Life goes on, but altered...
Seth was discharged from the hospital as soon as Ollie had ensured that the drugs he wished him to try were ready for him to collect. He took the elbow crutch with him, but he headed out in a chair, then with Jeff's help, transferred himself into the waiting cab, the chair he had come out in being returned to the hospital stock. On arriving back in the West Village, Jeff was handed Seth's keys, and he headed in to fetch the chair that was waiting inside for this eventuality. He brought it to the door of the taxi, but had to be content to just stand and watch as Seth manoeuvred himself out of the cab and into the seat. Then he handed the keys back to him, and followed Seth down the ramp to his home, watching in awe at how well he handled the pathway, taking it slowly and carefully.
Once inside, Seth allowed Jeff to fetch him a few things, then told the blond that he should go, knowing that Wes would soon be home from kindergarten. The latter resisted his urge to say that it was okay, and that he would stay, knowing that it would be rejected, and in any case, Seth needed to be independent. Once he was alone, Seth busied himself around his little apartment, glad now that he had allowed Artie to show him how to move around before it all became a necessity. He made himself a coffee, and a snack, as he had not eaten much since breakfast. He had just finished it and was about to wash up when his phone began to buzz with an incoming call. On the screen were six letters that he had expected to see at some point; six letters that he welcomed and dreaded in equal measure. For a moment, he considered ignoring the call, but he knew that was pointless. Skylar would just keep on calling until he picked up - or worse, he would head to the airport and hop on a plane…
He answered the call with no more than a simple "Hello…" To his surprise there was nothing but silence in reply, until it was interrupted by a loud sniff. He knew then that Skylar was crying, and that was not a surprise in the circumstances, not by any chalk. They were best friends after all, so if he had not been upset by the latest developments, Seth would have been far more shocked. "I think that we should maybe have this conversation on Skype, Sky," Seth said, with a new determination in his voice. "I know that you are crying, and I do understand that, because I spent most of this afternoon sobbing my own eyes out. It was quite cathartic as it happens, and helped me get my head round the enormity of it all…"
"I don't want you to see me like this," replied Skylar in a quiet, weepy voice.
"And I don't want you to see me like this, so that makes two of us," responded Seth in as jovial a tone as he could muster. The sass and joy in that response made Skylar laugh. "Now, that's better! So, Skype, now - and don't worry about fixing your face for me first, because every tear track I see is a sign to me of just how much you care about me."
He did not wait for a reply; he hung up, then wheeled himself over to the desk on which his laptop sat; he powered it on, and as soon as he saw the little light appear by Skylar's name to show he was online, he called. As the call connected he braced himself for what he might see. When his best friend's face did appear on camera, it was as he had expected; red rimmed eyes and an expression which summed up his total despair… "Well, it is nice to see that you are the one that looks awful for a change," quipped Seth, and he heard Julia's laugh in the background, before she walked into shot. She waved to Seth, then kissed her husband on the forehead before heading out of the room to give them privacy to chat. "She is looking good; obviously married life is suiting the pair of you!"
"I have to be honest and say that right now, I do not know how I would get through the day sometimes without her," admitted Skylar. "Anyway, Thad called me, and he told me that you had had another attack, but that this one was much worse…"
Seth nodded, and then, making sure his laptop's camera would film him, he rolled back from the desk with the words, "How do you like my new wheels…?" He instantly regretted his words when he heard Skylar begin to sob again, and he rolled back in close to see that his friend was absolutely devastated. "Now, Sky, enough of that. We both knew that this day would come…"
"But not so soon! It's not right, and it's not fair! I wish…"
"That it was someone else instead?" replied Seth calmly. "I do too, every day, but it isn't. In any case, who would we honestly wish to be in my position instead? We could never in all good conscience wish to put another human being into this position instead."
"What about Donald Trump?" whispered Skylar.
Seth smiled, realising that his friend was recovering some of his composure. "Okay, so maybe him, but it is too late for that now. I have been chosen by the powers above and as Wes has told us, there is no-one in heaven or on earth that can argue with what they decree…" Skylar nodded sadly back at him, swiping at his eyes. "So I am going to focus on the positives. Front row seating at the theater. Special restrooms. Automated doors. Plus Artie tells me that the two of us can have races, and even go on skateboard ramps in time…"
"Ramps! The last thing that you should be doing is going on skateboard ramps!" exclaimed Skylar, his face suffused with colour.
"I guess that you are probably right," replied Seth, tongue in cheek, "but I would still like to try a wheelie at least…"
"Please promise me that you will wear a helmet to do it," said Skylar, with just a hint of a smile now appearing on his face.
"Okay, so to the facts. Basically all of the nervous system in my left leg has failed, and so none of the necessary signals are getting through from my brain, or being sent back for that matter. In short, what was a relatively useful appendage has turned into a burden in the blink of an eye. My right leg is much stronger, and I can use it, but I would need a crutch, or ideally, a cane, to walk and it will be slow, painful and tiring to do so. Therefore, the chair is the sensible option, plus it does give me a good turn of speed again. I have actually been training with Artie for just this eventuality for months, so I am reasonably competent in it already…"
"Well, I guess that is something, that you know what you are doing, but please be careful, okay. The sidewalks are not ideal for you, and as for the state of some of the roads; the surfaces are just awful," said Skylar quietly.
"I know; I shall need to have word with Beats, and ask him to liase with the relevant people at City Hall. The simple truth about all of this, Sky, is that you just have to accept it, as I have done. I am still me, just a sitting down version. And the bonus is that finally you will be the taller of the two of us…"
Skylar chuckled, then said, "I would give everything for that not to be the case… It seems like only yesterday that you were standing by my side at my wedding; of course, I now know that you were bad then too, but for that one day it was as if all of our worries and fears had vanished. We were both happy, and we weren't going to let anything stand in our way."
"Do you know, I said to Thad at the time that your wedding day would be my last good day, but I was wrong. There have been good days since then, but it was definitely the best day of my life… Okay, so Thanksgiving. I trust that spare bedroom of yours has space for my chair, and that I will be able to get about your house okay. As you might have gathered, this setback is not going to get in the way of me joining you for the day…"
"I am pretty sure it does, because even though this is not our forever home, Julia chose it as one that would be capable of well, dealing with the worst case scenario. I hope that we will be able to get over to the new house too, because they are getting on with the building work, to the extent that it is actually weather tight now. Whilst you are here, you can help us chose the colour scheme for the guest suite…"
Skylar paused, wondering if he should have said that. Seth, however, just replied with the words, "It would be my pleasure." Neither of them acknowledged the fact that the reason he would be doing so was because it would, one day, be his permanent abode…
Eventually, after some general conversation, Seth ended the call, citing that it was getting late. He was pleased to see that Skylar seemed to be handling the news better now, and that his tears had stopped. He had also taken the chance to have a quick word with Julia, when Skylar had excused himself for a moment, and she had promised that she would take good care of him that night, plus ensure that he did not book himself a ticket to New York anytime soon…
With his best friend spoken to, Seth turned his attention to Facebook. He at once saw that he had a DM from Thad. It was heartfelt, but contained a pointed warning; he said that Seth would not be able to keep this latest news secret for long, not when he lived on the same street as so many of the others, and it would be far better if he broke the news to them all himself, rather than if they heard it from Thad. It would also be kinder to both Skylar and Jeff, who were also under pressure for as long as they too had to keep schtum.
Seth sighed, realising that of course the Head Warbler was right, as he was in so many things, just as his angelic husband had been. He steeled himself, then began to type what he intended to be a brief post, but which ended much, much longer. At the end, he added a photo, taken of himself in the full length bedroom mirror, at that moment, sat in his chair. He posted it, and waited. The responses were not slow in coming, thick and fast once they began.
Nick's reply was first, and he admitted that Jeff had already told him, as Seth had expected he would. He also mentioned that Wes had overheard them, and told them that he was already very fast on his wheels, so the practice that he had made mention of was no surprise to either of them.
Artie sent an offer to come round the following morning if he wanted him to do so, to help him with any further issues; Seth considered it for a moment, then declined politely, telling him that he would be out most of the day, as he had work to go to. Those words would put a smile on Artie's face…
As for the other former Warblers in the street, and for that matter Mike and Tina, they all offered to help him in any way they could, whenever he needed them to; he was to call them even if it was just because he needed someone to chat to…
From Edward came a message in which he repeated his offer to have Seth come up and stay with them for a few days anytime, pointing out that they had a bedroom on the ground floor, and that they would both really love to see him. Seth was just thinking of how to reply when his phone rang, and he was surprised to see it was Colin. He answered, and his friend immediately made an offer to come to the city for a few days and stay with him for a while, if he wasn't feeling 100% right now. He then added that Edward was in agreement, but they had not wished to put the offer on to Facebook. Like Artie's offer, Seth declined politely, but placated the worried Colin by telling him that he would come up and visit in December, which was instantly agreed upon, something that did not surprise Seth one bit…
The next morning saw Seth at the kerbside, waiting on his usual car. They had been a bit of surprise at the college when he had called up the night before to confirm that he would require it, but Seth was determined that he was not going to let his condition destroy his way of life completely. The normal driver came, and was out of his seat to offer his assistance at once, but found it refused; in any case, Seth had already opened the back door of the car, had line his chair up with it, and with the arm of the chair dropped, was in the process of carefully sliding across into the seat…
Seth did allow the driver to collapse his chair, and place it in the trunk though, and then they were of. They made the usual small talk as they went about the driver's growing family, with not so much as a whisper about the change in circumstances since the previous day. On arriving at the college, the driver pulled up carefully, getting as close to the kerb as he could, then went to fetch the chair. He held it as Seth slid himself out of the back seat and once more into his chariot…
"Wish me luck, Alejandro!" said Seth jokingly as he began to wheel himself towards the ramped entrance to the college, and the driver did exactly that. Seth was grateful that no-one seemed to be taking much notice of him as he made his way into the building, then negotiated the corridors to the room he worked in, all looking so different from his new eyeline. He paused for a moment outside the room that was to all intents and purposes his second home, and glanced at his watch. He saw that he was a little late, and reminding himself to ask Alejandro to come 10 minutes earlier from now on, he knocked on the door, as the professor had already taken his spot. He pushed it open, and with a cheery "Sorry I'm late; I'm still learning how to steer this thing, and the route from the street is longer…" he wheeled himself to his usual place. There was a stunned silence, and then it began; the applause, first from one lone person, and then from the whole class. He looked horrified, thinking he had disrupted the class, but then he noticed that the professor was clapping too…
The worst thing about the era of mobile phones and social media was that by the time his first class had come to an end, the entire campus knew he was back. If that first lecture had been well attended, then the second was a record turn out, people stopping to fist bump Seth as they entered and left. In the briefest of gaps after that second class, the professor had explained to Seth that after yesterday's events, no-one had been expecting to see him back so soon; in fact, some had not expected him to come back at all. "I had the feeling that you would be back, but after a period of rest and recuperation. To say that your entrance this morning was an unexpected but delightful surprise is an understatement."
"I just felt that there was no point in sitting at home, feeling sorry for myself. I know that this chair is permanent now; the fact is that my left leg is better than useless to me now. My right leg will only deteriorate from this point onwards, and that process will only speed up if I try to pretend that I can keep on walking on it, day in, day out. I just need to adapt to seeing the world from a lower height, and carry on. My brain is still firing on all cylinders, and my arms are, well, okay. If and when that changes… well, until then, I'm afraid you are stuck with me."
The professor nodded at Seth's confident words, and he hoped that he would be stuck with him for a long time. However, after the events of yesterday, he was not quite as confident of that as he had been before…
The one problem that Seth now faced was how he would get to Ohio for Thanksgiving. He had based all of his itinerary on still being able bodied enough to walk to the station, and then use the train without any assistance. He was pondering on what to do for the best when Nick arrived with Wes, who had insisted that he needed to pay his Uncle Seth a visit to show him how he was doing with his origami.
"I called up Amtrak, and explained my situation," Seth said as Wes folded a piece of paper, and Nick was making coffee for them both, "but to be honest, the person I spoke to was the exact opposite of helpful, given the issues, and just kept asking me if I wanted to cancel my reservation. I really do not want to have to fly to Ohio, because if I have an attack onboard a plane, there is very little that anyone could do, and then there is all the waiting around at either end for assistance, and for security checks. The fact is that I might just have to now, and I shudder to think how much a ticket will cost, even if they were able to accommodate me."
Nick came over and sat down, handing Seth his coffee. "Do you know, that is some of the most blatant discrimination I have heard of coming from Amtrak. There is no way that they should be treating you the way they are; they should be helping you, or telling you exactly why they can't. Well, I am not going to sit back and let them get away with this; would you let me call them on your behalf? I know that you want to be as independent as you can be, but sometimes we all need help, particularly when the person in question knows about the law in this area."
Seth nodded, and handed Nick the paper with all of his travel details on it. Nick called the number on the top, whilst Seth turned his attention back to Wes, who was now making excellent progress on his flapping bird. He heard Nick start off the conversation in his usual cheery tones, but then he heard his voice harden, his more conciliatory tone hardening as he came up against the same brick wall as his friend. He turned back to Wes, and therefore was quite surprised when he heard Nick say, "I'm sorry to bother you at work, Trent, but I need someone who can help me out with a discrimination issue involving a quasi-public corporation…"
Seth spun round then, almost shaking his head at his friend, who was now telling Trent everything that had happened. "Look, I don't just feel so riled and het up about this because it happens to be happening to Seth; I get the feeling that every person with a disability is being treated like this by some of their employees, and there is just no way in this day and age that we should be tolerating that kind of attitude from what is, to all intents and purposes, a part of the federal government. Okay, call me back when you've tried…"
Nick ended the call, and Seth immediately blurted out, "What have you done!"
"Well, when I got through to Amtrak, I think that I might well have been put through to the exact same person as you, because her attitude to the whole thing was just totally out of line. She basically implied that when you booked your seat four months ago, you should have been aware of the fact that you would be in a chair, and every time I tried to challenge that notion, she just repeated the same phrases like a mantra. In the end, she hung up on me, so I decided that we had to go to the next level, and well, Trent knows people that have a heck of a lot of clout with organisations…"
"You mean that the President is going to call them…!?" said Seth, mortified.
"Err, no, probably Burt, at least first off, as there is a bill relating to the future funding of Amtrak going through the House right now, and if the Leader of the House finds issues with the organisation, well he might not look at the new funding process quite so favourably…"
Seth shook his head, wondering how it had got so far so quickly, and then he heard Nick's phone ping with a message. "Right, so Trent is just heading into a conference so can't speak, but he has told Burt, he is appalled, and is as we speak making an urgent call to the President of Amtrak, telling him that an issue like this could, if it escalated out of control, affect the future funding of the firm as we move to a much more inclusive society. Hopefully that might be enough to see something positive happen…"
Within the hour, Seth's phone rang with an unknown number, and he answered it with caution, ready to talk strangely if it was a cold call. It was however the head of guest services at Amtrak, who was full of apologies, and stated that the advisor involved, who they had both spoken to by a quirk of fate, would be placed on a programme of disability training. She then informed him that she personally had updated his booking to accommodate the new circumstances, including a free upgrade to a higher class in both directions, and a guarantee of assistance at either end of his journey. Seth thanked her, then apologised himself for making such an issue, and for how it had got out of control.
"Please, Mr Kennedy, do not apologise for having passionate friends and good connections. Our staff need to be aware of these issues, and they have to assist where they can. My own brother has MS, and if I were to discover that he was being treated in the way that you were, I would be horrified, and heads would roll…"
Seth had chosen to travel on the Monday before the big day, as he would avoid the worst of the crowds. Jeff insisted on going to the station with him, and was on hand to help him negotiate the building site that was Penn Station. Then he was handed over to the staff at the assistance point, who could not have been more helpful. The lady that escorted him down to the track that his train would depart from was a motherly soul, who treated him with concern, but left him his dignity and independence. She helped him up a ramp and into the train, then showed him to his allocated seat. She watched as he slid himself out of the chair and into it, before he collapsed his lightweight chair was an ease that belied how short a time he had been doing it. She then stowed it and his case within easy reach, before wishing him a safe journey.
The conductor and a steward both came to check up that he was okay once the train departed; the latter returned periodically throughout the journey to see that he was okay for refreshments. Seth was not used to travelling in the business class compartment, and he had to admit that it was a superior way of travelling compared to coach. When the train arrived at his station, he was attended to very quickly, and was soon on the platform with his case. There he found a surprise waiting. He had expected Skylar or Thad to come and collect him, or possibly Julia. Seeing Mrs Carmichael standing there was therefore a shock; she however just laughed at the expression on his face.
"I volunteered, and then I prevailed over their objections. The truth is that I wished to have a private chat with you, given what has happened recently, and what better place for that to take place than in the car heading to Mr Willetts home?" Seth could not argue; it would be the perfect place for a chat, and if he was honest, he had been hoping to talk to her too. He had a few requests that he wished to make for the long term, and given her personal experience of his condition, she was probably the person best placed to understand them…
When they pulled up outside Skylar's house, Seth was not in the least bit surprised to see Thad was waiting for him alongside his best friend, both of them as keen to greet his arrival as the other. They hastened over to open the car door, and would probably have lifted him out between them had Mrs Carmichael not immediately cautioned them against such a move by a discrete shake of her head; they left Seth to manage the process himself. They both watched in slight awe as he carefully slid the chair out of the car from where it had been stowed next to him, and opened it back up. Then, having ensured that the brake was on, he slid almost effortlessly out of the car seat into the chair, then lifted the arm back up so he was secure.
Thad then headed round to the trunk to collect Seth's bag, and it was only then that he got a proper look at Mrs Carmichael's face. She looked a little sad, and he was certain that she had recently allowed a few tears to be shed. He knew then that during the journey, she and Seth had obviously talked, and he had been brutally honest with her, something that the majority of his friends were keen to avoid if they could… He also could understand why Seth had been able to talk to her; she alone of all of them had lived through this situation before. Thad also knew that behind her brave exterior her heart was broken, struggling to watch as the condition afflicted another young man that held a special place in her affections. The strain had obviously got too much when he spoke his mind…
He glanced back over towards Seth, now seated comfortably in his chair and wheeling himself around in circles, as if trying to show Skylar that he was more than capable of moving around on his own before his friend volunteered to push him everywhere he needed to go. Again looking closer he could see that in the eyes of both of them was a hint of sadness, something that he had expected; he was pretty sure that by the end of the week, one or both of them would have shed more than a few tears. As for himself, he had decided to concentrate on the positives and the here and now; it did not pay to look too far ahead into what would be a darker future…
The next two days for Skylar and Seth were spent in catching up properly with each other, happy to be in each other's company again. Skylar had taken the chance to work from home, and that allowed him a lot of flexibility. He took Seth out to visit his new house, as he had promised. The build had been coming on in leaps and bounds, and what had once been an empty lot now had a house that was completely finished outside, more or less…
There was one issue that Skylar had not anticipated, and that was that the door with the ramped entrance would be locked, and none of the builders who had the key were around. After a moment of hesitation, he came up with a solution, if Seth was willing. So it was that Seth walked into the house, his arm round Skylar's shoulders for support. They made their way straight to the guest suite, the room he knew was intended for him to call home one day. It was light and spacious, fitted out with every convenience that he could want, and with a door directly to the outside, the second one with a ramp.
They did not linger long, as Seth could not stay on his feet for long these days, even with his best friend to hold him up. He did not let on when he saw Skylar setting his phone down on the ledge in the en-suite bathroom before they headed back outside to get Seth back in his chair; he knew that he was doing it so he had an excuse to head back in on his own, and cry at the pain he had seen etched on Seth's face when he had been upright and standing. He relished that in fact, as it gave him the chance to shed a few tears of his own over the whole affair…
Julia was around too, of course, helping him out in that quiet, unassuming way that a trained nurse was able to do, without him feeling that he was being helped. It was all the little things she did, her careful eye looking out for any potential fault in his room, anything that could be dangerous and inconvenient to him. She was also much less prone to emotion over their visitor than her husband. She had known him for less time and had less of an attachment; the training that she had had, and her work at the cancer center back in New York had taught her to stay distant in any case…
The table for Thanksgiving on Thursday was pretty full. Both Skylar and Julia's parents were in attendance, and they had invited Thad and the Carmichaels to join them too, meaning that there would be ten in all for the meal. Julia would be preparing the majority of the meal herself for the first time, and used a few techniques that had been instilled in her by her mother, bolstered by some that she had been given by her mother-in-law. Seth had volunteered to assist with those aspects of the prep that could be done in a seated position, his hands feeling less painful that morning than usual. She had agreed to let him assist with the vegetables, at that would not be too taxing, and would make him feel he was earning his keep…
If the sight of Seth in a chair for the first time was upsetting to Mr and Mrs Willetts when they arrived, then they did a great job in hiding those emotions from him. They had been kept up to date by their son, and so they had had time to prepare for the changes in their son's best friend. Eventually, everyone was gathered round the table, and they sat down to eat on a day that was dedicated to the celebration of all things for which they could be thankful. The good news was shared, and the bad things were pushed to one side for a while…
That did not mean that there were not secrets. Julia sat through the meal and made no mention of the fact that a monthly event that she could count on as being regular as clockwork had not made its presence felt. It was far too early to be certain, but she just had the feeling that in a few months time she would be sharing the best of news with her husband and their friends and family. Her own curiosity had been peaked when she had heard Mrs Carmichael whisper, "All done." to Seth when they thought no-one else was around to hear. She said nothing, as she suspected that they had been making plans for the darker days ahead when Seth would no longer be around…