Chapter 54
Summer
I unlock the door to the condo and turn on the lights.
The place really looks nice. The floors need to be cleaned after the heavy traffic over the weekend, though.
Putting our lunches in the fridge, I put another load of laundry on, then grab the broom and sweep up the floors, and Zander mops behind me.
Once that’s done, I glove up and clean the hall bathroom.
Jake’s shampoo and soap go in the new shower, and I fill the soap dispensers around the condo.
Zander hangs fresh towels in each bathroom and places the non-slip mat Seb purchased in Jake’s shower.
Next, I make Jake’s bed. The mattress came with a waterproof cover that’s already on, so I add the sheets, new pillow, and bedspread.
Switching loads, I fold all his new clothes and put them away.
All the towels go in the bathroom vanities since there’s no linen closet.
I fill the paper towel holder and then look around.
Zander heads out onto the patio for some work calls as I walk around seeing if we need to do anything else.
The built-in shelves in the living room are looking pretty empty, so I take some books from Jake’s room to add.
I steal a small, framed painting from Ray’s room and a couple of books from his office to use as well.
It still needs more, but at least it’s not empty now.
Ray doesn’t have any decorative items. I think he got the basics when he left Virginia, but that was it.
Turning on the tv, I see the cable's already working.
I just sit down when there’s a buzz from the intercom. Walking over, I check the video to see Will, the nurse we hired, so I hit the buzzer for him to come up. A few minutes later, he knocks. Opening the door, I smile. “Morning, Will.”
“Hi Summer. I was hoping to check out Jake’s room before he got here?”
“Sure,” I reply, stepping aside for him to come in. He gives me a smile and walks past. I’m happy to say I don’t get any bad vibes from him in person.
I show him to Jake’s room, and he whistles when he sees the bed. “Damn, you got the fancy one.”
“I did,” I smile. Pulling out the nightstand drawer, I show him where the manuals and remotes are for everything.
The wheelchair is across the hall in the office, so I take him there next and then show him the shower.
“If anything needs to move or I need to buy something else, just let me or Ray know, and we’ll get it. ”
“You did really well, honestly. I’ll need a chair for Jake’s room so I can stay in there with him. I understand he won’t need to be hooked up to anything when he arrives. Is that correct?”
“It is,” I confirm.
“Good. Do you have a supply of absorbent underwear?”
Opening the closet, I show him the top shelf where I placed the box. “He has shorts and pants with elastic waistbands or drawstrings that he can adjust. We can grab the armchair from the living room for you for now, and I’ll get a chair as soon as possible."
“Okay. Let’s get that, then I’m going to play with the bed and get used to it.”
I help him drag the armchair into Jake’s room and set it by the patio doors. “It’s expensive, but if you can get one of those lifting chairs, we can use it in here, and then you’ll have it for Jake later on when he’s able to get around more.”
“I was looking at one of those last week. I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks, Summer,” he smiles before pulling out the manuals.
I go back to the living room and call the medical supply store, and they have the chair but only in brown, but they can get a charcoal color one to me tomorrow afternoon, so I order it.
I’ve never been a fan of the color brown unless it’s real wood.
Next, I text Sarah, asking for therapists for Jake.
She replies she’ll have a list for me by tonight.
I’m reading through my notes when there’s another knock at the door. Peeking through the peephole, I see Ray. Jake is here! I open the door and grin brightly at him. “Welcome home.”
“Thank you. Someone let us in downstairs, but I need the service elevator key.”
“Oh yeah. I pull it out of my pocket and hand it to him. Let me grab Will and we’ll come down with you.” Jogging back, I holler for Will.
He pokes his head out of the room. “Yeah?”
“Jake’s here.”
“Oh, great,” he smiles.
I peek my head outside to let Zander know they’re here. Since he’s on a call, I lock the condo and give Ray the key as we ride the elevator down to the lobby. I see Jake as soon as we exit and make a beeline for him. “Hi Caroline,” I greet before kissing Jake’s cheek. “Morning, Jake.”
“Hey Sum,” he smiles as I step to the side.
“Son, this is Will, your daytime nurse,” Ray introduces.
“Hi Jake. Nice to meet you,” Will greets.
“You too,” Jake replies. Will introduces himself to Caroline, then we head to the service elevator while I hold his hand.
I can’t believe he’s here to stay! No more video calls to Virginia.
No more days spent in a hospital room in Charlotte.
Just a quick drive to see him in person.
I’m giddy and can’t stop beaming from ear to ear. My tiredness has vanished suddenly.
Ray unlocks the condo as Caroline and Will wheel him inside.
With the third bedroom door opposite Jake’s door, it’s easy to maneuver him into his room.
They gently transferred Jake over once his temporary bed is lined up with the new one.
Caroline and Will sign papers, then she waves goodbye, pushing the temporary bed with her, followed by Ray.
“Room looks great, Sum. Thanks,” Jake smiles tiredly.
“You’re welcome. Glad you like it.”
“Okay, Jake,” Will says. “Summer got you the Rolls-Royce of the bed world, so let me talk you through it.” He takes the time to explain all the components and pulls up the tray from the bed frame, and folds it over the side of the bed.
“This is your side table and bed remote. You’ll be able to use both in no time. Would you like to sit up now?”
“Yeah, please,” Jake replies. Will lifts the bed and then adjusts the pillows for Jake.
“How does the back of the head feel?”
“Fine. Still a little tender.”
“That’s to be expected. You’ll need to let me know if it’s uncomfortable at all. From what I understand, you had a specialty pillow until today.”
“I will,” Jake agrees.
“My job is to take care of you and make sure you're as comfortable as possible. Never hesitate to ask for anything or tell me anything. The better we communicate, the better your care will be. Now please tell me you like action movies?”
“I do.”
“Reality tv?”
“Not really.”
“Sports?”
“Yup.”
“That makes me very happy. You and I are going to get along great,” Will smiles. “I had a patient who only watched reality tv and soap operas. It was torture,” he shivers. “Summer, if you’ll give us a few minutes, I’d like to get Jake bathed and into some clean clothes.”
Jake looks uncomfortable, so I open my mouth to say no, but Will speaks first. “Jake man. This can be really awkward or no big deal. I find it best just to get it over with right away. You shouldn’t worry or feel embarrassed.
I’ve seen more naked people than you’ll ever see in 10 lifetimes.
It always feels different out of a hospital setting, but it’s exactly the same. What do you say?”
“Okay,” he finally nods.
I smile up at Jake. “Everything you need is in the bathroom. There’s a washbasin and towels under the sink,” I tell Will. Squeezing Jake’s hand, I leave the room.
I find Ray in the kitchen looking around. “Hey. Jake's getting a bath.”
“You did an amazing job here, Summer. Thank you so much. We even have plants.”
“Welcome. All your receipts are here.” I tap the papers on the island, “except for the chair I ordered today. The nurses need something to sit on in Jake’s bedroom, so we put the armchair in there temporarily until the new one is delivered tomorrow.”
“I was wondering where that was,” he smiles. “You somehow made this place a home. I haven’t had one of those in a long time.”
“Well, you do now,” I smile. I explain the two-week period for the movers and the bill for the shower.
I also let him know I put most of Jake’s boxes in his walk-in closet.
He adds up the receipts and adds the chair from today before calling his bank to get the money transferred to me.
Once that’s done, he makes a coffee for himself with his fancy machine. “Did you do a walkthrough?” I ask.
“Yes, I did. You even filled the soap dispenser and did laundry. You're something else, Summer,” he shakes his head at me, a small smile gracing his lips.
“I figured you had enough to do already,” I shrug.
Grabbing a granola bar from the pantry, we take a seat on the couch to wait for Jake.
I ask about any special instructions from the hospital, and he says other than being careful with his head, they told him good nutrition to regain his strength.
“I bought a smoothie machine. Theres frozen greens and fruit in the freezer and protein powder in the pantry. You’ve got a grocery store like 5 minutes away, too.
Oh, did you bring my phone and arm back? ”
“I did. It’s in one of my bags.”
“Good. We can attach the arm to Jake’s bed. When you get him a cellphone, we can set up voice activation so he can use it to call if he wants to.”
“Great idea. I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done. None of this would be possible without you. You are an incredible young lady. I’m so happy Jake has you,” Ray says.
“Thanks. It’s been tough.”
“You are ten times stronger than anyone I know.” Geez, I’ve heard that a lot lately despite feeling anything but, with all the breakdowns.
Will comes out to let us know Jake is ready, so we go into his bedroom. “Hey,” I smile, grabbing his hand.
“Hey Sum.”
“Your room looks great, son,” Ray says. “Are you comfortable?”