that I start back out of the kitchen and into the living room, only I bump into the molding of the entryway. His body is only inches from mine as I lean against the wall on the other side of the living room.
“Oh, but you can push me away?” he asks firmly.
“I’m not looking for anything right now,” I whisper.
“You may not be looking, but it’s here. And baby, it’s happening.”
When I open my mouth to respond, his lips come crashing down on mine before I utter one word. I don’t think; I let my body give in to his. Before I allow myself to think about anything, I’m kissing him back with everything I have in me. His hands grab my hips, pulling me to him. My head falls back against the wall behind me as I bring my hands up to run over his bald head. I can’t get enough as I devour every millimeter of his mouth, our tongues dancing in a rough rhythm against each other. The fight, the battle to consume and possess each other goes on as our teeth clash. Yet neither of us can pull away.
Moments In Time: A Collection of Short Fiction Page 27