She still wasn’t sure what to say but gave it a try. She smiled at him and said, “I don’t. I always try to be doing something else like knitting or sewing while she watches them.”
He didn’t respond but kept staring at her. Now what? She was glad when Sarah rescued her.
“Mike, Daisy, how about some iced tea? I just made some a little while ago.” She disappeared into the kitchen leaving them still staring at each other.
Daisy thought she’d try something and said, “You must like kids to have been able to endure even ten minutes of Lucy and her TV program.”
What she didn’t say was that for him even to allow her to watch it in the first place was a real shocker. She still didn’t know what to make of it all.
Mike really did shock her when he said, “My sister Leslie, has a couple of kids.”
She wasn’t sure but she thought he wasn’t finished so she waited.
“Susie is five and Danny is three.”
He seemed to be waiting for a response so she said, “That’s nice. Kids are fun at that age. I ought to know.” She waited for more.
“I’ve always liked being with them and playing with them.”
She was sure she was seeing a side of Mike Bates that she’d never seen before and she had to be honest with herself. She liked it.
Just then, Sarah came back in with three iced teas on a tray and they all sat back and sipped their tea for a few minutes.
Daisy was hoping Mike would talk some more, but soon realized that he wasn’t going to with his mother back in the room.
* * *
Mike had been looking down at his hands in his lap for several minutes while his mom told Daisy all about his sister’s family, especially the kids.
He hadn’t really been listening to what they were saying. In fact, he was thinking about going to his room until Daisy and her little girl left but then he caught something his mom said.
“Yes, Mike is almost two years older than Leslie but she’s been married for almost eight years now.”
That was when he realized both of them were now staring at him. What? Surely they didn’t expect him to comment on that, did they?
He was turning his chair toward the hallway when his mom said, “Mike, Daisy’s birthday is just two days after yours and Lucy’s birthday is a week before yours. Isn’t that interesting?”
What? What could he say to that? “I guess.”
He started to wheel his chair away toward the hallway again but his mother stopped him, as he should have known she would.
“Mike, Daisy and Lucy are about to leave, why don’t you stay in here so you can say goodbye to them, especially Lucy. I think she likes you.”
He couldn’t turn around yet. He had to get over the sudden flash of anger her statement had brought on. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before turning around. He didn’t say anything as Daisy went into the family room to get her little girl.
When they came into the living room, the little girl came up to him and before he knew what she was going to do, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him.
“Goodbye Mike. Thank you for letting me watch your TV.”
With that, she skipped toward the door where her mother was now waiting.
Daisy smiled at him and said, “Yes, Mike, thank you.”
She looked at Sarah and said, “Thank you for having us over, Sarah. I’m sure we’ll see you both again soon.”
With that, she and Lucy were out the door and it was finally quiet in his house. But he should have known that it wouldn’t stay that way long. One look at his mother and he knew he was in for a lecture of some kind. What did he do this time?
He started wheeling his chair back into the family room but she followed him and sat in an armchair next to where he always parked his wheelchair. He knew what was coming now. So he sat back and waited.
“Michael Ray Bates you ought to be ashamed of yourself.” She paused to take a breath. “That little girl is just the sweetest little thing and you totally ignored her.”
“What was I supposed to do, kiss her? You know I don’t do that sort of thing even with Leslie’s kids.”
She kept going as if he hadn’t spoken. “I’m surprised she didn’t run out the door crying.”
Mike knew what she was up to now. She was overdramatizing his encounter with the girl so she could hit him about the mother. He’d been in this situation with her many times before. So he just waited for it to hit.
“I’m surprised her mother didn’t tell you a thing or two. You know how I would have reacted if someone had been that rude to you or your sister.”
He almost smiled as he counted to ten knowing that she would wait that long before continuing. He also knew she would bring up his dad somehow next.
“You’re just like your father. If it had been left up to him, you and Leslie would have been brought up without any expression of love. He was always backing off every time you or your sister threw a fit. Well, not me. I stood up to you then and I’m going to stand up to you now too.”
Finally! Now he knew she was going to sit back and wait for him to start in on whatever it was she wanted him to do. But this was also where he had to stand up for himself or just sit back and let her take control of his life.
“Okay Mom. Are you finished?” He didn’t wait for her to respond knowing she wasn’t finished. “I want to make a couple of things clear to you right now. First, I didn’t invite you to come and stay with me in my house indefinitely. But you’re welcome to stay as long as you want as long as you don’t interfere in my life. Second, I am thirty-four years old and I have had a life of my own for quite a few years now and I don’t need your help in managing it.”
He paused to take a breath and search her face for a reaction. There was nothing showing on her face, nothing at all. Well, at least she wasn’t throwing a crying fit like he’d seen her do with his dad numerous times over the years.
He was about to go on when she stuck her hand up between them with her palm open.
“Daisy likes you and I think that if you will really think about it, you like her too.”
He was stunned. He didn’t see that one coming. He should have but he didn’t.
“That wonderful woman has gone out of her way to be nice to you and basically be there for you ever since you were hurt. And all you do is push her away by being rude to her and her daughter both.”
He didn’t know what to think. Did Daisy like him? What did he really think about her? Had he actually been fighting an attraction to her all along? No. It couldn’t be.
“I think you’re seeing things that just aren’t there Mom.”
She laughed for the first time. “Oh no I’m not and you know it too. Why don’t you just think about it for a while? I’m going to go get some more iced tea. Do you want some?”
He nodded his head not quite aware of what he was agreeing to. As she left the room, he picked up the remote and turned the TV on. Quickly, he changed channels from what the kid had been watching.
He needed to think and he wasn’t sure his mother was going to leave him alone long enough for him to do so.
He was surprised though when she brought a glass of iced tea in, sat it on the table next to him, and left without another word. Was that really his mother?
Now all he could do was think. He needed to think about tomorrow before he thought about anything else though. He was having more tests tomorrow and he wondered what they would show now that the bullet was gone. He was also supposed to start physical therapy tomorrow.
Without realizing it, he pushed Daisy and all that his mom had said about her and him to the back of his mind and didn’t think about any of it anymore then.
Chapter Five
Mike woke up Monday morning feeling like something good was going to happen. He used to have that feeling when a case he was working on was about to break. But he hadn’t had it in at least six months.
His first thought was his legs. He qui
ckly sat up in bed and tried to move his legs. Nothing! He still had no feeling anywhere down there.
Well, that wasn’t it, but he still had that feeling that something good was going to happen today. He wheeled himself into the bathroom and with the new temporary bars that had been installed in the shower was able to pull himself into and out of the shower and onto a bench which was also temporary. He wouldn’t let them install anything like that permanently. He was going to walk again.
He hadn’t been prepared for how great it felt just to be able to take a shower by himself. He looked into the mirror and realized he was actually smiling, almost grinning.
After the lecture his mom gave him when Daisy left yesterday, and the silent treatment she gave him last night, he wasn’t sure what kind of reception he’d get from her when he finally joined her in the kitchen.
As soon as he wheeled himself up to the table, Sarah placed a plate in front of him. He looked down and was surprised to see bacon and eggs. That was what he had been going to request and he’d been so excited about taking a shower that he hadn’t even noticed the smell of the bacon frying.
“How did you know I wanted bacon and eggs Mom?”
She laughed and said, “You may be thirty-four and away from home for a long time as you reminded me yesterday but you’re still my son and I know you quite well. Besides, you haven’t been able to eat much of what you and your dad always called real food since your surgery and I knew you’d be wanting it now.”
He dug in and thoroughly enjoyed a meal for the first time in probably months.
When he finished, his mom was still sitting across from him drinking a cup of coffee.
“Do you feel better this morning Son?”
He started to get mad knowing what usually followed a question like that, but stopped himself. He did feel better this morning so why not say so. “Yes, I feel pretty good.” He didn’t intend to tell her about his shower but it just came out. “I took a shower by myself. I don’t need those caregivers coming around all the time anymore.”
She clapped her hands and said, “That’s great Mike. I’m so happy. Now, before you know it, you’ll be walking again too.”
That put a damper on his mood. “I still don’t have any feeling in my legs.”
With that, he wheeled himself back to his room to dress for his trip to the hospital.
She called out as he went, “It will come. I just know it will, and soon too.”
Sarah was going out the door for her Bible study when Jason pulled into the driveway in his department Tahoe. Mike was watching from the living room window as the two of them spoke for a moment before going their separate ways.
The door was open so Jason walked in and said, “Are you ready Mike?”
Mike began wheeling himself out the door but Jason grabbed the grips, pushed him out, and then helped him up and into the front passenger seat.
As soon as they were driving away from the house, Jason glanced over and said, “Your mom said you’re doing more things for yourself now. That’s great.”
Mike didn’t feel that statement needed a response so he kept to his thoughts until they arrived at the hospital.
They ran several tests on him for nerve activity that he hadn’t had for a while. When he was finished, Jason took him to another wing of the hospital where physical therapy was located.
Jason pushed Mike up to the reception desk. After Mike checked in, he pushed him over to a break in the seating that seemed to be there just for wheelchairs.
He stepped in front of Mike and said, “Well, I guess I’d better get out on the streets for the hour you’ll be in here.”
Mike didn’t answer as his attention was on a woman in scrubs who was approaching them. Jason turned around and Mike was sure the guy would have fallen over if he hadn’t still had a hold on one of the grips of the wheelchair.
Mike could see why Jason was so stunned. Even in ugly purple scrubs, the woman was beautiful. She had long black hair tied back in a ponytail and the brightest blue eyes he’d ever seen. But before he realized what he was doing, he compared them to Daisy’s much prettier green eyes.
She was probably around five feet five or six and slender but had a bounce to her step, which Mike thought indicated great muscle tone.
Mike was enjoying watching Jason as the normally calm and collected deputy watched the woman approach them.
“Hi, I’m Karen.” She looked down at Mike. “You must be Mike Bates.”
“Yes.”
She shook his hand and said, “I’m going to be your therapist.”
Mike kept watching as Karen turned to Jason as if expecting him to introduce himself but Jason seemed to be tongue-tied.
Mike grinned. Grinned? When was the last time he’d grinned?
“The big lug in the uniform is Jason Walker.”
She stuck out her hand and Jason was finally able to move enough to shake it.
She looked up into Jason’s eyes and said, “You may stay and watch Mike if you want. We won’t be the whole hour this morning.”
She turned back to Mike before Jason could say anything. If he’d been able to, that is.
“We can’t do too much for a few days, at least not anything too strenuous until your sutures are out and the incision heals. But we can get started with some preliminary things that will pave the way for the other stuff that we’ll do later.”
Mike looked up at her and said, “I had a guy named John the first time. What happened to him?”
She smiled and Mike heard a muffled groan coming from next to him. He was sure Karen heard it, but ignored him and kept her eyes on Mike even though her cheeks reddened slightly.
“Oh, he got a job in St. Louis. I’m his replacement and have only been here a couple of months.”
Mike had a bad thought. “You’re not new at this and planning to learn on me are you?” He knew she didn’t look very old.
“Oh, no. I’ve been doing this ever since I graduated from college seven years ago. So don’t worry. If I torture you it’ll all be part of your doctor’s orders.”
He wasn’t sure if that statement should comfort him or not. But she was grinning when she said the last though.
He glanced over at Jason who seemed to be doing the math in his head so Mike did too. If she was twenty-two when she graduated, that would make her twenty-nine now. She sure didn’t look that old. He would have guessed twenty-four or five at the most.
Karen grabbed Mike’s wheelchair grips and began pushing him past the reception desk and through a swinging door, which Jason rushed ahead to open almost tripping over his own feet in the process.
Mike looked over his shoulder and almost laughed aloud at the comical expression on Jason’s face as he followed them into a big open room with all sorts of ramps, tables, and exercise machines in it. That was when he realized he was enjoying something for the first time in months.
For the next thirty minutes, Karen worked on Mike’s feet, moving them around and up and down. Then she did the same thing with his lower legs by bending his knees.
She stepped back and almost collided with Jason who had been a little too close behind her. Mike did laugh this time. Both of them blushed. He noticed that she didn’t wear a wedding ring but maybe she had one but just didn’t wear it while working.
When Jason pushed Mike back into the waiting room, he stopped at the reception desk and bent over to speak to the receptionist.
As Jason was helping Mike into the Tahoe, Mike said, “All right Walker give. Is she married or not?”
Jason looked like he didn’t want to answer at first but then Mike said, “I’m not interested in her. I’ve got enough to worry about without any woman coming along and making it worse.”
Jason let out a breath and said, “The receptionist said Karen isn’t married. She just moved here from Springfield a couple of months ago.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “That’s all she’d tell me.”
Mike laughed and when Jason
slid into the driver’s seat, he said, “You’ve got it bad buddy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone get hit the way you did when she walked into that waiting room earlier.”
Jason had a dreamy look on his face. “Oh man Mike, that is one gorgeous woman. And I’m going to get to know her for sure.”
Mike laughed again. “Then I guess you want to bring me back here for my next appointment on Wednesday.”
Jason turned to him. He hadn’t even put the key in the ignition yet. “Would you let me be your permanent driver, Mike? I’ll do anything you ask if you’ll just let me do that.”
He didn’t wait for an answer but started the vehicle and pulled out of the parking lot. “I’ve got to get to know that woman. I know this sounds corny, but I think she’s my destiny.”
Mike started to string Jason along a little but the super serious expression on Jason’s face stopped him. “Yeah, I need to get here somehow. It might as well be you bringing me. In fact, it’ll sure be better than my mom bringing me. She’s really starting to get on my nerves.”
* * *
Daisy was sitting in the living room of her apartment still enjoying her Monday morning with her second cup of coffee when she looked up to see Bert standing in the open doorway. She usually kept their apartment door open during the day. None of the residents would ever go in there without her but it did give them better access to her when she was in the apartment.
She said, “Hi Bert. How are you doing this morning? Shouldn’t you be at the church working by now?”
Bert went through his head scratching, weight shifting routine before he grinned at her and said, “No Miz Daisy. Mr. Preacher told me to take the morning off.” He shifted again. “’cause he is too.”
Daisy laughed. “I’m sure he is. He’s probably over at the hospital with Jo and their new baby right now.”
“Can I?”
After three years, Daisy thought she knew Bert well enough to understand his shorthand way of speaking but this time, she was baffled and wasn’t sure what he was asking.
“Can you what, Bert?”
He went through the whole routine again before he spoke. “Can I go see the baby?”
The Only Solution (Crowley County Series Book 3) Page 7
