Page 73 of Skipping Stones
“Jake, you’re amazing. All of you. I write for a living and I have no words to thank you.” She turned around and he could see tears in her eyes. She ran her hand along the scarred kitchen table. “It feels so good to be here.”
He took Linney’s bag into her bedroom as she opened kitchen cupboards. “Looks like Anna did a great job,” she called to him. “She even remembered popcorn!”
Jake came back into the kitchen. “I don’t suppose you’ll let me stay for a few nights?”
Linney put a hand on her hip and cocked her head. “Jake!”
“Okay, okay.” He put his hands up in the air. “How about a cup of coffee and a sandwich for the road then?”
She smiled. “That, I can do.”
* * *
Linney unpacked after Jake left and folded the quilt at the end of her bed. There was a gentle knock on her door mid-afternoon. Linney slowly made her way across the room and opened it to see Derek’s face. She smiled wearily. She didn’t need artifice with him; she could just be herself. “It’s good to see you.”
He hugged her gently, afraid she might break. “I thought I’d never see you again,” he said, the emotion creeping into his voice made stronger because of their argument. He beat it back. “I’m so glad you’re home. Tell me what you need.”
“Let’s sit. I’m just so tired.” He took her hand and led her out to the porch swing where they’d sat so many times before. He put his arm around her and she leaned into him. “Where are the kids?” she asked after a while.
“It’s a school day. They’ll be off the bus in an hour.”
“How are they old enough to be in school?” she asked, shaking her head in wonder.
“I know. It was hard to let Ivy get on that school bus for junior kindergarten the first time a couple of weeks ago. But what about Anna and Danny—they’ve got one going to university next year!”
“Impossible. Will you bring the kids over later?” Linney made a noise as she repositioned herself on the swing.
“Sore?” he asked, and she nodded. “Do you have painkillers?”
“In my purse on the counter. But—” Derek was already at the door. He returned a minute later with a bottle of prescription pills and a glass of water. “Thanks. I was hoping I was done with these, but all the travel has set me back a bit.” She put two pills in her hand and swallowed them down with a sip of water. “Okay, more than a bit. But I’ll be fine in a few days.”
“What does fine look like for you right now?” he probed gently.
“All my bumps and bruises are gone. No brain damage.” She tried to make a joke, but it fell flat as Derek flinched, reminded of the possibility. She started again, knowing there was no need for bravery with him. “Honestly? It’s still a work in progress. My ribs are finally good—I can’t believe how long they took to heal—and I have a limp that gets works when I’m tired. I won’t be walking to town any time soon. And then there’s this awful cane. The doctor said it would probably take two or three more weeks before I can get rid of it. Possibly even more, but I don’t think so. They’re sending records to the hospital here and I have an appointment with a Silver Lake specialist in two days who will monitor me.”
Linney took another sip of water and rubbed her hip. “That’s the easy part. Or maybe I should say the part with a known path forward. My eye, on the other hand? The vision limitations are taking some time to get used to.” She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
Derek said nothing, letting Linney take her time. “I still get dizzy sometimes,” she said quietly. “And I keep bumping into things that I used to be able to see out of the corner of my eye. Door frames, tables, bookshelves—things like that.
“I was surprised that the crowds in the airport made me anxious,” she continued, reluctantly, looking back up at him. “It’s okay now while I have the cane, because people give me a wide berth, but I’m a worried about how it’ll work when I look ‘normal’ again.”
“How’s your depth perception?” he asked, knowing that was important from the reading he’d done. Linney laughed. “Not so great then,” he surmised.
She shook her head. “They say my brain will fully accommodate for it in time, but for now it’s a work in progress. And that’s important. I’ll need that, and range of vision to get behind the wheel of a car again.”
They sat together for a few more minutes and then Derek looked at his watch.
“Do you have somewhere to be?” Linney asked.
“School bus time. I’m sorry. I have to go,” he said, standing up. “I’ll come back when the kids are in bed.” He didn’t think she was up to them visiting just yet.
“That’d be nice,” she said. “And Derek? Thank you.”
Linney watched as Derek bounded down the steps and ran across the lawn, disappearing into his house, and wondered when she’d be able to do that again. She closed her eyes and rocked on the swing. It was so good to be home.
* * *
Anna and Kirsten video chatted with Derek that evening while he brushed Leo and Ivy’s hair after their bath. “I’m going back over when the munchkins are asleep,” he told them. “But here’s what I can tell you based on what I saw this afternoon.”