Strong (7 page)

“
Are they going to come out and greet me with a shotgun?” I tease.

“
Maybe,” he jokes. “My sister and her husband are cool. But my mom seems to have reverted back to treating me like a five-year-old instead of a college senior.  I love her and all, but she can be kind of overbearing sometimes. I mean, she keeps trying to help me with
everything
– school, work.... relationships.” He glances at me warily. “She's not going to judge you or anything, but she just wants to know that you
get
me. That you know how
fragile
I am.”

“
You!?”  I laugh. “Fragile? You're the strongest person I know!”

“
Yeah, well, my mom seems to think I need all this protection since the accident, you know? That's one of the reasons I spend a lot of time away from the cabin. We're on this family vacation, but I want to her to accept that I'm capable of living my own life, that I'm an adult.”

“
I completely understand about that,” I commiserate with Chase. “Living at home while I'm going to college has the same challenges. My mom thinks I'm still in high school.”

Chase nods in understanding.

Chase and I decide to take a drive instead of heading back to his cabin. It seems like there's more he wants to tell me and  I want to listen. He must have wanted to pick me up early so that we could talk before dinner. 

We pull up to the beach front and park where we had the night that I met him. Chase hesitates and  then a kind of sad look crosses his face. “My dad changed after the accident. He's different somehow, like he can't get over the fact that something so terrible happened to our family. Instead of just taking the time to grieve over it, like the rest of us did, he seemed to push past that and push me harder, like he could force me to recover by sheer will power.”

“I told you that my dad is kind of a sports nut, right?”

“
Yeah, he totally looks like a football coach,” I tell him.

“
Oh, yeah, you met him at the college, didn't you? Well, we were the classic sports family. Chelsea and I did everything: little league, soccer, football, volleyball, gymnastics.

“
Football is my dad's passion. He had me throwing the ball since I was three years old, even earlier than baseball. Some of his fanaticism rubbed off on me, but I eventually quit football in seventh grade.”

He leans back and looks up at the roof of the car. “He was so tough on me in middle school that I ended up quitting the team. I still played baseball and soccer, but he didn't pressure me as much in those sports.”

“He was furious with me for quitting football, and for a long time, I felt like that was how he viewed me, as a quitter. Looking back, I think he was just so proud of my athletic accomplishments and abilities that he wanted to experience some of that vicariously through me.”

“
I eventually fell in love with running. I don't know why. I'm built for football, but I finally felt like I had found my
own
passion
.
My dad didn't coach track or cross country at all, so maybe it was a little bit of an escape for me.  But I genuinely loved the feeling it gave me to just be free to go for miles without having to think about anything else but the road.”

Chase takes a deep breath and asks with a smirk, “Are you starting to feel like my therapist?”

“No, I love hearing about your life – the good
and
the bad.”

He continues. “My relationship with my dad was never the same after I quit football, but he gradually accepted it. Then we had the accident. He treated my recovery from the accident like any other sports injury. He would sometimes get in my face at therapy and try to push me to my limit. I used to get so ticked off at him. He would push and push and push, just like he was coaching me in football all over again. I hated it.  And I started to hate him.” Chase ends with a whisper.

What on earth can I say to that kind of confession? I simply reach over and squeeze Chase's hand.

“
Now, he just seems kind of resentful toward me. I don't want to make him out to sound like he's evil or something.  He just can't get over it, you know? Like I'm just not trying hard enough.” Chase breathes a deep sigh.

“
Well, I'll just try to roll with it, okay? Don't worry about me.” I assure him that I can handle it, and give him a quick kiss.

Chase's mom greets me at the door like I'm some long-lost relative. “Oh, Kate, dear, I'm so glad to finally meet you.” She squishes me as she speaks. She is a petite and somewhat portly auburn-brunette.  Her hug does feel kind of like I'm being squeezed by a big mama bear, but she's not quite the over-protective
mommy that Chase described.  In spite of the expectations he had set up for me earlier, I am at ease with her.

His dad walks in a few moments later. I turn and say, “Hello, Dr. Nichols.  Nice to see you again.”  He shakes my hand with an overly firm grip, but says nothing.

Just before we sit down for dinner, Chase's sister Chelsea and her husband Michael arrive home from Christmas shopping. They are really down to earth. Chelsea and I click instantly.

Chelsea is taller than her mom, has the same eyes as Chase, but her hair is a much lighter color than his beautiful brown waves. Her hair is more of an auburn and it gently flows down around her face and shoulders in a way that I can never get my hair to do. She has a rounder face, but she sports the same adorable dimples that Chase has.

Michael is all blonde hair and blue eyes, but it looks as if he's trying to grow a mustache. Maybe he's trying to look older, since he has quite the baby face. I can relate.

“
Did you hit the Lamplighter shop?” I ask them. “They have the coolest Christmas stuff in town.”

“
Yes, we even bought an ornament for the baby!” Chelsea gushes. “For next year of course.”

I'm glad Chase catches my wide eyes and interjects, “Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you. I'm going to be an uncle.”

“That's awesome! Congratulations!” I say to him and to the happy parents-to-be. “Can I see the ornament?” 

Chelsea rushes over to grab the bag and comes back with a Noah's Ark-themed pewter ornament that says “Baby's First Christmas.”  There is an opening for a tiny baby picture at the top of the ark.

“It's so sweet,” I confirm. 

The conversation at dinner turns toward talk of babies and showers and nurseries.  Dr. Nichols even lets a smile cross his face at the mention of having a grandbaby.

I find myself thinking about Chase and how he will be an awesome uncle. I'm sure he will make a great father, too. He is so strong, so grounded. I blush a bit as I realize where my thoughts are leading me. I hope no one notices. But my next thought takes over before I can stop it:
Can Chase
have
kids? I wonder if his spinal injury affected any of that.

It seems as if Mrs. Nichols reads my mind because she looks directly at me and says, “Chase may have to be satisfied with being an uncle. He may not be able to have children. You know, because of the accident.”

Chelsea almost chokes on her mouthful of mashed potatoes and yells, “Mother!”

Chase just looks at her for a moment and then says, “Thanks, Mom. That's really appropriate.”

Wow. Maybe Chase
wasn't
exaggerating about his parents – at least his mom – treating him like a child.

“
What?!” Mrs. Nichols sounds as if she's the one who should be offended. “I'm just letting Kate know what she's getting herself into. The doctors told us that was a possibility after the accident. And I mean, even if you can conceive, having a baby is a lot of work. How is Chase going to even carry a baby in his arms?”

“
MOM!” Chelsea yells louder this time.

“
For goodness sake, Carolyn,” Dr. Nichols interjects. “Stop treating him like a child. Kate's just having dinner with us, they're not getting married.”

He turns his attention to Chase, “You still have a lot of work to do, son.  You're not going to go to medical school or walk down the aisle on crutches. You gotta keep pushing yourself.”

Chase's face turns to stone.

Then he slowly looks at his father and says in a steely voice, “Dad, I thought we were past this. You don't think I've been working hard? You think that I've been slacking off, so
that's
why I can't walk?!”

“
You're gonna walk again if you keep pushing yourself. I'm telling you, it's all about hard work and perseverance,” his dad says loudly.

“
Dad, I can't heal my own spine! It doesn't matter how much I work at it, my spine will always be damaged! Why can't you get that?”

“
Because of that attitude, right there, son! You don't have the right attitude. You don't know how much better you will get unless you
try
!”

My face has been on fire for several uncomfortable moments, and I know there is no way to hide it. I am mortified by the turn the conversation has taken, but I am also becoming indignant. How can Chase's own parents not see how strong and capable their son is?

I avoid looking at Dr. Nichols at all.  If I look at him, I'm quite sure I will burst into flames from my fury. I can't believe the words coming out of his mouth.

Mike gently tries to steer his in-laws away from the disaster they are creating. “Mom, did you say we had some more gravy to go with the roast?” 

Mrs. Nichols gets up and walks to the stove, but she doesn't take the not-so-subtle hint from Mike.  As she returns to the table with the gravy boat, she takes over the conversation again and says, “Kate, you just have to understand how much work it's going to be to take care of Chase.”

Dr. Nichols turns on his wife and says, “You're not helping him at all by coddling him! Chase doesn't need someone to take care of him!”

Chase has long since finished eating and has been trying to cover the humiliation on his face. With his parents' last comments, he simply gets up and leaves the table.

Not quite sure what to do, I simply say, “Thank you, Mrs. Nichols. Dinner was wonderful. I'd like to excuse myself as well.” I don't wait for permission as I get up quickly to find Chase. I can hear very loud and agitated whispers behind me as I leave the dining room.

I find him sitting on the couch, where I had fallen asleep on his shoulder a few nights before. I sit down quietly and take his hand. I'm not sure there are any words that I can say, so I don't say anything.

A few minutes later, Mike comes in and says, “Chels and I would like to take you two out for a drink.”

“Well, I'm not quite old enough, but I'm happy to just order a soda,” I smile at the first sign of prudent behavior I've seen in the last 20 minutes.

Chelsea follows and quickly says, “How about dessert, then? Obviously, I can't have a drink, either; although I could really use one right about now.”

Chase and I climb in the back seat of the car. He wastes no time in putting his arm around me and tugging me into his shoulder. “So, you survived my parents,” he whispers.

“
Just barely,” I admit. He laughs and pulls me even closer.

“
I am so sorry. That was just so...wow...I'm so sorry.” 

I close my eyes and feel my discomfort evaporate, enjoying the warmth and smell of the guy who has stolen my heart.
My
guy.

As we finish our gooey desserts and fancy coffees, Chelsea smiles at us and offers, “Mike and I figured everyone needed a stiff drink after that train wreck. But a sugar overload works, too.”

I find myself relaxing more, knowing that not everyone in Chase's family finds the idea of “us” to be absurd.

“
You two are good together,” she says in all seriousness. “I can feel it.”

She turns to me, “Kate, I've never seen him so happy.” I blush as she continues, “I'm being completely honest. We all know it's been a tough few years, but Chase is so determined, so strong. I have no idea what on earth Mom and Dad are talking about.”

She turns to look her brother straight in the eye. “Chase, you will make a great husband and a great father. They're full of it!”

We all burst out laughing and I feel comfortable for the first time all night.

“Thanks, Chels,” Chase finally says. “But you might want to tone it down a bit. I don't think Kate is ready to marry me yet. We've only known each other a few weeks. You're going to scare her off.” He smiles and squeezes my hand.

We take Chelsea and Mike back to the cabin before Chase drives me home. He turns to look at me once we've parked in my driveway. “I am really
so
sorry, Kate. I had no idea any of that was going to happen. I guess it wasn't quite the right time to introduce you to my parents.”

“
It's okay,” I sigh. “I just might not want to come back to your place for a while.” His face breaks into a wide grin and he pulls me in tight for a lingering kiss.