Life is just fine and then a hiccup

chapter 16

Justin did not come home on the day Will had originally announced at their meeting. He came home one day later, on Friday December 15th. The delay was unavoidable after Justin's last three days of therapy. He was not putting his heart into the sessions as much as before. He was not slacking, just not as energized as he was in the beginning. Will had to agree with Amy when she suggested that they had pushed their window as far as possible. Justin needed the positive energy of being home to help him take the next steps in his recovery.

At a prior session with Ken he stumbled and fell. This was not unusual, he was still not completely steady on his feet, but he had never taken a full fall before. It shook him. The rest of the session was lost to reassuring him that he could continue and calming him down. It took a lot for Ken to convince him that he could make the walk back to the unit, and not take the chair. Justin had done the short walk with a walker or cane before. It was a relatively level path, no steps until they arrived at the unit, and it was completely free of any ice or snow. But that day, he was resistant. Ken knew he was scared, but would not let him give in to his fear. If he wanted to go home, he had to continue to push himself on the days he was pain free. So Ken talked him through it, walking at Justin's pace, and before Justin could complain too much, they were back at the unit.

Amy noticed the next day at therapy he was aggressive, almost angry with his body's limitations. That day he left covered in sweat, having pushed himself to walk farther unaided and climb more steps than normal. It was as if he needed to prove something to himself. It seemed to work, but Amy still felt that he was on the verge of sinking into depression. He was not his usual chatting self. He gritted his teeth and furrowed his brow as he fought the equipment to finish his session. This same day the weather turned sour again. There was several inches of new snow on the ground by early afternoon and it was covered in a slushy rain - snow mix that froze before nightfall.

Brian got caught in the storm, trying to make it back to the unit. He had been overseeing the last of the changes to the house when the storm started. Their housekeeper, a great local lady named, Mrs. Kelly, had agreed to take on the cooking for the house as well as the cleaning. In exchange for the added responsibilities she had asked Brian to hire another housekeeper to help out. She was getting up there in age, and didn't mind light housekeeping and cooking for the two men, but the heavier jobs were becoming too much for her. The day had been spent making the final selections for who she wanted as her assistant. They had agreed upon a younger woman who was new to the community. Her husband worked in the city, and she just wanted something to fill the time while he was gone. Her name was Donna Dytang, and she was just learning English. Her enthusiasm and positive attitude worked both of them over instantly, she was hired, and her wage agreed upon before she left.

When if began as snow, Brian figured he was fine, he grew up driving in snow. Much later, after he lost track of time with preparations, he noticed the ground was icing over. He started out, but did not make it ten miles into Pennsylvania before he had to turn around and go home. He was on the phone with Justin most of the time, and could tell by his partner's demeanor that something was off. Justin would not elaborate, just point out his accomplishments at therapy with Amy. Brian called the direct line to the unit, after hanging up with Justin.

"Hey Amy, what's going on with the queen today? I just got off the phone with him, and he's not right in the head. I can't get into town, I'm stuck out here, and I'm a bit worried."

"Well, I was going to call you later Brian. Justin is off today. He was fine when the day started, but at therapy he was really worked up, almost angry. Now he's playing the x-box. Honestly, his fine motor and gross motor were spot on perfect today. His hands are steady, and I haven't seen any signs of pain, but something's off. I was going to go and spend some time with him later, to see if I could get a fix on it."

Brian was getting a drink while he listened. He sat down at the kitchen table and continued, "Amy, what's he playing on the x-box?"

"Last I checked it was Land of the Dead, why?"

"Was he a person or a zombie?"

"Brian, are you serious? How the hell would I know? What difference does it make, what are you thinking?"

Brian put his head in his hand, "If he's a person, I would say he's okay, just keep an eye on him. If he' s a zombie, I would say he's not. I would suggest you stay close to him. He usually picks to be the zombie when he feels like shit, but doesn't want to talk about it. Don't ask, it's our own private psychology, I don't have a really good explanation. But when we hang up, could you check, and if he's a zombie, stay really close, because something's up. Christ, I wish I had paid more attention to the storm, sorry to leave this with you. I'll get out as early as I can tomorrow, and I'll be checking in. Hey, what night nurse is on tonight? "

Amy checked the chart, "It's Aggie. She's alright, Justin gets along with her fine. And Brian, it's not like I have super powers to drive from here, I'll be here later too, and if Justin needs me, I'll stay. Don't worry. "

"That is easier said than done, Amy. Call me back when you have something."

Brian hung up and cursed out loud in the empty kitchen. Mrs. Kelly chose the same moment to walk into the room with her coat.

"That doesn't sound very good. Brian are you okay, is Justin?"

"Yes, Abigail he's okay, so am I. I'm just pissed I missed my opportunity to get back to him."

"Well, I always found the absence makes the heart grow fonder. Maybe a night apart, would do the two of you good."

"Maybe. Abigail, how are you getting home? Do you need me to take you?"

"No, no Brian, my son is coming to get me. He should be here any minute. I just wanted to say goodnight for the evening. And I assume you'll want me to do some shopping for you before Justin comes home? There's really nothing here anymore. You two have been gone so long, most of what you had went bad weeks ago."

"Yes, please do Abigail. Have them charge the bill to my account, get whatever you need."

"Well, more importantly, what does Justin need? Is there anything in particular he wants or needs in the house?" Mrs. Kelly pulled a pad and pen out of the drawer at the in kitchen desk area, her 'office'.

"Yes, make sure we have ice cream, chocolate chip's his favorite. And ensure shakes, vanilla he'll eat - he won't eat the chocolate. He's been eating a lot of sandwiches lately, so stuff for those. Lot's of raw veggies. Oh hell, you know what to get, you feed your family."

Mrs. Kelly moved around the island and put her hands on Brian's shoulders. "It will all be okay Brian, when Justin gets home and starts spending some time in his studio. You'll see, just give it time."

Brian's shoulders slumped. This woman who had kept their house here since they bought it, knew more than some of the people who called them friends. "Yea, he just needs time. Time we have. We just have to get him here." Brian turned to look at her, "Thanks Abigail. Don't bother coming here tomorrow for anything. Just take your time at the store. Over buy, I want him to have lots of choices here, he still needs to put on about 15 pounds. He looks good, but still has a way to go."

"Alright Brian, I hope I'll see both of you on Thursday."

Brian spent the evening on the phone with Justin. It turned out he was a human for his Land of the Dead play. After showing Amy how to play, they spent their evening killing zombies. And as more died, Justin's mood improved. Brian felt better going to sleep later, knowing that Justin was getting out of his funk and that Amy was going to stay overnight.

Thursday the 14th dawned clear and Brian was able to get to the unit by 10AM, expecting to find Justin bursting to get home. What he found was Justin in bed, blinds drawn, warm towel over his face. His face was hurting, his hands were hurting, his body ached. He assured Brian that it was not mind melting pain, just achy. He hurt to move, to open his eyes, even his teeth hurt. Everyone agreed to delay release by one day. The ride home, while on a good day would only take about an hour, with the snow would take longer. The cold would make Justin's aches worse. So plans were delayed by one day.

It did not affect anything greatly, no one was planning any homecoming, the two had wanted a quiet return home. No one would be coming out until closer to the holiday. They wanted a little time to get used to home again. So with most of their personal items already at home, Brian settled in to spend the day comforting Justin. He would never admit to being a comforter, it was his own gruff version of comfort, but it was what Justin had come to expect and need at times like this. So the two did fine. Justin's pain ebbed and flowed. It never got really bad, just persistent enough to stop him for the day. Ken and Amy gathered with some of the staff who had gotten close to the two to give them a little send off. They joined them for an impromptu early dinner, it was relatively quiet, and well appreciated by both Brian and Justin.

Justin napped on and off for the entire evening, finally agreeing to take some pain medication to get some good sleep so he would be well rested for the next day. Both did get good sleep, and as the next day began, they were ready to go. Justin's aches had all but subsided, and that coupled with his anticipation to get home made up for any residual pain he was having.