Chapter 50
Summer
Thursday morning we're waiting for Jake to have his stitches removed, and he's free to leave the hospital now. It’s finally safe to tell him everything, but Ray and I agreed not to just do an info dump.
First, we'll start with the date and rehab. Then Ray will tell his tale. I’ll go last. Dr. Crosby offered the room for as long as we need it.
Once Leigh and Dr. Crosby finish removing the stitches, they remove the catheter.
That has to be a horrible experience for him.
Leigh gives him a bath afterwards to freshen up.
Jake wasn’t happy about wearing adult diapers, but Dr. Crosby assured him it was very temporary.
I know he felt embarrassed, but I acted like it was no big deal, and so did Ray.
He’s starting physiotherapy this afternoon with someone from the hospital’s rehab department.
After Jake has a smoothie snack mid-morning, Ray and I get ready to break the news. I’m nervous about how he’s going to react, so I climb into bed with him.
“Jake,” Ray starts. “Now that you’re healed, we can answer some of your questions. The first piece of information we need to tell you is the length of your coma and where exactly we are.”
“I can handle it, Dad,” Jake replies.
Ray tells him the date, and I show him my phone. Silence greets us as we give him a minute to process the news. “Jake?” I ask.
“How? Are you kidding?”
“No son. You’ve been in a coma since the accident. One year and eleven months.”
“I remember the accident. It’s fuzzy, but we were going skiing…how is this possible? Was I hurt? How badly were you hurt, Sum?”
Squeezing his hand, I look up at him. “Jake, I need you to stay calm. I know it’s hard, but try.”
“You hit your head, had a bunch of cuts, bruises, and a broken arm,” Ray adds. “You slipped into a coma quickly, but no one was sure why. We initially thought you'd wake up after the concussion, but you didn’t.”
“Doing okay?” I ask him.
“Fantastic,” he snarks. I chuckle at his sarcasm. “Keep going,” he tells Ray.
“We're in Charlotte, North Carolina, not Virginia. This is where the trial was, so you were moved here a few weeks ago.”
“I get the feeling there’s a lot more. Where’s Mom, Vanessa and Lily? Did they stay in Virginia?”
“I think that’s enough information for today,” Ray says.
“No, Dad,” he insists. “I’ve been patient. I want it all. Rip off the band-aid.” Jake can be persistent when he sets his mind on something.
“Jake,” I start.
“No Sum. Enough secrets. I don’t need every detail, but I need the outline at least.”
“Are you sure, son? It’s a lot, and it will upset you. It’s not a happy story.”
“Tell me, Dad. I need to know.” Jake’s stubbornness is showing. There’s a fire in his eyes, and his chin is tilted up just a tiny bit. Despite the bad timing, it’s a welcome sight.
Ray and I share a look, and I nod. Sighing, he tips his head down and takes a few breaths. “Jake, your mom and I divorced. We shattered when we lost you.”
“Holy shit,” Jake whispers. “How long has Mom been gone?”
“Six months after the accident.” Ray looks sorrowful and guilty at once.
Jake turns to me next. “Sum?”
“Mom and Lily bee didn’t make it, Jake. They died during the accident,” I say, as tears fill my eyes.
Tears fall from Jake’s eyes too, as I hug him. Ray grabs each of our hands as Jake sobs and I cry silently. I’m not sure how long we stay like that before I sense Jake quiet. Pulling back, I sit up and look at him. “I’m so damn sorry, Sum.”
Ray steps into the bathroom and comes out with a wet washcloth to wipe Jake’s face for him. “What else do I need to know?”
“That’s enough for now, son. We have plenty of time to talk more later,” Ray insists, and luckily Jake agrees. We chat about lighter topics until lunch, and then I leave Jake and Ray to go next door.
Zander is on his laptop working when I step inside. He looks up and stands, pulling me into a hug. “How did he take the news?”
“Pretty good. He knows the date, about the divorce, and that Mom and Lily bee are gone. No details yet, but he insisted on the basics. He was heartbroken when he found out we’d lost them.”
“And you, darling? Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I always cry when I talk about them. I’m okay. Can we get lunch?”
“Of course. What do you feel like today?”
“A salad and a smoothie. I won’t miss all this takeout when we get home. Ugh.”
We hit the salad bar at a natural foods store that we’ve visited a few times already. After ordering my smoothie, I fill a container with salad and grab some snacks. Once Zander is done, we sit outside and eat. I haven’t seen the sun much lately, so I soak up the vitamin D while I can.
Zander heard from Steven about the interview times tonight, and he contacted Caroline to escort Jake home Monday morning. She helped him arrange a van to move Jake, too. It appears everything is set for the move except, “oh crap. Ray is gonna need a wheelchair-accessible van or something for Jake.”
“Good catch, darling. I never thought of that either. Maybe Ray can get that sorted while you visit with Jake this afternoon, but I’ll start looking when we get back to the hospital.”
“Do you know how amazing you are? I can’t thank you enough for being here, Dad. All the time off from work and all the hours sitting alone in that room, organizing stuff. You are the absolute best,” I smile.
“It’s been my pleasure. You and Jake both deserve this miracle. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
After throwing out our trash, I grab my bag of snacks, and he drives us back to the hospital. The physiotherapist is just entering Jake’s room when we get there, so I hand Zander my things and go inside.
I say hello to everyone and stand off to the side to watch.
The woman is nice and talks us through what she’s doing.
It’s basically stretches like I’ve seen Mal do.
Jake seems stiff, which is probably because he hasn’t moved in over a week.
Trade-offs of the procedure. She gets us involved in massaging his arms after she stretches them out.
Jake gets snarky, saying it’s the most action he’s seen in a while, causing us all to laugh.
Once she’s done, I get Jake some water as Ray leaves to go next door. Taking a seat beside the bed, I tell him about the interviews set up for this evening. Jake asks if I’m still living in my house in Virginia, and I pause, unsure what to say.
“Sum? Do you need to tell me something else? I can handle it.”
“Are you sure? Aren’t you overwhelmed from this morning?”
“Yeah, but this is my life now. I have you and Dad, and I need to move forward. I’ve got a lot of crap to deal with already, so tell me.”
“Okay, this is another big one. I live with my father now.”
“No way. Really? What’s he like?”
“He’s wonderful,” I smile. I tell him how great Zander has been, how much I love my new home, about Finn enterprises, and my friends.
“Sum, do you not live in Virginia anymore?”
“What?” I think through what I said, but I don’t remember mentioning anything that would suggest a different state.
“The chances of your long-lost dad living near us are like a million to one. Where do you live? I don’t want to be away from you. Can you move back and live with us? Get Dad. Maybe we can move.”
Jake's getting worked up quickly. Grabbing his hand, I squeeze. “Calm Jake. We're gonna be living really close and you’ll see me every day. You couldn’t get rid of me even if you wanted to.”
“Promise Sum?”
“Promise. You’ll be 13 minutes from my house. I already checked the drive time,” I smile.
Jake seems to relax at that news. “And where are you living? You never answered the question, sneaky.”
“Okay, so I live outside Charleston, South Carolina, now. Ray bought a condo for you guys there. It’s a town called Mt. Pleasant, and it’s really pretty. I absolutely love the ocean, Jake. I bet you will too. Your condo has a view of the water and everything.”
“Woah. That’s a lot, Sum. I’ve reached capacity for today.”
“Sorry. Did I tell you too much?”
“No. Yes. Maybe? I have more questions now, but I can’t today. I’ll be with you though, so that’s the main thing,” he smiles.
“I'll be with you through everything. You're not alone and never will be, I promise.”
“Good. I’m gonna rest now. Stay?”
“I’ll be in the chair right beside you, Jake.”
He quickly nods off, so I grab my laptop and do SAT prep.
Zander picks up dinner while Ray and I interview the nurses that evening.
I was worried about leaving Jake after all the revelations we dumped on him today, but he assured me he was okay.
He’s going to focus on getting out of the hospital and into the fresh air.
I also asked him to tell me how he wants his new bedroom done and to give me a list in the morning.
We interview three nurses. Neither of us liked the first one, although she was qualified.
She told us how things would work before we even offered her the job.
I liked the other two but was worried about the older woman being able to handle all of Jake’s needs.
Ray liked her best, though, so we ended up with a young male nurse during the day and the woman for nighttime.
Ray sent offers to both of them, and he also hired a physiotherapist who specializes in long-term rehabilitation.
According to Alex, he’s one of the best in the state. Everything is ready for Jake’s move.