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Authors: Lynette Sowell
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could check on the quilt and see if it was dry yet. It probably was. But if Mrs. Pereira woke, Kelly didn’t want to leave her alone.
At last Tom emerged from behind one of the large double doors that led back to the treatment rooms. Kelly sat up straight and gently tapped Mrs. Pereira’s arm. “Tom’s done.”
He scanned the room, then caught sight of them and nodded. “I’m fine. They wanted to do an MRI, but I said no.”
“Oh, Tommy . . . ,” Mrs. Pereira said as she rose. “Couldn’t you have waited?”
“No, I’m feeling better now, and they told me I need to see my VA doc. So I will.” He gave his mother a hug. “You didn’t need to come. How’d you know?” He released his mother and shot a look at Kelly.
“Uh, Mrs. Acres,” Kelly said. “She gave me your emergency contact information. I . . . I hope you didn’t mind.”
Tom paused. He glanced from his mother, to Kelly, then back to his mother again. “No. And thanks.”
“So, you’ll both come for supper tonight?” Mrs. Pereira looked at both of them.
“Well, I . . . ,” Kelly began.
“I don’t know . . . ,” Tom said.
“Kelly is new in town. The least we can do is show her some kindness, especially since she took such good care of you today. Imagine if you’d been alone.” Mrs. Pereira looped her arm through her son’s, then tugged Kelly closer with her other hand.
“It wasn’t anything, really,” Kelly said.
“But it was.” Mrs. Pereira nodded.
“Ma, don’t worry about it. Kelly’s pretty busy . . .”
“Humor me. Your niece and nephew are at the house. They’re staying for a couple of days of spoiling.” Mrs. Pereira plucked Tom’s arm. “We might have a dominoes tournament, playing to one hundred. Winner does dishes.”
“All right, I’ll be there.” Tom smiled. “She’s pretty insistent.” He glanced at Kelly.
“You’re still coming for supper, young lady.” Mrs. Pereira nodded.
“All right, then. I . . . I’ll see you tonight.”
7
T om kept quiet all the way back to Gray House, and thankfully Kelly respected his silence. She’d retreated into her own thoughts as well, it seemed.
He glanced down at the discharge papers on his lap. No driving until seen by his neurologist. Did that mean no motorcycle, either? Technically riding a motorcycle wasn’t driving. The ER doc hadn’t seen the humor in his challenge, though.
Maybe Kelly coming for supper wasn’t a bad idea. They would focus on her instead of asking him the same questions here and there. He could minimize the focus on his seizure today.
He thought ahead to the follow-up visit with the neurologist. It was bad enough that the ER doctor had said no driving until his appointment in a week. He only hoped the neurologist didn’t bar him from driving for a longer period of time. Of course, he understood the need for safety and all that. He didn’t want to endanger anyone because of his stubbornness.
Kelly pulled into the driveway at Gray House and turned off the engine. She opened her mouth, then closed it. Then she said, “Your mother is very sweet.”
He nodded. “She’s the best. She really is.”
“I’m sorry if I overstepped today, but I didn’t know . . .”
“Of course you didn’t, and that’s okay.” The faint traces of a headache pricked his temples. “I guess you should know about the seizures. Did my mother tell you anything?”
“Just that you’d had an injury while in the military.”
He sighed and looked across at the lawn, the rosebushes, and the knocked-over box of rose food where he’d collapsed earlier. “Yes, it was an accident. I had a hematoma on my brain after a fall from the back of a tall truck. That plus some fractures in my back gave me a medical discharge from the Army. I’ve been home about a year now, trying to get life figured out. I . . . I’m a Christian, but sometimes God feels pretty far away.”
He watched her nod slowly. Now that he’d spilled as much as he was going to
At last Tom emerged from behind one of the large double doors that led back to the treatment rooms. Kelly sat up straight and gently tapped Mrs. Pereira’s arm. “Tom’s done.”
He scanned the room, then caught sight of them and nodded. “I’m fine. They wanted to do an MRI, but I said no.”
“Oh, Tommy . . . ,” Mrs. Pereira said as she rose. “Couldn’t you have waited?”
“No, I’m feeling better now, and they told me I need to see my VA doc. So I will.” He gave his mother a hug. “You didn’t need to come. How’d you know?” He released his mother and shot a look at Kelly.
“Uh, Mrs. Acres,” Kelly said. “She gave me your emergency contact information. I . . . I hope you didn’t mind.”
Tom paused. He glanced from his mother, to Kelly, then back to his mother again. “No. And thanks.”
“So, you’ll both come for supper tonight?” Mrs. Pereira looked at both of them.
“Well, I . . . ,” Kelly began.
“I don’t know . . . ,” Tom said.
“Kelly is new in town. The least we can do is show her some kindness, especially since she took such good care of you today. Imagine if you’d been alone.” Mrs. Pereira looped her arm through her son’s, then tugged Kelly closer with her other hand.
“It wasn’t anything, really,” Kelly said.
“But it was.” Mrs. Pereira nodded.
“Ma, don’t worry about it. Kelly’s pretty busy . . .”
“Humor me. Your niece and nephew are at the house. They’re staying for a couple of days of spoiling.” Mrs. Pereira plucked Tom’s arm. “We might have a dominoes tournament, playing to one hundred. Winner does dishes.”
“All right, I’ll be there.” Tom smiled. “She’s pretty insistent.” He glanced at Kelly.
“You’re still coming for supper, young lady.” Mrs. Pereira nodded.
“All right, then. I . . . I’ll see you tonight.”
7
T om kept quiet all the way back to Gray House, and thankfully Kelly respected his silence. She’d retreated into her own thoughts as well, it seemed.
He glanced down at the discharge papers on his lap. No driving until seen by his neurologist. Did that mean no motorcycle, either? Technically riding a motorcycle wasn’t driving. The ER doc hadn’t seen the humor in his challenge, though.
Maybe Kelly coming for supper wasn’t a bad idea. They would focus on her instead of asking him the same questions here and there. He could minimize the focus on his seizure today.
He thought ahead to the follow-up visit with the neurologist. It was bad enough that the ER doctor had said no driving until his appointment in a week. He only hoped the neurologist didn’t bar him from driving for a longer period of time. Of course, he understood the need for safety and all that. He didn’t want to endanger anyone because of his stubbornness.
Kelly pulled into the driveway at Gray House and turned off the engine. She opened her mouth, then closed it. Then she said, “Your mother is very sweet.”
He nodded. “She’s the best. She really is.”
“I’m sorry if I overstepped today, but I didn’t know . . .”
“Of course you didn’t, and that’s okay.” The faint traces of a headache pricked his temples. “I guess you should know about the seizures. Did my mother tell you anything?”
“Just that you’d had an injury while in the military.”
He sighed and looked across at the lawn, the rosebushes, and the knocked-over box of rose food where he’d collapsed earlier. “Yes, it was an accident. I had a hematoma on my brain after a fall from the back of a tall truck. That plus some fractures in my back gave me a medical discharge from the Army. I’ve been home about a year now, trying to get life figured out. I . . . I’m a Christian, but sometimes God feels pretty far away.”
He watched her nod slowly. Now that he’d spilled as much as he was going to
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