Chapter 4
4
D alton was up on crutches, and Deenie was ready to throw him a ticker tape parade. He was still in pain, so his exuberance did not meet hers.
“I have my dad’s car, and he’s on the deck waiting for us back at my mom’s place. He’s ready to fire up the grill, and we have burgers, veggie kebabs, and brats. Are you still up for coming?” Deenie asked.
“I guess, but those stairs up to the deck are going to be a killer,” Dalton said.
“I thought of that just like I think of everything. Kylen is going to be there, and he said he’ll carry you up the steps if he has to,” Deenie said.
“Deenie, I just can’t meet your level of excitement about today. Your dad is going to think you picked a real winner. I might never walk normally again, and I have to be carried up a flight of stairs to meet him. By the time I get there, I’ll be ready for a nap. I’ve lost ten pounds of muscle since the accident and I’m not even sure I can start school soon. I know how fathers can be about their little girls, and I won’t pass muster.”
Deenie stood and slammed shut his bedroom door so they could have privacy. “Today is the first day I haven’t been proud of you. Coming as far as you did took strength and perseverance. You take one-half of a low dose of oxy because you don't want to become an addict. Rehab is hard because I’ve been here to witness every grueling session, and you make it through like a champ every time.
“Now, though, you're feeling sorry for yourself, which is a bad look. At least you didn’t gain twenty pounds. Everyone is rallying around you to get you where you want to be. Since when does a limp bother you? Soldiers come home without limbs, and they have better attitudes than you. Now, let's get into the car to go and meet my dad,” Deenie said.
“Is this how you will talk to your patients when you’re a nurse?” Dalton asked with a smile.
“If necessary. No one will be allowed to throw a pity party in my presence. Children are the exception because they don’t know any better. They won’t like me at first, but by the time they leave my care, they’ll love me.”
“You’re one of a kind, Deenie. I can’t believe I have less than one week left with you. I will need one of your pep talks every day, or I don’t know if I’ll even be able to get out of bed.”
“It will be my pleasure,” Deenie said. “I’ll call every morning.”
She helped Dalton to her car, and it was the first time he had left the house since he came home. The physical therapist came to his home, and there really wasn’t a reason to go anywhere. It was cloudy, and it was raining on and off.
Deenie managed to get Dalton into her father’s Tesla. Her new idea was to convince him to give her his 'old' car so he could purchase a brand-new vehicle for himself. Deenie would do fine with a 2022 Tesla. However, she shouldn’t fantasize about cars, but focus on her boyfriend.
She wanted him to lie in the back seat where he would have more room, but he insisted on the front seat. With legroom maximized and a lot of patience, they got it done. Deenie was developing a ton of respect for caretakers who were truly unsung heroes. At least she would be paid as a nurse.
“How does it feel to be on the road?” Deenie asked.
“I didn’t know how much I needed this. For the first time since this ordeal started, I feel like a human being. My life was focused on being a patient, and I was starting to feel like a prisoner instead," Dalton said. “I’ve never been a passenger with you behind the wheel. It’s clear that you recently passed the driving test because you’re following all the rules.”
He smiled, which sent shivers down her spine because that was a rarity during those days.
“I’ll ride through town so you can see the action.”
They drove down Main Street, and when Dalton saw someone he knew, they wildly waved as if he were a celebrity. Nearly the whole town knew of his accident and was overjoyed to see him out and about again. Then she drove by the Dirty Dozen, where Dalton worked. She slowly pulled into the small lot and co-workers poured out to give their week wishes. Moreover, the clouds parted, and it was sunny again. More clouds loomed on the horizon because Hurricane Martha was far out to sea.
“I can imagine and look forward to having a life again. This drive is like a magic elixir. I'm still nervous about meeting your dad, but after this drive, I'll be in a much better mood. I’m in awe that so many people know about the accident. It’s humbling and uplifting to know they care.”
“Most people I’ve encountered are praying for you. I’m not a weekly churchgoer, but I do believe prayers help. After this, I may become a regular in the pew,” Deenie said.
“I was thinking the same thing. We can go to church together,” he said and then smiled.
After driving around for a half hour, they arrived at the house. The entrance into the back of the house had fewer steps, but Dalton felt good and wanted to use the steps everyone else used. His leg was in a cage and completely immobilized, and his doctors wouldn’t be happy to know he had taken a field trip. It didn’t matter to Deenie because Dalton was smiling more than frowning, and that was good for something. She wasn’t a nurse yet, but even she knew mental health was vital when recovering from an injury.
Her dad and Kylen were upstairs on the deck. Dalton looked at the staircase and then at his leg. “Time for you to get to work, dude. Let’s see if volleyball really got you into shape. I’m not making it up these stairs alone, and poor Deenie has done enough,” Dalton called up to Kylen.
“I’m on my way, but you owe me one for sure,” Kylen joked.
It sounded like Deenie’s father wanted to help, too, but Kylen urged him to stay behind. Greg came to the edge of the stairs to say hello.
“You must be Dalton, the man my little girl can’t stop talking about,” Greg called down.
“That’s me, sir, and it’s a little awkward meeting you like this. I’ll shake your hand when I get up there,” Dalton said.
“I’ll hold you to that. Do you want a burger, a veggie kebab, or a hotdog? Don't say you're not hungry since that won't help with your first impression," Greg said jokingly.
“One of each, please,” Dalton said. “Provided your nephew can figure a way to get me up there.”
Deenie was laughing as she watched them try to figure out how best to carry Dalton up the stairs. Kylen finally grabbed Dalton and lifted him over his shoulder. It looked a lot like a firefighter carry, and both of them were laughing. Deenie couldn’t help but take a few pics for posterity. They might be good to use as blackmail at a later date.
Dalton carried through on his promise and shook hands with Greg. He had nothing to be worried about because Greg’s life wasn’t something to brag about in recent years. He knew what it was like to be judged. Deenie realized he would be liked by her father because he was clean-cut, had a job, and was college-bound.
“Why Florida State?” Greg asked Dalton. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It was one of the schools I looked at.”
"It's in the state, which makes tuition somewhat more affordable, and it’s big enough for me. I have no idea what I want to do with the rest of my life, so I don’t want a school that’s too specialized,” Dalton said.
Greg laughed. “Not a lot of eighteen-year-olds know what direction they want to go. Most lie, so I appreciate your honesty. I went to North Carolina with my eye on the law, which wasn’t true. I wanted to meet women and drink beer, which I did.”
“Dad, don’t forget I’m here. Don’t say gross stuff,” Deenie said.
“I wasn’t married, and all young men have that in mind when they go away to school,” Greg said. “I figured it out, and it didn’t take four years. I met an aerospace engineer, and my life changed. I would never have met him if I wasn’t on campus, so it’s not bad to go to college with your options open. The girls are not definitely a bonus, though.” He laughed.
“Not for Dalton, right?” she nudged her boyfriend.
“No, babe. I only have eyes for you. I’m going to be so busy calling you often that I won’t have time for anyone else.”
Greg sighed heavily, and it seemed like he was about to give a lecture about long-distance and young love. That was something Deenie knew both of her parents were thinking about, but she didn’t want to hear. It was clear she and Dalton would be facing long odds, but they wanted to give it a shot.
She touched her father’s arm. “Today is about meeting Dalton and not about discouraging our plans. We’re just stupid young kids, but let us make our own mistakes and learn from them.”
“That was well said, sweetie,” Greg said. “You’re young, but I never said stupid.”
“I know. I knew either you or Mom were going to press me on that issue, so I prepared what I was going to say. I love you, and so much valuable advice has come my way that I’d be lost without. Dalton and I are grounded in reality, and we know tears will be shed at some point. If there’s a shot that we can make it, though, we’re going to try.”
“Wow, when did you grow up?” April asked as she wandered out onto the deck. She hugged her brother as if they had never been estranged.
Deenie felt warm inside seeing her dad and his sister getting along. Her family was small, and they couldn’t afford to be fractured. Kylen thought of Greg as a father figure, so their quarrel affected him the most. Deenie talked to Kylen a lot about what it was like not to have a father, and while there were definite drawbacks, it was good he wasn’t around. Knowing that he hurt his mother made it so he never wanted to find the guy. Things might change when he got older, but he couldn’t imagine not wanting to hit the guy.
Deenie chatted with April and Kylen while Dalton got to know her father. They were laughing and smiling, which was a positive sign.
“You are revered in Dalton’s house. If you hadn’t called Dr. Santorini, he would have lost his leg, and then we’d be in a much different. Keeping Dalton’s spirits up is hard and would have been doubly so if he had lost a limb. At least he has hope for the future, and I don’t think a limp will ruin his life.”
"We were lucky, and I also hear he's refusing painkillers. I wouldn’t recommend that to just anyone, but he is strong enough to do it,” April said. “Dr. Santorini is the real hero. He's a microsurgeon and an orthopedic specialist. Bones are not the problem in a case like Dalton’s. It’s reconnecting the veins and vessels. You have to get blood back to the limb to save it.”
“You did it again,” Kylen said. “You gave us way more information than we needed to know.”
“I miss work, which I thought I’d never hear myself say. Vacation is necessary, and I think it will make me a better doctor when all is said and done.”
“It doesn’t work the same way with school because I don’t see myself becoming a better student anytime soon,” Deenie said.
“Senior year will be fun for the both of you. Enjoy it because then you enter the realm of adulthood with responsibilities. Seriously, be careful what you wish for."
Deenie and Dalton left the same way they came when it was time to go. He couldn’t stay long because he had limits. Dalton had far surpassed them already, and it was past time to elevate his leg and pop a few Tylenol.
He and Deenie’s father embraced before he left, and things couldn’t have gone better.