right
again? I mean, I know we need to try and be positive, but maybe we
should be preparing for the worst too, just in case.”
I could clearly see she was starting to
crack on me. I needed to do something to help her lighten up.
“Babe, you’re stressing more than I am and I’m the one having
surgery. What brought all this on?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. It just hit me
all of a sudden how serious things are for you. I wondered if this
is what our future would be like, surgery after surgery as we try
to get you back to a dream that may not even be attainable. Then, I
realized I didn’t care about any of that as long as you could still
walk—and all of a sudden I just had the horrible fear of you being
crippled for the rest of your life. It would break my heart.”
Her revelation made me sad. All this time
I’d been leaning on her for support and she’d needed someone to
lean on too. “Everything will be fine, Britt. One way or
another.”
She sighed. “I want to believe that. I hope
you’re right.”
“I am. You’ll see. Now, you may want to go
get a drink and splash some water on your face or something. If
your skin gets any whiter, I’ll need to put some sunglasses on,” I
said, hoping humor would help diffuse the situation.
She scowled at me. “Not funny.” I knew she
was upset, but I still laughed at her as she got up and headed
toward the restrooms. She returned a few minutes later looking much
better and she poked her tongue out at me as she sat down.
I laughed again. “You need me to teach you
what you can do with that tongue?”
“Oh, my. You did not just go there!” she
replied in an exasperated tone.
“So what if I did?”
“You’ve already given me that lesson, so
thanks. I’ll pass.” She folded her arms in front of her.
“But you know what they say?” I said,
leaning in close to her ear. “Practice makes perfect.”
She shifted uncomfortably and I could tell I
was getting to her.
“As I recall, you told me I was perfect the
last time we were . . . together.”
I slipped my arm around behind her, keeping
her close enough to me that she could feel my breath on her neck.
“That’s been so long ago, I can’t even remember when it was.”
She snorted. “It’d be too long ago for you,
if it happened yesterday.”
“It’d be too long if it happened an hour
ago,” I teased. “What do you say to a little pre-surgery action for
your husband? I’m sure there’s a closet around here, somewhere, and
it would give me something happy to dream about while I’m under the
knife.”
She faced me. “Don’t men have anything
better to do than think about sex all the time?”
I appeared to ponder this for a moment.
“Well, there’s certainly nothing better that I can think of.
Why can’t women take that as a compliment?” I grinned as she
stuttered for something to say.
“Mr. Walker?” a familiar voice rang out and
I turned to see the same Patient Care Coordinator, Selena, who’d
helped me before.
“Coming,” I replied, reaching for my
crutches, sad that the fun little bantering I’d been having with my
wife had to come to an end.
This time, however, Selena was all business.
There was no flirting with me whatsoever as she directed Brittney
and me to our room. She quickly went about doing everything she
needed to and left out the door, telling me the doctor would be in
shortly.
I didn’t even have time to resume my
conversation with Brittney before Dr. Price appeared in the
doorway.
“Well, here we are, again. How are things
going?”
I glanced down at my injured leg and back
up, causing him to get an awkward smile on his face, as if he
realized that might not have been the right thing to ask.
“I guess I’m the best I can be, under the
circumstances,” I replied. “Let’s get this over with as fast as we
can.”
He nodded. “Understood. The nurse and
anesthesiologist will be in shortly to finish getting you ready. We
should have you back to
again? I mean, I know we need to try and be positive, but maybe we
should be preparing for the worst too, just in case.”
I could clearly see she was starting to
crack on me. I needed to do something to help her lighten up.
“Babe, you’re stressing more than I am and I’m the one having
surgery. What brought all this on?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. It just hit me
all of a sudden how serious things are for you. I wondered if this
is what our future would be like, surgery after surgery as we try
to get you back to a dream that may not even be attainable. Then, I
realized I didn’t care about any of that as long as you could still
walk—and all of a sudden I just had the horrible fear of you being
crippled for the rest of your life. It would break my heart.”
Her revelation made me sad. All this time
I’d been leaning on her for support and she’d needed someone to
lean on too. “Everything will be fine, Britt. One way or
another.”
She sighed. “I want to believe that. I hope
you’re right.”
“I am. You’ll see. Now, you may want to go
get a drink and splash some water on your face or something. If
your skin gets any whiter, I’ll need to put some sunglasses on,” I
said, hoping humor would help diffuse the situation.
She scowled at me. “Not funny.” I knew she
was upset, but I still laughed at her as she got up and headed
toward the restrooms. She returned a few minutes later looking much
better and she poked her tongue out at me as she sat down.
I laughed again. “You need me to teach you
what you can do with that tongue?”
“Oh, my. You did not just go there!” she
replied in an exasperated tone.
“So what if I did?”
“You’ve already given me that lesson, so
thanks. I’ll pass.” She folded her arms in front of her.
“But you know what they say?” I said,
leaning in close to her ear. “Practice makes perfect.”
She shifted uncomfortably and I could tell I
was getting to her.
“As I recall, you told me I was perfect the
last time we were . . . together.”
I slipped my arm around behind her, keeping
her close enough to me that she could feel my breath on her neck.
“That’s been so long ago, I can’t even remember when it was.”
She snorted. “It’d be too long ago for you,
if it happened yesterday.”
“It’d be too long if it happened an hour
ago,” I teased. “What do you say to a little pre-surgery action for
your husband? I’m sure there’s a closet around here, somewhere, and
it would give me something happy to dream about while I’m under the
knife.”
She faced me. “Don’t men have anything
better to do than think about sex all the time?”
I appeared to ponder this for a moment.
“Well, there’s certainly nothing better that I can think of.
Why can’t women take that as a compliment?” I grinned as she
stuttered for something to say.
“Mr. Walker?” a familiar voice rang out and
I turned to see the same Patient Care Coordinator, Selena, who’d
helped me before.
“Coming,” I replied, reaching for my
crutches, sad that the fun little bantering I’d been having with my
wife had to come to an end.
This time, however, Selena was all business.
There was no flirting with me whatsoever as she directed Brittney
and me to our room. She quickly went about doing everything she
needed to and left out the door, telling me the doctor would be in
shortly.
I didn’t even have time to resume my
conversation with Brittney before Dr. Price appeared in the
doorway.
“Well, here we are, again. How are things
going?”
I glanced down at my injured leg and back
up, causing him to get an awkward smile on his face, as if he
realized that might not have been the right thing to ask.
“I guess I’m the best I can be, under the
circumstances,” I replied. “Let’s get this over with as fast as we
can.”
He nodded. “Understood. The nurse and
anesthesiologist will be in shortly to finish getting you ready. We
should have you back to
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