Page 76 of Skipping Stones

“Go away,” she repeated, sounding upset.

“I heard something break. I’m worried about you.”

“Go away, Derek. I’m serious.”

Derek wasn’t going anywhere. This was what he’d promised Jake. That he’d take care of her even when she pushed him away. The door wasn’t locked, so he turned the handle and pushed it open. Linney stood in the kitchen with her cane and still in her pajamas, with tears sliding down her cheeks again. He came toward her to see what had happened. In the kitchen, he found the carafe on the counter, sitting in a pool of spilled coffee that was dripping onto the floor, a shattered mug by the opposite wall and what looked like a coffee explosion. “What happened?”

“I’m fine.” Linney took off her glasses and swiped at the tears. She put them back on and wanted to scream when she saw the look of pity in his eyes.

Derek shook his head. “You’re not fine. Not yet.” He spoke sharply, to make the point and Linney felt her anger continue to rise. “You’ll be fine again, I promise. But you need to learn to accept some help—at least for now.”

“Derek.”

“Linney, you were my lifeline after Olivia left. Let me help you now.” She sighed with exasperation, but sat down. Derek knew a victory when he saw one. He grabbed a tea towel and started mopping up the mess. “What happened?” he asked again, gently now.

She sniffed. “I missed when I tried to pour the coffee. Depth perception. I keep forgetting.” She hung her head.

“And the mug?” Derek gestured at the shards of china on the other side of the room.

Linney looked up at him sheepishly. “I got frustrated.” They looked at each other, and burst out laughing.

* * *

Linney helped Derek clean up the mess, feeling lighter now. They talked for a while and then he headed into town to run an errand, returning early in the afternoon to take her to the hospital to meet with her new specialists.

Linney was nervous, but excited to meet her new team. She fiddled with the strap on her purse as Derek parked the car. He’d wanted to drop her at the door and then park the car, but she insisted she could walk the short distance. Slowly, they made their way in and Linney filled out a figurative tonne of paperwork while Derek texted Kirsten to let her know they’d arrived.

The orthopedic specialist was pleased with Linney’s progress. What he saw in her charts convinced him that as long as she kept doing her physiotherapy, she’d be able to throw away the cane in no time. He thought she could be driving in four to six weeks, assuming her vision tests came back within an appropriate range. The most immediate thing was that he green-lit the return to walking up and down stairs normally. There was a knock on the door and Kirsten joined them, giving Linney a hug and the doctor a warm smile. The doctor picked up a list of physiotherapists from his desk and Kirsten reached out her hand and quickly scanned the list, nodding positively.

“There are some solid names here, Linney. Not just here, but in Bridgegrove too. I’ll help you find someone who’s a good fit, someone who will come to the house and push you just the right amount.”

Linney smiled wryly, remembering her love-hate relationship with Ilse. She thanked the doctor for his time, and the two women left together and rejoined Derek. Kirsten helped them find the ophthalmologist in the maze of hospital corridors.

“It’s silly for you both to be here waiting with me,” said Linney, while they sat. “I can do this on my own, you know. I just need a ride when I’m done.”

Kirsten nodded her head. “Derek, why don’t you head home. I’ll see Linney through her other appointments, and I can get her home. I was going to go over tonight anyway. This will give us a chance to catch up properly.”

“Are you sure?”

“As long as Linney agrees.”

Linney nodded vigorously. “You’re doing so much for me already, Derek. I’ll talk to you later tonight.”

Kirsten stayed with Linney while the ophthalmologist looked at her eye and then pored over her records, hoping to give Linney better news than she had received to date. Finally, he shook his head.

“I wish I had better news for you. Unfortunately, your doctor in Germany was right. The nerve damage is severe, and from what I can see, permanent.” Linney nodded. She hadn’t seen any change since she’d woken up that awful day in Germany, so this news wasn’t unexpected. “But it’s not all bad,” the doctor continued. “Plenty of people live full, normal lives with monocular vision. Here’s a list of therapists who can help with that. We just need to retrain your brain a bit.” Kirsten scanned. She had less experience with the names on this list, but she still recognized several.

“What about driving?” Linney asked. This was the one thing that could cause a problem if she planned to stay in Silver Lake.

“Absolutely,” he assured her. “As long as you have a normal field of vision, it won’t be an issue. We can test in a month, but I see nothing in your charts that would suggest there will be any problems. And then you’ll just need to retake your test.”

Linney breathed a sigh of relief. This was good news.

The women walked to Linney’s third and final appointment of the day. A psychiatrist. Linney bristled at this appointment. She’d always been able to deal with problems in her life and she didn’t love the idea of accepting this kind of help. Kirsten was kind but firm. “You know, it’s just as important to look after your mental health as your physical health, Linney.”

“I know, I know. It’s just…”

“Don’t knock therapy, Linney. Give it a fair shake. It’s helped me in the past, and you’ve been through something pretty traumatic.” Linney raised her eyebrows at this revelation, but Kirsten ignored it and continued. “Dr. Aslan has a good reputation. I’m going to leave you and I’ll be back in an hour and then we can figure out what to do next.”

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