Chapter 28

PRESENT DAY

 

Even though I’m on vacation this week, it’s hard to take a break from my work. I’ve got a lot of clients, and the truth is, I think of a lot of them as friends. Or even family. Just because I’m in Maryland this week, it doesn’t mean my clients’ problems have taken a week off.

So while Lily is getting breakfast, I start making calls. First I call Keisha Robinson, who recently aged out of foster care and then found herself knocked up two months ago by an irresponsible jerk (I can relate). Next I call Linda Green, who isn’t technically my client—her elderly mother is. Linda tells me how she went to visit her mother with food and found her cleaning her house—completely naked.

“Do you think that means she needs to go to a nursing home?” Linda asks me.

I can’t tell Linda the answer to that one. I assure her that as soon as I return home, we can look into a few independent living facilities. In the meantime, as long as Mrs. Green keeps the nakedness confined to her home, it’s okay.

My final call is to my current favorite client, Luke Collins. Luke was at a college graduation party when he dived into a swimming pool headfirst and broke his neck. As a result, he is paralyzed from the neck down, left only with a little movement in his upper arms. He spent a big chunk of time in rehab, where he learned to do basic things like feed himself and operate a power wheelchair, but nine months later, he’s still dependent for bathing, dressing, and getting in and out of bed, and he always will be.

Luke’s father died when he was young, so he’s been staying with his mother since his injury. They’ve been struggling to get services for Luke, so his mother is helping him with absolutely everything. The situation is a disaster. The last time I visited their house, his mother was disheveled with huge bags under her eyes—I insisted she go relax while I cleaned the kitchen and made lunch for Luke. I’m worried that if they don’t get help soon, it’s only a matter of time before she cracks.

After four rings, I hear Luke’s voice on the other line: “Hey, Bailey.”

“Hi!” I say brightly. “How’s it going?”

There’s a long silence on the other line. “Been better.”

“Is it your mother?” I ask.

“No, Mom’s fine.” He lets out a long sigh. “Hannah came by yesterday…”

I cringe. Hannah is Luke’s girlfriend of three years—they dated nearly all through college.  Before his accident, they had been discussing marriage. The parallels to my own situation have not escaped me, especially when Luke expressed frustration at how infrequently Hannah had been visiting him lately.

“How is she doing?” I ask.

“She dumped me.”

I saw it coming as much as Luke probably did. I’d met Hannah on one occasion, and it was clear how uncomfortable she was with everything. She cringed visibly when Luke asked for her help with even the most simple things, like when he was struggling to get a splint on his hand so he could feed himself. I could see Hannah wasn’t adjusting well to her boyfriend’s situation.

Believe me, the parallels to my own situation didn’t escape me.

“Oh, Luke,” I murmur. “I’m really sorry. That sucks.”

“Yeah,” he sighs. He’s a good kid. Before this happened, he had planned to go to grad school to become an archeologist. I wanted to be Indiana Jones. Now he’s rethinking all his life plans. “It was inevitable though. She couldn’t deal with it.”

“Yes,” I say, “although she’s been there for you for nine months. That’s worth something.”

“Is it?” he snorts. “You met her, Bailey. Whenever she visited, it was like she couldn’t wait to leave.”

I wince. I’m sure ten years ago, Noah could have said the exact same thing about me. And just like Hannah, I bailed on him when he needed me.

“She probably just needs time,” I tell him. “In another few years… who knows?”

“No.” I can hear the hurt he’s feeling. “You didn’t see her face. It’s over. For good.” And then his voice breaks. “I can’t even blame her. I can’t imagine a girl being attracted to me like this.”

I grip the phone tighter. It was just what Noah said when I asked for a break all those years ago. “Don’t say that, Luke.”

“What are you talking about?” His hurt is quickly morphing into anger. “I need my mom to help me take a fucking shower. What chance do I have of any kind of serious relationship?”

“It’s not always going to be that way,” I remind him. “We’re setting up services for you—”

“I’ll always need help though.”

I can’t argue with him there. Maybe it won’t always be his mother bathing him, but he’ll never be able to do it by himself.

“Can I talk to your mother, Luke?”

“She’s busy.”

“I can call her on her cell phone…”

He lets out a long breath. “I don’t want you to worry her more than she already is, Bailey. Please. I’ll be okay. Promise.”

Of course, the person I really want to talk to isn’t Luke’s mother—it’s Hannah. I want to shake her by the shoulders and tell her she’s making a huge mistake. She might be giving up because it’s hard right now, but if she loves him, she needs to stick around. Because if she doesn’t, she’ll regret it forever.