"Rise and shine, it's morning! 7:00 AM, time to join the land of the living!" sung Heather as she threw open Shane's curtains to let the sunlight in.
Shane squinted as she propped herself up with her hands. "Mom, what on earth are you doing? I don't have a therapy appointment this morning. Wait, do I?" Shane reached for her phone to check her calendar.
"No, you don't. There has simply been another special delivery." Heather grinned as she held up an envelope identical to the other two already received. Except this time 'Heather' was written on the front instead of Shane.
"Oliver wrote you a letter?" asked Shane.
"Mmmhmm. Found it on the porch when I went to retrieve the paper this morning. She pulled it out of the envelope and cleared her throat.
Dear the most wonderful future mother-in-law a man could ask for,
She glanced at Shane, "I knew I liked him."
Your presence here since the accident has been more of a blessing than can be expressed. Thank you for uprooting your entire life and creating a new home here with us. Please enjoy a mother daughter day with Shane.
Sincerely,
Oliver
Heather handed Shane a stack of papers from the envelope. "You've got to get dressed. We've got a full day ahead of us!"
Shane sifted through the items in her hand. There was a map of a flower garden she had casually mentioned to Oliver she would like to visit sometime, two tickets for a matinee showing of Little Women at a theater in the city, and a gift card for a fancy restaurant nearby for lunch.
Shane was grinning from ear to ear. "How does he do it, Mom?! This show was sold out months ago. This is perfect. I'm so excited!"
Heather practically squealed. "Me too! Let's get ready!"
Shane and Heather spent a leisurely morning looking at the most stunning collection of flowers they had ever seen. It was a beautiful sunny day. Heather pushed Shane's chair and they paused to take pictures and examine different flower types.
They then went to lunch at a fancy restaurant called the Palace Arms.
"This food is incredible." said Heather as she took another bite.
"I know. I can't believe I've never eaten here before." Shane said as she wiped her mouth. She sighed. "This has been such a lovely day so far."
"I agree. And we haven't even ordered dessert yet!" They both chuckled.
"Shane?" said Heather.
"Hmm?" Shane replied as she looked around the restaurant.
"Are you planning on returning to work soon?" Heather asked.
Shane quickly turned her head and looked right at her mom. "Are you in on it too?"
"In on what?" asked Heather surprised.
"This whole week. I can tell everyone wants me back at work even though no one has asked me directly about it." Shane sounded irritated.
Heather's voice became slightly stern. "I'm not "in on" anything. I am simply a mother who wants to see her daughter happy and embracing life again. It was a simple question, Shane."
Heather paused, but she wasn't finished, and Shane knew not to interrupt. "I'm pretty sure there is not some conspiracy going on to trick you into anything. And even if there were, you are very lucky to have people in your life that love you enough to want what is best for you. They are not lying when they say you are needed at work, ya know. You are a key player on a team that changes lives everyday."
"I know that." said Shane defensively. Her mom was not generally a confrontational person unless something was really important to her. Shane was slightly taken aback. "I told Oliver last night that I would return to work when I can walk into the DLO on my own."
Heather stared at her for a moment, taking in what she had just said. Her face softened and filled with love, "And what happens if you are never able to walk on your own? What then?"
Shane's eyes started to pool with tears and she shrugged, not knowing what to say.
"Shane, when your dad suddenly up and left us, I was a wreck. I was talking with your grandma one day about things I was going to do if he came back and things I was waiting to make decisions on until I was sure he was gone for good, etc." Heather paused to steady her voice. This was not something they often talked about. "Do you know what she said to me? She looked at me sternly and said, "Heather, baby, don't you dare limit your life like that. Don't you wait for things to change, to be a certain way, before you take the next step. Otherwise you will spend your whole life standing still."
Heather paused for a moment, as if remembering. "She was right. I guess I'm saying the same thing to you, baby girl. Don't put your life on hold by placing boundaries on circumstances that are out of your control. Do what you know you need to do whether on wheels, or on your feet. You cannot force fate's hand by holding hostage the elements of your life you do have control over." Heather paused and waited.
Shane wiped her eyes and quietly said, "I know, Mom. I guess I'm just afraid that if I accept it, I'll never get better."
Heather actually chuckled, "I don't think you are that powerful, honey." Shane laughed a bit too. "You have already healed so much. I know you are still waiting on that darn left leg, but you have made amazing progress already."
Heather moved to Shane's side and put her arm around her in a hug. "Do it afraid, like you always do."
Shane gave her a hug in return. "Thanks, Mom."
Heather sniffed, "Now, enough on that subject. Let's dry our eyes. We've got a play to get to and I'm sure we'll need to save some tissues for that too."
Oliver pulled up in front of Shane's house and loosened his tie before he stepped out of the car. It had been a long day at work and he just wanted to be with Shane.
As he walked up the front ramp, he saw her on the swing. She was smiling at him, her hair curled and blowing slightly in the breeze, wearing a light blue dress that made her eyes pop, as the sun lit up her face.
Shane batted her eyelashes and spoke in a proper voice, "Welcome home, dear. I have your dinner warm and waiting. I labored over it for half the day, so I hope it pleases you. Your slippers and paper are by your chair." She held up a plate of food. "Okay, it's really lunch leftovers, but they are very, very good."
Oliver chuckled as he unbuttoned his suit jacket to sit down and took the plate from Shane. "Why thank you, darling. You do look quite fetching this evening." said Oliver, copying Shane's proper tone.
She laughed and grabbing his free arm leaned in for a kiss. "You look quite dashing yourself. How was your day?"
Oliver paused cutting his food. "Well, it was certainly...interesting."
"How so?" asked Shane.
"Do you remember the supervisor that was there when you were hired? Andrea?" asked Oliver.
Shane's eyes got wide. "The scary one? Yes."
Oliver finished swallowing, "Well, she's back."
"What?!" asked a very surprised Shane.
"Mmmhmm. Supposedly it's only temporary, only for a month or so until the new supervisor arrives. She already threatened to remove my coffee maker, however. Today was a little tense. She made Rita cry, twice. And Norman was so upset he kept spilling his solutions all over every surface."
"Wow. What are you going to do?" asked Shane.
"Andrea isn't the worst storm the DLO has weathered. We'll be fine. How was your day, sweetheart?" asked Oliver, changing the subject.
Shane grinned. He loved that grin, the one that made it all the way up to her eyes.
"Amazing, of course! I can't believe you arranged all of that. The play was so well done and the flower gardens...well, we could have spent all day there! My mom loved it too." said Shane as she used her good leg to set the swing in motion once again.
Oliver noticed she had been using her right leg more often. "I'm so glad. I was hoping it would be a special day. Where is Mom?" asked Oliver as he set his plate down and took Shane's hand.
Shane loved how he was comfortable calling her mom 'mom.' "She's inside working to meet a client deadline."
"I was thinking about the wedding today. Do you think she will want to buy her own place soon?" asked Oliver.
"Oh, didn't I tell you? She's planning on buying my place after I move in with you. She loves the location and the garden space out back." Shane shrugged, "It just makes sense."
Oliver grinned.
"What is that face for?" asked Shane.
"We had not yet discussed where we would live after the wedding. I was hoping you'd pick the O'toole house, but I thought maybe you'd like to stay here for a while where you have modifications in place to make life doable, such as the ramp."
"Oh," said Shane, "I hadn't thought of that. Hmm. Well, I'm getting stronger everyday. I've always pictured us married and living in your historical home."
"That's what I imagined too." said Oliver with a smile.
Shane sighed.
"What is it?" asked Oliver.
"I was just wishing once again that were already married and that you wouldn't have to go home tonight." Shane blushed slightly as she broke eye contact and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Home is where you are, Oliver."
He wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. Silently, because Shane had once again said something that made him have to blink rapidly and swallow hard to maintain composure.
They sat that way for several minutes, swing rocking slightly.
Shane sighed again, "Too bad it is only April and not May. Did you know all of the wedding preparations are done? With me, Rita, and my Mom all working on things, we've completed everything that can be done in advance. We even finished tying ribbons around the bubble containers and stamping the return address on thank you note envelopes. Shane looked up at him, "Waiting is hard."
As Shane spoke, Oliver's mind was spinning. Could he pull that off? Was it possible? Maybe. He would of course have to involve Norman and Rita. And definitely Heather. Possibly his Dad. Shane noticed everything, so they'd have to work hard to...He suddenly brought his mind back to the present, realizing Shane was waiting for a response. "June 1st will be here before you know it." he said as he squeezed her hand.
"I know it's not terribly far away. 7 ½ weeks is nothing compared to a lifetime, but ever since the accident, I have felt this urgency take hold of me. Life is short, Oliver, and…" she bit her lip to gain composure. Whenever she thought about what could have happened, she felt a moment of utter despair. "...and fragile. I'd elope with you right now if we didn't have so many people that need to be there to celebrate with us!"
Oliver searched her face. "I'd elope with you this minute if it felt like the right thing to do, but…"
"But it's not." said Shane in resignation.
Oliver absentmindedly started playing with Shane's engagement ring. He was deep in thought once again.
Just then, Heather popped her head out the front door. "Hello, Oliver! I've got fresh apple pie cooled and ready to eat if you two would like a slice!"
"That sounds great!" said Oliver.
"Thanks, Mom." said Shane. "It's getting chilly, let's eat inside. Oliver, my chair is…"
Shane gasped as Oliver quickly stood and scooped her up in his arms. "Oliver! What on earth are you doing?!"
Oliver smirked. "You said you wanted to go inside, my darling."
Heather was laughing so hard she snorted. She held the door open as Oliver carried Shane inside.
Oliver glanced down at Shane to see her smiling with and amused expression. "What are you contemplating?" he asked.
"For someone that's always been very predictable, you certainly have been surprising me a lot lately."
"Is that a good thing?" asked Oliver with raised eyebrows.
"Yes, yes it is." she laughed as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Sir, please take me to my pie!"
