"It's A Wrap!" - Chapter 7

Here's chapter 7 of "It's A Wrap!".  Maddie says she's working on chapter 8 and hopes to have something for us within the next week.  I can't wait to read it!! :-)

WEEK SIXTEEN

Today is Wednesday and it’s a big day. Joel is finally moving into the guesthouse. He was declared medically stable and ready for discharge about a month ago, but getting everything ready for him to actually leave the rehab center has been a long process. The biggest challenge was hiring a staff of PCA’s to do his care 24/7. Joel insisted that I took part in the interview process since they’ll be working on my property and it took us a while to find a group of 12 people we’re both comfortable with.  It has also taken Joel’s insurance company a while to get all the needed equipment ready; I hadn’t realized just how much medical equipment a vent dependent quad needs. I think the stuff in the closet in Joel’s bedroom is enough for a small hospital.

Although Meg and I don’t intend to be Joel’s caretakers – that’s what his PCAs are for – we’ve both been to the rehab center regularly over the past month to learn about his care and how to handle some basic things like re-attaching is ventilator tubes if they pop off. We know he’ll spend a fair amount of time with our family in the future and it’s good to know the basics so we don’t always have to rely on the PCA’s. There might be times when we don’t want one around.

I arrive at the rehab center in the morning and head straight to Joel’s room. Joel is still in bed and one of his PCAs, George, is already there and he’s busy packing up Joel’s personal belongings. Joel is still in bed, dressed in his usual sweatpants and a t-shirt. He mentioned to me that he’d like to leave the rehab center wearing ‘real’ clothes and I’ve gone brought a pair of loose fitting jeans and a polo shirt for him to wear.

“Good morning,” I greet Joel and George as I wheel into the room. “Are you almost ready to go?”

Joel grins. I can’t remember seeing him this happy before. “I’m ready to get out of here,” he says. Then he eyes the small duffle bag in my lap. “Is that what I think it is?”

“It is. I figured a pair of loose fitting jeans was the best bet. I know they work well for me. There’s a black polo in there too.”

“Thanks, Chris. Um, George, would you mind changing my clothes to what’s in the bag Chris brought?”

“Of course not,” George says with a smile. He’s big black guy that looks a bit intimidating, but he’s got a heart of gold, is easygoing and likeable. Both Joel and I liked him almost immediately. “Give me a few minutes to finish packing and we can do that, okay?”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Joel agrees. “Uh, Chris?”

“Yeah?”

“When will the ambulance be here?” The original plan was for Joel to be transported by ambulance to his new home, but I’ve got a surprise for him out front; his co-workers have done a fundraiser for him. He’s now the owner of a brand new 2015 Toyota Sierra wheelchair accessible minivan thanks to their generosity. A group of them are coming to surprise him.

“I’m not sure, but I’ll find out,” I say. “Maybe you can change your clothes while I go to the office?”

George is putting the last t-shirt into Joel’s duffle bag and he nods. “I’m done with the packing, so we can get on with that if you’re ready, Joel.”

“Sounds good to me,” Joel says. I leave the room and wheel through the halls to the reception to meet up with Joel’s boss. I have no idea who he is, but this is one of the times being a celebrity is convenient; he recognizes me immediately.

“Christian Ramsay, right? I’m Joel’s boss, Alan Johnston.”

“Nice to meet you, Alan,” I reply as I shake his hand.

“How’s Joel today?” Alan asks me. “Glad he’s getting out of here?”

“He seems to be in a good place today. He’s really excited that he’s getting out of here. And I know he’ll be very happy about the van. He’s been talking about how to afford one for a while.”

“That’s good. When we heard what happened to him we knew we had to do something to help him and a fundraiser seemed to be the way to go. The response has been overwhelming. Several of his big clients have made sizeable donations and we were able to purchase the van with money to spare. What’s left is in a bank account and he’ll be able to use it to pay for equipment he might need or medical expenses.”

“I’m glad he has your support,” I say. “I’m sure he’ll be very touched when he learns about the fundraiser and I know he was very happy when you’d been to see him a few weeks back. The prospect of doing some work from home if he’s up for it or maybe even going into the office from time to time got him excited.”

“I realize he’s got some major physical limitations, but there’s nothing wrong with his brain and he’s one of our best in many ways. He has expertise we don’t want to lose and I really hope he’ll be able to stay at least on a consulting basis.”

“Just give him a few weeks to get settled in and adjust to being out of the hospital setting and I think he’ll be interested in that.”

My cell alerts me of an incoming text. It’s from George. We agreed he’d send me a message when they’re ready for us.

We head to Joel’s room and he looks surprised to see his boss standing in the doorway.

“Alan? What are you doing here?”

“Good morning, Joel,” he greets him. “I have a surprise for you out front, so you need to get out of bed and into your wheelchair.”

Now Joel looks really puzzled, but he doesn’t say anything. He turns to George who’s already got the Hoyer lift out and ready. “Give us a few minutes and we’ll meet you by the reception, okay?” he says. Joel looks relieved when we leave the room. He doesn’t want an audience while he’s transferred from the bed to his chair.

…

As he wheels through the front door of the rehab center Joel is greeted by his co-workers standing in front of the van, cheering at him. His jaw drops and he just sits there with his mouth slightly ajar. He looks completely stunned.

After a few moments he finally finds his voice. “What are you all doing here?” he stammers.

They split into two and step aside, revealing the van they’ve been hiding as they shout; “Surprise!”

“What’s this?” Joel asks, dumbfounded.

“It’s your new wheels,” one of his co-workers says, as he comes up to Joel and after a moment of hesitation he claps his shoulder firmly.

“What? Are you serious, Nick? You’ve bought me a car?”

“When we heard about your accident and found out about your injury we decided to do a fundraiser for you. So far we’ve raised enough for the van with a few thousand dollars to spare and the donations keep coming,” Nick explains.

“I…I really don’t know what to say,” Joel says, his voice is thick with emotion and I notice his eyes are getting moist. “I really don’t think thank you is enough, but at the moment that’s all I can think of.”

I notice that some of the people from Joel’s work seem a bit awkward and unsure. They try to hide it, but I notice that some of them are staring uncomfortably at their co-worker’s paralyzed body strapped into a big bulky power wheelchair and the ventilator tubes coming from the tracheostomy tube in his throat. They seem apprehensive to approach him.

Fortunately most of them seem genuinely happy to see him and they’re able to see past the wheelchair and the tubes. Joel doesn’t seem to notice the awkward ones; he’s immersed in conversation with several people that are showing him the van and he’s following them around it and looks at the things they’re pointing out. I’m happy with how the day has turned out so far.

…

Two hours later I park my car outside the garage and George parks Joel’s van next to it. It doesn’t take George long to get him unloaded and about 10 minutes later he and Joel are following me along the paved path that runs along the side of the house to the guesthouse that’s situated in the rear of our large yard. It’s secluded from the main house and offers privacy for residents in both houses.

When the guesthouse comes into view so does the big banner the kids have made that says “Welcome home, Uncle Joel” and the balloons next to it. Meg and the kids are standing by the front door of the guesthouse with huge smiles on their faces and when we appear they rush over to hug both Joel and me.  The kids are a bit intimidated by George, but I’m confident they’ll warm up to him when they get to know him.

“Wow!” Joel exclaims. “Just when I thought the day couldn’t get better. First my co-workers surprises me and now this.”

“Welcome to your new home, Joel,” Meg says warmly as she opens the front door. Joel wheels past her into the open plan living room and kitchen. We’ve painted the walls in a light grey and it’s furnished with Joel’s couch, coffee table and two leather chairs, as well as his kitchen table with four chairs around it.  His entertainment center fills the wall across from the couch and artwork from his old house is hanging on the walls.

“Wow,” he says again. “This is great! It looks like home to me. With my stuff and colors and…it’s awesome!”

We show him the rest of the place; the spacious master bedroom which is furnished with his bedroom furniture, apart from the hospital bed the medical supply delivered last week, and the second bedroom that’s furnished pretty much like the second bedroom in Joel’s old apartment.

Joel is all smiles, but I notice that his voice is getting scratchy and weaker and he looks tired. I check the time; it’s just after 1 pm. I suggest that we give Joel a break and some time to get settled in. Fortunately Meg takes the hint and ushers the kids out of the guesthouse. She tells Joel he’s welcome to join us for a barbecue in the evening as she leaves.

“You look wiped out,” I state as the door closes behind Meg.

“I am,” Joel says. “This day has been great, but exhausting. I should probably lay down for a while. A nap sounds really good actually.”

“I think that sounds like a good idea,” I state. “We’ll probably start grilling around six, so that gives you plenty of time to rest.”

Joel nods and swallows. “Thanks, Chris. This is just… I really don’t have the words to describe what I feel right now. I think I’ll need some time to process it before I can say something coherent.”

“I’ll see you later. Make yourself at home,” I say as I squeeze Joel’s shoulder. He smiles tiredly at me as I wheel out of the guesthouse. As I make my way to my house I give myself an internal fist pump. Success!

TBC...