Stepping Up To Love (Lakeside Porches 1) (24 page)

“Why is he still unconscious?”

“Did the doctor say he shouldn’t be?”

Manda shook her head. “But I think he’s concerned. He used the word ‘coma’ this morning, and I freaked. He said it’s not unusual, that people with head injuries can take a long time to return to full consciousness.”

“Have they been able to assess the damage?”

“As far as they can tell, they don’t think the head injury caused major damage to the brain. But there’s only so much they can test while he’s unconscious.”

“Are you worried?” Gwen pressed.

“Maybe I’m just impatient.”

“I get that,” Gwen teased. She added, keeping her voice light, “Maybe Joel wants to be in a coma for a while.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m just thinking from my experience as a psychologist, sometimes it serves people to be distant for a while, to withdraw.”

“Like to heal from some trauma?”

“Yes, or sometimes to avoid some major problem in their lives. There are other reasons, too, I’m sure.”

Manda pushed the salad away, stood up, and did some stretching, using the back her chair for balance. “I keep thinking of the other accident, when he lost his family. Maybe he’s afraid that’s where he is now, and he doesn’t want to face what he faced after that accident.”

“Maybe. He needs to know that was then and this is now. You can help him.”

“How?”

“Give him the news. Tell him about Tony’s recovery and the new truck he’s buying. Bright red. With side air bags. Tell him your grades. Tell him about the decorations at the Manse and how many people are spending time there over the holidays. Anything he’d like to hear.”

“Get him interested in what’s he’s missing?”

“Exactly. You can do that.”

“Only if you bring me up to date,” Manda said with a laugh. “I’m not exactly getting out to see what’s happening in the world.”

“Good, that gives me an assignment. I’ll get the Friday night group on it, too. Who’s having a baby? Who’s getting engaged over the holidays? What’s Santa bringing everyone for Christmas? People can really get into it, instead of sitting around worrying. I’ll have them record some things, too. A stroke of genius, Manda.”

“Except you thought of it,” Manda pointed out. “Please have some of them email me, too. I need the contact with them.”

Gwen cheered, “You and I are a good team. I’ll bring the recording with me next Saturday. In the meantime, you keep the faith and call me every day.”

During week two, without her lifeline Gwen by her side early each morning, Manda realized she needed a daily AA meeting. She found two, a noontime meeting in the hospital’s alcohol and drug rehabilitation wing, and an after-work meeting in a large conference room next to the cafeteria. Depending on how her visits to Joel fell, she could make one or both meetings. The daily contact with “her people,” as Gwen called the AA fellowship, gave Manda’s spirits the boost she needed each day. And meetings got her out of her head.

She needed all the courage she could muster on Tuesday when Joel had a bad day. He was fretful but still unconscious. “What’s going on?” she pumped the doctor after her visit with Joel. “Is this a bad sign?”

“We can speculate, but I’ve seen patients do this when they’re at the point of rejoining us and not entirely happy about it. I wouldn’t take it as a bad sign, but he may need more incentive to be present. Any word from the missing uncle?”

“No. I have to believe he’s on his way, but I’m really annoyed he hasn’t communicated. I keep checking his Twitter feed, but it’s been silent for almost three weeks. There are no changes on his corporate Facebook page. I think he’s been in Africa, but none of the places he posted show up in searches on Google or anyplace else I’ve tried.”

From the bafflement on the doctor’s face, she realized he had no idea what she was talking about.

She summarized, “I’m doing the best I can.”

“And you have a lot of support. Your need to connect Joel with everyone who cares about him. I need you to keep doing a good job with that.”

Manda sighed and nodded her agreement. At least the doctor thought she was doing a good job.

That night Joel was quiet again, his breathing steady and his heart rate rock solid. “Listen, Joel, the doctors know you can make it, and I know you’ve never been afraid of hard work.

“I will be so angry with you if you leave the planet without us having a seriously hot night of stormy sex. That night I slept on your sofa during the storm, I had the greatest dreams about us together. I want that for real. I know how good we’ll be together, and I want that for us.

“I want a life with you. I want to dream and plan with you and spend our days and nights together.

“And I’m not just saying that because these people all think I’m your fiancée. I mean it. I know it will be a lot of hard work for you getting well, but you can do it, and I’m in it with you. We all are. Phil and Gwen and Tony and the Early Risers. We’ll make sure you have what you need. I promise.”

“Time, dear,” the nurse told her with a gentle hand on Manda’s shoulder.

“I was really hoping he’d hear me.”

“I know you’re upset, dear. He’ll rest now, and you should, too. You both need your strength.”

Manda gave Joel a gentle kiss and whispered, “Sleep well. I love you.”

Both Manda and the nurse missed the flutter of Joel’s index finger just as they turned to leave.

The next day she told Joel about two newcomers who came to their first few AA meetings that week. “Remember the emotional roller coaster ride? I do. And these guys are really hungry for a solution. That’s where I was last March when you outed me in the shower. Remember?”

On Thursday she realized she would be nine months sober the following day. She wished she could celebrate the milestone with one of her groups and most importantly with Joel.  When she visited Joel’s room just after midnight, she took his left hand more firmly than usual in both of hers and told him how happy she was to be sober for nine months. “Two hundred seventy-five consecutive days. I did the math.”

She thought she saw a corner of his mouth curve. “Joel?” she gasped.

She felt a little pressure—his right index finger pressing up against her hand.

“Hey, you’re back.” She put her lips carefully against the corner of his mouth where he had tried to smile. “I love you,” she whispered, but she sensed he had already slipped back. His heart rate had increased a little and then settled back into its slow, steady beat.

She looked out at the nurse on duty and signaled for her to come in.

“I saw a change in his vitals for about a minute,” the nurse confirmed. “This is the first real sign of consciousness, and it’s encouraging. We’ll see how he is through the night. If he’s ready tomorrow, the doctors will want to test his brain function and mobility.”

“That sounds stressful.”

“It will be, for you as well as for him. You may want to give yourself the day off. If I were you, I’d get my hair done, buy a holiday outfit, and maybe throw in a massage and a facial.”

Manda’s smile brightened the room.

“I know just the place for all of that. I’ll get on it first thing in the morning.”

She turned back to Joel and saw one eyelid flutter.

“Hi again,” she said and took his hand gently in hers. “You’re going to make it, Joel. We’re all in this with you.”

She asked the nurse, “Can I stay longer?”

“Another few minutes won’t hurt. We just won’t tell anyone.”

Manda watched Joel’s face for a while, but there was no further movement. Exhausted, she lay her head near his hand and slept. Sometime during the night, he worked his fingers into her curls.

At the Manse, Remy embraced her and rushed her into the spa. “We have everything set up for you,
ma petite
. The rose body wrap, the pedicure, the manicure, the facial, the haircut. Everyone is so glad you are here today. We know that means Joel now will be well soon. This is true?”

Manda had a little trouble following his English, but she smiled and kissed his cheek. “This is true, Remy, my good friend. Joel is improving. Is there anything I need to tell him?”

“That we carry on and wish him a quick return. You are too thin,
ma petite
. I bring you breakfast?”

“Croissant with—"

“Jam and butter and coffee,
mais oui
. It will be waiting for you.” He snapped his fingers. “Gianessa, Manda is ready for the body wrap.”

Manda shook the hand of a graceful, serene young woman and followed her into a fragrant room. Within minutes of starting the treatment, Manda was sound asleep and woke only when the ninety-minute treatment ended with a spritz of rosewater over her face and shoulders.

“Forgive me for waking you.” Gianessa’s melodic voice coaxed her to sit up and drink a small bottle of mineral water. “How do you feel?”

“Amazing. Are you a healer?”

Gianessa smiled enigmatically. “Some tell me I am.”

“I know someone who needs your healing hands. Soon, very soon. Did you just start at the spa?”

“Last month, just for the holiday season to help with the increase in business.”

“I know we’ll talk again,” Manda promised.

Gianessa gave her another enigmatic smile and drifted out of the treatment room.

Remy was waiting to usher Manda to her pedicure. She found her croissant and coffee waiting as well. Two hours later —exfoliated, moisturized, buffed, painted, and hair-styled— Manda paid a short visit to Dan’s office. “Anything I can do for you, boss?” she asked.

Dan wrapped her in a hug. “Does this mean Joel’s improving?”

“Yes, it does.” Manda beamed.
I hope. I believe.

Dan quizzed her for half an hour about the systems she’d been working on. She answered his questions and talked with him about the work he needed her to do as soon as she could.

“I can log in once a day from now on,” Manda promised him. She knew having familiar work to do would give her stability going forward.

“Let Joel’s money make it easier for you,” Dan advised. “At a minimum get a decent hotel room with a secure network connection if you plan to do any work.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. Dan, is there anything I need to bring to Joel’s urgent attention?”

Dan shook his head. “We’re all set with the end-of-calendar-year activities and holiday bonuses. Joel is always ahead of the game with things that affect the staff. Across the organization, winter is the time we do our inventory and adjustments to the strategic plan. If he’s gone longer than March I would be concerned, but we can float along pretty well for a few months.”

“You’re really on top of things.”

“Our function crosses every department, so I need to have pretty deep insight into operations and exceptions.”

Manda quipped, “I understood what you said. “I thought I’d lost my brain back there in the surgical ICU. Seriously, thank you keeping an eye on things and for all the good mentoring you do for me. What am I missing today?”

“Check your voicemail while you’re here. Your phone’s been ringing every hour on the hour since late yesterday afternoon. Either it’s an automated telemarketer or someone’s trying very hard to reach you.”

Manda was already punching in her access code, desperately hoping it was Justin calling her work number.

It was. He had been delayed by storms, he said, and unable to connect to any communications for several weeks. He gave her hourly updates on his progress. The final message told her, “I’m departing Cairo momentarily, leaving from Stockholm this evening, arriving Chicago at midnight. Don’t ask. Flight to Rochester arrives six fifteen Saturday morning your time. Unless you pick me up at the airport, I will come directly to the hospital and will need to speak with Joel’s team as soon as possible.” Click.

Manda turned to her boss and said quietly, “Dan, can you listen to this last message with me? I don’t know him, so I’m not sure how to react.” She replayed it on speaker with the volume too low for others in the office to hear.

Dan listened and offered his opinion. “I know Justin. He’s normally a hearty soul. He sounds ill, not just sick of plane travel.”

“By ‘Joel’s team,’ he must mean the team of doctors on Joel’s case, right?”

“I’m sure it is.” Dan gave a wry chuckle. “Good luck assembling them on a Saturday morning.”

“I will do my best.” She laughed, “I have one whole hour before my personal shopper expects me at La Bella.”

Dan smiled and teased, “You didn’t know what you were getting into with Joel, did you?”

“I had no clue.”

“You sorry?”

“No. It will be a rough road for a while, though.”

Dan handed her a slip of paper and pointed to a four-digit code. “Make your phone calls in privacy from your cubicle.” It must be the long-distance code for her phone. He winked. “The rest of us have a mandatory one-hour meeting right now that I’m about to call.”

“I like the jingle bells!” Manda told Anita, closing the door firmly enough to set them jingling one more time.

Anita held out her hand in a warm La Bella welcome. “How is Joel doing?” Anita had not seen Manda since her graduation day, but now she greeted her like a valued customer. Manda knew it might have something to do with large gift certificate Joel had set up for her for Christmas.

“He’s much better. Thanks for making time for me this morning. I want to look my best for Joel right now and bring some holiday cheer into the hospital with me.”

“You are thinner, you know, and I don’t think you mean to stay that way. We’ll need to be smart about sizes and styles.” Manda took that as a caution that she didn’t look good a size smaller and that she looked pretty bad on the whole. And this was after a spa facial and haircut.

“I am in your hands, Anita.”

“Let’s start by finding the right colors to brighten your face.”