Chapter 5 - Coming Home
Ted sighed in exhaustion as he pulled into the driveway. He was glad that he'd left Lucy in Connie and Guy's capable hands while he, Bella, Casey, and Gordon were at the hospital preparing for Charlie's release that night. He'd left Connie and Guy with money so they could order dinner, but he and Bella hadn't thought to eat anything themselves while at the hospital, and it was now past dinnertime, precisely eight-thirty, yet it felt like midnight.
Blinking his eyes, he slowly got out of the car and met Gordon and Casey as they pulled up in Casey's station wagon, which barely had enough space for Charlie's wheelchair. The kid was lying passed out in the backseat, sleeping heavily as Ted opened the door.
"Get his stuff out of the car," Ted said to the other two. "I'll get him in the house."
Casey and Gordon nodded. When Ted had offered for them and Charlie to stay in his home temporarily, Casey could hardly refuse; the apartment complex she and Charlie lived in barely had enough accommodations for handicapped people, and Ted's home was the closest one to Mickey's Dining Car that had the wheelchair ramp that led up to the house. Plus, Bella and Ted had insisted on taking charge of Charlie's physical therapy; Ted had majored in it in college before he got drafted for the North Stars, and Bella being a nurse meant she'd be able to keep a closer eye on things. Plus, their house was more than big enough; it was a better alternative, with the guestroom for Charlie and the basement and the living room having pull-out sofas.
Ted sighed again as he unbuckled Charlie's seatbelt and gently scooped him up, mindful of not waking him. But the kid was dead to the world, fast asleep and showing no signs of waking any time soon. And it was helped by the fact that that kid weighed absolutely nothing. Ted cradled him bridal style into the house; when he entered the front room, he was surprised to see his son still wide awake with Connie and Guy.
"Hey, he didn't fall asleep yet?" Bella asked, going over to Hans and lifting him from Connie's arms.
"We tried putting him down for bed, but he didn't want to sleep. I think he wanted to wait for you guys," Connie shrugged, but when she saw Charlie, her brown doe eyes suddenly filled. "Oh, God, his face."
"It's better than it was a few days ago," Bella said as she bounced baby Hans up and down.
"He's gonna be okay," Ted assured the two of them as Casey and Gordon shuffled in, bearing a lot of the things Charlie had gotten from the team.
"But will he be all right to play next season?" Guy asked.
"He can start physical therapy by either October or November; that's when he'll get his cast off," Bella explained. "But until then, he'll be sitting on the bench."
"What about his schoolwork? Will he need to repeat freshman year?" Connie asked worriedly.
"I talked to Buckley; he will let Charlie do a lot of at-home summer work that he'll turn in by the end of August. As for making up his finals and midterms, Buckley said that Charlie could write final essays for English and history. For the other subjects, he'll have the option of open-book testing. That should be enough to get him back on track. The only subject we couldn't get leeway on was Spanish, but he can take a year of that in his junior year to make it up; senior year, he'll mostly have electives," Gordon explained tiredly.
"Averman and Julie can help get him caught up," Connie said. "Adam, too. All three of them have the highest GPA out of everyone on J.V."
"All right, did you kids call for your ride yet?" Ted asked, adjusting Charlie so the kid's head rested on his shoulder.
"Yeah, my dad's on the way," Guy said, and on that cue, they heard the sounds of a horn blaring outside. "Speaking of which."
"All right, goodnight, you two," Bella said as she rocked Hans back and forth, trying to lull him to sleep.
"Do you need us for tomorrow?" asked Guy.
"No, I'll be home all day with the kids while Bella and Casey go to work," said Ted.
"And I'm gonna be here all day looking for a new job," said Gordon. "I've already filled out my resignation papers from the Junior Goodwill Games."
"Really?" asked Connie as she leaned over, kissing Charlie on the forehead.
"It would be a bit of a problem since I have a wedding to plan for; I can't leave my wife and son here and live across the country for work," Gordon shrugged.
Connie and Guy nodded, agreeing. They scooped their backpacks up and exited the house as Ted carried Charlie off to the guest room down the hall from Lucy's bedroom. He gently laid the kid on the king-sized bed before pulling off his socks and shoes; the boy was still dressed in the sweatpants and shirt the hospital had given him, though Casey was going to stop by the apartment before her dinner shift tomorrow night to pick up some of Charlie's things.
Just as he pulled the covers back to drape them over Charlie, Gordon came in with armfuls of Charlie's gifts from the hospital, one grocery bag holding all the candy and junk food while he held the vase of flowers Julie had selected. He set the vase down on the side table before putting the grocery bag on the desk, and Casey followed suit with the kid's wheelchair as well as another bag filled to the brim with items. Ted wandered over and grabbed the stuffed mallard Lucy had selected for Charlie, tucked it underneath the boy's arm, and watched as Charlie instantly seemed to snuggle into it.
Gordon walked over and kissed Charlie's forehead before letting out a quiet yawn.
"I'll heat up some food for us," Ted said. "I'm pretty sure there's some meatballs and sauce in the freezer."
Gordon nodded, stumbling out of the room and leading Casey out, holding her hand. Ted lingered behind, watching Charlie sleep peacefully.
"Goodnight, Charlie." He turned off the light, keeping the door wide open in case Charlie woke in the middle of the night and needed anything.
Ted awoke before the sun rose. Bella lay curled up underneath his arm, still asleep. Sighing deeply, he got out of bed and slowly ventured to the bathroom, where he showered and changed into sweatpants before heading to the nursery, where baby Hans was now crying and needing a diaper change.
Blinking tiredly, he entered the nursery and lifted his son from his crib.
"All right, Hansy-Bear, Daddy's gonna change you now, okay?" He kissed the baby on the top of the head before laying Hans on his changing table, grabbing a clean diaper, baby wipes, and a clean onesie. After undressing the baby, he slowly peeled the dirty diaper off and wiped the baby clean. He then put a clean diaper on Hans before dressing him in the striped onesie.
"How's that now, buddy?" He kissed Hans on the nose before shifting his son into a cradle, carrying him down the stairs so he could put the baby in his bouncer. But as he passed Charlie's guestroom, he saw Charlie slowly blinking his eyes open.
"Charlie, give me a second, please. I gotta put him in his bouncer really quick."
Charlie nodded tiredly. Ted went into the family room and set Hans into his bouncer, quickly bouncing him up and down a little bit to get him settled before giving the boy his pacifier. Once assured that Hans was content in his bouncer, at least until Ted got him his first bottle that morning, Ted walked back down the hall toward Charlie's room and sat on the edge of the bed.
"How'd you sleep?"
"Fine." Ted could tell that Charlie had trouble sleeping through the night; he wasn't stupid, but he wouldn't push the issue, either. Ted understood that nightmares would be more than common, given the months of hell the boy had been put through, but he also understood that Charlie must've fought hard not to wake them last night, probably thinking he was too old to have to go to his parents or someone else every time he had a bad dream. Still, Ted would talk about that with the kid later. For now, his primary concern was getting Charlie washed up properly, dressed, and comfortable in the living room. He sighed as he heard Casey and Gordon climbing the staircase up from the basement.
"Let's get you showered; your mom is gonna stop by your apartment to pick up more stuff for you. Gordon's heading down to the school today to pick up your summer homework from Dean Buckley's office."
Charlie nodded, though Ted could see the boy's face coloring significantly at the thought of needing assistance with showering. Still, Ted slipped his arms under the boy's shoulders and legs and carried him to the joined bathroom. He set the boy on the closed toilet seat before helping him strip off his clothes and boxers, which barely fit correctly. Ted tried to ignore how thin the kid was, skin and bones, as he put the plastic covering on Charlie's cast before grabbing a stool from underneath the sink and placing it in the tub before lifting Charlie and sitting him down in there.
"All right, you can sit there, and I'll turn the water on for you. I'll get you your clothes, and when you're ready, yell for me, and I'll help you. And don't worry, we'll work on cutting your hair at some point."
Charlie nodded, and Ted turned the water on to warm before switching it to the shower. He then closed the curtain after making sure the soap and shampoo were easily accessible to Charlie before heading back out to the living room to meet with Casey and Gordon. Gordon was already making himself coffee, and Casey was getting started on breakfast. Lucy, who'd already gotten up and was in her wheelchair, was playing with Hans.
Ted was getting Hans' bottle out of the refrigerator when Bella entered, already dressed in scrubs.
"Hi, honey, where's Charlie?"
"In the shower."
"Okay, just remember that for his first meal, he can have one slice of toast along with the Jell-O," Bella said. "And also, because his weight is still an issue, he shouldn't be outside for too long, and if anyone is even a little bit sick, tell them they can't come by because God forbid he catches anything, we'll be going back to the hospital all over again."
"Don't worry, I've got it under control," Ted assured her.
"And also, I know he needs to get his summer work done, but tell him to space it out and that he shouldn't do it for more than an hour because he still needs to rest in order to recover. I'll be back around lunchtime to check in."
Ted nodded, kissing his wife goodbye. He watched as she kissed both their children before heading out to her Jeep. On that note, he put Hans' bottle in the microwave to warm it up before handing it to Lucy.
"You remember how to feed your brother, right?"
Lucy nodded. "Yes, Daddy."
"Good girl. All right, I'm gonna go get Charlie ready, sweetie, and I'll be back. Just keep an eye on your brother." He walked back off to the guestroom, where he heard the water still running just as he heard Charlie say, "I'm done!"
"Okay, hang on a sec, son." Ted grabbed a clean pair of basketball shorts, boxers, and a T-shirt before returning to the bathroom. He set the clothes down on the sink counter before heading to the tub, reaching to turn off the water before slowly pulling the shower curtain back, helping Charlie get a towel around his waist before grabbing another to dry his hair. After assisting the kid in drying off, he sat Charlie on the closed toilet seat before helping him slide into the boxers and shorts, and Charlie grabbed the clean shirt, shoving it over his head. After finishing getting Charlie dressed, he lifted the boy up and carried him to his wheelchair. After ensuring Charlie was seated comfortably, he pushed the boy out and into the living room, getting him situated in front of the TV. Lucy successfully got her brother to finish his bottle, and Ted could see that his boy was in a milk coma, nodding off slightly.
"All right, bud, let's get you down for another nap." Ted lifted the baby out of the bouncer and laid Hans down in his playpen, handing the baby his security blanket with a yellow duck attached to it. He watched Hans nod off, biting at the stuffed animal's head and covering it in drool as his eyes closed.
"Lucy, you want the TV on?"
Lucy nodded, positioning herself in front of the TV. Ted flicked the television on and saw it was turned onto Blue's Clues on Nick Jr. Although Lucy seemed pleased, he rolled his eyes hard. He had to admit it wasn't the worst thing, that it was appropriate for the little ones, and that he had no problem watching it with his children, but he could only take it in small doses. He could not wait until she was old enough to be able to watch shows like All That because if he had to see one more moment of that damn blue puppy dog across his screen again . . .
"This is one downside of having little ones. You can't watch anything good," he commented to Charlie, though Lucy remained oblivious to his comment.
"She's not allowed to see Ren and Stimpy?"
"If I showed her that, my wife would smack me with my old hockey stick," Ted said seriously, heading off to the kitchen to grab his coffee just as Casey finished making eggs for herself and Gordon. Ted grabbed the loaf of bread and stuck a slice in the toaster before getting orange Jell-O out. Once the bread was done toasting, he brought it out to Charlie along with the cup of Jell-O and a spoon, and Charlie looked at it in disdain.
"I know you hate eating this crap, but in another week, you'll be back to eating normal food," Ted assured him as he sat down, sipping his coffee while Gordon walked in bearing Lucy's cereal.
"Good, because I can't keep living like this," Charlie said, reluctantly swallowing the Jell-O.
"Well, the good news is, when the kids go to sleep later, that's Bella and I's time to watch our shows."
"Did I miss anything good in the last seven months?"
"You missed the premier of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series. But Adam, Fulton, and Julie are coming over later; they're bringing the footage of the J.V. versus Varsity game. You missed quite a fight that night."
"Did Goldie really score?"
"He did; Banks passed it to Goldberg." Ted smiled weakly, though he noticed how Charlie's shoulders slumped at the mention of the game. "Hey, at least you'll get to see it. Besides, you'll be with the Ducks when you return next season. However, I'm keeping Banks on J.V. next season; he wants a chance to play with you when you come back."
"If I'd be able to," Charlie commented as he picked at his breakfast.
"You would. You could be back on the ice by January or February with physical therapy. I don't care if you spend half your season on the bench; at least you're still gonna be on the team, and you can help me make decisions. Gordon did say you make a better coach than a player."
Charlie smiled at that as Gordon entered the living room with his coffee and joined them in watching the half-hour of Blue's Clues. After Charlie finished his breakfast, Ted got the kid his pain pill, which Charlie swallowed down quickly. Soon enough, Casey had to leave to head back to her and Charlie's place so she could grab more of their personal items; she departed with a kiss on her son's forehead, and by the time she left, Lucy decided she was bored of watching Blue's Clues and left for her bedroom so she could go read a book; Ted was just grateful that next week started summer camp for her so that she had something to keep her occupied throughout the day. That gave Ted the okay to switch the channel to Daytime WB, which, luckily, was airing a rerun of one of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes; he saw it was at the very beginning of I, Robot . . . You Jane, meaning he wouldn't have to explain anything. Luckily, Charlie was engrossed in the episode, and it seemed to distract him long enough until he nodded off to sleep again; it seemed all the kid did was sleep, probably because he hadn't slept much at all in the last seven months.
A couple of hours later, after Charlie awoke, Julie, Adam, and Fulton arrived, bearing the tape recording of the J.V.-Varsity showdown. But the moment Julie saw Charlie, she flung herself right at him, her arms winding tightly around his neck.
"Let him breathe, Jules," Adam grinned, but Fulton nearly knocked Charlie over when hugging him; Ted wasn't quite sure, but he was certain Fulton had tears in his eyes, not that Charlie seemed to mind at all. Ted knew the boy had missed his friends just as much as he'd missed his mother and Gordon.
Fulton held on a little longer than Julie did, and when he released Charlie, Charlie immediately said, "I'm sorry, Fulton."
"I shouldn't have left. If I hadn't . . ."
"It wasn't you. I was being an ass that day." Charlie turned to Adam. "And what I did was out of line."
"I tried to go back and pay for half of it," Adam said. "I really did. But Rick caught me; I thought he was gonna break my wrist. But after what he said about you when you went missing, something like, 'How much are you willing to bet Conway's trying to make it as a male hustler since he hasn't got a shot in the pros?' I thought I was gonna kill him."
"He almost got suspended," Julie said, glowering at Adam. "And it didn't help that the board was considering revoking our scholarships."
"What?" Charlie spluttered.
"Obviously, they didn't since we're still at Eden Hall," retorted Fulton.
"If I'd gotten suspended, it would've been well worth it," Adam grumbled.
"Okay," Julie said. "Are we gonna watch this thing, or what?"
"Yes!" Adam said, going over to the VCR to plug in the tape and turn the television on. Fulton grabbed Charlie and got him on the couch, and soon enough, Ted was watching the four of them together on the sofa, Charlie sitting between Adam and Fulton, Adam's arm wrapped around Charlie's shoulders while Julie sat shoulder-to-shoulder with Fulton while they watched the recording of the game. Charlie's eyes misted when he watched the footage of his teammates kneeling to touch the ice for him and Hans, but the tears fell when he heard the team quacking.
Watching them from the hallway between the kitchen and the family room, Ted felt an unmistakable warmth fill him. He could see the bond between Charlie and the Ducks only strengthened now that he was back home and safe. But he could also see how, for the Ducks, Charlie being missing was like missing a limb; they might've been playing with Charlie in mind every time, playing as if he were there, but without him there to lead them, it wasn't the same at all. Seeing Charlie seated between Fulton and Adam, practically smothered between the two of them with the Ducks jersey quilt draped over his legs, it was the most at ease Ted had ever seen them; any and all tension that had been between them from the beginning of the school year seemed to have vanished as they sat together, watching the match between J.V. and the Varsity, laughing when they watched back the moment of Averman staring back at Ted stupidly after he'd gotten that concussion, or when Portman stripped in the penalty box, or when Goldberg nearly pissed his pants in a panic as he scored the winning goal.
Charlie was loved; that much was evident. Just knowing he would be back for the new season gave Ted hope that they could bring home another state championship title because the heart of the team was back and here to stay.