Seaglass

by Bridges, Chris

  “I’ll get on it.” He grimaced.

  “How’s the pain?”

  “Fine. Better.” He felt sweat bead up on his forehead.

  “So, what’s the plan, kiddo? Going to stay with Dad for a while?”

  Sometimes Knox wished he didn’t live in such a small town where everyone knew each other. As much has he appreciated having his mother’s best friend as a nurse, it could be a little too invasive at times.

  “Yeah, for a few days.”

  Now, she pulled up a chair and sat beside his bed. “The whole time you’ve been here, you haven’t mentioned your eyes at all. Hell, its’ barely in your chart.”

  “So?”

  “So? God, you sound like my son.” She chuckled. “I’m not going to dance around it, Knox. You’re healing, but you’ll need to be very careful for a while. And you can’t see.”

  “I can see—“

  “You know what I mean.”

  Knox sat back and fixed her with his coolest stare. “I can see, Beverly. I just have trouble with distance.”

  Not one to be intimidated, she took her time processing his words. “Any changes lately?”

  He felt a stab of fear in his heart. “No. Not that’s worth mentioning.”

  She only raised an eyebrow.

  “I’m okay.”

  “When do you go back to the ophthalmologist?”

  “In a few months.”

  “Be sure that you do. No skipping it.”

  Now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow.

  “I’ll be following up with you.”

  “I have no doubt.”

  Now she laughed as she rose and tousled his hair. “I’ll be back when your dad arrives.”

  Knox didn’t respond except to dive into the mountain of papers in front of him. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could get out of here and back to his life. He hated having to go to his dad’s house, but he knew it was the prudent decision until his ribs healed completely. The last thing he wanted to do was rush it and reinjure himself.

  xXx

  Knox sat in the easy chair in the living room staring mindlessly ahead at the game on TV. Ed was knocking about in the kitchen in an attempt to fix them both some lunch. Knox was just about to suggest ordering take-out when Kayla burst through the front door with her arms full of grocery bags.

  “Dad?” She shouted.

  “In the kitchen.”

  Kayla practically threw herself in his way and stopped him from opening a soup can.

  “I think we can do better than a canned lunch.” She announced as she began unpacking various Tupperware containers of food. “I have homemade soup, lasagna, chicken salad, apple pie, brownies—“

  “Kay, you didn’t have to go to all that trouble.” Knox said as he shuffled to the kitchen doorway.

  “You. Sit.” She barked. “Are you even allowed to be standing up?”

  “Sorry drill sergeant.” Knox smiled as he returned to the easy chair.

  “Dad, you need to keep an eye on him. He’ll push too hard and reinjure himself.”

  “I know.” Ed mumbled as he put the soup cans back in the cabinet.

  Kayla looked over at her father and realized that this was one of the few times she’d ever seen him in the kitchen. She felt the constant dull pain of her mother’s passing, but for her father, his whole world had been upended.

  “Sorry to be such a bull. You were doing fine.” She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder as they worked side by side unpacking the food.

  “Cooking was never my thing.” He shrugged.

  “Well, it’s my thing, so I’m happy to do it.” She said as she heated the homemade chicken noodle soup in a saucepan.

  “That’s a deal.”

  “So, how is he, anyway?”

  “Seems okay. Won’t talk about it though.”

  “Talk about what? I thought it was an accident?”

  Ed exhaled, long and slow. “I went back to the house to see for myself. ‘Course by the time I got there Maddie had a whole crew getting that oil tank out and backfilling the hole.”

  “I guess that’s good.”

  “Thing is…it was right there—impossible to miss. Knox said they hadn’t roped it off, but I saw caution tape lying on the ground.”

  “What are you saying?” Kayla asked with a cold stab of fear in her heart.

  “I don’t think he saw it.”

  Kayla didn’t respond. Her mind was too jumbled absorbing what her father had said. This was what they all feared, but rarely let themselves think about. She looked over at her brother who was half asleep in the recliner. She’d let him rest for now, but the time for talking was coming, and coming soon.

  “Kay?” Knox called out.

  Kayla shook off her mood and walked into the family room. “Yeah?”

  “Have you heard from her?”

  Kayla knew, of course, who the ‘her’ was. Madeline. After those first few days after surgery when Madeline had been a constant fixture by his side, she’d disappeared. Knox had been in the ICU then and was still out of it enough not to notice that she’d gone.

  Madeline had texted Kayla explaining that she’d had a family emergency back east and to please keep her updated on Knox. Kayla had promised immediately.

  Kayla opened her mouth to speak, but the ringing of a cell phone cut her off. Knox reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, checking the caller ID.

  “Well, speak of the devil.” He smiled broadly as he answered.

  “Hey you.”

  “Hi.”

  “Where’ve you been?”

  “Can I come over?”

  He frowned at the sound of her voice. She sounded so hesitant and distant. “Sure. I’m at my Dad’s.”

  “I’ll be there around five o’clock?”

  “I’ll be here.”

  “Bye.”

  xXx

  After an afternoon nap Knox was feeling decidedly more himself. He pushed up from the bed and was pleased to only have a few twinges of pain in his side. As it was, he only had to wait a few more days for another chest x-ray and if he got the all-clear, he could go home.

  Knox stared at himself in the mirror and squinted, trying to bring his image into focus. He’d ignored that feeling in the pit of his stomach as he moved closer to the mirror. His eyes weren’t good—that was already common knowledge, but was there more to it? He didn’t think so. The fall had been an honest-to-goodness accident. Hadn’t it?

  A knock on the bedroom door had him whipping around just in time to see Madeline peek her head around the door.

  “Come in.” He waved her in.

  She stepped in and stole his breath. She was dressed in a black business suit with a cranberry blouse showing at the top of her buttoned up jacket. Her long legs were encased in charcoal colored hosiery and she was wearing elegant and very sexy black high heels.

  “Wow.” He stopped short.

  “Hi.”

  When he finally dragged his eyes from her body and to her face, he was immediately alarmed.

  “What? What’s wrong?”

  “My mother had a heart attack.” She said simply.

  “What?” He touched her hand gently. “Here, sit.” He commanded as he gestured to the small sitting area in the bedroom.

  She sat down and he carefully lowered himself to sit next to her.

  “What happened?”

  “She collapsed at home. They took her to the hospital. She had surgery.”

  “When? Why didn’t you call me?”

  “Tuesday. You were still in the ICU.”

  “Jesus, Maddie.”

  She dropped her head. “I’m sorry.”

  “Why are you sorry?” He reached out and touched her cheek. “Maddie?”

  “How are you? Are you okay?” She looked up and into his eyes.
/>   “I’m fine. I’ll be home next week.”

  “I’ve never been so scared in my life—seeing you down there—“she broke off the words, unable to continue.

  Knox watched her close her eyes against the memory. He wished he could erase it from her mind forever.

  “How did you find out about your mom?”

  “My brother called. I flew out the next day. I just got back this morning.”

  “I’m so sorry, Maddie. I wish I could’ve gone with you.”

  “Me too.”

  “Why didn’t you call me?”

  “I didn’t want to worry you. Besides, I think you had enough to think about.” She smiled and touched his cheek. “I’m so happy to see you.” She finally let a tear fall. “I’m so sorry. I want you to know, that if you want to…sue…I have insurance.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The hole. It wasn’t properly roped off…you can sue me.”

  “Are you nuts? I’m not suing you.”

  “I’m gonna pay for all your bills, though. Medical plus time off from work…I insist.” She swallowed hard.

  Knox smirked. He couldn’t help it. “No, you won’t.”

  “But—“

  “I have money, Maddie.”

  “No, you shouldn’t have to pay—“

  “Maddie, I have plenty of money.”

  “But—“

  “You know those custom pieces I do for clients?”

  “Yeah?”

  “They pay me a lot for them.”

  “Oh.” She said as she leaned back into the cushions of the couch.

  “Are you rich?”

  “Let’s just say I’m not hurtin’”

  “I wouldn’t say that.” She touched his side gently. “Can I do anything for you?”

  He wagged his eyebrows at her and had her laughing. “I can think of some things…”

  “I don’t think those are doctor recommended.”

  They stayed silent for a moment, facing each other. Finally, he reached out and touched her hand. “I’m sorry about your mom.”

  Madeline looked away and out the window. It was raining now and she watched as a fat drop of rain slid down the glass.

  “She’s still in the hospital.”

  He puzzled over that statement, but let it go, for now. “You can stay here with me, if you like.”

  She smiled and squeezed his hand. “I don’t think that’s doctor recommended either.”

  “When I’m out of here, you can stay with me.”

  “I’ll come over when you’re better. I don’t want to—“

  “No. I’m bumbling this.” He stopped and ran a hand through his messy blonde hair. “I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a while. It doesn’t have anything to do with the accident or your mom.”

  She tilted her head in a gesture that he found endearing.

  “I wanted to ask you if you’d like to move in with me.”

  He watched as her confusion turned to embarrassed pleasure. “Are you—“

  “Sure? Yes.”

  “I’d like that.” She smiled shyly.

  “Well good. I’m glad that’s settled.”

  “I’d better go. I have to unpack. I left everything in such a rush.” She stood and smoothed out her pencil skirt.

  “I know it’s probably not good to say this, but you look nice in that suit.”

  Madeline looked down at herself and then back at him. “Thanks for saying that, but I hate wearing it.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that—“

  “I know. I know.” She bent down and gently hugged him.

  He pulled back from her hug, but then held her head with his hands and kissed her.

  “I’ll see you soon.”

  “Call me tomorrow, okay.”

  “Okay.” She said as she slipped out the door.

  Chapter 8

  “I’m almost ready to go. Do you need anything?”

  He walked over to the kitchen where Madeline was filling her travel mug with coffee. “Nope.”

  “What are you going to do today?”

  “Is that your round-a-bout way of asking me if I’m gonna work in the woodshop?”

  “Maybe?” She laughed and screwed on the top of her mug. She put it down and moved over to where he leaned on the door frame. Ever careful of his incision and healing ribs, she gently wrapped her arms around his middle and laid her head on his shoulder.

  “I’ll be careful.”

  “Hmm. That’s evasive.”

  “You need to trust me, Maddie. Believe me, the last thing I want to do is reinjure myself.”

  “I know.” She said as another wave of guilt swept over her. She knew he had a deadline for a custom order looming.

  “Hey.” He pulled her back and held her by the shoulders. “I’m fine.”

  “You’re not fine.” She countered.

  “I’m on my way. People get hurt, you know. It’s part of life.” He reasoned.

  In her head, she knew he was right, but her heart still squeezed with fear when she thought of him lying in the bottom of that hole; unmoving.

  “I’d better go. It’s painting day.”

  “Fun.”

  “I like it. We’re almost at the end and Kayla’s bugging me to get it on the market.”

  “Sounds like her.” He laughed.

  “Be good.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  xXx

  Knox let her go and then went into his bedroom and changed out of the well-worn jeans and thermal shirt he’d thrown on this morning in favor of more appropriate attire to visit his ophthalmologist. Kayla would be here soon and he wanted to get this over and done with before Maddie was back home at the end of the day.

  He was just stepping outside and locking the door when Kayla pulled up to the curb.

  “Wow. I don’t think I’ve seen you in anything besides jeans…or a hospital gown…in years.”

  “Very funny.” He said as he carefully slid into the passenger seat of her BMW.

  Kayla didn’t say anything as she watched her brother wince as he reached back for the seatbelt. She drove out of town and then settled onto the highway for the hour long drive to Knox’s eye specialist. She didn’t comment when he asked her to drive him and she didn’t comment when he said he’d rather not tell his father or Maddie that he moved his appointment up by a few months.

  It was only when they neared the exit, she finally spoke.

  “Do you wanna tell me about why we’re doing this?”

  He looked over at his sister and let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “I want to know why I didn’t see that damn hole.”

  xXx

  “It’s getting worse, isn’t it?” Knox spoke to the doctor.

  “Let me run a few tests.” Dr. Haas answered, noncommittally as he held the ophthalmoscope to Knox’s left eye. “You should’ve come in as soon as you noticed changes in your visual field.” He scolded mildly.

  “I thought maybe it was just strain.”

  The doctor said nothing; only continued to scribble in Knox’s chart. Finally he looked up. “Let’s get you into a gown so we can run some tests.”

  Knox exhaled slowly and tried to keep himself from hyperventilating. He reached up and began unbuttoning his shirt for the barrage of tests he’d become so familiar with.

  By the end of the exhausting day, he sat, once again, in the doctor’s office, dressed in his own clothes. His head was pounding like a jackhammer. Knox watched as the doctor opened a file and pulled out several pages of charts and diagrams. Finally, he looked up. Knox had the urge to run out of the room before the man could speak.

  “The deficit has increased.”

  Knox felt his mouth dry up instantly. He cleared his throat and shifted in his chair. “By how much?” He finally
croaked.

  “The deficit is significant. There are significant changes on your MRI.”

  “What kind of changes?”

  “As you know, your visual anomaly is due to your traumatic brain injury.”

  “Yeah, I remember.” Knox muttered as he slid lower in his chair.

  “Looking at the results of your MRI, I’m seeing a decrease in brain activity in the traumatized portion. I’m sorry.”

  “So, you’re saying it’s gotten worse?”

  “Yes.”

  “What about—“Again, his throat had become the Sahara desert. “What about the rest of my brain?”

  “Your scans were clean, there. Only the area that was originally injured has been affected.

  Knox felt his heart unclench just a fraction. “Is it going to get worse? I mean, worse than this?”

  “It’s hard to say, Knox. You could go through another prolonged period of stability, or the deficit might continue to increase.”

  “Great.” He mumbled as he rubbed his temple in a vain attempt to stave off a migraine.

  “Knox, I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but there is quite a lot available to you in the way of adaptive technology and support. I think you need to invest your time and energy into a rehab program.”

  Now he felt like he was going to throw up. “You think I’m going to be blind?”

  The doctor stopped reading and looked abruptly. “Legally, you already are.”

  Knox stood up so quickly that his chair tipped over behind him. “I can still see, Doc.”

  “Very few blind people are totally without vision. Most have some sort of residual eyesight. You are now in that category and…you qualify for certain types of resources. I can help you with the paperwork.”

  “What?” Knox felt like he couldn’t process the doctor’s words.

  “For insurance purposes, we can get you admitted right away. Littleton has one of the finest programs in the country.”

  “I…don’t know…I’ll let you know.” Knox stood up and turned toward the door.

  “Knox. I wish I could give you hard facts. I’m sorry. But it’s time to prepare.”

  “I gotta go.” He said as he pulled the door open and stepped through, searching for Kayla’s beacon of bright hair.

  “Ready?” He said, trying to keep his voice steady.

  “Knox.” The door behind him opened suddenly and the doctor reappeared. He looked from Kayla to Knox and held back whatever argument he’d prepared. “Here’s the documentation I was talking about.”