Chance for Home

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  His normally active mother lay beneath a yellow blanket, her tall, athletic frame seeming frail under the glare of hospital lights. A bandage covered the right side of her forehead, and her right arm was in a sling. Her eyes opened when he moved toward her. “Ryan. You’re here.”

  “I’m here.” He waved at her arm. “It looks like it’s not just your knee that got banged up.”

  “Dislocated shoulder. Hurts like crazy, but it’ll be fine.”

  Jenny stood and crossed the room to give him a hug. “I’m glad you were able to make it. Whether she’ll admit it or not, your mom’s been hoping you’d come.”

  In her usual no-nonsense manner, Susan raised an eyebrow. “Oh, now, don’t start going on like that, Jenny.”

  “I’ll give you some time to visit.” Jenny gave him a pat on the arm and continued toward the door. “Ryan, it’s good to see you.”

  “You too, Miss Jenny.” He watched her leave and then continued to his mother’s bedside. He leaned down, pushed aside a lock of his mom’s dark hair, and kissed the exposed side of her forehead. “Tell me what happened.”

  “The other driver ran a red light when I was on my way home from work. I didn’t see him until it was too late.”

  “How is he doing?”

  “Concussion.”

  “I guess we’re lucky no one was hurt worse,” Ryan said, trying to find the bright side. “What’s the deal with your surgery?”

  “Apparently I’m getting a knee replacement whether I want it or not.”

  “What do you mean?” Ryan lowered himself into the chair beside her bed.

  “Dr. Kennedy has been after me to replace my knee for a few years. The damage to my knee cap made it a necessity.”

  “Mom, you aren’t going to be able to stay in your apartment. You live on the third floor.”

  “I’ll manage,” she said.

  “No. It’s time you let me move you someplace else.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she said firmly. “The doctor already has me scheduled to go into a rehab center for a week after I leave the hospital.”

  “And I’m sure the doctor would agree that your recovery will be significantly more efficient if you don’t have to deal with stairs, especially in the first few weeks.” Ryan saw the stubborn set of his mother’s jaw. “At least let me get you a hotel or something for a while. Or you can come stay with me for a few weeks.”

  “Ryan, you have a one-bedroom apartment, and you’re hardly ever there. Besides, I don’t want to move.”

  “You’re being stubborn.”

  “So are you.”

  “I learned from the best,” Ryan countered and earned a smile. He shifted his attention to the door when he heard movement behind him.

  “Are you ready, Ms. Strobel? I’m here to take you down to surgery.”

  “Would it matter if I said no?”

  Ryan stood. “You know, I’ve heard people say doctors make the worst patients. I’m starting to believe nurses are just as bad.”

  “I’m not a nurse,” Susan countered.

  “Close enough.” Ryan put his hand on her arm. “Now, behave for the nurses. The sooner we get you into surgery, the sooner we can get you on your road to recovery.”

  “Fine,” she said curtly. “But don’t you go looking for houses or renting rooms or whatever it is you’re thinking about doing.”

  Ryan shoved both hands in his pockets. In a childish gesture, he crossed his fingers. “I won’t do anything without talking to you first.”

  “That’s what I wanted to hear.”

  * * *

  Kari was already sitting in Nationals Stadium when Ryan called. “Hey, how’s your mom?”

  “The doctor said the surgery went well. They plan to transfer her to a rehab center tomorrow or the next day.”

  “So she’s going to be okay,” Kari said, relieved.

  “Looks like it,” he said wearily.

  “You sound exhausted.” Sympathy stirred inside her.

  “It’s been a long day.”

  On the field below, several of the players walked onto the grass to begin their pregame routine. “Where are you?”

  “I’m pulling into Nats Park now.”

  “You’re cutting it close. The guys are already out warming up.”

  “I know,” he said. “Hey, any chance Maya and Ben drove two cars today?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “I was hoping they would let you borrow one to drive me home. The team hired a driver to take me to the hospital today, but I didn’t have time to go home and pick up my car.”

  “Just a second.” Kari lowered her phone and turned to Maya. “Can I borrow a car to take Ryan home tonight after the game?”

  “Sure. You can take Ben’s. He’s been dying to drive mine again anyway.”

  “Thanks.” She lifted the phone to her ear again. “All set. I’ll meet you after the game.”

  “Thanks a lot. I appreciate it.”

  “I’ll talk to you later. Try to have fun tonight.”

  “At this point, I’m just hoping to stay awake.”

  “I highly recommend it.”

  When the team took the field a short time later, Kari wondered if any of them were rested enough to be playing. She knew the pitcher had flown home a day earlier so he would have the advantage of a full night’s sleep. When the Nats had committed two errors by the end of the third inning, Kari suspected the pitcher knew he had to carry the team tonight. She thought he was going to succeed in his quest until he stayed in one pitch too long and gave up a two-run homer in the seventh inning. When the final out was made, the Nationals were down 3–2.

  After the game, Ben was among the first to emerge from the clubhouse. “Hey, Kari. Any chance you want to drive my car home tonight? I’d rather not drive if I don’t have to.”

  “Actually, I was going to borrow it anyway to drive Ryan home.”

  “Why do you need to take Ryan home?”

  Kari explained the situation, but that didn’t change Ben’s defensive posture.

  “I’m sure Monroe can give him a ride. They don’t live too far from each other.”

  “Ben, stop playing big brother,” Kari said firmly. “It’s not like Ryan and I are going out tonight. He needs to get home and get some sleep just as much as you do.”

  Reluctantly, Ben handed over his car key.

  Maya took Ben’s hand and tugged him toward the exit. “We’ll see you later.”

  “I should be home in an hour or so.” Kari focused on Maya. “Don’t let him wait up for me. He’s exhausted.”

  “Don’t worry. I won’t.”

  “She won’t what?” Ryan’s voice sounded behind her.

  “Let Ben stay up to play big brother.”

  “If he doesn’t feel comfortable having you drive me home, I can catch a cab.”

  “Don’t be silly.” Kari shook her head. “He wanted me to drive his car home anyway.”

  Clearly too tired to argue, Ryan fell into step beside her, a duffel bag over one shoulder and one hand pulling a rolling suitcase behind him.

  “I really appreciate you being willing to take me home.”

  “I’m happy to do it.” They walked in near silence to the car. Kari unlocked it and waited for Ryan to load his things into the backseat. When he slid into the passenger seat beside her, she motioned to the GPS on Ben’s dashboard.

  “Why don’t you plug your address into that? Then you can go to sleep.”

  “I should argue with you, but I’m not going to.” Ryan did as she suggested and started the GPS. He then shifted the seat back and closed his eyes. “Wake me if you get lost.”

  “Don’t worry. I will.”

  Chapter 15

  Ryan opened his apartment door to find a basket in the hall, a white card with his name on it tucked beneath the handle. He lifted it and walked back inside to inspect the contents.

  Fresh fruit, protein bars, some water bottles and Gatorade, a mixture of other snacks, and a
bouquet of flowers in a simple glass vase. Curious, he ripped open the card.

  Consider this your hospital survival kit. The flowers are for your mom. I hope she feels better soon. Kari

  Touched by the gesture, he pulled his phone from his pocket and texted her. Just found your present. Thank you.

  The response was almost instant. You’re welcome. Enjoy your visit with your mom.

  Ryan selected a few items to take with him from the basket, leaving the rest on his kitchen table. Still thinking of the kindness of Kari’s gesture, Ryan made his way to his car. He barely remembered the ride home last night, but now that he looked back on it, he found himself amazed that Kari had been so understanding.

  One thing was certain: Brandi wouldn’t have ever thought to tell him to sleep on the way home. He still couldn’t believe he had been comfortable enough with Kari to give in to her suggestion, but the truth was he had fallen asleep almost instantly and hadn’t woken until Kari had parked outside his building.

  Annoyed at himself for comparing the two women, he climbed into his car, tucked his snacks into the cup holders, and settled the bouquet in the passenger seat, strapping it into place with the seat belt.

  An hour later, he made his way into the hospital and deposited his apple core and protein-bar wrapper in the trash can by the front door. Carrying the bouquet of flowers, he headed inside and took the elevator to his mom’s floor. He was a few doors from her room when he saw Dr. Michaels.

  “Ryan, I was just about to call you.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “We want to keep your mom here at the hospital for another day,” he said. “The swelling in her knee hasn’t gone down as much as we would like, and she’s struggling to get up and around.”

  “I don’t imagine that went over well when you told her.”

  “No, it didn’t.” He spoke in a hushed tone. “My concern is her living situation once she leaves here. I’ve ordered a week at a rehab facility, but I understand she lives in a third-floor apartment. She shouldn’t be doing stairs for at least six weeks.”

  “I talked to her about letting me put her up somewhere else, but she’s resisting,” Ryan admitted. “She’s used to taking care of herself. This isn’t going to be easy on her.”

  “For her to be released, we need to know she will be in a safe living environment, especially since she lives alone.”

  “I’ll talk to her.”

  “You might want to let her tell you about all of this. She isn’t likely to take it well if she thinks we’re ganging up on her.”

  “I gather you’ve known my mother for a long time.”

  “I’ve been working at this hospital for fifteen years.”

  “Which means you’ve been working with her for that long,” Ryan said with understanding. “I’ll tread lightly.”

  “I appreciate that.” Dr. Michaels took a step down the hall. “And good luck.”

  “Thanks.” He continued into his mom’s room to find her awake, her lunch tray in front of her. He didn’t even want to think about how his breakfast time coincided so closely with her midday meal. “How’s the patient today?”

  She looked up at him. “Tired. Sore.”

  “That’s not surprising.” He set the flowers on the windowsill.

  Her dark eyes warmed. “Those are lovely. Thank you.”

  “I’m just the deliveryman,” Ryan said. “Those are actually from a friend of mine. She knew I was coming to see you today.”

  “She? Do you have a new girlfriend I don’t know about?”

  “I’m working on it.” He lowered himself into the seat beside her.

  “Where did you meet her? She’s not one of these girls who follows you around after your games, is she?”

  “No, she’s not anything like that. In fact, she’s the sister of one of my teammates,” Ryan told her. “I actually met her when I was trying to avoid Brandi.”

  She wrinkled her nose with distaste. “When did you see Brandi?”

  “She showed up a few weeks ago, hoping to get back together. Kari helped make things a lot easier than if I’d had to face her on my own.”

  “Is this the same Kari who had her picture with you all over Instagram?”

  “Since when do you follow me on Instagram?”

  “Since I got tired of everyone at work telling me what was going on with my own son.”

  “Mom, I call you at least once or twice a week.”

  “Usually on your way to or from an airport.” She wagged a finger at him. “And I’m not that easily distracted. Is Kari your Instagram girl?”

  “I think it was Twitter, but yes, she’s the one in those photos.” Ryan pulled his phone out and retrieved a selfie he had taken of the two of them in front of the Lincoln Memorial. He held it out to show his mother. “That’s her.”

  “She’s pretty.”

  “Yeah, she is.” He stretched out his legs, not sure if his mother was about to lecture him on women or share her approval. Rather than wait to find out, he asked, “Has the doctor said when you get to transfer to rehab?”

  “That sounds so bad,” she said with a wince. “It’s like I have a drug problem or something.”

  “Mom, you barely even take Tylenol. I don’t think anyone would ever think you have a drug problem,” he said dryly. “What did the doctor say?”

  “Something about waiting for the swelling to go down a little more.” Disgust hung in her voice. “They act like I can’t take care of myself.”

  “Mom, you were just in a car accident. I think you should let people take care of you for a bit.” Ryan mustered his courage. “Which brings me back to where you’re going to stay when you get released.”

  “I’m going home.”

  “Mom, be reasonable. You’ll need help, and you won’t be able to do stairs.” He could see her digging in her heels and took another approach. “Okay, if you insist on staying at your place, at least let me hire someone to come in and take care of you.” She opened her mouth to protest, and he held up a hand. “You have a choice. Either stay somewhere else for a few weeks until you can do stairs comfortably, or have someone stay with you so you don’t have to do stairs.”

  “Have I told you lately that you’re being stubborn?”

  “Yesterday.”

  “Just checking.”

  Chapter 16

  Ryan didn’t think he could keep up the pace much longer. After three days straight of visiting his mom before his games, exhaustion was setting in, and his teammates were starting to notice the impact.

  He had barely finished dressing for the game when Jack approached. “Ryan, I’m starting Monroe today. I think you can use a few innings off.”

  Ryan didn’t argue.

  “How is your mom doing?”

  “They’re transferring her to the rehab center tomorrow morning.”

  “I thought that was supposed to happen yesterday.”

  “It was. The doctor had some concerns so he held her for another day.”

  “I know you want to be with her, but you can’t keep up this pace.”

  “Jack, I don’t know what to do,” Ryan admitted.

  “Tell you what. You give me the next two days, and then I’ll let you have Thursday off. We’re flying to New York that day, but I’ll have the front office make arrangements for you to come up on Friday morning before our game. That will give you some extra time to get things settled if you need it.”

  “Thanks, Jack.” As compromises went, it was a good one.

  “And make sure you get some rest tonight. No using the time off to go hang out with some girl.”

  Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “Have you been talking to Ben?”

  His brow furrowed. “No, why?”

  “Just wondering.” As soon as his manager walked away, he pulled out his cell phone and texted Kari. I’m not starting today. And I think my manager grounded me.

  Grounded you? came the response. You have to explain that one.

  Someth
ing about not going out so I can get enough rest.

  That’s not grounding you. That’s common sense.

  Ryan thought about his coach’s restrictions and opted for another possibility. Breakfast tomorrow?

  I’d love to, but will you have time?

  Yeah. I’m not going to be able to visit my mom tomorrow.

  Text me when you get up, and we can make plans.

  I’ll talk to you after the game. He switched screens and called his mom, annoyed when he got her voice mail. “Hey, Mom. I just wanted to let you know I won’t be able to get work off for the next couple days, but I’ll be down to visit on Wednesday morning.”

  Knowing his mom wasn’t the best with technology, he texted the same message to make sure she got it.

  Still not sure how he felt about sitting the bench, Ryan changed his clothes. One way or another, he needed to support his team, and if that meant cheering for a few innings, that was what he would do.

  * * *

  Fourteen innings. Of all nights for the manager to try to give Ryan some time off, this apparently hadn’t been the best choice. Their starting pitcher had struggled from the beginning of the game, giving up three runs before the first inning concluded. By the bottom of the fourth, the pitcher was sitting on the bench, and Ryan was back in at his usual spot at third.

  The Nationals had come from behind to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth, then fallen behind in the eleventh only to tie it up again. A squeeze play in the fourteenth inning had finally made the difference and ended the four-hour and thirty-seven-minute game.

  “Hey there.” Ryan crossed to Kari, his weariness evident on his face.

  “How are you doing?” Kari asked. “You didn’t get a lot of rest tonight.”

  “Yeah. I guess Monroe wasn’t as ready to come in as the manager thought.”

  “He didn’t do bad,” Kari said unconvincingly.

  “It was a tough night to throw in a bench guy.” Ryan slipped his arm around Kari’s shoulders and followed behind Ben and Maya.

  “It was a long night for all of you.”

  “That’s the truth.”

  “You know, if you aren’t up for going out in the morning, I’ll totally understand,” Kari said.