Page 19 of Operation: Discovery

“It’s a good one. I think after a few weeks here at Wayside, you’ll start to expand your circle of comfort until you’re doing things you never thought possible. In fact, you already are. Did you ever think you’d be free to go where you pleased again?”

Rebecca took a deep breath. “I didn’t, but in some ways, I still can’t.”

Dee prayed that before Rebecca left Wayside, she would have the same comfort in her own skin as Brendon, even if that meant Dee wasn’t needed anymore and she would have to go back home. She was there for Rebecca, not Brendon. When her time with her patient was over, she had to accept that her time with Brendon was too. If only accepting defeat was easy.

ChapterEight

Brendon sat at his desk eating his lunch, though he couldn’t say he tasted it. He scrolled his car insurance website, looking for a contact. Unlike Connor and many others living at Wayside, his insurance wasn’t through someone local. This was the first time he’d felt like that was an issue.

He found a phone number and called, letting the ring go longer than normal. The woman who answered was responsive and apologetic about what happened. She stated they didn’t have a car with his particular driving aids, but they could have a rental car there in an hour.

“That would be great. I have portable controls that are not as good as my permanent set, but those probably didn’t survive the blast, much less the fire. Will the rental agency approve the rental with the addition of my controls?” He’d found with renting cars in the past that he couldn’t assume anything. The controls left no marks, but for insurance reasons, some companies didn’t approve his rental if he added anything to the car.

“Yes, sir. Your coverage for those additional parts should be sufficient to replace the lost set as well.”

He’d paid over a thousand dollars to have his car outfitted with the proper equipment that made driving the safest and easiest for him, but his portable set would still work. “Thank you. I look forward to getting this resolved quickly.”

“We’ll be in contact soon. Our adjustor and his assistant will bring the rental car to you, and they’ll take a look at the car. Of course, I can’t make a determination over the phone, but it sounds like the damage was quite extensive.”

The image of his charred, burning car came to mind. There would be no way anyone could restore that. It would have to be totaled. “Thank you. I understand.” He hung up with the insurance company associate and someone immediately knocked on his door. He glanced up as Dee made her way to his desk.

She’d been here a day. Only one full day, though the morning had seemed like days had passed and then some. Yet she still looked fresh in her bright scrubs. Her smile still warmed the room. She had the bedside manner of a butterfly and the strength and resilience of a bumblebee. But underneath all that strength was an unwillingness to listen to what her patient needed. He had to remember that letting his heart speak for him was a bad idea.

“Hey, sorry to bother your lunch.” She sat down in one of the chairs facing his desk. “I just finished talking to Rebecca and I wanted to ask you a few things. If that’s okay.”

He pushed his plate aside, determining he was full enough. “Go right ahead.”

She grinned for a second then flew into her request. “I was talking to her about her goals, and she told me she struggles with her chair. Honestly, if she’d been out there by your car, in the very same place you were, she would’ve been injured because of her chair.” Dee shook her head. “Because her chair has a push bar in the back for assistance, if she falls backward her head is going to snap back and that could cause greater injury. We both know that falling backward happens and she hasn’t had the time or opportunity to learn how to catch herself.”

He pulled open his desk and riffled through the various files and folders there until he found what he was searching for. The company who had sold him the chair he used was very good, but also expensive. The chairs they made were durable and meant for a lifetime of use as long as you were smart about maintaining the various parts. He slid the catalog across the desk. “I have information on these, but I don’t think the government will pay for such a chair.”

Dee flipped open the front page, her eyes widened as she scanned the page from top to bottom, then she closed it. “That’s … a lot. I expected it to be, but it’s way outside my budget.”

“Your budget?” Had Dee thought she was going to pay for a wheelchair for one of her clients? Was she like that with everyone? Part of him wanted to talk to her about boundaries, but he suspected she just wanted to give to others because it made her feel good.

“Yes. Rebecca has nothing. Even the clothes she has were donations because when she was in the hospital, she had on a hospital gown and the person who brought her in thought taking her clothes would prevent her from running. He was arrested when he came in to check on her, but she had no clothes when they discharged her,” Dee offered.

Brendon held in a flinch. He hated human trafficking. He knew he shouldn’t hate anyone, but trafficking and those who did it, he hated. No one came out of the situation unscathed. No one left completely whole.

“There’s a pretty big span between helping someone find clothes and helping them get a personalized wheelchair. And have you asked if she wants to be in the chair or if she has other ideas or options? What if you work to get her a chair and she decides to use braces?”

She’d certainly pressured him into trying the braces until he was ready to throw the devices in the trash. He still had them but didn’t use them.

“Her injury isn’t really consistent with being able to use braces. Unless she has more core strength than I’m seeing so far or if she shows that she wants to try, I won’t ask her to do that. She mentioned that she wants to get used to what she’s doing, and then branch out. I’d like to have her try to ride a horse. Did you say you ride? Is there a way to help her?”

Brendon immediately wanted to stop Dee. If Rebecca didn’t have the core strength yet to try braces then she might injure herself on horseback, but he wasn’t a medical doctor to make such a limitation. “I have a horse who is used to using the equipment needed to get me into the saddle. I can usually manage to do it myself with the pulley for assistance, but someone else could spot her to get her in the saddle. However, that isn’t something you’ll want to try right away.”

Even Dee, with her gymnast body type, would struggle riding a horse with no control of her legs. It was something that had to be learned and slowly tested over time. Rebecca hadn’t eaten properly or exercised in years. She wasn’t ready to take on the physical task of learning to ride.

“So far, she hasn’t asked. But I want to be ready when she does.”

He picked up his pen and tapped it for something to do with his hands. “You think she will? She seems quite reserved.”

Dee grinned again and he got the feeling she was about to one-up him.

“She is with you. You’re a man. When she’s alone with me and there’s no expectation for what she’s supposed to act like or sound like, she’s just open and honest. I have a lot of hope for her. I think she’s strong and she’ll master this new life, just like you have.” She stood.

Her statement took the wind out of his sails momentarily. She thought he was successful? He’d expected her to take up right where she’d left off, pushing him to do new things, and be morenormal. If he was wrong and she had changed, then what was keeping them apart? Maybe working together would be more enlightening than he’d thought.

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