"It's a Wrap!" - chapter 5

Hooray! I just got chapter 5 of "It's a Wrap" from Maddie. She apologizes for her absence and promises she'll do her best to post new chapters on a regular basis as things are settling down in her personal life.  

. . . 

WEEK TEN

The weekend at home was a success and today, Friday, I’m going home permanently.  I’ll do the last three weeks of my rehab program as an outpatient.  I’m really excited that I’m getting out of the rehab center.  Life is getting back to normal and it feels good.

The thing I’m most nervous about at the moment is the press conference on Monday. We still haven’t revealed the fate of ‘Dean & Dad’, but now it’s time. It’ll be the first time I face the press and public in a wheelchair and I wonder how it will turn out. Before I can think more about it a familiar, excited squeal from the doorway demands my attention.

“Daddy!” It’s Jacklyn, with Meg following a few steps behind her. Before I can say anything else Jacklyn is in my lap, hugging me tightly.

“Hey there,” I say, hugging her back. “Someone is happy to see me.”

“I miss you, Daddy,” Jacklyn says.

“Good thing I’m coming home with you today then. And I’m not going back here.”

Jacklyn beams at me and hugs me again. “So we can watch cartoons in the morning? Like we do on Saturdays?”

“I think that can be arranged,” I say with a smile.

“Awesome! Can I go see if any of the other kids are in the playroom?”

“Sure. We’ll come fetch you there when it’s time to leave.  Mom and I are going to see uncle Joel and then we’re out of here, okay?”

“Kay,” Jacklyn agrees as she scoots off my lap and heads for the playroom to see if any of her friends are there. When she’s gone Meg bends down and kiss me.

“I’m so glad you’re coming home today,” she says quietly when she stands back up.

“So am I. I’m ready to move on. So, are you ready to make Joel’s year?”

“You really think it’ll make him that happy?”

“I know it will. Lately he’s been really depressed about the prospect of living in a nursing home the rest of his life.”

When we reach Joel’s room he’s in his wheelchair. Thanks to lots of physical therapy and hard work he’s managed to regain movement in his neck and the strap holding his head to the headrest of his chair is gone. He looks a little surprised to see us.

“Hi Joel,” Meg greets him.

“Hi Meg. How are you? Happy Chris is coming home today?”

“I can’t deny that it’s a good day,” she says with a smile. “Chris and I have something we want to discuss with you.”

A curious look appears on Joel’s face. “What?”

“We’ve been working on something behind your back for the past couple of weeks,” Meg confesses “We didn’t mention it because we didn’t want you to be disappointed if it fell through.”

“Now I’m really curious,” Joel says. “Spill, please.”

“Ho do you feel about moving in to our guesthouse when you’re done with your rehab?” I ask. “It’s a bit dated, but it’s fully wheelchair accessible.”

Joel looks completely stunned. I carry on. “They guy that owned the house before us had a brother with ALS. He lived in the guesthouse for a few years and they adapted it for him. It’s got widened doorways and the bathroom is large with a roll in shower.”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Joel finally manages to say.

“Completely. Your insurance will pay for all the necessary equipment and PCAs and nurses to do your care. If you accept we can get the ball rolling and hopefully things will be ready for you to move in in about a month.”

I notice Joel’s eyes moisten. He looks absolutely gob smacked. “I won’t have to move into a nursing home?” He says quietly, it seems like he says it more to himself than Meg and me.

“Nope, not if you accept our offer. Our only condition is that you help the kids with their homework, especially the math and science stuff that Meg and I suck at.”

“Thank you. I can’t believe you’re doing this for me.”

“The thought of you ending up in a nursing home has bothered me for a while. It just didn’t feel right and I’ve been trying to figure out how I could help you. Turns out the solution were right there in front of me. I just didn’t think about it.”

“I’m too shocked to really say anything sensible right now,” Joel says. “I guess I’ll have to get in touch with my insurance company and also try to figure out what to do with my house.”

“Just focus on getting the ball rolling with your insurance company. The social workers here are familiar with the situation, we’ve discussed it with them and they’ve been in touch with your insurance company already, so they can help you with that. I’ll be back here on Monday for a PT appointment and we can have lunch together after. Then we can discuss this more, it should give you some time to wrap your head around it all.”

Joel nodded. “Sounds good to me. Thanks again. I’d hug you two if I could, you know.”

“We know, Joel,” Meg says. “We’re both happy to help you. Now, I’d hate to kill this party, but we have to pick Jay up from school in an hour, so we should get going.”

“Okay,” Joel says. “I’ll talk to my social worker today and see what needs to be done to get the ball rolling.”

I notice that Joel suddenly shows more enthusiasm and drive than I’ve ever seen from him. It’s clear that having something to look forward to had already changed something in him.

“Great. Have a good weekend and I’ll see you on Monday, for lunch.”

…

Two hours later I’m in the laundry room with my duffle bag in my lap; it holds all the clothes I’ve had with me at the rehab center. Most of it is dirty and after sorting it I start a load of whites. I’m grateful that we’ve got frontloading washer and dryer so I can still do my own laundry.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen; Christian Ramsay does his own laundry. We don’t have a maid. Just a cleaning lady that comes in once a week and cleans the house.  It’s one of the luxuries we allow ourselves and I feel taking that load of Meg’s shoulders is the least I can do since I’m away so much for work.  We also have a gardener that comes once a week to mow the lawn and other stuff that needs to be done around the garden. I’ve never liked gardening. It’s just not my thing.

When I wheel back into the large open plan kitchen/living room Meg and the kids are gathered around the dining table.

“There you are,” Meg says. “I wondered where you’d disappeared to.”

“I just sorted the clothes I had at the rehab center and started a load of laundry. I had mostly dirty stuff in my bag and I figured I might as well get it washed.”

“I could’ve done that for you,” she blurts out.

“Why? I’ve always done my own laundry. The wheelchair doesn’t stop me from doing it.” I suddenly feel defensive and it comes out harsher than I intended it to. I soften my tone and try to sound like I’m joking when I carry on. “Although I suggest we find somewhere lower to store the detergent. It was pure luck that you’d left it on the top of the washer instead of in the cabinet above. If it was up there I wouldn’t have been able to reach it.”

“Sorry, Chris. I don’t know what I was thinking,” Meg says awkwardly. Then the kids walk into the room and she changes the subject. “Are you guys hungry?”

…

We end up going to bed pretty early. Both Meg and I are tired. It has been a big day, but mostly a good one.

“I’m sorry about what I said about the laundry earlier,” she says. “I don’t know what went through my mind.”

“I guess we’ll both have to adjust, but as a general rule I can still do most of the things I used to do before. I might have to do some things a little differently, but I’d appreciate if you at least let me try do stuff before you take over.  If I need help I’ll ask for it.”

“I’ll do my best,” she says. “And don’t be afraid to ask me to back off if I forget.”

“Thanks, Babe. I love you,” I say as I wrap an arm around her and pull her close to me.

“Love you too,” she whispers as she leans over me and kisses me soundly on the lips.

. . .

WEEK ELEVEN

Monday morning I drive to the rehab center for my first physical therapy session as an outpatient. It’s actually only the second time I’m driving alone since the accident. I had my car fitted with hand controls and the first time I drove alone was when Meg took me to pick it up last week.  I’ve always loved to drive, so it’s great to be back behind the wheel of my own car again.

When I get to the rehab center I quickly assemble my wheelchair and transfer to it without incident. I’ve been struggling a bit with car transfers, but I’m getting better at it. After I shift my weight a little so I’m comfortable I adjust my legs a little. I slam the driver’s door shut and wheel to the rear door, open it and grab my backpack from the back seat and put it on. I’m dressed in a pair of lightweight sweatpants and a t-shirt at the moment; perfect for PT, but not so perfect for the press conference I’m going to after I’m done here.  I’ve brought a change of clothes, a towel and toiletries and plan on taking a shower at the rehab center after the PT session. I figure I can use the bathroom in Joel’s room. I know he won’t mind.

I check the time; I had hoped to have time to say hi to Joel before I go to PT, but in typical LA style traffic was a bit of a nightmare and I don’t have the time.  I check in at the reception desk and quickly wheel through the corridors toward the large gym.

“Good morning, Chris,” my physical therapist, Andrew, greets me. “How was your weekend?”

“Morning, Andrew. It was good. It’s great to be back home with my family. How about your weekend? Was it good?”

“Pretty good, thanks. My daughter turned nine last week so we celebrated her birthday with a pool party on Saturday. That was pretty exhausting, but the kids had a blast and that’s the important thing, right?”

“Yep, definitely,” I reply. I know I’ve endured some stuff with my kids over the years that I haven’t particularly enjoyed.

For the next hour I work hard on my physical therapy exercises and my t-shirt is drenched with sweat when I’m done. After bidding Andrew goodbye I don my backpack and wheel myself through the halls to Joel’s room.  He’s sitting in his wheelchair when I enter his room and he smiles brightly when he sees me. A genuine smile that extends to his eyes.

“Hi Chris,” he greets me. “Looks like Andrew had you working hard today.”

“Yeah, it was a pretty grueling session. Do you mind if I use your bathroom and take a shower before we go to lunch?”

“No, not at all.”

“Thanks bud,” I say and make my way to the bathroom.  25 minutes later I wheel out of the bathroom dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a black polo shirt. The shirt is tight and shows off my well-built upper body. I think it’s a good choice of clothes for the press conference this afternoon. 

In the cafeteria we get settled by what has become our regular table and I go over to the counter and find out what today’s offerings are.  The choice is a fish stew or club sandwich with fries.  I order club sandwiches with fries for both of us and grab two bottles of water, cutlery, napkins and a straw for Joel’s drink and place it on a tray in my lap.  I take that back to the table.

“I took a chance and ordered you a club sandwich with fries,” I tell Joel. “I figured you prefer that over fish stew.”

“You’re right about that,” he assures me. “I’m kind of thirsty. Could you give me some water before you go back to get the food?”

“Sure,” I say. I make quick work of twisting the cap off the water bottle and inserting the straw. I hold it up so Joel can take a drink and after a couple of large sips he says he’s good and I go back to the counter to fetch our food.

“Did you talk to your social worker on Friday?” I ask after we’ve both eaten a few bites of our sandwiches and some fries.

Joel nods. “Yeah. She’s getting the ball rolling with my insurance company to get things ready for my discharge. She estimated that it’ll take about a month or so to get everything together, but it might take longer than that. Especially since I have to hire caregivers and have a team in place before I’m discharged.”

I nod. “We’ll just have to take it as it comes, but my experience is that insurance companies need to be kept in check, so stay on top of it.”

“I will. I can’t wait to get out of here. I know my life will never be what it was before the accident, but knowing I won’t have to spend the rest of my life in a hospital setting is a huge relief. I still haven’t wrapped my head around everything to be honest.”

“I know that feeling. Two and a half months ago I was off-road biking. Now I’m facing the rest of my life in a wheelchair. I’d be lying if I said I’m not struggling at times. Lately there have been more good days than bad though.”

“This weekend I’ve started to feel like I’m getting to a point where I’ll be having more good than bad days. Probably because I have something to look forward to. And my boss came to visit me yesterday.”

“He did? It was the first time since your accident, right?”

“He visited me once while I was in the hospital, but I can’t really remember much of it. I was still pretty drugged up then.”

“Was it a good visit?”

“It was. He was a bit awkward at first. I guess the ventilator and the fact that I’m strapped into my chair can be a bit overwhelming, but we managed to break the ice and had a great conversation. He says I’m welcome back to the office at any time and that he’s looking into the possibility of me doing some work from home if I feel up for it once I’m proficient in using a computer again with adaptive tech.”

“That’s awesome, Joel,” I say, clapping his shoulder. I’m glad things are looking up for him. We finish our lunch in a comfortable silence and when we’re done eating it’s time for me to leave and head to the studio for the press conference.

...

“Are you ready for this, bud?” Frank asks me as we’re getting ready for the press conference that afternoon.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I say with a shrug. “I met a few familiar faces on my way inside. Seems like a pretty big turnout.”

“Well, let’s get this over with,” Frank says. He stands up and grabs a stack of paper from the conference table. I follow his lead and release the brakes on my wheelchair and head for the door.

Frank takes charge of the press conference and when he announces that we’re going ahead with season five as planned there’s applause around the room. When he allows questions I do what I love; I say a lot of stuff without revealing anything significant. There are also a few questions about my accident and disability. I answer them the only way I want to; honestly. In general things go well and I’m relieved when I drive home after it’s over.

TBC...