28
I think, now that I've read this chapter once again, this is a very important chapter for these two...be interesting to see what others think as we head down the story road.
***
Once I’d had a good night’s sleep, I was feeling a little better about being away from home. Mom made a huge breakfast, clearly back in her element now that she was home. My sisters were over for supper that night, once they got off work and both told me that, if all else fails, there companies were hiring as well. I’d be doing data entry in a little cubicle from 8-5, but it’d be better than nothing.
Johnny called me about a BBQ at his house and asked when I wanted to come. I told him that, now I was settled, any time would work. I was eager to see my friends, since I don’t get home much and outside of the internet, we don’t get much time to talk. Zach and Matt had gone into the tattoo, too, so they understood about busy.
I arrived at Johnny’s around six the help set up, even though he said I didn’t have to. I really just wanted an excuse to see my friends for a bit longer since Matt and Zach both had to work the next day, so the party would wrap up early for them.
“Jimmy!” a voice called and I was soon tackled by Johnny’s wife, Lacey, who was grinning from ear to ear. “Welcome home!”
“Thanks,” I said, smiling as she helped me to my feet. Johnny was next, though I managed to stay standing this time, hugging my shorter friend. I’d known Johnny technically since he was born, since I was friends with his older brother for a time, but hadn’t gotten close to him until high school. I helped him out of a bad situation and we clicked. We actually dated for a short time, until he decided he’d rather date girls. “How are you, Johnny?”
“I’m good, man, how are you?” he asked, and while I knew it was an innocent question, I wasn’t sure how to answer.
“Good. Glad to be back for a while. Jacoby’s coming in July and I might be coming with him.”
“Everyone’s here, so head out into the backyard,” he said, gesturing to the patio doors.
“Thanks,” I said, looking around his house. It hadn’t changed much from last summer. The walls of the living room were still white, he still had cathedral ceilings that he hadn’t dropped down, and he still had the same brown couches and chairs. The dining room was connected and hadn’t changed either: white walls, oak table and chairs and his grandmother’s old hutch, which looked its age. I opened the white patio door and stepped onto the red deck, looking around the expansive backyard, part of which was his own private section of beach. Johnny owned the tattoo shop with Zach and Matt and did quite well. “Hey guys.”
I’m pretty sure what happened next would be called a stampede. I had no idea who was hugging me and touching me, and their voices all blended into one. I admit it was a bit overwhelming and I was grateful when I heard Johnny instructing everyone to get off me and let me breathe.
“Welcome home, Jim!” Val, Matt’s wife said, throwing her arms around me. “God have we missed you. Are you staying?”
“Just for a month,” I said, as I hugged her back. “But Jacoby and I are talking about returning, though we don’t know yet.”
“It’s not a decision to make lightly, is it?” Michelle, Val’s sister asked, sitting next to Brian. They were more cuddly than I remembered them being last time and I crooked an eyebrow. Brian was recently divorced from his husband of five years, so I don’t know that he’d be moving on already.
“No, it’s not. But, since I have no job, there’s not as much holding me back there. I just don’t want to leave what we have, you know? There will always be something I can do, even if it’s not what I love. So, we need to sit down and talk about our options. He’s still got a job and it’s hell to start over after this many years,” I explained, as I sat down with a can of pop. I knew there’d be plenty of alcohol, but I wasn’t going to partake. Brian handed me a beer, but I shook my head. “No thanks. I haven’t had a drink in over a year.”
“Congrats,” Zach said, high fiving me. He’d had his struggles as well and we clinked pop cans, as his wife Gena smiled at us. She’d been as supportive of Zach as Jacoby had been of me, though Zach didn’t have near the problems that I did. “How long sober all together?”
“Five years the week of our anniversary,” I said, determined not to stumble over the word. It still hurt me deeply, but I wasn’t going to let that ruin things today. “The fourth time’s the charm.”
“We’re proud of you no matter what,” Val said, squeezing my knee. I couldn’t believe I went 10 without my friends. What an idiot I was. “How are you holding up with everything?”
“Well, better than I thought,” I said, thinking back over the last few weeks. “I didn’t get out of bed for four days after they fired me. I’ve worked so hard there and the people that cared about me supported me. It’s up to the board, though, and they don’t know me, of course. In the end, the board handed down the decision and I was stuck. One of my co-workers is leading the charge to get my job back, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.”
“Well, just take it one day at a time,” Michelle said, taking my hand. “And remember that we’re here, too, even if we are in a different state.”
“Thanks,” I said, smiling. There was a moment of silence, then Johnny said he was going to start to the grill. I got up and started walking around, since I’d never done well in crowds, especially of late. I walked down to the beach, shedding my sandals and walked into the cold, salty water.
“Jimmy?”
I turned and saw Zach walked toward me, his sandals next to mine, as we stood together letting the small waves wash over our feet. I finished my pop and set my can down in the sand, watching Zach do the same. Then, impulsively, he hugged me.
“Congrats on five years, man,” he said, standing back and turning once again to look out over the ocean. The sky was reflecting off it and making it seem bluer than usual. “I’m only at two. I had a bad relapse right before you found us again. But I’m doing it, and Gena’s so proud.”
“Congrats,” I said, understanding how he felt. I’d come so close to relapsing of late, but I’d kept my wits about me. “I’ve had some close calls of late. But so far, I’ve kept myself in check. It’s not easy, though. I got a free bag of co*ke from my dealer, but I haven’t touched it yet.”
“Don’t touch it and throw away five years of sobriety,” Zach advised, and I nodded, knowing he was right. “I know it’s tempting and all, but don’t do it. Gena was good about the relapse, but I know her patience will run thin.”
“I think Jacoby’s already has,” I said, as Johnny called us back to eat. We picked up our cans and shoes and started back. “You know, I think I want to move back. I don’t know why, but I do. I miss it out here, you know? Iowa’s been bad luck for me, and maybe it’s time to turn that luck around.”
“We’d love to have you,” Zach said, as we walked through the soft grass and onto the deck, leaving wet footprints in our wake. “If you need any help deciding what to do, we’re here for you.”
“I know,” I said, getting in line with everyone else. I actually felt relaxed for a change, and was enjoying myself. They all seemed to know that I needed some space and no one was hounding me to talk about things. It was a nice change, considering all the therapy and such. Once we all sat down, I got an idea. “Anyone want to go out some night while I’m home? I don’t know when, but maybe one of these nights, hit a bar?”
“I’d be up for that,” Zach said, and I knew we’d keep each other honest. “Anyone else?”
Everyone decided it sounded like fun, so I told them to get their schedules to me and I’d pick an night. I could only hope I’d keep it together then as well as I was now!
***
We went out a week later and I had a blast. I was starting to feel like myself again and it was a great feeling. I knew that my time here was going to end eventually, as I would be returning home in two weeks, but now, more than ever, I wanted to come back. Jacoby and I talked every night about the pros and cons of moving or staying and we knew we had a big decision to make.
I talked it over with friends and family out here as well, and they all understood what a tough decision this was going to be. We would not make it lightly, and whatever we decided, we wanted them to be understanding about it. Naturally, everyone here advocates for our return, but they understand how established we’ve become in Iowa, too. It’s not like we can magically transport the farm out here, though that would be grand.
By the time my month was up, I was feeling back to my old self. I stood in the airport and said goodbye to my friends and family, feeling a little anxious as I went through security and got a coffee before sitting at my gate and reading. Jacoby would meet me in Omaha and I was just bursting with excitement. I’d looked at an acreage out here and I think we’d love it.
He’d seemed excited when we’d talked on the phone about it, but of course, I knew we had to wait. The realtor said it wasn’t going anywhere, unless a contractor bought it and tore it down, so she’d make sure it was still there if we wanted it later.
My flight was called and I stood, tossing my empty paper cup in the trash. We had so much to talk about when I got home, and I wanted to get started. It’s not fun being unemployed, but at least it was in the spring; I could do yard work to keep myself busy while I collected unemployment and looked for a job.
***
Once I got home, I contacted the appropriate state boards to find out the status of my licenses; so far, they were all under review. Apparently, they were looking to see if I was wrongfully terminated. I thought I was, but didn’t feel like fighting it right now.
I will tell you that unemployment isn’t nearly what it’s cracked up to be. Thank God I’m collecting it in the spring time and not the winter. I’m outside everyday picking up branches, raking leaves, and soon, it’ll be time to mow. My asthma doesn’t like it, but I say ‘tough’. I’m an outside kind of guy and this is my time of year to be outside and work in the yard. Once the ground is warm enough, I can start tilling and getting our gardens ready.
Currently, I was out on the front porch with a cup of coffee, pondering the yard. I figured I could spend my morning picking up branches, and then spend the afternoon raking the remainder of the leaves. When I got that all done, I could look at the gardens and see if they needed anything done. I’d already removed the dead leaves, but there were some plants we didn’t get a chance to cut back before the first snowfall, so I wanted to give that a go.
I finished my coffee and returned inside to put it in the sink, then headed for the shed. I grabbed the rake and some gloves and got to work. I had a barrel sitting out already, and I started by filling it with the remaining branches. It didn’t take me long to finish, and then I moved on to the remainder of the leaves. I wondered how my care of the lawn would change when I was done with therapy. I’d like to think that it’s okay to be a little obsessed with the yard, after all. People see that, even out here in the middle of nowhere, and I want it to look nice.
I finished with the leaves and realized that it was lunchtime. Since I wanted to return to work quickly, I went inside and put a frozen pizza in. I turned on the radio, and my brow furrowed when there was news playing instead of rock music. This station was not known for news coverage, so I knew it had to be a big event.
“Just a heads up for those of you heading into town for the day,” the DJ said, and I listened attentively. I was considering a run to Menards later. “There’s a big wreck at the 680 entrance ramp off I-29. Looks like four cars and an ambulance were involved. Crews are on the scene, but you might want to take an alternative route into town.”
My heart dropped; what if Jacoby was in that ambulance? We couldn’t afford to have both of us off work! Worse yet, what if he died? There’s no way I could live without him. I jumped as my phone rang, coinciding with the beeping of the timer. I got my pizza out and turned the oven off, then answered my phone.
“Hello?”
“Jimmy, it’s Sean.”
“Oh God,” I said, feeling faint. I grabbed a chair and prepared for the worst. “Is he dead?”
“No, he’s on his way here, though. Can you drive?”
“I’ll be there shortly,” I said, hanging up. I glanced at my food, then grabbed a plate and took four slices with me. I shoved the rest in the fridge, even though I knew that wasn’t a great idea. I hopped in the truck and sped toward Omaha, gulping down my lunch. I had no idea how badly he was hurt, and I feared the worst. What if he can’t work anymore? What if he’s badly disabled? What if he’s brain damaged? I passed the scene of the wreck and it looked bad. The air ambulance was on the ground and I felt a pang of regret go through me.
I arrived at Creighton in record time. I ran into the ER and went straight for the information desk. Sean met me halfway and took me into the ER.
“What happened?” I asked, as we walked toward the main bay.
“Jacoby’s rig was coming back from a call and someone merged into them. That caused a chain reaction. He’s in bay two.”
I bolted for the curtained off area and realized it was quiet in there. Nervously, I peeked in and was relieved to see him sitting up in bed. He had an IV in his arm and some bruises on his face, but he didn’t look too bad.
“Hey,” he croaked out and I breathed with relief. “I’m okay. It’s a rough ride, though, when you’re not strapped down.”
“What happened? Sean said someone merged into you?” I asked, pulling up a chair beside him.
“Yeah,” he said, nodding. I noticed that his left arm was splinted, and hoped it wasn’t broken. “We were taking the exit pretty fast, of course, since we had a critical chest pain with us. We were just onto the ramp when we got pushed to the side. Some car came flying at us, going faster than we were. We rolled and there were at least three other cars that tried to stop and rammed into each other. I tried to protect the patient, and last I knew the patient was okay. I haven’t heard anything else about the crash, have you?”
“No. I first heard it on the radio and then Sean called. Are you okay?”
“I’ll live. My arm’s busted, and I’m going to be bruised to hell for a few days, but at least we all survived. Anthony’s a few bays down with a broken leg and Hollister got off with just a few bruises. I don’t know about our patient or anyone else.”
“Your patient is fine,” Sean said, as he came to check on Jacoby. “I’ve checked on Anthony and Hollister and they’re doing fine as well. The driver of the car that hit you is in surgery, but it doesn’t look good. The other three car’s drivers all sustained injuries that are non-life threatening and we’re getting them triaged now. You’re going to x-ray soon, and then you’re going home to rest.”
“I’ll be fine to stay on,” he protested, and I had to laugh.
“Once you get that first shot of pain medication, you’ll be worthless,” I said, and Jacoby groaned. “Trust me; you don’t want them setting that arm without pain medication.”
“I know,” he grumbled, and Sean laughed, as one of the x-ray techs came with a wheelchair.
While Jacoby was gone, I asked Sean what would happen now.
“He’s got short term disability and he’ll get workmen’s comp for this. I don’t know how long he’ll be off but probably a couple of weeks. He’ll have limited duty when he returns, which will suck for me,” Sean said, and I laughed. “All three of them are going to be on limited duty, and I’m going to have three of the crankiest EMTs known to man in my ER.”
“How is Hollister? Coby said she got off lucky?”
“We thought so, but she’s got a pretty good broken ankle,” he said, sighing. “The good news is that the driver is being charged with reckless driving, speeding, and probably other charges if she makes it through surgery. It’s not looking good, though. I heard that her estimated speed was around 90 when she plowed into the ambulance.”
“How’d she survive impact?” I asked, my eyebrows raised. “I’ve honestly scraped people like her from the pavement before.”
“No one knows how she survived. The airbags deployed and she’s a mess, but she was alive and conscious when they wheeled her into surgery,” he said, as Jacoby returned. I stepped out so the doctor and a couple nurses had the room they needed to work on him. Sean and I walked down to see Anthony and Hollister. “Hey Tony, how you feeling?”
“Ugh,” he complained, rubbing a hand over his face. It was clear that he was still tripped out on morphine, but his leg had been dealt with and sported a nice blue cast that covered his entire leg. “Groggy as sh*t. I’m waiting for my wife to come take me home, once PT lets me up on crutches. Sorry about the rig, man.”
“Not your fault,” Sean said, as a very tall, muscular woman with long dark hair entered the bay. “Hi Annie.”
“Hey Sean. Can I take my man home yet?”
“Not yet. He’s not cleared with PT. That leg’s going to need some time to heal,” he said, gesturing to the broken limb. A very large snore issued from the bed and we all laughed. “And I don’t think he’s awake enough yet.”
“He’s too heavy for me to carry,” she said, taking a chair at the bedside.
“With all those muscles?” I teased and she punched me on the arm. “You’re abusive, woman!”
“Then don’t tease me,” she retorted, pretending to be hurt by my joke. “I’ll take you out in a second, Shaddix.”
“I surrender,” I said, raising my hands in the air. “You win.”
She smirked, as Sean and I moved on to check on Hollister. I’d head back once Jacoby was ready to leave. There was no sense in crowding the already small bay, and I didn’t need to see yet another bone get set. I can set them myself, so why watch? We checked on Hollister, who was in better shape than Anthony. We watched her take her first steps on crutches and laughed at her form.
“You of all people should know how to do this,” I teased, and she flipped me off. “Honestly, Hollis. Stand up straight, keep those damn things lower than your armpits and swing forward. Remember how I did it when I broke my leg five years ago?”
A tumble on the ice had landed me in misery for over four months. I broke the two bones in my shin and my ankle. Let me tell you about walking on crutches…it sucks!
“I’ll try that,” she said, and adjusted her position. She swung forward and we applauded. “That was easier. It’s going to be a long two months, isn’t it?”
“At least you broke it now instead of a month or two ago,” I pointed out, watching as Jacoby’s cubicle emptied. “I better go check on Coby. You get healed up, you hear?”
“I will. You tell Coby the same thing,” she said, as she continued to practice. I met her husband on my way back to Coby and directed him to her cubicle.
“Hey Cobs,” I said, as I entered his little cubicle again. His left arm sported a nice bright orange cast to his shoulder, and he was clearly out of it. “Morphine?”
“It’s a bitch,” he slurred, yawning. “But I didn’t feel anything. You get my clothes from my truck? I’ll drive that home.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ll sit with you until the doctor discharges you, okay? Get some sleep. I’ll get your duffel, you forget about driving.”
He drifted off, and I sat back, pondering the day. We got lucky, when you think about it. Jacoby and Anthony were unrestrained in the back of the rig, and they came out okay. It sounded like everyone was going to be fine, except perhaps the driver that hit them. Sean came to check on Jacoby and handed me the papers to start workers’ comp and short term disability, just in case he was out longer than two weeks.
“The driver survived surgery,” he whispered and I nodded. I couldn’t believe it, though I knew that she’d be lucky to make it the night, given how fast she was going. I wonder what she was thinking. “The doctor is going to come talk to you shortly and get Jacoby home.”
“I’ll take good care of him,” I said, taking the pen Sean offered me. I figured I might as well get the paperwork started so Jacoby could sign it later.
We sat together for a bit as the worst of the pain medication side effects wore off. By the time my husband was coherent, the doctor was here to discharge him home. I’d seen Hollister and Anthony both leave, and now we’d be leaving as well.
Jacoby signed the papers and got fitted for a sling, and then we were free to go. He was going to be hurting for a few days, so we had to stop by the pharmacy when we got home and get his pain pills. I knew this was going to be quite a test for me; I used to be a frequent abuser of Vicodin. When I’d broken my leg a few years ago, I’d managed to use the narcotic pain pills I’d been given as prescribed, mostly because Jacoby was monitoring me around the clock. I hoped I had the same strength now.
