Chapter 13
Bob and Barb Van Slaars had offered to drive to Dallas to meet Lee and Amanda's flight, but Amanda had pointed out that they'd need a way to get around while they were in Texas. "We'll just rent a car, Bob," she told him.
"Long-term, that can get pretty expensive. We have the car Rick drove back and forth to the high school and it's just sitting here. It's a 1977 Chevy Impala. Ten years old, but it runs like a champ, and it's yours for as long as you need it."
"Thank you, Bob. In that case, we accept the offer of a ride back from the airport."
Bob and Barb were waiting at the gate when Lee and Amanda stepped onto solid ground in Texas just after nine o'clock on Thursday night. Barb came forward to hug Amanda while Bob shook hands with Lee, and then it was Amanda's turn to shake hands with Bob while Barb hugged Lee.
"She's still unconscious," Barb reported. "She's heavily sedated, of course, but her vital signs are good. Another twenty-four hours and they should be able to upgrade her to 'serious', the doctors say."
"Have you been able to get in touch with Rick at his temporary assignment?" Lee asked. After a few weeks of summer leave in June, Rick had gone to Dover Air Force Base, Delaware for 'real world' training before he returned to Colorado Springs for his third year at the Air Force Academy.
"Yes; I contacted his squadron commander, whom I know slightly from my days on active duty, and I was able to speak to Rick personally. There's nothing he can do now, so he's going to stay out there, but he should be able to come here for a day or so next month on his way back to the academy."
"If you don't want to stay in Louise's house, we have a room at our place," Barb offered once they'd picked up their bags and were on the way back to the Van Slaars' minivan. "It was Rick's room, and we moved Bryan into it once Rick left, but we can move him back in with Pete."
"No, we'll stay in the house," Amanda said. "It's better if someone lives there, so it won't seem so empty when we do get her home from the hospital. It's going to be hard enough to go back into the house after losing her mother; I think it would be worse if it looked like it had been abandoned. We won't do anything more than keep it clean and tidy, of course; any decisions on what has to be done with the contents are hers to make."
"I agree, but we thought we'd make the offer."
"My boys have suggested coming out here once things settle down a bit, and we'll need a place for them to stay too."
"Oh, Bry and Pete would love that! They could take Phillip and Jamie around and introduce them to all their friends."
"He's calling himself Jim now, but I think my boys would like that too."
Bob pulled into his driveway and parked the van; his boys had clearly been watching for them, because they were out the door almost instantly.
"Hi, Mrs. King… oh, sorry, Mrs. Stetson," Bryan, now fourteen and ready to start high school at Denton High, said. "Gotta get used to the new name."
"I'm still getting used to it myself," Amanda said with a smile as she shook hands with him. "Hello, Bryan. Hi, Pete. Good news; you don't have to share a room while I'm here; Lee and I are going to stay next door."
"We wouldn't mind," Bryan said.
"I'm sure you wouldn't, but boys your age need their own rooms. Now that we're going to have Leeanne living with us, once she's able to move, of course, we're going to have to find a bigger house. My widowed mother lives with us now, has for about five years since the boys' dad and I divorced, and the boys are getting too big to share a room, so we're looking for something with five bedrooms and three bathrooms."
"Our house in Arlington had five bedrooms," Barb said. "I don't know if you remember, Amanda, since it's been ten years since we lived in Arlington, but we had my mother living with us for about a year after my father passed away, and of course Terry was still living at home."
The Van Slaars' daughter Teresa had graduated from the Air Force Academy in May and was now assigned to Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, as a logistics officer.
"I had forgotten that, if I ever knew it," Amanda said. " We hope we can find something like it so the boys can stay in the same school district."
"We'll find it," Lee said. "Bob, Barb, thanks for the lift and for all you're done for Leeanne, but I think we need to say goodnight. I thought about trying to go to the hospital tonight, but it's going to have to wait."
"Of course. Pete, run get the keys to the Spruce Goose; Mr. and Mrs. Stetson are going to be driving it while they're here."
"Yes, sir."
Bob handed Lee a single key on a 'Go Air Force' key ring. "This is the key Louise left with us for emergencies. Her bag and keys are at the hospital, and of course the car was totaled."
"I understand," Lee said. "Spruce Goose?"
"It's not as big as Howard Hughes' aircraft, of course, but it's plenty big, and we always name our ships in this family."
"Sure."
Pete, who was Jim King's age, was soon back with the keys to the Impala, which was parked beside the minivan.
"Here you are, Mr. Stetson."
"Thanks, Pete. I'll move it tomorrow, Bob; no need to do it now. Good night, and thanks for everything."