Todd was nervous when he found himself standing in front of the Wakefield's front door. He left his assistant manager in charge, no way was he closing the bar, NBA season was starting and many fans were packing the bars.
He rang the doorbell. He was holding a bottle of wine from his bar, a mid range price bottle that was usually sold by the glass to grad students, and some pink carnations. He hoped Alice and Ned weren't insulted, he couldn't afford better flowers.
Alice opened the door. "Todd! Good to see you! Come in!" She stepped back to let him in. "You didn't need to bring anything." Seeing the wine and flowers. "But thank you! I'll put these in water. Everyone is inside, dinner is almost ready, but everyone is in the living room."
Todd smiles at Alice. He saw Mr Wakefield, aka Ned sitting on his armchair holding his grandson, Austin reading him a story, Steven and Billie were sitting together talking to a young woman sitting in a wheelchair and Todd walked in greeting everyone. They all greeted Todd, when the woman in the wheelchair turned around, Todd was startled when the young woman turned out to be Suzanne Devlin.
Shaking himself from his shock, and not being rude, he gave her a hug. When Suzanne gave him a hug back, Todd felt a spark. Suzanne was and still is beautiful.
An hour later everyone was joking and laughing. The dinner was done, and everyone, with the exception of Austin, was drinking the wine Todd brought over.
"Mmm. Dinner was delicious. Thank you for the meal, Alice and Ned." He was trying not to look at Suzanne, he felt nervous around her. It wasn't her being in the wheelchair that bothered Todd, it was her presence. Not since Gin-Yung that Todd felt butterflies.
Out of all the women he dated, Gin-Yung was the one he loved the most. Every now and then Todd woke up in a cold sweat. He wished she never hid her illness, Todd would have spent every moment with her. Not even Elizabeth could make Todd's heart sing like that. When Suzanne smiled, Todd felt himself turning red.
After Steven and his family went home, Todd, Suzanne, Ned and Alice were talking in the living room.
"So Todd how is Frankie's." Ned asked.
"It's doing fine. NBA season is starting, and business is starting to pick up." Todd hoped so, he could really use the money.
"That's good. I'm glad to hear that. How about you Suzanne, how's your cause doing?"
Suzanne blushes. "It's doing okay, so far I'm raising money for the poorer women, especially college students who can't afford proper treatment. I'm trying to put together a benefit to raise more money for MS awareness. So far we are in the early planning stages. I hope to find a place to hold it, plus to make it a success."
"That is so noble Suzanne. We known you for a long time. When you have it, my law firm can help with any legal technical loopholes, free of charge. Plus make a sizable donation."
"Ned, that it generous of you. Suzanne, I can help as well. Just call us for any help."
"Same here. Suzanne, I can close the bar one night do you can hold the party. Just let me know."
Suzanne was humbled. She admitted when she called the Wakefield's to check in, she never expected Alice and Ned to ask her to come visit. They wanted her to stay over, and when Suzanne explained about her condition, Ned and Steven built a ramp just for her, a few days before her arrival. Alice cleaned out the downstairs office and converted it into a bedroom.
She seen the Wakefield's sporadically over the years, even as a guest at Steven's and Billie's wedding. But other than that, she never spent the night, always staying in hotels. When Alice invited her, Suzanne explained that there was no ramp to get inside. At the time, she was starting to get sick, and the wedding was the last time she could walk, with a cane.
Her illness caused her to end up in a chair and the guy she was dating dumped her, citing they "drifted apart." Bullshit. He was afraid to raise a invalid. Jokes on him, she was still fiercely independent, just needed extra assistance, like some household chores.
Her job even fired her. Her bosses said it was budget cuts, but her lawyer ripped them apart. She used that money to start her foundation. She successfully sued for medical discrimination, and the company was forced to change their employee practices and sensitivity training. Her bosses were either fired or greatly demoted.
Her foundation was a rough start, but she never gave up on it, even in a wheelchair. She rented a office suite, and had her dad and Ned Wakefield put it together. They helped her advertise and raise awareness. She sought help from a guy named Danny Wyatt, who helped her put together a motivational speech.
Her first speech was a disaster, she got nervous and stumbled on her words. But her high school chums, Jessica, Elizabeth and Lila helped her with her second. Jessica being a celebrity, had her bosses advertise MS awareness during the commercial breaks on her soap opera, Elizabeth wrote a great article in her magazine, and Lila put together a charity benefit in her honor. With all that, her organization was a success. She raised millions for awareness and charity. She made a decent living, but only the grunt work, some went back for costs, and the rest went to her organization, used for scientific and medical research plus awareness.
She wanted to expand, raise money for young college students who couldn't afford treatment. That is why she was here. Ned and Alice agreed to help, but when Todd offered his, she wanted to cry. She thanked all three profusely.
She looked over at Todd who blushed when he saw her looking at him. She wanted to ask him if he wanted to stay for coffee, but she was afraid he'll reject her for being in a chair. She never dated because of that.
When Ned and Alice claimed they were going to bed, Todd decided to ask Suzanne if he can stay to catch up on old times. He was happy when she agreed. They talked for hours, and Todd forgot she was in a wheelchair, she was the same sweet person. He decided to ask for a loan to get Frankie's up to code. Put in a ramp and add handicap activation switches, along with widening the door frames, as well as updating the washrooms.
He hugged her goodnight. He wanted to kiss her, but not until they had dinner together. When she said yes, Todd skipped home. Already he was planning it, first a expensive dinner, then a play, he was even planning on renting a wheelchair accessible vehicle so Suzanne can travel freely. He had some cash, hopefully it was enough to impress Suzanne.