I Can't Believe It's You

Over the years of cooking, I had discovered that I had an affinity for cooking anything Italian. And while having dinner at my house one night, Katie looked at me thoughtfully and said, "You know, Mikey, have you ever thought about opening up a restaurant?"

"What, are you nuts, Katie," I incredulously asked, "I barely have enough time as it is, what with all the classes I teach, grading papers, etc."

"I think you'd be real good at it," she replied.

"Katie, honey," I said, holding her hands, "Besides what I've already mentioned, I don't know the first thing about running a restaurant."

"Well, I do" she replied, non-plussed, "Oh come on, Mikey, it'll fun...pleeeeease big brooother."

"Aw man, shit," I cursed, much to the squeals of my little sister, knowing that I'd given in to her....again.

That summer, we found the perfect place, as Katie called it, near the U of H campus. And as soon as the bank had approved our loan, which I knew they would, we began making all the necessary preparations it took to open up 'Doc's Pasta House'.

~~~~~~

Opening night took place two weeks after classes had started. And because of the fact that we gave a discount to college students, as well as faculty, it was a big success. All of the faculty, as well as every single one of my students were in attendance. I oversaw the kitchen while Katie handled everything up front, and according to Phillip, my sister and I made a great team.

Near the end of the night, Katie informed me that we were beginning to run out of food, making me smile and reply, "I guess that means we won't have any left-overs then," making her giggle and kiss me on the cheek.

Because we were only open during the evening hours, Katie was able to work her day job, as was I able to work mine. However, in the first three months of operation, the restaurant had been so successful that Katie was able to quit her job and work at the restaurant full time. As far as the profits went, Katie took just enough to pay her bills and the rest of it was invested back into the business.

Katie was great with numbers, and after only eight months, she came to my office one afternoon excitedly holding the title to the building in her hands, indicating that our bank loan had been paid off. Leaning across my desk and kissing me on the cheek, she smiled and said, "See Mikey, I knew this restaurant would be a success."

~~~~~~

I was at home and had just finished grading the last of the papers for the end of the week, when the phone on my desk rang one Friday evening. It was my sister, Katie, and she sounded frantic. "Mikey, Mikey, I need you down at the restaurant, please hurry."

"What is it?" I asked alarmed.

"I can't explain it now," she pleaded, "Just come, quickly," and the line went dead.

It definitely sounded like trouble so, I went to my closet and strapped on my Colt .45 and threw on my coat and then headed out the door.

~~~~~~

I parked my car a little less than half a block from the restaurant so as not to be seen, in order to provide some small element of surprise to whomever was trying to rob the store, or at least that's what I thought was happening. As I approached the front door of the restaurant, I saw through the windows that there no lights on inside the place, making it totally dark inside, almost as if there was a blackout.

Withdrawing my weapon, I slowly turned the doorknob and stepped inside. The moment I was indoors, all the lights suddenly came on and I heard a loud, "SURPRISE!!!!"

As soon as my eyes became adjusted to the light, Katie came squealing toward me wearing a naughty grin. Then throwing her arms around my neck, she hugged me and kissed me on the cheek and cooed, "Happy Birthday Big Brother!" Then looking in my hand at my drawn weapon, Katie laughed and said, "Jesus, Mikey, put that thing away before you hurt somebody."

"Well, shit, Sis,' I said aggravated, "I thought we were being robbed," causing Katie to break out in uproariously wild fit of laughter. "Now what's so funny?" I crossly asked.

"Nothing," she squeaked, still laughing, "You forgot your own birthday," and the she almost fell over laughing.

"Aw, hell," I said, resigned to the fact the she'd gotten on over on me, and then I began laughing right along with her.

All of my friends that I worked with, as well as many of my students were there to celebrate with us, and a very good time was had by all. Even the head of my department, Dr. Jack Thomas, was there partying like he was a college student himself. It was a great night, and as it began to wear down and the guests began to leave, Jack came and sat down beside me at my table. Patting me on the shoulder, he leaned in and said, "Mike, my friend, you're thirty-five now. Don't you think it's time you find yourself a beautiful girl to marry and raise kids with?"

Tapping my prosthetic leg with a butter knife, I shook my head and sadly replied, "I don't know of any woman that would want a cripple for a husband, and I just don't see it happening, old buddy."

"That's the biggest crock of shit that I've ever heard come out of your mouth, Michael Winslow," Katie replied smiling, as she sat down next to me.

"Maybe so," I said adamantly, "But it's the truth!"

"You'd be surprised," Katie cryptically replied.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing really," she smiled, "But you would really be surprised.

~~~~~~

Chapter Three

The next day, Phil and Katie had come over to my house for breakfast. "So, did we surprise you last night, or what, Mikey?" Katie laughed.

"Yeah," I chuckled, "You sure did, baby sister."

"Well, somebody has to look out for you,' she teased, "Because I know you won't."

"What're you, my mother?" I laughed.

"Uh-Oh, I'd watch what I said to her if I were you," warned Phil, "I said the same thing the other day, and she tore me new ass for it."

"Oh, shut up, Phillip," Katie snapped, then she turned to me with the beginnings of tears in her eyes, and said, "Years ago when we were little, you used to always look out for me. I can still remember the storms that always came every spring. And when it would rain at night and the thunder would scare me, I could always come into your room. You would shine the flashlight onto the ceiling and tell me bedtime stories that always put me right to sleep."

Standing up from the table, Katie now had tears falling down her pretty cheeks like, and no longer being able to hold it all in, she cried, "I can't help it that I worry about you, Michael. You were my protector when I was a little girl and I looked up to you. You were, and still are my hero. I love you and I just want you to be happy, and not all alone."

I stood up, then leaned over and wrapped my arms around her and said, "I love you, too, Katie and I'm not all alone. I've got you and Phil, and let's not forget about Dad."

"Dammit, Michael," snapped Katie, pushing away from me, "You know damned good and well what I'm talking about."

I know it was accidental, but when Katie pushed away from me; I suddenly lost my balance and began falling and stumbling backwards. The last thing I remembered seeing was the look of horror on her face as she screamed, "MICHAEL! OH MY GOD! NOOOO!!!" Then everything went black

~~~~~~

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a concentrated care unit of University Hospital on the U of H campus. The first thing I saw was a very pretty nurse with beautiful caramel colored skin. Smiling, and with a thick Caribbean accent, she said, "Well, hello there, handsome. How are you feeling?"

"Thirsty," I croaked, my lips dry and my throat parched.

She filled a plastic cup from a water pitcher on the table beside my bed, and then as she held my head while I drank from the cup, she smiled and said, "My name is Teela, and as soon as you finish getting this water down your throat; I need to call your doctor and let him know that you're awake, okay sweetie?" I simply nodded as she walked away.

~~~~~~

My doctor had already informed me of my situation. I had lost my balance and fallen backwards, getting my left leg tangled and wedged into the legs of my chair on the way down. In the process, not only did I knock myself unconscious, but my left leg was broken, a compound fracture just below my knee. Also, my leg was to remain immobile for eight weeks to ensure that the bones mended properly, hence the reason it was in traction. Plus, I had to attend four weeks of physical therapy before I could return to work. "I've got classes to teach and papers to grade, Doctor," I said.

Dr. Marcus Johns laughed and said, "You want that left leg to be strong enough to support your body, don't you? Furthermore, you're already missing your right leg, Mister Winslow, I think that...."

"Uh, excuse me," I flatly interrupted, "But its Doctor Winslow, if you don't mind."

Unmoved, Dr. Johns laughed again and replied, "Yeah, I know."

"I don't find any of this the least bit funny," I spat, "What the hell are you laughing about?"

"Because I told him what an asshole you are when you're hurt," laughed Katie, suddenly appearing in my hospital room. She walked up to my bed and gently placed her arms around my neck. After tenderly kissing me on the cheek, I heard her choking back tears as she softly cried, "I'm so sorry, Michael. This is all my fault."

"Yeah it is," I laughed putting my arms around her, "But I still love you anyway, my Katie-Bug." Besides, I knew that my sister would never intentionally hurt me.

Katie hugged me tighter, knowing that I held no malice toward her for what had happened to me, and then softly replied, "I love you, too, Mikey."

~~~~~~

Dr. Jack Thomas took care of my graduate students while Kenny Brown taught my undergrad classes and graded all the papers. He was a smart kid that I had chosen to be my teaching assistant, and I really admired his work ethic. As I was reminding myself to do something really nice for both him and Dr. Thomas before I got out of the hospital; a really cool thought came to mind. Of course I would have to talk to Katie first, but I was absolutely positive that she was going to agree.

~~~~~~

"The restaurant is doing extremely well," Katie proudly said, that night when she came to visit me, "And we've been showing a profit margin of one-hundred, twenty-two percent for the last six months, Mikey."

"I want you to do me a favor, Katie-Bug," I smiled, "I need you to......"

~~~~~~

"This is too much, Mike," said Jack Thomas that afternoon, visiting me after work.

"Why? You've already eaten my cooking once and you're still alive to tell about it," I laughed, "Besides, I know you've taken a lot time out of your extremely busy schedule to take care of my graduate students so, it's the least I can do, Jack."

"Well, I will say that my wife, Jane is absolutely thrilled," Jack replied, shaking my hand, "She was really pissed that she wasn't able to make it to the opening so, thanks, buddy."

Suddenly I heard a knock on my door, and after I said, "Come in," it opened and Kenny Brown, followed by a pretty young lady whom I assumed was his girlfriend, came walking into the room with smiles on both of their faces. "Hey, Kenny, it's good to see you." I smiled.

"I wanted to come by and say thank you for the free passes to Doc's Pasta House that you gave me," said Kenny.

"No thank you's are necessary, Kenny," I smiled, "It's my way of thanking you for all the help you've been giving me while I'm laid up."

"Well, thank you, again, Mike," Kenny grinned. Then putting the young lady who'd come with him in between us, he proudly added, "This is my fiancée. Her name is Amanda Peterson and we're getting married after we both graduate next year."

As I took the girl's hand, I gently shook it and smiled, then said, "It's very nice to meet you, Amanda. You're awfully pretty. What are you doing hanging around with the likes of Kenny?"

Everyone laughed as she took Kenny's hand and then laughingly replied, "I often wonder that myself sometimes."

~~~~~~

The following day, Jack Thomas showed up with a video crew. "Something's come up, Mike," he informed me, "And I need to go out of town. But there's no need to worry, man. The head of the media department, Kyle Lang, is my brother-in-law, and he got the approval to put in a closed circuit television camera."

"What in the world is going on here, Jack?" I asked uncertainly.

"That way, you can still give your lectures and you won't have to move a muscle," he laughed, excitedly, "Other than the one under your nose...you know, your jawbone...get it?"

"Yeah, I get it," I replied shaking my head and grinning.

~~~~~~

So, that's how it went for the remainder of my stay in the hospital. Kenny would be in the classroom each morning, attending to the undergraduates as they watched my lecture on the television that had been brought in and set up there. Then in the afternoons, and because there were only four of them, my graduate students came to my hospital room for their classes. The arrangements Jack had set up with the media people on campus turned out to be a good plan that worked well. One or two students from each class would stop by the hospital to see me every week-end, which made me feel proud.

~~~~~~

Ten days before I was to be moved from the concentrated care unit in the hospital, Doctor Johns disengaged the traction and removed the braces from my leg. Once this was done, I was wheeled to another room, on a different wing of the hospital. Katie and Phil had moved all of my things to my new room, and once I was comfortably situated, the two of them appeared in the door standing side-by-side, grinning conspicuously.

"What?" I asked smiling.

Then Katie smiled and said, "We brought you a special visitor, Mikey." Before I could respond, Phil and Katie separated, and in between the two of them stood Dad smiling."

"Hey son, how are you feeling?" he asked, as he walked to the bedside table and poured me a cup of water. Katie, as she has always done since we were children, immediately took the cup from Dad, placing the cup into my hands so that I could drink. I took a couple of long swallows of water to appease her, then smiled at Dad and said, "Well, I've felt better, Dad, but I think this will pass pretty quickly."

~~~~~~

Chapter Four

"You'd better rest up, because we're going to get you on your feet first thing tomorrow morning," said an unfamiliar female voice, coming from the door to my room. I looked up to see a young woman wearing blue hospital scrubs walk into my room and stand near my bed.

She stood about 5'7" and looked to be no older than 18, or 19 at the very most. She was athletically built, and I guessed her to weigh somewhere in the neighborhood of 125 pounds.

Her long dark brown hair was tied up into a ponytail that flowed gracefully down her back. Her pretty face was accented by two bright blue eyes, enhancing her Greco-Roman features and bright smile. "Hi, Doctor Winslow, my name is Abigail Whitley, and I'm going to be your Physical Therapist until you leave here."

I didn't know why, but there was something about her that seemed strangely familiar. Nevertheless, I simply smiled and politely replied, "It's nice to meet you Miss Whitley."

"Please," she giggled delightfully, "Just call me Abbey like everyone else does around here."

"Alright then," I smiled, "You can call me Mike."

"I just wanted to stop by and meet you today, Mike," she smiled, shaking my hand, "We've got a lot of work ahead of us and I wanted to make sure you were ready for it?"

"I'm ready for anything you throw at me," I teased, "Batter up!"

"I sure hope so," she laughed, turning to leave, "I was serious when I told you that we start bright and early tomorrow so, you better rest up."

"Yes, Ma'am," I replied saluting her, making her giggle as she left my room.

Once he was certain that Abbey was gone, Dad smiled at me and said, "She seemed like a nice young lady." Then winking conspiratorially at Katie and Phil, he looked back at me and added, "Hey, Mike. What do you think about maybe asking her out after you get..."

"Don't even think about it," I said flatly, "Come on, Dad, you're starting to sound just like Katie."

Dad and Phil began to laugh, but I knew I had thoroughly pissed my sister off when she looked at me softly, and then angrily growled, "Excuse me for loving you and for giving a shit about what happens to you. Oh, and one more thing, excuse me for not telling you to kiss my ass right now, Michael.

When they heard what she said, Dad and Phil were laughing hysterically, and with a triumphant smirk on her face, Katie grinned at me and said, "Now, what do you think about that, Smart Ass?"

Aw, hell," I laughed.

~~~~~~

Abbey was true to her word that next morning. Shortly after breakfast, she appeared in my doorway pushing a wheel chair in front of her as she came into my room. I was in the process of putting my prosthetic leg on when Abbey smiled and asked, "Good morning, Mike, how do you feel this morning?"

I was still a little unsure about all of this, but still, I kept a positive attitude and replied smiling, "I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"Here," she said, wheeling the chair to my bed, "Let me help you."

"No, that's okay," I smiled, locking the nearest wheel in place, "Just lock that other wheel for me, and I can get there myself."

"I like the way you think," she laughed, as I used my prosthetic leg as a swivel, maneuvering myself to be able to sit in the wheel chair. "Damn, that was pretty cool, Mike," Abbey laughed, "It looks like you've done that a time or two."

"Well," I smiled, "Maybe just a couple."

~~~~~~

Abbey took me to a big room down the hall that had a lot of padded tables along the walls and mats on the floors, not to mention two sets of walkways that had parallel bars spanning each one. There were a couple of desks also, and wheeling me up to one of them, Abbey took the seat at the desk.

Reaching into a filing cabinet, she pulled out a manila folder that looked like it might be my medical records and placed them on the table. Then, leaning back in her chair, Abbey smiled and said, "Before we get started this morning, and because we're going to be spending the next four weeks together, I'd like to take a few minutes for us to get to know one another."

"Sure," I smiled, "What do you want to know?"

"Well, I know that you're a college professor with a PhD in history," she replied smiling, "But, if you don't mind talking about it, I'd like to know how you lost your right leg."

"I lost it in Vietnam," I replied with no emotion.

"I'm so very sorry, Mike," she said, seemingly upset, "I didn't mean to pry."

No, hey," I smiled, "It's alright. You didn't do anything wrong."

'Well, it's just that...." and then she stopped, tears now threatening to spill down her face, "I can't talk about it."

"That's not very fair of you," I smiled, trying to soothe her and put her at ease, "I had to tell you about me, and if we're going to be friends; you're going to have to trust me."

"I'm sorry," she smiled, wiping her eyes, "My mother's sister, My Aunt Leigh, was a nurse in Vietnam, well, there and Japan, and she told me all about some of the horrible things you guys had to endure over there. I'm sorry, Mike, but this is the very first time that I've seen the results of what my Aunt Leigh was talking about up close," and then she began to cry openly, "It just breaks my heart that our guys had to go through all of that."

By this time I had wheeled my chair over to her side of the desk and simply put my arms around her while she cried. When she was done, I handed her some tissue from a box sitting on the far corner of the desk, and said, "I appreciate your compassion, Abbey, but that war is over with now. So, from now on, I want you to smile when you think of us guys that were over there, okay?"