TJ tightly gripped Leah’s hand and focused his attention on what the doctor was saying.
* * * * *
Day 93
Leah nervously drummed her fingers on her desk. She reached for the phone, then hesitated and pulled back. She drummed her fingers even harder. Faster.
Finally she slapped her palm onto her desk, and grabbed the phone. She hit speed dial and waited.
“Zeke?” she said. “Sorry to wake you – but there’s something I have to tell you.”
~~~~~
Manny stared at Zeke, sitting beside her on the couch. He leaned forward, his forearms resting on his legs, his hands clasped tightly in front of him.
“When’s the surgery?” she asked, her eyes soft with sympathy.
“Tomorrow,” he said quietly, staring at his hands.
Manny put a tentative hand on his shoulder, and felt him tense beneath her touch. She swallowed. “Go home.”
His head shot up and he blinked at her. “What?”
“Go home,” Manny repeated firmly. “Be with your friends; it’s where you’re most needed. Once you know more, you can always meet me at one of my stops. If you want, of course. And if...if...Well. You know.”
“If TJ’s okay, you mean.”
“Yes.”
Zeke stared at her, an unreadable expression on his face. “I think I’ll take you up on that,” he said slowly.
She frowned, slightly puzzled even as she nodded. “Good.”
A faint smile curved his lips. “Thank you.”
Manny waved away his thanks. “I just...really hope your friend will be okay.”
Zeke’s faint smile deepened. He rose to his feet and headed towards the door. “Thank you. I hope so, too.”
Manny watched him go, her puzzled frown deepening.
“Zeke!”
He paused and turned, his hand on the door handle. He raised his eyebrow in question.
“You – something’s been bothering you the last few days. Maybe...maybe this is a chance to take care of whatever it is?”
Zeke’s expression didn’t change as he considered her words, then he slowly nodded.
“Maybe it is,” he agreed. “Maybe it is.”
~~~~~
Manny hugged Daisy, then Rebecca.
“This was fun,” she said.
“It was,” Daisy agreed.
“Call as soon as you get home, no matter the time.”
“We will,” Rebecca assured her.
They paused, all of them blinking back tears, then they hugged again before Manny turned to Zeke, standing tall, anxious and silent beside them, frowning furiously.
“Take care, Zeke,” Manny said quietly. “I’ll be hoping for your friend.”
He blinked and scowled, then his face softened. “Thank you,” he said. “That...means a lot to me.”
She smiled hesitantly, then held out her hand. He stared at it unblinkingly for a long moment before he slowly, almost cautiously, reached out and gently grasped it.
“I’ll call you,” he said, his voice thick with emotion, before he abruptly dropped her hand and walked away to stand in line to go through the security gates.
Daisy and Rebecca raised their eyebrows, said good-bye once more to Manny, and left to take their own places in line.
Once through security, and with almost two hours to fill, the three of them wandered into one of the licensed restaurants and took their places at the bar.
Zeke ordered whiskey, on the rocks, and ignored the looks Daisy and Rebecca exchanged across him.
“This seems to be more than just worry about your friend,” Daisy said carefully once they had their drinks. “Do you have a fear of flying?”
Zeke drained his glass, then shook his head as he viciously crunched an ice cube between his teeth.
“Flying?” he muttered, and called for another drink. “No. But I do have a fear of falling.”
Episode 8
Day 94
Zeke sat in the darkened hospital room, Leah sleeping in the chair beside him, her head resting on his shoulder. He couldn’t sleep. He watched the man in the bed; watched his chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm.
TJ’d had his surgery first thing in the morning, and had come through with flying colours. He’d still been in surgery when Zeke arrived, had been woken briefly by the hospital staff once he was in his room, and had promptly gone back to sleep after seeing and speaking groggily to Leah. He was still sleeping peacefully as evening fell and Zeke and Leah waited.
Zeke sat still, his shoulder and arm numb under the weight of Leah’s head. He deliberately kept his mind blank, shying away from any thought of cancer and what that meant for the man sleeping so peacefully on the bed. He deliberately refused to think about what it meant for the woman sleeping on his shoulder. He deliberately refused to think about what it told him about his own mortality. He was here, and TJ had come through the surgery without any issues, and that was enough. For now.
A distant part of his mind wondered where Manny was right now and what she was doing. He reluctantly grinned. Considering her penchant for picking up misfit toys wherever she went, she was probably already knee deep in people, wherever she was.
His smile faded as he once more focused on watching TJ breathe and waited for the dawn.
* * * * *
Day 95
A nurse quietly bustled into the hospital room and Leah startled awake, sitting up with a snuffling gasp. She blinked hazily at Zeke, frowning, before memory returned and she quickly turned her attention to TJ.
“I’m just going to wake TJ for a moment, and check his incision,” the nurse explained kindly. “We’ll be getting him out of bed later today, too, but right now we just need to check on him, and then we’ll let him go back to sleep.”
Leah nodded as the nurse gently roused TJ, who groggily responded to her questions in a dry, raspy voice. She smiled encouragingly and promised him some ice chips, then proceeded to check the machines surrounding him, pull a small blood sample, and make notations on his chart.
“You’re looking good, TJ,” she said cheerfully. “You came through with flying colours. I’m going to get you those ice chips, and let you talk to your visitors, then you should probably get some more rest. We’ll get you out of bed around mid-morning, and the doctor will be by to see you sometime this afternoon.”
“Visitors?” TJ rasped and the nurse nodded in Leah and Zeke’s direction. He turned his head, frowning, although his face softened when he saw Leah. His eyes widened when he saw Zeke. “Aw, man -” he groaned hoarsely as the nurse bustled out the door.
Zeke smirked. “I couldn’t miss this,” he said lightly.
“I told Leah not to tell you anything,” TJ croaked as the nurse returned. She placed an ice chip in his mouth and put the cup on the table beside his bed then wished them all a good morning and left to continue her rounds.
Zeke smirked, “Yeah, but you’re not the brightest bulb in the light socket, so she decided to ignore you.” He sobered. “I’m glad she did. The two of you didn’t need to go through this alone, you know.”
TJ wearily closed his eyes. “Just until we knew for sure,” he sighed.
Zeke shook his head.
“We both appreciate you being here, Zeke.” Leah said. “Thank you.”
“Anytime. And I’m sticking around until we know the prognosis.”
“...refuse to have cancer,” TJ mumbled sleepily.
Leah snorted. “Yeah, because you have that much power.” She turned to Zeke. “We’re glad you’re here, Zeke. Really.” She flashed a smile at TJ. “Maybe you’re right – maybe he wouldn’t be such a bad dad for our kid after all.”
Zeke’s eyes snapped to Leah’s.
“Say what?”
* * * * *
Day 96
Rebecca glanced up as Tris walked into the house.
“Hi, Tris,” she called cheerfully. “How was your day?”
“Fine,” Tris grunted, walked down
the hall into her bedroom and closed the door with a sharp snap.
Rebecca’s lips tightened as she rose from the couch. She shook her head as she walked down the hall and knocked on Tris’ bedroom door.
“Go away, Gramma,” Tris yelled.
Rebecca opened the door, and leaned against the door jamb, her arms tightly crossed.
“Tris, this can’t go on,” Rebecca said firmly.
Tris sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes.
“What, Gramma?” she asked impatiently.
“Your attitude, for one,” Rebecca snapped. “You may not like me much, but I am still your grandmother!”
A look of guilt flitted across Tris’ face. It gave Rebecca a tiny spark of satisfaction. She didn’t think she’d ever seen guilt on Jaime’s face.
Then Tris’ mouth set in an all-too-familiar stubborn line as she said, “Well, so what? You don’t want me here any more than I want to be here! You should send me to be with my mom!”
Rebecca felt her heart squeeze tight.
“Tris -”
“You don’t like me! You don’t want me! So why should I have to stay where I’m not wanted?”
Rebecca stared at Tris in horror and sorrow.
“Okay,” Rebecca said, moving further into the room. She struggled to keep calm, and to not retreat from the confrontation. “Okay,” she said more firmly and moved to sit on the bed.
“Get out, Gramma – I don’t want you in here.”
Rebecca hesitated. “Tris, this can’t go on! We need to work this out,” she said and sat down on the bed.
“See? You won’t even let me have my own room! Get out!” Tris screamed, and Rebecca flinched at the shrill words, even as she felt a rising tide of anger begin to drown out her guilt.
“This is the first time in your life that I’ve come into this room without being invited,” Rebecca snapped, “and I’ll leave once I’ve had my say. Regardless of what you may think, I do want you here. You’re my granddaughter and I love you. But I will no longer tolerate your attitude. Right now, Jakob and Janika have free rein to take you anywhere you’d like to go when they’re looking after you. I can just as easily take those privileges away. I’m not asking for much, Tris. A civil tone, and coming out of this damn room for more than meals! Perhaps even a ‘hi, Gramma, how are you?’ once in a while – asked without that sarcastic, contemptuous tone. I don’t know how long your parents will be away, and your other grandparents are on the ocean somewhere, so you need to make the best of an unfortunate situation.”
Rebecca stared hard at Tris, noticing how her mouth turned down and her bottom lip pouted out.
“And pouting about it isn’t going to change anything,” Rebecca added firmly. She stood. “Now I’m going to leave your room, just as you...asked. Supper will be ready in an hour.”
She very carefully closed the door behind her.
Rebecca returned to the living room, poured herself a small shot of tequila and swiftly tossed it back. She hated confrontations with the people she loved. That wasn’t quite true, she admitted as she set the shot glass down and grimaced at the taste and burn of the tequila. The only confrontations she couldn’t seem to handle were those with Jaime and now Tris. She could handle the occasional arguments with Manny and Daisy just fine. Then again, she knew Manny and Daisy would never leave her.
She shook her head as she put the tequila away and carried the shot glass into the kitchen to put in the dishwasher. It was time to decide what to make for supper.
* * * * *
Day 97
Zeke winced at the sleepy way Manny answered the phone.
“I’m sorry – I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“S’okay,” she assured him sleepily. “What did the doctors say today?”
“That there’s a really good chance they caught the thing early enough that he’ll be fine. Maybe won’t even need chemo – if he’s lucky.”
“That’s wonderful!”
“Not for sure, yet, though. We’ll find out more when he goes back for his six week check-up.”
“I’m glad, Zeke. Really, really glad. Cancer is...a horrible way to die.”
“Yeah...” He sat in brooding silence for a moment then shook his head. “So, where are you off to next?”
“Memphis, then Nashville.”
“Have you made any more new friends since I’ve been gone?” Zeke teased.
“Only about a hundred and fifty. I’m slowing down,” Manny replied and chuckled. Zeke felt the husky sound slide across his nerve endings, and his body tightened. Had her laugh always sounded like that, he wondered, as his stomach filled with slow fireworks, warming him. He shook his head, and ignored the feeling with an effort.
“Seriously,” he said, “you’ve been okay alone? You haven’t really been talking to strangers, have you?”
“No more than usual,” she assured him. “Besides, talking to strangers is the whole point, remember?”
“Are you at least leaving them behind, or am I going to meet you and find you’re now leading a convoy?”
Manny chuckled again. “You’ll have to wait and find out for yourself,” she teased. “You know how much I like to surprise you.”
Zeke chuckled too. He felt the tension lifting from his chest, his shoulders relaxing. When he’d started this trip a little more than three months earlier, he never would have predicted he’d miss Manny’s voice and sense of humor and – yes – her new-found penchant for talking to everybody and their dog. He wondered what he’d missed the last few days, what characters she’d met and befriended because – because that was simply what she did.
“Zeke?”
“Yeah – I’m here. Sorry.”
“Didn’t mean to bore you.”
“You didn’t – I’m not -” Zeke sighed. “Sorry, Manny. I was thinking of something else.”
“Dixie?”
“Wha- Dixie? Where did that come from?”
“Well, something was bothering you for days before you left, and I’ve been wondering what it was. I thought...you know, maybe you were thinking of Dixie, and how things ended with her. This could be a chance for you to – to...mend fences. Or something.”
“I thought I told you that when I leave, I leave. I don’t look back.”
“Oh. Well. It was just a thought.”
Zeke frowned, his dark brows lowering over his stormy eyes. He wondered what Manny would say or do if he told her he’d been moody because he’d been knocked off-balance by a sudden sexual awareness of her. A sexual awareness that still seemed to sneak up on him when he least expected it, as evidenced by his reaction to her laugh.
“Interesting thought,” he murmured, then frowned as he realized he should tell Dixie about TJ. TJ and Leah hadn’t been especially close to her, but they’d liked her, and they’d struck up a casual friendship. Just because Zeke’s romantic relationship with her hadn’t worked out was no reason to pretend her connection to TJ and Leah had never existed.
As Zeke continued his gentle, undemanding conversation with Manny, he decided he’d go see Dixie in the morning.
* * * * *
Day 98
Zeke rang the doorbell then nervously rubbed his hands on his pants as he waited for the door to open. He was almost amused by the level of surprise on Dixie’s face when she recognized him.
“Zeke!” she finally managed. “What – what are you doing here?” She automatically stood aside to let him into the house, and Zeke suspected she didn’t even realize what she was doing.
“I’m in town for a few days – thought I’d drop by to -”
“You’ve been out of town?” she asked sharply.
Zeke chuckled. “I forgot you don’t follow my blog. Yeah. I’ve been on a road trip...”
Zeke trailed off as his attention was caught by a picture on the mantle. It showed Dixie snuggled up to a handsome older man; they both smiled happily at the camera as balloons and streamers drifted around them. Zeke frowned, his eyes beneat
h his lowered brows drifting slowly across the other pictures on display. They all showed Dixie and the stranger in similar poses at a variety of locations.
He turned and looked thoughtfully at her. “I see you’ve already replaced me,” he said mildly.
Dixie frowned, her eyes narrowing. “Did I ever really have you?” she challenged.
Zeke looked at her, feeling suddenly lonely and tired. “Yeah,” he replied softly, “yeah, you really did. Anyway, I – I – I didn’t come here to hash over what happened between us. I came to tell you TJ’s in the hospital. He had surgery four days ago.”
Dixie frowned. “Surgery? For what?”
“Colon cancer. They think they caught it in time, but should have a more definitive prognosis when he has his six week checkup.”
“Well,” Dixie said faintly, “that’s a good sign, then, if they can wait that long.”
“Yeah,” Zeke replied absently. His attention was once again focused on the picture with the balloons and streamers. He peered more closely at it. Behind the happy couple was a banner; a banner that welcomed in the new year. The new year that was still the current year.
He stepped back, and heard Dixie’s sharp intake of breath.
“I see,” he muttered slowly.
“What do you see?” Dixie demanded, and under other circumstances her defiant contempt would have amused him as the last ditch effort to shift the blame onto his shoulders that it was.
He turned and smiled a slightly bitter smile. “That I never actually had you, did I?”
Dixie rolled her eyes, her arms crossed tightly in front of her as her eyes darted everywhere but at him.
Zeke forced an insincere smile. “Anyway. I just wanted to tell you about TJ. He’s at the Cross if you want to visit.”
Zeke brushed past her and headed for the door.
“That’s it?” Dixie demanded behind him. “That’s all you have to say?”
Zeke stopped and slowly turned to face her. He carefully pondered the question.
“Thanks for kicking me out,” he said finally. “It was the best thing you could have done for me.”
A Life Less Ordinary Page 23
