Chapter 12
AFTER THREE days, Kevin was still coughing and had no energy.
“You need to give yourself some time. You had a burning ceiling fall on you, and you’re wondering why you can’t just walk away as though nothing has happened. Think of it this way: you got some burns through your fire suit. Well, your lungs got some as well, and they need a chance to heal too.”
“It’s getting better, just not fast enough,” Kevin groused, knowing he was complaining about something he could do nothing about.
The doctor pulled up a stool and sat down in front of him.
“Look, I know you well enough to understand that sitting still is the last thing you want to do. You would rather run into a burning building than take a few days to rest and relax. But that is what you’re going to have to do.
I can’t clear you for work when you’re not ready to go back.
” He met Kevin’s gaze with his caring one, but behind that care was absolute steel.
Kevin took a slow, deep breath and then let it out, pleased he didn’t cough.
“If I let you go back and you went on a call and couldn’t perform well, that would put others in danger. You know that.”
“Shit, now you’re using guilt?” Kevin knew the doctor was right; he was just getting impatient.
It wasn’t that he didn’t like spending time with Willy.
In fact, what was driving him crazy was that Willy and his little family had places to be and things to do, while Kevin had spent much of the days home alone now that the weekend was over.
“Whatever it takes.” The doctor slid back and stood. “Give it some time and stop trying to push it. You’re only going to make things worse.”
“Fine. I was hoping you could give me a pill or some antibiotic or something to make me heal faster.”
“Nope. You just have to wait like all the rest of us mortals.” He chuckled.
Kevin tried not to laugh but failed and ended up coughing and proving the doctor’s point.
“Go on home, rest, and give yourself some time. Looking at the tests run at the hospital, there is nothing that suggests you won’t heal up naturally on your own.
” He stood at the computer station. “Now, if you don’t continue to improve, then I want you to come back.
And we’ll make an appointment for two weeks to see how you’re doing. ”
Kevin huffed but thanked the doctor anyway. He had thought he’d be off work for a few days, but it looked like it would be longer.
Kevin left the exam room and made the appointment on his way out before returning to his truck. He thought of going home. He had been at Willy’s, but he knew he was getting in the way and didn’t want to be another thing Willy had to take care of.
His phone rang, and he answered it through the Bluetooth.
“What did the doctor say?” Willy asked right away.
“That I need to give it time,” he grumped. “I don’t do sitting on my butt doing nothing very well.”
“At least you admit it. That’s the first step to recovery.” Sometimes Willy was a real smartass.
“Har, har.” Kevin pulled to a stop at a light at the north edge of town. “He says he wants to see me in two weeks. I thought it was only going to be a couple of days, and now….”
“It’s okay. Just relax and try not to worry.
You’re getting better and have coughed less over the last few days, and I have no doubt it will keep improving.
” Voices carried through the line from behind Willy.
“I need to go to class in a few minutes, but I’ll see you at home in a few hours.
Also, I got a call from Red. He asked if he and Carter could stop by this evening. ”
“All right. I’m going to stop by my place to pick up some fresh clothes, and I’ll see you when you get home.”
“Cool.” Willy’s smile came through in the brightness in his voice. “I’ll see you then.” He ended the call.
A few minutes later Kevin pulled up in front of his house and went inside.
The rooms felt empty and almost too quiet.
No dogs rushed up to meet him. They were still at Willy’s, probably sprawled out on the sofa, taking a nap, waiting for April and Grant to come home.
His dogs adored those kids. Kevin trudged upstairs and to his room and grabbed a bag out of the closet.
He packed a few changes of clothes and then descended the stairs.
This was his home, but right now it felt lifeless and empty.
The thing was that Willy’s place, even though it was bare and sparsely furnished, felt vibrant and full, humming with life all the time.
Without thinking about it too much more, he left.
He thought about going right back to Willy’s but detoured to the grocery store, where he walked the aisles, getting some things he knew Willy needed.
By the time he reached the checkout, he was tired, winded, and coughing.
Damn it all. A simple trip to the store should not feel like running a race.
Still, he checked out and put the groceries into the truck before returning to Willy’s, where he put things away and lay down on the sofa to rest, the dogs all taking places nearby.
“UNCLE KEVIN,” Grant said as Kevin popped his eyes open, startling awake.
The dogs raced excitedly to April, Willy, and Grant for attention.
“Look what I made in school.” He thrust a drawing forward, and Kevin took it, looking over the blobs of color, trying to see something in it.
“I made a picture of you and Daddy.” He was so proud, and Kevin smiled.
“It’s really good,” he told Grant. “Can I keep it and put it on my refrigerator at home?”
“Yes!” He punched the air and jumped like he had just won the big game. “Refrigerator. I go make more.” And he was off to his room.
Kevin turned to Willy for some sort of explanation. “At school the other kids talk about having their art on the fridge. It’s like an honor. And since we lost our fridge… let’s just say that you made him very happy.” Willy placed his hand on his shoulder. “I’m glad you were resting.”
Kevin got to his feet. “I went to the store and got some things.” He followed Willy into the kitchen, where he opened the fridge and gaped.
“What did you do, buy out the store?”
“I got things that you all eat. You’ve been feeding me for days, so I thought I should help out.” He had gotten some of everything he could think of that Willy and the kids ate. He also got some special things for him and Willy.
Willy closed the door and hugged him tightly. “That was very nice. Thank you.” He kissed him hard. “And maybe if you’re up to it, I can say thank you properly once the kids have gone to bed.
“Daddy, can I have juice?” Grant asked.
“Yes.” He got out a juice box and handed one to him and one to April, getting them both seated at the table. He got out some cheesy crackers, and the kids had a snack before going to play.
“They don’t ever stop,” Kevin said.
“Nope. Not until they fall asleep. April napped at daycare. They tried to get Grant to rest, but he refuses.” He sat down with two mugs of coffee, one for each of them.
“How were classes?” Kevin asked, wondering about Willy’s day.
“Interesting. The one class that I have is pretty typical. I’m going at the pace I usually do.
The other is racing ahead of where I usually am.
Their questions are so advanced.” He grinned, and Kevin saw the delight in his eyes.
“I love it when the concepts just click. It doesn’t happen with every class, but it definitely is with this one.
” He sipped from his mug. “I really love what I do, but sometimes the college politics get to be too much. There are curriculum meetings and faculty committee meetings where things get discussed until all the air is sucked out of the room, yet nothing happens. They don’t make a decision because they want everything to be unanimous, but it never is.
I’d like to teach some newer economic theory, but I can’t get the committee to agree.
Most do and think it’s no big deal, but one of the members was on the committee that developed the current curriculum, so he doesn’t want anything to change.
” Willy shook his head. “So I decided to offer a seminar class in the spring that will focus on those theories. If I get enough students, then it’s a no-brainer, and if I don’t…
then I have to keep fighting for what I want and what I think is best for the students. ”
“But how can you know you’re right?” Kevin asked.
Willy shrugged. “The kids will tell me. If they are interested in the class, then they’ll sign up because it has value for them.
And if they don’t, then I know that I need to look at things differently.
It is economics, after all. I’ll consider the seminar a win if I get ten students.
” He grinned. “And some of my colleagues will eat crow.”
“Is one seminar going to help your students get better jobs?”
Willy shrugged. “I doubt it, but we’re a liberal arts institution.
Many of our students go on to other schools for postgraduate work.
What we do is teach these kids to think for themselves and to reason critically.
So I give them tools, and they run with them.
There isn’t a great deal of me standing up in front of the class talking and then giving them tests to see how much they can spew back.
Their grades are based on exams, essays, and papers meant to demonstrate taking a position and defending it either by using other sources or logic.
” He sipped from his mug. “Before the fire, I was working on a paper, as well as the outline for a book. The paper is meant for publication in a journal, but the book is meant to explain economic principles to real people.”
“Like how to understand all those numbers you hear on the news?” Kevin asked, and Willy nodded. “I hear them all the time, but they don’t really mean much.”