Meeting Destiny (10 page)

Oh crap! I didn’t even know what I looked like. I dug desperately in the drawers of the nightstand and the wheeled table, but there was no mirror. Two days and I hadn’t combed my hair or taken a shower. Two days, who was I kidding? It was going on three. I pressed the, “Call Nurse” button while warding off a full blown panic attack.

Felecia came in, “Hi, Lauren, are you okay?”

“
Not really, I feel kind of gross. Is there any way I can take a shower or anything?” I was pretty sure that I already knew the answer, but I waited for her response with a glimmer of hope.

“
Sure, let me take care of a few things and I’ll come back and help you. I need to show you how to clean around the pins. We’ve got a physical therapist coming in to see you at eight. She’ll show you some exercises to keep your strength up, speed your recovery, and help you get used to your crutches.”

Felecia came back with a bag of toiletries and in painful detail showed me how to keep the wounds clean. Once I was in clean clothes, freshly showered and finally out of bed, I felt like a new person. I kept watching the door, anticipating Max popping through at any minute.

“
Seth’s such a sweet young man, he’ll be glad to see you out of bed.” That rock just hit my stomach again. Seth – he, too, was going to be here any minute. Of course, she thought I was looking for him.

In all my fantasies about destiny and reliving those few moments together, I’d completely forgotten about my other reality. I couldn’t put it off any longer. As soon as Seth arrived I had to tell him the truth. I was going to tell him exactly how I felt. I was not going to pretend any more. I owed it to him. It was the right thing to do.

At that moment Doctor Gracie surprised me, “Hi, Lauren, I heard you were already out of bed.”

“
Definitely, today’s the day, right?”

“
Swelling’s down. Vitals are normal. All your tests came back clean. Felecia told me she showed you how to care for your leg. Once the physical therapist sees you, you’re clear for release.”

“
Sweeeeeet! I’m so ready.” Doctor Gracie wished me a quick recovery and made his way back out the door.

The physical therapist arrived at eight on the dot. Her name was Gretchen, but I liked to think of her as Ivan, Ivan the Terrible. She wheeled me from my room to a physical therapy room. The room was bright and cheerful, but within seconds of my arrival, I knew that was a façade. She was built like a brick house, and was probably one of the most intimidating women I’d ever met. She had the demeanor of a drill instructor, the strength of a bull, and the personality of a postage stamp.

I had just barely been walking on my crutches, yet she had laid out a complete regimen of strength exercises, and stretches, and delivered the fabulous news that I would be working with her three days a week for the next six months. Fricken Wonderful!

I began hoping Max might show up. He seemed to know everyone at the hospital. Maybe he could get Ivan to loosen up a little. She brought me back to reality when she bellowed, “Maybe you haven’t had a human anatomy class. The femur’s a pretty important bone. If it doesn’t set right, all kinds of complications could arise. If you don’t keep your joints in motion, it won’t set right. If you lay around doing nothing, it won’t set right. You’ve got a very short window to help your body heal properly.”

I had never been all that athletic, so her custom workout routine would have been difficult under normal circumstances. The fact that I had a hole stitched up on my leg, a fresh bone graft, a rod running the inside of my bone, and big screws sticking through my flesh should have qualified me to ease into a workout. This was not the case with Ivan pushing me.

I had no idea where her training came from, but motivational speaking was not a possible career choice for her. “If you want to walk with a limp for the rest of your life - keep cheezing out. Don’t push yourself, no really, take it easy. Take a break. Maybe we can get some milk and cookies and turn on the TV?” Holy crap, I thought I was the queen of sarcasm, but Ivan buried me.

At a few minutes before nine the routine finally got bearable. She reached over and slapped me hard on the back, “Good work, Lauren. Okay, here are exercises I want you to do throughout the day,” she handed me a stack of papers showing ten different exercises. “This is your appointment card, and directions to my office.” It wasn’t a single appointment card, it was a listing of thirty six appointments, all with her.

Pleased that our brutal hour had come to an end, I asked, “So if I do all this, how long until I’m fine?”

Gretchen looked at me, pivoted her body so that she was facing me squarely on, her movements reminding me of a robot. “If you do everything I tell you, exactly the way I tell you to do it, you’ll be as good as new in three months. Given your current muscle tone, you’ll probably be better than new in three months - but only if we do this my way. If you decide to skip appointments, don’t do your daily routines, gaff off the exercises I just gave you, you might be in decent shape in nine months. Your recovery is up to you, I’m just a tool in your toolbox.”

“
So doing all this, I’ll be off the crutches in three months?”

“
If you do what I tell you, give it a hundred percent, in three months your leg will be in better shape than it was three days ago.”

This was the first thing she said that I liked.

“
Great, we can go out dancing just in time for graduation.” I heard Seth’s voice behind me. I was glad he was here. This would give me a chance to talk to him before Max stopped by. As I turned around to say hello, I noticed Felecia had followed him into the room, maybe now wouldn’t be the opportune time.

Seth looked really happy, “You’ve got to be excited; you’re almost out of here. Your mom is loading all your flowers in the mini-van now. With any luck there will be enough room for you, too.”

I looked at Gretchen and she gave me a quick wave, “Felicia will do your check out and care instructions with you. You’ve already got your rehab instructions from me, so as soon as your mom signs some papers, you can go home.”

Thrilled at the idea of going home, and anxious to get out of there, I grabbed the crutches sitting beside me, “Felicia, lead the way!”

“
Easy Lauren, you don’t get to hobble around on those until you are out of the hospital.” She helped me back into the wheel chair and began pushing me back to my room. Seth followed at first, then asked Felicia if he could drive. She smiled and handed me over to him. He drove me to my room, and he really wasn’t kidding: all the flowers that had lined every open space in the room were gone. Felicia pulled the visitor chair out and began to go over paperwork with me. I was only half listening to her instructions as I was looking to the door every few seconds to see if Max was there.

“
Okay, Lauren, if you don’t have any questions on the sheet, that’s really all that I needed to cover with you. Let your mom know she needs to stop by the discharge desk before she leaves, and you should be all set.”

As she finished her sentence, I looked to the door one last time and there he was. He wasn’t in his uniform. He was in blue jeans, a t-shirt that flattered his biceps and chest, wearing a smile that affirmed he was as happy to see me, as I was him. I was thrilled. I had been so worried that he would come and I would already be gone. Without even thinking of Seth standing right behind me, I nearly squealed, “Hi, Max!”

Max’s smile grew, and as hard as it was to imagine, he was even sexier in the daylight. I had noticed his perfect smile, amazing eyes and bulky frame before, but his street clothes made him look like one of those really buff guys Rachael and I would drool over coming out of the gym. He walked to me, and I could tell he was freshly showered, smelling of expensive cologne, and as improbable as it seems, looking more handsome than I remembered. Max reached out for my hand and held it awkwardly, “I hear you’re busting out of this place.”

“
Can you believe it? I’m so excited to get home. Don’t get me wrong, I could get used to pressing a button and having someone run through the door to get me a glass of water, but I’m definitely ready.”

“
Who is your friend, Lauren?” Seth was behind me with his hands on the wheelchair’s handlebars. I was nearly oblivious to the fact that he was even in the room when Max walked in. I released Max’s hand as if I were a child just caught raiding the cookie jar.

“
Oh, that’s right, you haven’t met. Seth, this is the man who saved my life. Max, this is a friend of mine, Seth.” I couldn’t see Seth’s face, but he had to have noticed my reaction to Max. He would have had to be blind, deaf and dumb to not.

Seth used his charming voice, “Hi, Max. Well it’s really a pleasure to meet you.” He took Max’s hand in what looked like genuine admiration, “I don’t know how to thank you. Lauren is the most important person in my life. These last few days have been a roller coaster, but I’m thrilled that you made these last few days, and the next fifty years with Lauren, possible. You have our deepest appreciation.” Seth was clearly trying to correct the introduction where I only called him my, “friend.” Seth switched his attention from Max to me, “Lauren, I think we’d better head down to the car. Molly’s waiting.”

Max was taken aback by Seth’s words. “Sure, ah…I was just doing my job.” There was an uneasy silence where no one spoke. Max was the first to recover, “Well, I’m glad you’re heading home, I guess I’ll see you around.” Max’s voice was discouraged. I imagined he, too, had replayed our time together, and didn’t expect my hospital departure to be like this. This was nothing I had seen coming and would like to think that Max was equally as frustrated with the “Seth situation.”

“
Max, thanks for everything. Don’t be a stranger, okay?” was all I could manage to get out. I reached back to him and awkwardly squeezed his hand. I would call Max in a couple hours and apologize profusely, but for now, I just needed to find the nearest exit.

Seth began pushing me toward the door while Max just stepped out of the way. I was down the hall, around the corner and waiting for the elevator before I said anything to Seth. Completely frustrated with the way our latest encounter had played out, “Well, thanks for letting me say goodbye,” my voice full of sarcasm.

Seth was still behind me, so I couldn’t see his face, but he replied, “It’s not like you two are going to be life-long pals. He was just being nice, wishing you well.” The elevator opened and he drove me in, and turned me around once we were inside. I saw the elevator door beginning to close, and there was Max, slowly walking toward the elevator with his head down, not even noticing that we were right there. Seth’s hand reached over and pushed the, “door close” button.

When the elevator opened, an orderly took over the wheel chair for Seth. My mom was waiting by the front door. “Seth, do you mind driving Lauren home? The van is so full, I don’t think she will fit in mine.”

“
Sure, Molly, we’ll be right behind you.” I was thankful for this immediate opportunity to talk to Seth alone. I’d be able to tell him exactly how I felt. I was sure he’d be hurt, but at least I didn’t have to do it at my house, in front of my mom.

Seth brought his car around to the entrance from the parking garage. The orderly wheeled me to the passenger door, then Seth gently lifted me into the passenger seat. “Let me move the seat back so you have a little more room.” He reached down to the floor in front of my seat and pulled the lever to reposition the seat farther back. After the seat was as far back as it would go, he pivoted his body so his face was directly in front of mine. Seth moved his hand to my right knee, and leaned in to kiss me.

I turned my head just enough so that his lips made contact with my cheek. The surprise on his face was evident, and I smiled saying, “Sorry, morning breath.”

Seth smiled back, “I don’t mind.”

Not wanting to start the conversation right there in the parking garage, “Well, I do, let’s get going.”

Seth closed my door and put my wheelchair and crutches in the trunk. He got in the driver’s side and backed out. As soon as we were out of the parking garage, I realized this was the most opportune time to tell him.

I took a deep breath, “Seth, you really are my best friend.” I patted his right arm trying to be reassuring. He looked my way, and I could see he had no idea what was coming. Knowing what had to be done, and how devastated he would be, I tried to think of the easiest way to tell him.

If it were me, I would want to know directly. I wouldn’t want him to beat around the bush about it. If I tried to soften the blow, he might get the wrong idea, and think that there was still a chance for us. I settled on the direct approach, “I don’t want to be your girlfriend, and I think it would be best if we dated other people.”