Finding Unexpected Love - Chapter 5

Meaghan woke up in Bryan’s bed the following morning. He was sleeping on his back with his left arm draped across his stomach and the right wrapped around her; she was curled up against his side with her head resting on his shoulder. Her thoughts wandered back to the previous evening. Their date had been wonderful and she was glad that Bryan had finally let her in and told her more about how his disability affected his life, wheelchair aside. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t been slightly intimidated when Bryan wheeled out of the bathroom with a grey plastic bag with a clear tube attached to it in his lap. The other end of the tube disappeared into the fly of the plaid pajama pants he was wearing.

She had tried not to stare as Bryan had transferred to the bed and attached the bag to a hook or something on his side of the bed. Then he’d pulled out two white plastic braces padded with sheepskin from under the bed. He’d quickly positioned his right foot, which she’d noticed were completely motionless, in one of the braces and then he’d secured a wide piece of sheepskin over his foot. It was held in place by three narrow Velcro straps. There was also a wide Velcro strap padded with sheepskin that went across his ankle and one around his calf. He’d repeated the process with the brace on his left foot and then he arranged his feet and pulled up the down comforter so it covered the lower part of the body before he looked over at Meaghan with an uneasy look on his face. “Still not ready to bolt for the door?” he’d asked her quietly; his insecurity was evident.

Meaghan had responded by scooting closer to him and kissing him passionately. She felt the corners of his mouth curl up in a smile he wrapped his strong arms around her pulled her flush against him and returned the kiss eagerly.

Bryan’s eyes fluttered open and he looked over at Meaghan with a smile on his face, she was awake.

“Morning handsome,” she said with a smile, and then she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before she lay back down again.

“I could get used to waking up like this,” Bryan said with a shy smile as he reached over and tucked a lock of Meaghan’s hair behind her ear.

“Ditto,” Meaghan said with a smile. “I don’t know about you but I’m hungry and I need to use the bathroom.”

“You’re a breakfast person?” Bryan asked with surprise lacing his voice.

“On the weekends I am. During the workweek I usually just eat yoghurt or a banana while I get ready for work, but on the weekends I usually make some scrambled eggs and bacon or French toast. What about you?”

“On workdays it depends on the shift I’m working, but when I’m off or work late I usually make some eggs or something. I guess we’ve got pretty similar habits. Why don’t you go ahead and use the bathroom first, my morning routine takes about 15 to 20 minutes, so maybe you can start the coffee while I do that?” Bryan suggested.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Meaghan smiled and leaned over and kissed him before she threw the covers back and got out of bed.

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“Is that for me?” Bryan asked as he wheeled into the kitchen where Meaghan was pouring a mug of coffee. She turned and looked at him as he wheeled toward her; he was still dressed in sleep pants and the same t-shirt he’d slept in. She noticed he still wore the braces on his feet, but decided she shouldn’t ask; he seemed to be very self-conscious about them and she didn’t want to make things awkward. 

“It is,” she said as she offered him the mug and he grabbed it from her. He took a sip of coffee and leaned back in his chair.

“Thanks babe. So, what do you want for breakfast? I’ve got eggs and bacon in the fridge. I even think there’s a can of biscuits in there.”

“Hmm…how about making our own Egg and Bacon McMuffins?”

“Sounds awesome,” Bryan grinned and placed his half empty mug on the granite countertop and wheeled over to the fridge.

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Little over an hour later they had both showered and dressed for the day. Bryan wheeled into his living room where he found Meaghan on the couch. He made his way over there and transferred so he was sitting next to her. She instantly scooted over and curled up next to him. They ended up sharing various stories from their lives, including silly childhood stories and stuff they’d experienced growing up.

“Have you ever been in a serious relationship?”

“I have. I was actually engaged a few years ago. I met Jennifer in college, she was a freshman and I was a junior. She literally tripped and landed in my lap during a party. We ended up talking and the rest is history I guess.”

“Why did you break up?”

“My accident. Jennifer left me while I was in the hospital.”

“What a bitch!” Meaghan exclaimed before she could stop herself. “Sorry, that was out of line. I don’t even know what happened between you.”

“Don’t worry, that’s pretty much how I feel about her too. I was actually injured only couple of weeks before we were supposed to be getting married. We had a big party planned; about a hundred people were invited. Her mother was livid when she realized the wedding had to be postponed.”

“Seriously? You were in the hospital with a broken back and she was pissed because the wedding had to be postponed? That’s fucked up!”

“Yeah…” Bryan sighed. “Jennifer was upset too, but she was actually pretty supportive to begin with. Things changed when she walked in while a nurse was changing my diaper.”

“Huh?”

“It was only about a week after I was injured and before I got my bowel and bladder routine settled. I had an indwelling catheter in my penis, attached to a bed bag, and I was wearing diapers. There were plenty of accidents and it was really humiliating. Sheesh, I can’t believe I’m telling you this…TMI, right?”

“No, it’s fine. I’m honored that you trust me enough to share these things with me.” Meaghan snuggled closer to Bryan and he carried on.

“Anyway, Jennifer left the room and came back after the nurse had finished changing me and helped me get dressed. I was a pretty pathetic sight and I, obviously, felt like shit. That didn’t stop her from pulling off her engagement ring and informing me that she couldn’t commit to an incontinent, diaper-wearing cripple that depended on her for everything. I tried to explain to her that things would get better, that after a few months of recovery and rehab the diapers and indwelling catheter would be long gone and I’d be completely independent again.  I don’t think she listened to a word of it; she just left the ring on my bedside table and walked out. We’ve barely been in touch since that.”

“Wow, I can’t imagine dealing with that on top of everything else.”

“I didn’t really dwell on it. I just put all of my focus and energy into my recovery and then rehab. It was a few tough months, but my family was very supportive and I had a few close friends that were there for me to.”

“Still, it must have been hard?”

“Oh, definitely. Hardest time of my life, there were times in rehab when I doubted I’d be able to get through it. There’s one incident I remember particularly well; I’d been in rehab for about a month and I was struggling with my bladder routine. No matter how well I monitored my fluid intake and how often I catheterized myself I still had leaks in between. It frustrated the hell out of me and I told my doctor I’d just wear a permanent catheter and a leg bag. She refused to let me give up and encouraged me to keep trying. That day I’d also tried to transfer unassisted without a transfer board and failed, if my physical therapist hadn’t been there I probably would’ve wound up on the floor. I doubted that I’d ever be able to live independently or go back to work.”

“So, how did you manage to get past that?”

“Josh and a buddy of ours, Aaron, showed up and told me they’d gotten me a pass, so I could leave the rehab center for a few hours that evening. They brought me to Aaron’s place where we had dinner and played poker for a few hours. It was the first time I was out of the hospital-setting after the accident and I really needed the change of scenery and a few hours of ‘normalcy’; you know, just hanging out with my brother and a buddy was great.”

“That sounds like a nice surprise.”

“It was and it couldn’t have happened at a better time. Then my boss showed up a few days later and told me I could come back to work whenever I was ready. From there things kept getting better. I had my fair share of bad days, but I managed to get past them. Enough about me, what about you? Have you ever been in a serious relationship?”

“Not really. I was really focused on school while I was in college. I guess I never really found time for a relationship. Then Weston & Co. recruited me and I’ve been really career oriented for the past few years. I’ve been on a few dates, but no lasting relationships. I guess I’ve never been the kind of girl that dreams about a perfect little family with a dog and a white picket fence.”

“Really? You don’t want a family?”

“It’s not something I’ve put a lot of thought into, if it happens it happens I guess…” Meaghan shrugged. Bryan felt his heart plummet into his stomach, and then she turned to face him with a flirtatious smile on her face. “And now I’ve finally met a guy I want it to happen with.”

To be continued...