Running Home to You (The Running Series) (22 page)

Auggie has a craving for something sweet, so I offer to take a walk to the hospital cafeteria.  As I’m riding alone in the elevator, I get a phone call.

“Hey, Derek, what’s going on?”  It’s nearly dinnertime on Friday, and Derek should be in the middle of service.  “Aren’t you at work?”

“Yeah, I’m on break and I wanted to call you.  Evan was in today,” he tells me.  I can’t tell by the tone of his voice if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

“And?”

“First thing, let me tell you, I’m never going to fuck with Ryker because Evan’s still covered with cuts and bruises.  He’s got a black eye, a fat lip, and his cheek is still swollen.”  Derek almost sounds excited.  “Ryker really got in some good hits the other day.”

“Did you call just to tell me that, Derek?  Because honestly, I was just starting to feel a little better.”

“No, there’s more.”  He pauses and there’s a serious tone to his voice.  “He came in to apologize.  He brought a peace offering.  If he feels half as bad as he looks, he’s in pretty bad shape, Jette.”

The elevator stops, and I step off to find a quiet hallway to finish my conversation.  “I don’t know what kind of peace offering could ever make up for what he did.”

“He gave both of us tickets on the fifty yard line for the first home game of the season.  Do you have any idea how much those tickets are worth?”

“Derek, I’m sorry, but did you just say, ‘both of us’?  Who else did Evan apologize to?”

“Ryker.  They just left, actually.”

“They left? Separately or together?” I can’t believe what I’m hearing.

“Together.  Evan’s taking him down the street to the Brickwall Tavern for some craft brews.”

Derek and I chat for a few more minutes, and it seems that among the guys, all is forgiven.  How can men do that?  Fight and forget?  If I didn’t know Derek better, I’d accuse him of lying.  To make matters worse, Derek tells me that Ryker and Evan went out to try to get to know each other a little better.  Emmy suggested it.  She thinks if Evan knows Ryker better, he will be able to trust him more.

I give Derek an update on Auggie and then I insist he to get back to work.  What am I supposed to do with this new information?  I wander to the cafeteria deep in thought, get us both some ice cream, and then head back upstairs. 

While we eat our frozen treat, I tell Auggie all about my phone call.  He thinks it’s great that Evan apologized and made peace.  He also thinks it’s just a matter of time until Evan comes to me.  I listen quietly as Auggie rattles all kinds of potential gifts he might offer me.  “I think he’ll bring you earrings.  No, wait – he already bought you those.  I think it’s time for a necklace.  Ooh, a ring!  How about a ring, Jette?  Wouldn’t that be amazing?  You know what?  Maybe it’s not going to be jewelry at all.  Maybe he’ll take you away.  You guys have never been on a trip together.  Hawaii?  Tahiti?  Bora Bora!  I’ve always wanted to go there.”  Auggie finally realizes I haven’t said a word.  “Aren’t you happy, Jepetto?”

“Oh, Auggie, it’s not that simple.  I just can’t accept an apology.  Unless he gets professional help, I have to walk away.”  Auggie nods his head, acknowledging the reality of the situation.  “We could go away on a romantic vacation, but our problems would be waiting for us the moment we got back.  He’s got to deal with this now, before it gets worse.”

When I get home, I find a beautiful bouquet of flowers waiting on the kitchen island.  Evan must have let himself in.  At least I know he still has the key and code.  There’s a card with the flowers.  I open it and find a hand written note, “Do you still love me?”  Nothing else.  No signature.  No poetry.  Just one simple question.  If Evan were standing here before me asking me to answer this question, of course, the answer would be ‘yes’.  But that doesn’t mean I’m ready to forgive.

These flowers are a little unusual for Evan.  He’s given me gifts of flowers more times than I can count, thanks to his sister the florist.  But this time, it’s a small arrangement, simple, and as I count them, I find six Forget-Me-Nots, six white daisies, and one beautiful, tall purple iris.  That’s thirteen flowers in all, a baker’s dozen.  I’m sure that’s no accident.  A quick Internet search tells me that the white daisies represent unwavering loyalty and love, while Forget-Me-Nots signify the sweet memories we share.  He’s playing dirty.  I also learn the purple iris symbolizes hope.  It goes so far as to say that the spear-shaped iris leaves are an example of the sorrows that pierce the heart. 

It’s really a sweet gesture.  Evan always did know exactly how to get to me.  This is no different.  It is certainly worthy of a response and I know exactly what to do.  I pull out one of my recipe books, flip through a few pages, and I find exactly what I’m looking for.  The ingredients are simple:  flour, sugar, salt, egg, and vanilla.  Before I mix the ingredients, I search for a quote.  Something that expresses my desire for reconciliation, but also demonstrates my need for repentance.  I stumble upon a quotation that does just that, "
A bend in the road is not the end of the road ... unless you fail to make the turn
."  I type it up and print it out.  Will he understand my message?  God, I hope so.

As I’m baking my special treat for Evan, for the first time in days, I start to feel hope.  I’m just worried about his willingness to accept help.  For someone like him, it may be too big of a challenge. 

I’m up until well after midnight baking.  My first two attempts don’t work as well as I had anticipated.  I’m having some trouble folding the cookies without breaking them.  Finally, the third attempt works perfectly.  While the cookies are still hot, I place the typed message inside one, fold the cookie in half, pull the edges down, and place the cookie into a muffin tin to hold its shape.  The result – a perfectly formed fortune cookie.  My gift to Evan.

I lay my head down for a few hours of shut-eye, and when I do, sleep comes easily again tonight.  I set my alarm to wake up before the sun because I have an early morning delivery to make.

My alarm goes off while it’s still pitch black outside.  I check on my creation, and all seems well.  I find a small gift box, tissue paper, and a big red bow.  Carefully, I wrap the cookie, taking care not to break the fragile pastry.  I need to get this gift on his deck by six o’clock.  It’s Saturday, so he has no practice, but I know he may still get up early to work out.  I want to deliver my gift box without getting caught.

Under the cover of darkness, I park my car at the south end of the boardwalk.  With my gift in hand, I begin my jog towards Evan’s house.  As I get closer, I can see the house is still dark.  There’s no sign of life.  I sneak up to the deck, place the gift on our loveseat, then scurry back down the stairs, jogging quickly back to my car.  The moon produces just enough light that I can see exactly where I’m going.  Relief washes over me as I make it back to my car undetected.

Today’s going to be a big day.  Auggie’s getting better.  And, hopefully, I’ll get to talk to Evan. 

Putting on a Brave Face

I
take a shower and eat breakfast, doing my best to keep busy waiting for time to pass.  After a trip to the park with Maddy, it’s nearly ten o’clock and I cannot wait another minute.  I send Evan a text.

Jette: 
Thank you for the beautiful flowers

Evan: 
Did you read the card?

Jette: 
Yes

Evan: 
And?

Jette: 
My answer is in a box on your deck.  When you’re ready to talk call me

Evan: 
OK

When my phone doesn’t ring immediately, I start to panic.  Was my message too vague?  What could be taking him so long to call me back?

In order to distract my overactive imagination, I decide to strip all the beds and wash the sheets.  Auggie’s surgery was four days ago, and in a few days’ time, he will probably be coming home.  With the wash started, I decide to clean out the refrigerator.  As I pull out the vegetable drawer to empty it of its contents, my phone rings.  Finally!

I answer the phone, “Hi.”

“Hi yourself,” he responds.  God, I miss the sound of his voice.

“Did you find it?”

“Of course I did.  You left it on our loveseat.  It was the first place I looked, Juliette.  Please come home.  I need to see you.  I have to tell you how sorry I am.”  I can tell by the tone in his voice that he’s sincere.

“I want to talk to you, too Evan.  I have to go to the hospital to check on Auggie, but I can come over around four o’clock.  Is that okay?”  I’m afraid that if I go there now, I’ll be putty in his hands.  He has a way of making me forget everything and lose myself in him entirely.  I can’t do that right now.  This is too important.

“Okay, four o’clock.”

“Evan, one thing – do you understand what I meant by ‘make the turn’?  It’s important to me that you do.”

“I think so.  I’ve said some pretty horrible things to you, Juliette.  I have a lot of apologizing to do.  I already started with Derek and Ryker.”

“No that’s not it.  I mean, yes, you do owe me an apology, but that’s not enough this time.  We need to figure out why, Evan.  Why did this happen?  If you can answer me that when I see you, then we have a chance.”

“That’s all I need Juliette, a chance.”  There’s silence for a moment, then he adds, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”  Shit.  I wish I didn’t say that.  I need to get off the phone before I make more promises I’m not ready for. “I’ll see you at four.”  And with that, I hang up.

I finish the few chores I’ve begun, and then head over to the hospital.  When I step into Auggie’s room, they have him out of bed, and sitting in a chair.  “Oh, Auggie, look at you!  Have you been sitting here long?”

“The doctor was in early this morning.  The nurses got me out of bed right after he left.”

I give him a big hug and I can’t help but notice one big change.  “Auggie, you smell great.  And your hair is washed.  Did you take a shower?”

“I did.”  He’s got a shit-eating grin from ear to ear, so I know there’s more to the story.  I raise one eyebrow suspiciously and he adds, “They sent me a male nurse.  His name is Alan.  He helped get me up, if you know what I mean.”

“Oh, my God!  You did
not
just say that.”  I give him a light smack on the shoulder.  Auggie’s back. 

Auggie and I have a few hours to spend together before I have to be at Evan’s.  We chat a little, but mostly, we just hang out today.  Whenever Auggie and I have time to spare, one of our favorite pastimes is watching old eighties movies.  I pull out his laptop and login to my Amazon account.  “I have a special treat for us today, Auggie.  Guess what I rented for us to watch together.”

“Is it a Brat Pack movie?  Please tell me it is.  I could definitely use a little injection of Rob Lowe to make me feel better.”  Auggie’s crazy about Rob Lowe. 

“Yes, and no.  How about some Andrew McCarthy for a change?  I thought a comedy might lift your spirits.”

“Hmm, let’s see.  Brat Pack.  Comedy.  Andrew McCarthy.  Is it Mannequin?” he guesses.

“Nope, guess again.  I’ll give you another hint.  Beach house.”

“No way.  It’s Weekend at Bernie’s, isn’t it?”  Auggie is very proud of himself for guessing it on the second try.  “Are you missing your beach house, Jepetto?”

I didn’t even make that connection.  “I guess so.  Can we drop it, please?  I just want to sit here with my bestie and enjoy a good movie.”

“Sorry, kiddo.  Go ahead, put it on.  Let’s chill.”  I cue up the movie, pull a chair beside Auggie, and put my feet up on the bed.  For the next hour and a half, we sit, we laugh, and just enjoy each other’s company. 

As the movie comes to an end, a social worker stops in to check on Auggie.  She introduces herself, shows us her hospital I.D., and recites a list of services the hospital provides beyond medical care.  She can make referrals for counselors or therapists upon patient request.  Even though she’s not here for me, I decide to take advantage and see if she can help.

“I was wondering if you could recommend a therapist who specializes in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.”  She looks at me, then again at Auggie.  “It’s for a friend.”

“Um, sure.  Can you tell me a little more about your
friend
?  Is it related to the armed services?  The Department of Veterans Affairs provides top-notch care for its veterans,” she explains.

“No.  It’s my boyfriend.  He was involved in a traumatic event a few months ago and now he’s experiencing some pretty severe anxiety.”  I’m afraid to give too much away.  Averee’s attack on Evan last April was big news and it wouldn’t be hard to put the pieces together.

“Okay.  I think I have an idea.  There’s someone I know who specializes in that sort of thing.”  She looks through her notes and fishes through her collection of business cards.

“Here it is!  I found it.”  She hands me a card with the name Dr. Walter Falkowski printed on it.  It says he specializes in treating issues related to trauma and abuse, substance abuse, ADHD, depression and anxiety.  There’s a phone number, but no address.

“Where is Dr. Falkowski’s office?  It doesn’t say.”  I’m hoping it’s close by.