Recovery of a Hero Ch. 03

With that, he looked at me and said, "Thank you so much. I haven't had any books to read or a puter for a long time now. I hated the books they had at the hospital, and they wouldn't let me have a puter. Will you help me with it?"

"Of course" I said. "Whenever you need anything, if nobody is here you can use the intercom we had set up for my uncle when he was sick."

"Your uncle is sick too?" He asked.

I told him, "He was very sick, and he died almost 2 years ago. I sure miss him and my Mom and Dad."

Dar gave me a sad smile and said, "I miss my Dad too. He died about 5 years ago, I think. I don't remember for sure, but I still miss him."

"Ok," I said to break the sad mood. "Let me show you the rest of the house that you can get to right now. I'd take you up stairs, but you can't climb them and we don't have a way to get a wheel chair up them yet."

"Sure, I'd like to see it please. "While we do that, can I have a cup of coffee and a cigarette?" asked Dar.

"Ok, but we have to go out back for the cigarette. I'll take you to the kitchen and get you the coffee and then we can go out the back door from there. Do you have any with you?" I asked him.

He pulled a pack out of his pocket and showed me. I told him to put them back for now, cause Janny didn't like them, but he could have one out by the pool. Then I took him into the kitchen and gave him a large cup of coffee that I'd made earlier just for him.

After that, I pushed him out the patio door and over to a table by the fence around the pool. He looked at the fence and asked, "What's the fence for?"

"We put it up so you wouldn't accidentally roll into the pool in your chair. We have to keep that strap on you until the doctors say you don't need it any more.

When they say that, we can take down the fence cause your aunt said you can swim real good. But if your strapped to that wheelchair you'll just sink and drown."

I told him that George had gotten a list of safety requirements for in home care of someone in Dar's physical and mental condition.

"Oh, all right. I don't want to get anybody in trouble, so I'll be careful around the pool," said Dar.

"We still have to leave the fence up, cause the doctors said so," I told Dar. "I trust you, but we have to go by what they say if we want you to be allowed to stay with us. I want you to stay here until your better, so I'll do what they say."

"I want to stay here too," Dar said. "I like the room you showed me and I like it out here too. It's pretty here, and you and your sisters and your brother are nice to me."

"Aunt Dee said that I could stay here if she liked what she saw. She told me that I can't stay at her house right now cause my cousin Mick is there. He had to sell his house to pay for his daughter when she was real sick."

He got that sad look again, and said, "Even after all the medical stuff, she still died. I never met her, but I know that Mick loved her. My cousin is real nice and I hope he and his brother Matt can come see me sometime. I haven't seen them in a long time. Not since my Dad died."

I said, "Well, you and Janny will just have to call him up sometime and invite him and his family out here sometime. Since it's summer time, we can even have a barbeque."

Dar finished his cigarette and said, "Ok, lets go see the rest of the house. I really like it here already though."

"Fine, lets go," I said.

I got up and pushed him back into the kitchen and then to the dining room.

"This is where we eat when we're all together. It's not that often, cause George and Janny work and Erica is in school, but we do it at least once a week. Otherwise, we just make what we want when we get hungry. It's easier than trying to plan for 3 people with different schedules."

"I'd like that," said Dar. "I eat in my room alone at the hospital. It would be nice to sit with friends and have a meal once in awhile."

"You won't be lonely here," I told Dar. "I'm on summer vacation right now, and I'll eat with you. I'll even make your meals for you."

"You don't have to do that," said Dar.

"I want to," I said. "I like to cook, and I like company at meals too."

I then took him into the family room, where the others were already sitting and talking.

Donna asked Dar, "So what do you think?"

"I like it here," said Dar. "I'd get a real big room with my own bathroom and lots of books and even a puter. Am I going to be able to stay here?"

"Yes," said Donna. "We've discussed it, and your already discharged from the hospital. I planned on taking you home with me if this didn't look right, but it looks fine here."

"It's even better than what I could do for you. Since you like it here, you can stay for now. As long as these people want you here, and you're not a problem to them you can stay."

I couldn't help myself. I started crying and ran over to Donna and hugged her and whispered to her, "Thank you. Now I can help the person who saved my big brother. I'll make sure he's taken care of and is never lonely for as long as he wants to stay here."

Donna hugged me back and said, "That's why I decided to let Dar stay. I wasn't going to because I don't know you people, but the way you were ready to help him as soon as he got here, and how happy he looked when you ran up to the car decided me."

"It was you more than any thing else that convinced me."

"Dar and I were close for a long time when I was in school, and I want what's best for him. Right now, I think that's staying here."

"His father was my big brother, and I know how I felt when we lost him. I also know how you feel about George and I know that you'll take good care of my favorite nephew."

"I promise that I will do my best, no matter what," I told her. I really meant that too. I would do my very best to make Dar happy as long as he was here.

*

This ends chapter 3. Chapter 4 will continue from Sally's view point.