Chapter 63

It was dark by the time I got home that night. Until I saw my accessible van sitting in the driveway next to my mom’s sedan, I had almost forgotten about Natalie. She appeared on the front porch and stood there watching with her hands on her hips while I parked my truck behind the van she had driven all the way from Atlanta.

“Hey, baby!” I called out to her as my door opened, letting a blast of cold air into the cab. “You made it!”

“I’ve been here for two hours,” Natalie said as she walked toward the truck, wrapping the open front of her oversized cardigan tightly around herself. “Where have you been?” She folded her arms across her chest as she waited for the lift to lower me to the ground.

I was taken aback by her prickly tone. “Didn’t my mom tell you? I was at the hospital with Dawn.”

“You’ve been there this whole time?” Natalie blinked at me in disbelief, her dark eyes flashing in the dim light from my truck’s interior. “Why wouldn’t you answer your phone? We were getting worried about you!”

“Sorry,” I said, punching the button that released the bolt on the bottom of my chair from the lift’s locking mechanism. “My battery died. It’s been a long day. I lost track of time.”

Her expression softened. “It’s okay. At least you’re not lying dead in a ditch somewhere. I was getting ready to go looking for you.”

“You sound like my mom,” I said, smirking as I rolled off the lift and onto the driveway.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” replied Natalie, raising her chin. “Your momma’s a lovely lady. I’ve just spent the last two hours talking to her and helping her in the kitchen. She showed me how to make a meatloaf.”

“Did she?” My mouth began to water at the mere mention of my mom’s meatloaf. Suddenly, I realized how hungry I was – a rare sensation for me. “That sounds delicious.”

“It certainly smells delicious.” Smiling at me, she reached out and took my left hand. “C’mon. Let’s get you inside before you freeze to death. It’s cold out here, and you’re not wearing a coat.” Her smile faded as she looked down at me like she was seeing me properly for the first time. “Why aren’t you wearing a coat?”

“It’s like forty degrees, babe; it’s not that cold,” I argued, as if my body had suddenly acclimated to winter weather. The truth was that I’d gotten frustrated with trying to put on my parka by myself and given up, leaving the puffy coat lying on the floor by the back door as I’d left the house in nothing but a hoodie. My mom must have found it and hung it back on its hook before Natalie arrived. So much for learning how to be more independent.

“Really? Then why does your hand feel like ice?” she asked, rubbing it between her palms.

“I dunno – poor circulation,” I muttered, pulling my hand out of hers. With a jerk of my joystick, I maneuvered my power chair around her and up the ramp that led to the front porch.

It was too narrow for two people, so Natalie took the stairs. “Hm… I know a way to get your blood pumping,” she said in a flirtatious tone when she met me at the top. Then she climbed onto my lap, took my face in her hands, and kissed me long and hard on the lips. “How’s that?” she asked as we broke apart. “Better?”

“Uh-huh,” I answered breathlessly, my heart beating faster. “I’m so glad you’re here, baby. Thanks for coming – and for bringing my van back. How was your drive?”

“Long,” she admitted, making a face. “Colby howled at least half of the way here. He hates car rides.”

I’d almost forgotten she was bringing her cat, too. “Oh no… poor guy. But, hey, you made it.”

“We made it,” she repeated with a weary smile. “So, how’s Dawn?”

I sighed and shook my head. “Not good. I’ll tell you more later, okay? I don’t really wanna talk about it right now… and especially not in front of Mason.”

A look of concern flickered across Natalie’s face. “Okay,” she agreed with a nod and climbed down from my lap. I knew she must be curious, but she didn’t ask any more questions as we went inside.

There was no sign of Natalie’s cat, but I found my kid in the kitchen, where he was helping set the table while my mom put the finishing touches on dinner. “There he is!” my mom exclaimed as I rolled into the room.

Mason’s eyes lit up when he looked up and saw me. “Daddy!” Dropping the fork he was holding, he ran around the table and leapt into my lap. “Where were you?”

“At the hospital with Dawn,” I replied, hugging him to my chest. “Didn’t Mammaw tell you?”

“Yes, but someone was starting to get a bit worried.” My mom tipped her head toward Mason, giving me a meaningful glance. “Is everything all right?” she asked as she met my eye.

“Fine,” I said shortly, forcing a smile onto my face for Mason’s sake. “I heard y’all made a meatloaf. It smells amazing in here!”

My mom took the hint and rolled with the change in subject. “See?” she said, smiling at Natalie. “I told you it was one of his favorite meals.” To me, she added, “Dinner’s almost ready, so why don’t you go get washed up while Mason finishes setting the table?”

“Good idea,” I said, letting go of Mason so he could get down.

“When’s Dawn coming home?” he asked as he walked around the table, placing a fork next to each plate.

“Not tonight, bud. She might have to stay in the hospital for a few more days,” I said, hoping he wouldn’t ask me too many more questions. I hadn’t yet figured out how to tell him that Dawn was sick.

Mason’s face fell. “But you said I would see her after school,” he said, his voice taking on a slightly accusatory tone as he glared at me.

“I know, and I’m sorry it didn’t work out that way. Maybe tomorrow,” I told him. Then, wanting to avoid an argument with an overly-tired kid, I quickly changed the subject. “So, how was school today?”

He shrugged. “Fine.”

“That’s good.” My phone had died before I could check my email, but I hoped I wouldn’t find a reply from his teacher that said otherwise waiting in my inbox. “Gimme a few minutes to wash up for dinner and plug my phone into its charger, and then you can tell me more about what you did at school today.”

Mason didn’t reply as I rolled out of the room.

I rode the elevator upstairs. As I backed out of it, I heard a soft hiss and felt my heart leap into my throat. I turned my head in time to see an orange blur streak by. “Well, hey there, Colby Jack!” I let out a shaky breath, almost as startled as the cat must have been. “Sorry, boy – hope I didn’t run over your tail,” I added as I watched its striped tip disappear through the doorway of the guest room down the hall.

We normally kept that door closed when the room wasn’t in use, but it stood slightly ajar. I didn’t remember Jerald leaving it open after staying there the night before, so I assumed Natalie had, although it had been many months since she’d slept in that room instead of mine. Curious, I turned my chair toward it.

“Colby?” I called softly, clicking my tongue as I rolled down the hall. Poking my head into the guest room, I didn’t see Colby – but when I went inside, I found a plush cat bed sitting by the foot of the human one, a pair of food and water bowls set up in one corner, and a litter box tucked in another. “Looks like you’ve already made yourself at home.” I smiled as I looked around the room. “Hopefully that means you and your momma are planning to stay a while.”

Since it didn’t seem like Colby would be coming out of his hiding place any time soon, I turned around and headed to my own room, leaving the door open so he could continue exploring the rest of the house when he was ready.

After plugging in my phone to recharge, I retreated into the master bathroom to wash my hands and empty my bladder before dinner. I was fumbling with my pants when I felt a pair of eyes on me. I glanced up, expecting to find Mason watching me like he had as a toddler. Instead, I saw Colby sitting in the doorway. His sudden reappearance caught me by surprise, but it shouldn’t have – cats, like little kids, are naturally curious.

“Enjoying the show?” I asked him sarcastically as I inserted a catheter. Colby’s wide green eyes continued to stare unblinkingly at me, making me feel slightly uncomfortable. “Don’t judge. You piss in a box and leave it for someone else to clean up for you. At least I can flush this away when I’m done.”

Under Colby’s watchful gaze, I waited for the urine to finish flowing through the thin tube into the attached collection bag. Then I took out the tube, drained the bag into the toilet, and tossed the used catheter kit into the trash can. The crinkle of the plastic packaging seemed to catch his attention, but the moment I moved toward the sink to wash my hands, he turned and bolted from the bathroom, apparently terrified by the low hum of my power chair.

By the time I came back down to the kitchen, dinner was ready. Everyone else was already seated at the table with full plates, waiting for me to return. “Your cat’s kind of a creeper,” I told Natalie with a smirk as I rolled up to the table.

“Colby finally came out?” she said hopefully. “He’s been hiding under the bed ever since I let him out of his carrier.”

“Yeah… he was watching me go to the bathroom.”

She laughed. “Sorry. He has no respect for privacy or personal boundaries – you know, because he’s a cat.”

“That’s all right. He ran away as soon as I revved this bad boy up,” I replied, patting my joystick.

Natalie smiled. “Just wait till he gets used to it,” she warned me. “Then he won’t leave you alone.”

“I wanna see Colby!” Mason said eagerly. “Can I go look for him again?”

“After dinner,” my mom answered. “Eat your meatloaf before it gets cold.”

Mason’s face fell. “I hate meatloaf,” he pouted, poking at it with his fork.

“You haven’t even tried it yet. Take a bite,” I prompted him as I threaded my fingers through the handle of my own fork. I cut a big piece off the end of my own slice of meatloaf and raised it to my mouth. It was warm, tender, and full of flavor. “Mmm… it’s perfect, Ma.”

My mom beamed. “I’ll write down the recipe, so Natalie can make it for you again sometime. It sounds like she’ll be doing most of the cooking around here until Dawn’s back home and feeling better.”

“That’d be great – thanks, Miss Ann!” Natalie smiled back brightly, but I heard the uncertainty in her high-pitched voice. I gave her an apologetic grimace as I remembered her telling me how hopeless she was in the kitchen.

Once Mason had eaten enough meatloaf to be excused from the table, he ran upstairs to look for the cat while the rest of us finished our meal. As soon as he left the room, I set my fork down and cleared my throat, causing both women to look up expectantly.

“So… about Dawn.” Knowing I didn’t have much time before Mason came back downstairs, I decided not to beat around the bush. Instead, I dropped the bombshell: “She’s in heart failure.”

“What?!” Natalie gasped, her hand going to her mouth as my mother’s mouth fell open.

“She’s been diagnosed with a form of cardiomyopathy,” I continued, drawing on the details I recalled from the conversation I’d witnessed at the hospital that day as I explained what I could about Dawn’s condition. “Her doctor said it’s not curable, but it can be treated. She’ll have to stay in the hospital for at least a few days while they try to find the best combination of drugs to help her.”

“How awful,” my mom said. “She’s too young to be dealing with something like that. She’s not even fifty yet, is she?”

I shook my head. “She’ll be forty-seven in May.”

“What a shame. She’s been such a blessing to you and Mason.”

“Yeah…” I let the word hang in the air, not knowing what else to say.

“Well, I don’t want you to worry,” my mom went on, flashing me a reassuring smile. “Your brothers and I will be here to help until you find someone new.”

I frowned. “Thanks… but Dawn’s not going anywhere.”

My statement was met with a blank stare. “What do you mean?” my mom asked. “She won’t be able to keep working for you with a bad heart, will she?”

“I dunno…” I shifted my weight in my chair. “The doctor didn’t put any restrictions on her.”

“Didn’t she pass out while she was dressing you?” My mom glanced over at Natalie before returning her gaze to me. I hadn’t gone into detail when I’d called her from Dawn’s hospital room, so I assumed Natalie had told her that part.

“Yes,” I said, nodding, “but-”

“No offense, honey, but that’s not an easy task,” my mom forged on matter-of-factly before I could finish. “And if it’s too taxing for her, she shouldn’t be doing it anymore. She could have gotten hurt. You could have gotten hurt.”

“But I didn’t. I’m fine, Ma,” I said, holding out my arms as if to prove I was still in one piece. “And hopefully Dawn will be fine, too, once they figure out her meds. But, in the meantime, I’m gonna find ways to be more independent. Maybe I can learn how to put on my own pants and support more of my own weight when I transfer. I’ll talk to Corey at PT tomorrow; he can probably teach me some strategies…”

“I can help, too,” Natalie offered. “I’m already off the rest of this week, and I can try to find flight attendants to take my other trips this month. My friend Jared owes me one for working his flight this past weekend; hopefully he’ll be able to fill in for me. And I’ll bid for fewer hours and more domestic flights next month, so I can spend more nights here.”

“You don’t have to do that, babe,” I protested, knowing she preferred working long-haul, international flights to domestic ones, but, secretly, I was pleased. I could tell by the way my mother smiled at Natalie that she was, too.

After dinner, as Natalie helped my mom clean up the kitchen, I went upstairs to talk to Mason. I found him lying flat on his belly on the floor of the guest bedroom, trying to coax Colby to come out from under the bed. “Why don’t you leave him alone for a while and let him come to you?” I suggested, picturing poor Colby cowering among the dust bunnies. “Cats like to play hard-to-get.”

“But I wanna pet him!” Mason protested. His whiny tone of voice reminded me how tired he must have been.

“Not now,” I replied, my voice growing more firm. “It’s time for you to take a bath and get ready for bed. You need a good night’s sleep tonight.”

“But-”

“No buts, mister. Bathtub. Now.”

Mason stomped off to the bathroom in a huff. I followed behind to supervise as he filled the tub. Once he was soaking in the warm water, I rolled my chair right up to the edge of the tub.

“Hey, Mase, I need to talk to you about Dawn,” I said softly.

Mason glanced up briefly before dropping his gaze back to the toy boat floating in front of him. He didn’t make his usual motor sounds as he played with it, though, so I could tell he was listening to me. I took that as my cue to keep talking.

“It turns out that Dawn has a problem with her heart,” I continued, trying to explain her condition in simple terms he could understand. “It’s not beating as well as it should be. That’s why she passed out yesterday. She’s gonna have to stay in the hospital for a few more days while her doctor gives her medicine to make her heart stronger.”

“And then she can come home?” he asked hopefully.

I nodded. “And then she can come home.” I didn’t elaborate on what Dawn’s role would be when she did come home because I didn’t know. There were still so many uncertainties to sort out, so many questions I couldn’t yet answer, but the one thing I was certain of was the same thing I’d told Dawn: No matter what happened, there would always be a place for her in our home.

When Mason finished his bath, he put on his pajamas and climbed into bed. I read him a bedtime story, as I had nearly every night since he was born. These days, he usually stayed awake until the end of the story and stalled by demanding that I read another one, but not that night. By the time I’d read the last page and closed the book, he was sound asleep, his arms wrapped tightly around the toy monkey Natalie had bought him in New York.

Maybe this will turn out to be a blessing in disguise, I thought as I watched him sleep. If Natalie did work out a way to stay with us for more than a few days and fill in for Dawn, it might help Mason start to see her as another mother figure and not just his father’s girlfriend.

By the time I got back downstairs, the kitchen was clean, and my mom was gone. “She headed home,” Natalie told me when I found her in the living room. “She said to give you this.” She leaned in and kissed my lips.

“I’m sure she didn’t tell you to use tongue,” I said, laughing as we broke apart. “We may live in Kentucky, but we’re not like that.”

Natalie laughed, too. “Of course not. I just couldn’t help myself, babe; I’ve missed you so much!”

“I’ve missed you, too. C’mere.” I patted my lap. Natalie climbed onto it. Making out with her helped to take my mind off of Dawn for a while. But when we went upstairs to my bedroom, the situation with Dawn became the topic of conversation once again.

“So I guess we’re not going to Aspen this weekend, huh?” Natalie said as she pulled her pink pajamas out of her suitcase. “I brought my winter gear just in case, but…”

“Probably not,” I replied, already lying in bed. Colby was curled up by my feet, purring loudly. “It doesn’t seem right to leave town while Dawn’s in the hospital. I’ll call the resort tomorrow and cancel.”

But when we went to visit Dawn the next day, she was adamant that we should keep our reservation. “I know how much you’ve been looking forward to this ski trip, Kevin,” she said, her blue eyes narrowing as she fixed me with a firm stare. “Don’t you dare cancel it because of me. Take your girl and your boy and go have a good time.”

If she had been in the same depressed state I’d found her in the previous day, I wouldn’t have dreamed of leaving her alone in Lexington while I flew to Aspen with Natalie and Mason. But Dawn seemed to be feeling better that day. She had gotten a good night’s sleep with the help of a mild sedative and woken up five pounds lighter, having lost some of the water weight she’d put on over the past few days. The diuretic had worked so well to drain the fluid from her lungs that she no longer needed the nasal cannula to help her breathe comfortably. “Drugs are good,” she’d told us with a lopsided grin. “I feel like a weight has been lifted off my chest – literally.”

I was glad to see her in good spirits again, but the sight of the tubes and wires snaking out from under her hospital gown reminded me that she wasn’t out of the woods yet. “I dunno, Dawn,” I said uncertainly. “I’d feel guilty going skiing while you’re stuck in the hospital.”

She shook her head. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be just fine here.”

I exchanged glances with Natalie, who added, “We just don’t want you to be alone.”

“I won’t be. My folks are on their way here; I called them this morning,” said Dawn, catching my eye briefly before her gaze shifted back to Natalie. “And I do have other friends besides Kevin, you know.”

A dull pink flush rose in Natalie’s cheeks. To her, it must have seemed like Dawn’s entire life revolved around me and my son. It probably hadn’t occurred to her that Dawn had a family and friends of her own.

One of those friends turned up to visit about twenty minutes before I had to leave for my afternoon physical therapy session. Dawn was finishing her low-sodium lunch when a cheerful voice called, “Knock-knock!” I turned to see a tall, brunette woman standing in the doorway, clutching a bouquet of flowers and a small bakery box. Her face was familiar, but at first, I couldn’t put a name to it.

Dawn’s eyes lit up as she looked up from her lunch tray. “Lisa!” she exclaimed, lowering her fork. “Come on in!”

Once I heard her name, my mind immediately made the connection: The woman walking into the room was Dawn’s friend from high school, Lisa Keller, whom I’d gone out on a date with a year ago. I had almost forgotten about her, but it seemed she hadn’t forgotten me. “Hi, Kevin,” she said, flashing me a crooked smile as she breezed by on her way to the window, where she set her flowers down next to the ones I’d bought Dawn the day before.

“Hey, Lisa,” I replied, smiling back awkwardly. “How have you been?”

“Not bad. You?”

“Pretty good.” Noticing the curious glance she gave Natalie, I added, “This is my girlfriend, Natalie.” I knew she would wonder about the woman sitting next to me and felt it was best to be honest.

Lisa nodded. “Nice to meet you,” she said, shaking Natalie’s hand. “I’m Lisa. I grew up with Dawn in Glasgow.”

“That would be Glasgow, Kentucky – not Scotland,” Dawn clarified with a grin, “although that is where the name came from. Our high school mascot was the Scotties.” To Lisa, she added, “Natalie’s a flight attendant. She’s probably been to the original Glasgow.”

“I actually haven’t,” said Natalie, shaking her head. “Delta doesn’t fly there. I’d love to go to Scotland sometime, though. I’ve heard it’s beautiful.”

“It is,” I confirmed. “I’ve been there before with the Boys. If the first leg of our tour goes well, hopefully we’ll make it back to Glasgow for the European leg next year. You can come with me.”

“Yes, I heard you were performing again,” said Lisa, giving me another polite smile. “Good for you.” Then she walked around to the opposite side of Dawn’s bed and leaned in to hug her. “How ya doin’, Big Mac?”

“Not too bad today, but I’ve been better,” Dawn replied, flashing her a tight-lipped smile. “Thanks for coming to see me – and for bringing me flowers.” She glanced over at the bright bouquet sitting in front of the window. “They’re gorgeous!”

“Of course!” Lisa looked down at her lunch tray. “I hope you saved some room for dessert. I brought you a piece of derby pie, too.” She set the bakery box down on Dawn’s tray and removed the lid to reveal a large slice of the decadent, chocolate-walnut pie. “This was Dave’s favorite. Even when he was doing chemo and had no appetite, he was always able to eat a few bites of derby pie. For a while, it was the only way we could get any calories into him.”

“Aww… well, I definitely don’t have that problem,” said Dawn, patting her belly through her hospital blanket. “That looks delicious, but I doubt derby pie is on the list of approved foods for the low-fat, low-carb, low-sodium, heart-healthy diet plan my doctor put me on.” She rolled her eyes and offered Lisa an apologetic smile.

“Oh, come on… one little bite won’t kill you,” said Lisa in a wheedling tone, which made me wonder how much Dawn had told her. The last thing I would bring to a friend who had been hospitalized with heart failure was food that was loaded with fat and sugar, but maybe Lisa didn’t yet know all the details. I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.

“I’m sure Mason will be more than happy to help you finish that when I bring him by after school,” I told Dawn with a wink. “In the meantime, Nat and I should probably get going now. I’ve got therapy soon.”

Dawn nodded. “So I’ll see ya later?” she replied, saying nothing about the fact that we didn’t actually need to leave for another fifteen minutes. She knew exactly what time my physical therapy sessions started. But I’m sure she also understood how awkward I felt being in the same room as my girlfriend and the woman I’d gone on one date with and hadn’t seen or spoken to since, just as I understood that she and Lisa needed time to talk, just the two of them.

“Yup. I promised Mason he could come visit after school today, as long as you’re feeling up to it.”

“Of course,” said Dawn, smiling. “I’d love to see him.”

Natalie and I left in a hurry. Neither of us said much as we made our way down the hall, but while we waited for the elevator, she turned to me and said, “So, was it just me, or did I sense some awkwardness in there?”

I grimaced. “I went out with that woman once, a few months before I met you. Dawn set us up.”

“Oh.” Natalie raised her eyebrows, casting a curious look in my direction. “So, what happened?”

I shrugged. “Nothing, really. We went out to dinner and a movie. The date was fine, but I didn’t feel any kind of spark with her – not like I felt the first time I met you,” I added, hoping she wasn’t going to get jealous over some women I barely knew.

But, to my relief, Natalie just beamed at me, her brown eyes twinkling.

With a ding, the elevator doors opened, and we went inside.

I felt better leaving the hospital than I had entering it. Dawn seemed more like herself, and that certainly helped. As I drove to the rehab hospital where I had my therapy, I thought about what she’d said: “I know how much you’ve been looking forward to this ski trip, Kevin. Don’t you dare cancel it because of me.”

At a red light, I glanced over at Natalie. “So, what do you think about Aspen? Should we go? Or should we cancel?”

Natalie shrugged. “It’s your call, babe. You know Dawn a lot better than I do. Do you think she was being honest when she said she didn’t care if we went without her?”

“Dawn’s a pretty straightforward person. I’ve never known her to be dishonest,” I said. “I don’t think she would have told us that if she didn’t mean it.”

“So you think we should go?”

I didn’t answer right away. The more I thought about it, the easier it was for me to see the situation from Dawn’s perspective. I could put myself in her hospital-issued compression hose because I had been there before. I remembered lying in a hospital bed after my accident, listening to the Boys talk about rehearsing for their first tour without me. They had asked for my blessing to begin the tour as scheduled, and I had given it. As hard as it was to be left behind, missing the life I’d once had, I hadn’t wanted to hold them back from living theirs. I figured Dawn must feel the same way.

“Yeah, I do,” I finally answered as the stoplight changed to green. I pushed down on the accelerator, easing the truck forward. “As long as Dawn’s still doing okay, I don’t see why not. She’ll have family and friends around for support, and it’s only for a few days.”

Natalie nodded. “That’s fine with me, as long as you’re sure.”

But I heard the hesitation in her voice. That was when the doubts began to creep back into my mind. “Are you sure?” I asked her. “You know, if Dawn’s not with us, all the stuff she would normally do will fall on you – not just taking care of me but Mason, too. Traveling with a quad and a kid isn’t easy. I don’t wanna burden you with all that.”

“You’re not a burden, Kevin,” Natalie said firmly, “and neither is Mason. It’ll be fine. I travel for a living, remember? I’m pretty good at multitasking.”

But I realized it wasn’t the trip itself that worried me. I was more concerned about what could go wrong once we got to our destination. It had been hard enough trying to find an accessible place to stay in Aspen. What if it turned out that the two-bedroom suite I’d reserved at one of the ski resorts wasn’t as wheelchair-accessible as it had claimed to be online? Natalie could handle simple transfers, but she wasn’t strong enough to lift me or bump my chair up and down stairs by herself.

“Maybe we should invite someone else to join us,” I said, thinking out loud. “I mean, we’ll have an extra room. Do your folks like to ski?” Aside from wanting her to have some backup, I was still eager to score points with Natalie’s parents.

But she laughed and shook her head. “No. They’ve never skied before. My momma’s afraid of heights and hates the cold, and my daddy’s heading to Alabama for the peanut trade show this weekend. My sister might’ve taken you up on that offer, if she wasn’t four months pregnant.”

I was secretly glad her sister Mindy wouldn’t be able to go with us, although I would never say that to Natalie.

“What about your brothers? Or one of the Boys?” she suggested. “I’d love to get to know them better.”

“Tim wouldn’t be able to go on such short notice; he’s a minister, so he’s probably giving a sermon on Sunday. And I doubt Jerald would wanna play third wheel all weekend,” I said with a shrug. “But I guess we could ask one of the guys. Howie and Leigh like to ski, but their baby’s due any day now. Nick and Lauren might be up for a last-minute trip to Aspen, though.”

Natalie nodded eagerly. “That would be fun. I liked talking to Lauren the last time we were in L.A. together for your Disneyland performance. And Nick has always been nice to me.”

“I’ll give him a call when we get to Cardinal Hill.” Since we’d left the hospital so early, I still had plenty of time to talk to Nick when we arrived at the rehab center. Leaving the truck running so we’d have heat while we sat in the parking lot, I put my phone on speaker as I called Nick’s number.

“Wassup, Kev?” he answered on the second ring.

“Hey, brother!” I replied. “Not much, just sitting in my truck with Natalie. I’ve got P.T. in about fifteen minutes, but we got here early, so I thought I’d give you a call.”

“Hi, Nick!” Natalie chimed in.

“Hey, Natalie. How’s it goin’?”

“Well, uh… it’s goin’,” she said, glancing over at me.

“Honestly, it’s been a crazy week,” I added. “And it’s only, what? Wednesday?”

“Yeah,” said Nick. “Why, what’s been going on?”

I told him about what had happened to Dawn while we were down in Alpharetta and the difficulty we’d faced trying to find a way to get everyone home to Lexington. “So now she’s in the hospital here. Her doctor said she’ll probably have to stay for at least a few more days. She’s been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy.”

I heard Nick draw in a sharp breath, no doubt thinking about his own diagnosis five years earlier. “Damn… I’m sorry to hear that, dude,” he said. “I know how that feels, obviously. It sucks. It’s fuckin’ scary. But, ya know, it’s not the death sentence it sounds like at first. I mean, look at how well I’ve been doing just by living clean, eating healthier, and working out more.”

I nodded. “Hopefully diet and exercise will help Dawn, too, but her case may be a bit more complicated than yours.” I could feel Natalie’s curious gaze upon me as I spoke and realized she was hearing about Nick’s own heart condition for the first time. It wasn’t something he talked about often, and I couldn’t recall either of us having ever discussed it around her before. “For one thing, it wasn’t caused by drugs and alcohol; Dawn and her doctor both think it must be related to the same genetic mutation that causes muscular dystrophy, which is what her son died of. She’s a carrier. The doctor said it isn’t curable, but it can be treated with medication, which is what they’re trying first.”

“Oh,” Nick said flatly. “I’ve never needed to take meds for mine.”

“Consider yourself lucky,” I told him. “Yours was caught early. Dawn was already in heart failure when she was admitted.”

“Damn… that doesn’t sound good.”

“It’s not. But hopefully the meds will help. She’s already feeling a lot better than she did the last couple of days. We just came from the hospital.” I glanced at the dashboard clock; my therapy session started in ten minutes. Knowing it would take me a few just to get myself out of the truck and into the building, I decided to get to the point. Clearing my throat, I continued, “Anyway, the main reason I called is because we’ve been planning a trip to Aspen this weekend. Mason’s school is out on Friday, so I was gonna take him, Natalie, and Dawn for a little weekend getaway and try some adaptive skiing. Obviously, Dawn can’t go now, but she wants the rest of us to go without her. Nat and I were talking, and since we have an extra room, we wondered if you and Lauren would wanna join us.”

“This weekend?” said Nick. “Yeah, bro, that’d be awesome. Lo and I haven’t hit the powder yet this winter; I’m sure she’d love to go. Lemme talk to her first to make sure she’s game, and I’ll get back to you.”

“Sounds good, man. I hope y’all can make it.”

“Me too. Talk to ya later, Kev… Natalie.”

“Bye, Nick!” Natalie responded. “Hopefully we’ll see you this weekend!” She waited until I’d ended the call with Nick, then said with a frown, “I didn’t realize he had a heart problem, too.”

I nodded. “He doesn’t talk about it much anymore, but yeah… he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy a few months after my accident. Same condition as Dawn but different cause, obviously. In Nick’s case, it came down to too much drinking and drug use. He was doing all kinds of stupid shit back then: cocaine… ecstasy… God knows what else. But after his diagnosis, he kicked most of his bad habits, got clean and sober, started eating better and exercising more, and turned his whole life around. He met Lauren a few months later. She’s a huge health nut herself, so she’s helped him stick with his new healthy lifestyle. To look at him now, you would never know he was ever sick.”

“No,” said Natalie, shaking her head. “I had no idea.”

“He’s done interviews about it before, but unless you were following the Backstreet Boys a few years ago, you may have missed those. As far as I remember, it was never a big news story – not like it would’ve been if we were A-listers,” I added with a grin.

Natalie smiled back. “Well, if I’d known I was gonna fall in love with a Backstreet Boy, I probably would’ve paid more attention,” she replied, leaning over to give me a peck on the cheek.

“You were too busy lusting over Joey McIntyre,” I teased, my face tingling with warmth where her lips had been.

She just giggled, neither confirming nor denying this. “C’mon,” she said, reaching for her door handle. “We’d better head inside now, so you’re not late.”

By the time we made it into the rehab center, Corey was ready for me. “Nice to see you again, Natalie,” he said as he escorted us into the gym. “How are y’all doing today? Is everybody finally feeling better in your house, Kevin?”

“Not exactly.” As he helped me transfer from my wheelchair to one of the therapy tables, I told him about Dawn. “I really wanna work on becoming more independent with the most physically demanding stuff she still has to help me with, like transfers and getting dressed.”

“Sounds like a plan,” said Corey, nodding. “We can certainly practice those things and try to improve your technique. In the meantime, you may want to invest in a Hoyer lift at home. They really make transfers much easier on the attendant.”

“I hate those things,” I groaned, remembering how helpless and dehumanized I’d felt being hoisted in and out of a hospital bed by a hydraulic lift like a half-dead whale. But I realized Corey was right. It wasn’t about me or my own comfort this time; it was about making sure Dawn could continue working comfortably and safely when she was ready. And, for Dawn, I would do almost anything.

***