Lance Read online

“Yes. Iain recommended that you come here,” she said. “I also heard you know Jaden.”

  “Yeah.” He hesitated. “Is Jaden still here?”

  “He is, indeed,” she said. “He’ll be here for another month or two, and Iain comes back and forth. By the way, he’s partnered up with one of our vet techs down below, so the two of them are here on a regular basis.”

  “Good,” he said. “I’d like to see him.”

  “Just making sure the pictures he’s sending out aren’t altered by Photoshop?” she teased, with a big grin.

  He took a deep breath and said, “Is that so wrong of me?”

  “No, not at all,” she said, some of her laughter slipping away. “It’s normal,” she added. “You need to see the proof, and Iain is definitely walking proof.”

  “It just seems so unbelievable,” he said. “Plus the guy I knew was this jokester.”

  “Well, he presented that facade to everybody,” she said. “He’s a very different person now. He helps out on various carpentry jobs for the vet clinic.”

  “That sounds like him. He always did have a dabbler’s hand at fixing things.”

  “I’ll let him know you’ve arrived, if you like. And I’m on my way around, talking to a few other people, so I’ll stop in at Jaden’s and tell him that you’re here too.”

  At that, Lance smiled. “I’d really appreciate it. Kind of makes the arrival less …” He let his voice trail off.

  “It’s always nice to see a friendly face,” she said firmly. “But, before long, this place will be home to you anyway.”

  He nodded and smiled. “If you say so.”

  “I do,” she said with a laugh. “So, your intake nurse will be in soon. She’ll come in to check your blood pressure and to make sure the trip was not too arduous. She’ll go over your current medications and update your file. Her name is Jessica, so say hello and be nice because you’ll be seeing quite a bit of her, especially at first.”

  “Sounds good,” he said, and, with that, Dani disappeared. On the heels of that visit, a woman with a shock of red hair stepped inside. She had freckles across both cheeks, and her eyes were bright green. He was mesmerized. “Wow,” he said, “that might be the reddest hair I’ve ever seen.”

  “Thank you. I think,” she said in a bright voice.

  “No—I only meant—” Flustered, he continued, “Well, I like it.”

  She giggled. “One can never tell. Some people like it. Others think I am cursed. As for me, it is what it is at this point.” Laughing, she walked over and said, “Hi, I’m Jessica. Let’s have a look at you.”

  Jessica Marlow loved the teasing and the way that he interacted with her. She knew it was meant to distract from his pain, and, while he’d be the first to deny it, clearly the trip had been a lot for him. She quickly slipped the blood pressure cuff over his arm, pumped it up, and checked his reading. Frowning that it was high but not excessively so, she checked his temperature and then his pulse. When she was done, she went over his medications, bringing up the chart on her tablet so he could see them. Together, they confirmed everything. Then she went on.

  “Now I’m sure Dani explained that everybody on your team will be coming in and out most of today because you’re a new arrival, and then, if anybody wants any testing done, that’ll start tomorrow.”

  “Great. So I get to be a pincushion again.” He groaned.

  “Sorry, it’s a stage of life.”

  “Does that stage ever come to an end though?”

  “It does,” she said. “I’m sort of new here myself, compared to some of the others. I’ve been here for ten months. I’ve seen several people leave in great shape.”

  “Yeah, but were they in bad shape when they arrived? That is the real question.”

  “Good point,” she said. “Have faith.” She nodded, giving him a perky smile. “I know everything will work out.”

  “I do have faith,” he said, “otherwise I wouldn’t be here at all.”

  “Tough trip?”

  “Tougher than I expected,” he admitted.

  She moved around his room with efficient movement. She didn’t make any extra steps or repeat any movements. She knew what she was doing. “You know what? I have a few extra minutes. Do you want me to help you unpack?”

  “I can do it tomorrow,” he said, not wanting to impose on her.

  She looked at him with one eyebrow raised and said, “Right now you have somebody here who’s available to help. If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t feel like he’s actually settled in until he’s unpacked, let’s take care of it right now.”

  “Would you mind?” he said. “I’m not used to having other people do things for me.”

  “In this place,” she said, “we all do for everybody, and there isn’t anybody who doesn’t get help when they need it.” At that, she quickly opened his duffel bag, organized the clothing, and put them away in drawers. “I’m glad to see you brought swim shorts,” she said. “The pool is a major part of your program here.”

  “Pool?”

  She turned in surprise. “I thought you knew.”

  “You’d think I would know,” he said, “because I’m friends with a couple guys who have been here or still are, but I don’t think anybody mentioned the pool.”

  “When we get around to giving you a full tour,” she said, “you’ll see. Make sure you talk to your physiotherapists about our water program, if you like. Otherwise they often wait a few weeks, if not longer, before letting people into the pool.”

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “Now that you’ve mentioned it, I’ll be right on his case.”

  “Good,” she said. Once everything was put away, she folded up the duffel and tucked it in the bottom of the closet.

  “Now,” she said, “is there anything else I can do for you?”

  He immediately shook his head.

  “What about dinner?” she asked, giving him a straightforward look. “Are you strong enough to get down there for dinner tonight?” She motioned at the wheelchair. “I saw you arrive and noticed Jim pushing you down the hallway. I can certainly take you to dinner, if you’re ready.”

  He hated to even ask and shook his head, embarrassed.

  “Remember,” she said. “There are no shoulda, coulda, wouldas at this place,” she said. “You’re either strong enough to make your way down there on your own—and I’ll show you where it is—or I’ll take you there.”

  He stared at her wordlessly and collapsed against the bed. “I haven’t eaten all day,” he said, “so I should, but honestly, it seems like it’s an awfully long way to go.”

  Frowning, she said, “It’s your first day, so, if you’d like me to pick up something, I can do that too.”

  He really liked that option, but the thought of asking her to do even more went against the grain.

  “The other option is,” she said, “I can take you down there, you can pick out something, and we can bring it back here for you.”

  “Well, that’s a compromise,” he said. “Maybe that one?”

  “Done,” she said. She brought the wheelchair to the head of the bed and then moved something forward from under the bed. A set of steps for him. “I presume you’ll need these for a few days.”

  With a wince, he said, “Yeah, I think so.” He straightened up, gasping, as he worked muscles that hadn’t worked in a very long time. She immediately stepped up, moved the wheelchair into a better position, then reached out for his arm. He didn’t even think about it before grabbing hers for support. Very slowly, like a crippled old man, he made his way down the steps and into the wheelchair. He shook in place for a moment, while she grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around his legs.

  “Come on. Let’s go pick you up some dinner. We’ll get you some hot tea, since yours is gone already. Then we’ll get you back to bed.”

  He didn’t argue, since he knew he needed to eat. Left to his own devices, his stomach would set off a chain reaction that would keep him awake
all night if he didn’t get a chance to eat. But, at the same time, it was hard and went against the grain to let other people do things for him. He’d been doing so much better at the last place, and now it’s like he’d taken a complete step back.

  “I wouldn’t worry about it,” she said. “This is temporary.”

  He twisted ever-so-slightly. “What is temporary?”

  “When most people arrive, they find that they’re set back a bit from their travels. They always assume it’ll be a quick and easy adjustment, but it’s actually worse than anything.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I do,” she said with a laugh.

  He vaguely recognized some of the trip back to where he thought the cafeteria was.

  “It’s a little bit early, so that’s good. Still the rush will be coming soon enough though.” At that, she pushed him forward and stopped at the edge of the counter, grabbing a tray for him. She placed it on his lap and said, “Okay, we can carry it back that way.” Then she picked it up and put it back on the counter and pushed it and him along the front of the buffet line, where a huge male oversaw the food. “Dennis, we have a new arrival.”

  Dennis poked his head over the top, then grinned and said, “Hi, I’m Dennis. The kitchen is mine. What can I get you?”

  Lance hated the shakiness he felt inside and said in the heartiest voice he could muster, “Something hot that will go down easy.”

  “Well, I’ve got fish stew, fried chicken, and some skewers of meat and veggies here.”

  “How about the stew?” he said. “Maybe with a slab of bread on the side.”

  “You got it,” he said. “How big of a bowl do you want?”

  Immediately Lance shook his head. “Not too much,” he said. “I haven’t eaten all day, and my stomach will revolt as it is.” At that, Dennis frowned but served up a medium-size bowl, added a couple thick slabs of French bread buttered on the side, and asked, “How about some food for your room? You want to take a muffin or a sandwich back, in case you need more later?”

  “I don’t really want to,” he said, and then he started to shiver. Jessica immediately checked his temperature. “Let’s get you headed back to bed,” she said. “Dennis, maybe send somebody to check on him in a couple hours, just to make sure he doesn’t need more to eat? We’ll get this hot food down. I’ll just pick him up some hot tea and get him back to bed.”

  Dennis watched them with a frown on his face.

  She gave him a reassuring smile and said, “He should be fine, once he gets rested up.”

  “I’m counting on you to make sure he is,” Dennis said. “I haven’t lost one yet.”

  She chuckled at that. “It’s okay, Lance. We’re heading back to your room now,” she said. “I’m sorry. I hadn’t realized you were feeling that bad.”

  “I don’t know if it’s that bad or not,” he said. “All of a sudden I just felt pretty shaky.” They were back in his room within minutes. He looked at his bed with relief, as she picked up the tray, put it on a small table, backed the wheelchair up, and put down the locks to help him to his feet.

  “Bathroom first?”

  He groaned and said, “Yeah.”

  She walked over and asked, “Can you use crutches?”

  “Yeah, I can probably make those few steps,” he said, and, using the crutches, she watched as he made his way to the bathroom. When the door closed, she stood and waited.

  It took a few minutes for him to come back out. Sweat was on his forehead, and he looked even worse. She immediately walked over, gave him a shoulder for support, then helped him into bed. “Do you have pajamas?”

  “Yeah, we put them away,” he gasped out.

  She came back with a folded pair of blue checked pajamas, and, before he realized it, she already had his shirt off, the pajama top on, his socks and jeans off, and had him into the pajama bottoms. Before he could even say anything, she had him tucked under and relaxed in the bed with the blanket up around him. She quickly folded up his clothes and put them in the laundry bin, then moved the table over. “There. How’s the angle for eating?”

  “I need to be a little straighter,” he said.

  She handed him a remote. “Try this.”

  Ever-so-slowly, he managed to get it to work. He sighed. “I’m so tired,” he said, “but I need food.” He picked up a spoon, took a bite, and then sank back against the bed. “Wow,” he said. “This is really good.”

  “It is,” she said, “and you need to take full advantage of it. I’ll go get you some hot tea and some water and will be right back.” With that, she bolted again to the kitchen. She didn’t want him to know how worried she was about him. She hadn’t seen anybody arrive with the shakes like that. As soon as she got him some drinks, she would talk to the doctor and make sure somebody came and checked up on him tonight.

  Dennis saw her as she came back in. “Is he okay?”

  She shook her head. “Exhausted, shaky, and maybe in a little bit of shock,” she said. “I’m not exactly sure what’s going on, but I’ll mention it to his doctor.” She picked up tea and a bottle of water and a bottle of juice. “I’m not sure if he has any blood sugar issues either,” she says, “but I’ll take him a juice just in case.” She flashed Dennis a smile and sped back out again and headed for Lance’s room. When she got there, his bowl of stew was almost empty, and he had some color in his face. She put the drinks down for him. “You’re looking better already.”

  “Yeah, I think it was just the whole travel-and-arrival thing,” he said, leaning back. “I really want another bowl of stew, but I don’t think I can get any more down.”

  “How about another bowl in an hour or so?”

  “How does that work?” he said with a laugh. “I’m sure they have better things to do than cater to me.”

  “Look. Like I said earlier, I haven’t been here that long myself, but one thing was made very clear to me when I started work here,” she said with quiet emphasis. “Nobody has anything better to do than to look after you and the other patients here. Obviously taking you down there and back wasn’t the best decision. I should have realized how tired you were and should have just gone and collected you some food.”

  “But you probably wouldn’t have chosen stew for me,” he said, a smile at the corner of his lips. He looked down at the empty bowl and said, “I think I would like a second bowl. But I feel guilty.”

  “Don’t,” she said, as she snagged up the bowl. “I brought you tea, juice, and water. Is there anything else you would like?”

  He shook his head. “Maybe just seconds on stew.” There was such a hopeful look on his face that she had to laugh.

  “I don’t have a problem doing that,” she said. “So hang on. I’ll be right back.” She headed down the hallway with the empty dish. When she walked back into the cafeteria, she showed it to Dennis, and a big smile broke out across his face.

  “Now that I like to see,” he said.

  “Even better,” she said, “please, sir, he’d like some more.”

  He chuckled at the Oliver Twist reference and took the dirty bowl from her and filled up a clean one. “Here. Take this one to him.”

  Rather than carry it on a tray, she grabbed the bowl and another spoon. “Thank you, Dennis. I’ll be back in a bit for my own dinner.”

  “Yeah, and maybe get somebody to check on that guy,” he said. “Hate to see anybody suffer.”

  “I think he’s done a lot of suffering and for a long time,” she said.

  “That was before,” Dennis said. “Now he’s here, and it’s a whole different story.”

  Chapter 2

  It was unusual for Jessica to be as affected by a patient as she was by Lance. But something was just so frail about this big man who had been brought to these sad circumstances, and she found her heart melting for him. She checked up on him on a regular basis over the next few days, making sure he had food, water, and other drinks. Even between her rounds she found herself with excuses to go
down that hallway to see him. Three days later, when she stopped in to check on him in the morning, he looked up and gave her a sleepy smile.

  “Wow,” she said. “With a smile like that, I bet you had girls dropping all over you.”

  “Maybe before the accident,” he murmured, “but it sure hasn’t happened since.”

  She chuckled. “That’s because it was girls,” she said. “Women are a completely different sort.”

  “What’s the difference?” he asked curiously, as he obediently held out his arm for her to check his blood pressure.

  “Girls are affected more by the prettiness on the outside,” she said, “and women, at least women who have grown up and seen a lot of life, they know that the true measure of a man can only be taken from the inside,” she said. “In a place like this, what we see all the time is that inner measure of a man.”

  He smiled. “I think I like that,” he said.

  “Good,” she replied.

  “But I don’t have any illusions about finding a partner after this.”

  “Well, it’s perfectly possible, and, from what I understand, it happens a lot around here.”

  “Happens a lot,” he said slowly. “I know what happened with my friend Iain,” he said, “but I assumed that was an oddity.”

  “Not only was it not an oddity but Hathaway House is getting a name for matchmaking.” And she laughed.

  “Hard to believe,” he said, wondering if he’d made a mistake coming here.

  “People here are not quite so shallow to just seek a quick relationship only. We see so much of what you guys go through,” she said, “that, for those who fall in love, they already know who’s on the inside,” she said, “and that’s worth everything.”

  “Sounds nice,” he said. “I’m just not sure I believe that.”

  “Don’t have to,” she said. “You’ll find out soon enough, just by watching the others around here.”

  “Only if I fall in love,” he said, his lips twitching.

  “Is that so hard to believe?” she asked, eyeing him with an odd look. “Do you really not expect to ever fall in love again?”