Page 5 of Operation: Discovery

Despite the fact that she had to have helped Rebecca take a bath, she wasn’t even splattered with water. Her hair was in a neat ponytail, her face fresh and clear of makeup. He motioned to the empty chair in front of his desk and slid her folder back down into the drawer where it belonged. “What can I do for you?”

She grinned and his whole chest locked up, preventing him from taking a deep breath.

“I’m glad you asked. On my way here yesterday, I needed to stop in Piper’s Ridge for some gas. I noticed a sign for a blood drive today at the town hall. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me? I don’t know the area and I have no idea where to find the town hall.”

A blood drive was definitely not a date, which made the idea one he could consider. He glanced down at his desk calendar and noted that he didn’t have a session until three in the afternoon. “As long as we’re back by lunch, it shouldn’t be a problem.” And, he’d have to drive. Most vehicles were more of a hassle for him than driving his own.

“Great. When do you want to go? I was in with Rebecca this morning. She is just a sweetheart. Love her. She wanted to go on her own to meet up with Sam, so I just sent her on her way. I hope I didn’t go too far, but I sent a text to Sam letting him know she was coming.”

Brendon bristled, but he tempered himself. Why would Sam need to know she was on the way? They didn’t warn the wranglers when other guests were on their way out. Rebecca could push her chair down the ramp and use the paved walkway to get to the barn. He did it all the time. The paved walkway was further, since it went to the firepit first, but it was an easy trip.

“I can see on your face you’re wondering why I did that. It was for security. She is a woman alone, in an unfamiliar situation with unfamiliar people, and she’s been through some of the worst trauma I’ve ever encountered. By texting him, he can keep an eye out for her to make sure she gets there quickly.”

Brendon relaxed and let the air expel from his lungs. “Good thinking.” He’d give her that. He’d been so focused on his worry that she would push Rebecca that he hadn’t thought through other possible motives for texting Sam. He knew Wayside was probably the safest place Rebecca could be, but Dee didn’t know that. “Since we’re limited with time, let’s go now. I’ll grab my keys.”

She gave a nod and adjusted the purse on her shoulder, making him want to laugh. So, she’d already planned to go right away, and he’d agreed with her. He tugged out his top drawer and grabbed his keys, then locked the whole desk.

“You’re not going to lock up that candy bowl? It’ll be empty by the time you return.” Her eyes danced with laughter.

“That may be, but I’m kind of known for having chocolate on my desk. Sometimes, Lacy will come in, close the door, sigh, and tug the bowl in her lap. I know that we’re going to have a long talk when she does that.” Usually about Connor, but never disrespectfully. Lacy still held onto a lot of feelings for her ex and those feelings got hurt easily even for a woman as tough as Lacy.

“Who’s Lacy?” Dee’s brow furrowed.

“I thought you would’ve met her yesterday. She’s Connor’s ex-wife and helps run Wayside.”

Dee looked momentarily angry, taking him aback. “I met her briefly, but I still don’t know who she is.” The edge to Dee’s voice was unmistakable. Was she jealous of Lacy? But why?

“Well, you’re welcome to sit on my chair, eat chocolate, and pour out your stress to me like she does. That’s my job.” He shrugged, unable to see what in the world had caused her sudden change.

“Maybe I will.” Dee stood and headed for the door.

He was a little surprised she didn’t offer to drive. Most people did when they asked him to go somewhere, which would’ve made sense if he was anyone else. If someone was going to invite him, decorum would dictate they offer to drive, too. But he rarely took them up on it, simply because his own vehicle was familiar, and he managed to get in and out quicker.

Brendon rolled alongside Dee, and she opened and held the front door for him. He reminded himself that she wasn’t thinking he couldn’t do it for himself, only that holding the door would be easier for him. He swallowed his pride and headed for the ramp on the opposite end of the porch. Once down, his all-terrain chair could handle grass, gravel, or other moderately uneven surfaces well, he just had to make sure he checked over all the pieces of his chair more frequently.

At his car, he pressed the button on the fob to unlock the doors, then rolled up to the driver’s side. He’d purposely picked this car because the doors opened wider than other sedans. It also had a slightly taller wheelbase, so he could lift himself into and out of the driver’s seat rather than a slide transfer, which was harder for him.

He opened his car door as wide as it would open, angled his body toward the car, locked the wheel next to the car then used the upper door frame to hold on to as he lifted himself with one arm and pulled his body quickly across the seat with the other. Dee sat in the front seat next to him while he lowered his seat back as far as it would go to maneuver first his wheels, then his chair into the backseat without hitting her.

“I’m impressed.” She raised her eyebrows. “I know it’s silly, but seeing people do things that others take for granted impresses me.” She reached behind her and buckled herself in.

While she may not have intended to, that statement put things in perspective for him. Had she been trying back then to encourage him, not push him to be something he couldn’t be? He’d tried leg braces, at her urging, to be more like everyone else. While they’d worked, he didn’t like them. He hated his robotic movements and the feeling of being out of control or off-balance, not to mention the fatigue. He could go anywhere he wanted in his chair, almost without thinking about it at this point. But if he let Dee back in, would she want him to try his legs again? She’d always been athletic, a dancer and runner, would she be disappointed if he rolled alongside her instead of walking?

He drove to town, and she kept the conversation going with questions about the drive gear installed in the car so he could operate the gas and brake from the steering wheel. His car had a more permanent setup, mounted by a professional, but he also had a travel kit that he could connect to someone else’s vehicle if he ever needed to drive a car that wasn’t his own. The situation was rare but, as a Wayside employee, he needed to be prepared to drive any of the vehicles at any time.

“I’m surprised they chose the town hall.” Dee pointed to one of the signs someone had placed on the corner.

His senses immediately questioned the validity of the sign. It was hand-painted with no mention of the Red Cross or what organization was taking this blood.

“Odd.” What would Dee think of the signs? She’d already planned to donate, so had she been fooled?

“Come to think of it …” She crunched her forehead. “I assumed that the signage was that way because this place is so rural, but usually you see an ambulance, or some type of medical vehicle parked out front. There’s nothing here but cars.”

Thank you, God, that she isn’t as jaded as I am at this point in her life.

“I think we should go in there and see what’s going on. This just doesn’t seem right.” All the other blood drives he’d seen in Piper’s Ridge were held at one of the local churches because they had a very comfortable area just off the narthex where the nurses had room to set up their equipment comfortably. There was no reason to change where they did it or to have two organizations doing blood drives in such a small town.

Getting out of his car was the reverse of getting in, and he went through the motions quickly. A young mother led her son toward the building, pointing to another sign near the door. Brendon followed the path of her finger, and his blood ran cold. “We need to get in there. Now.”

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