Paradise Valley (Virgin River #7)(62)

“Whatcha got there, pal?” Jack asked.

“Not the good stuff,” he answered. “Just some anti-inflammatory laced with a little codeine. It gets me by.”

“Ready for a pit stop?” Jack asked, driving into a good-looking rest stop.

“Yeah,” Rick said, a little breathless from discomfort.

“Want the leg?” Jack asked, pulling up to a handicapped spot right in front of the men’s room.

“Nah,” Rick said, drawing up the leg of his jeans and tucking it in the waistband. “Just the walker.”

“Sit tight.” Jack got out, grabbed the walker, and instead of insisting Rick do some wild gymnastics getting himself out of the truck without the help of a prosthetic limb, he just slipped a strong arm around his waist and pulled him out, lowering him gently to the ground. Then he followed Rick as he made his way slowly into the bathroom.

Rick turned around once. Over his shoulder he said, “I’m good.”

“I’m right behind you,” Jack said.

Head down, hands braced on the walker, he moved slowly into the john, took his place up against a urinal, braced himself, balancing precariously on one leg, hand against the wall, and got the job done. He was wobbly, especially getting his zipper back up. He moved slowly to the sink and washed his hands. Seeing the potential for disaster if Rick put his wet hands on the metal walker, Jack handed him some paper towels while he was still braced up against the sink. When Rick moved away from the sink, his jeans were wet in front from the dripping sink. “Fuck,” he said.

“Learning curve is kinda high,” Jack remarked. “Yet another reason to work on the leg, huh?”

Rick moved slowly out of the bathroom. Without looking at Jack he muttered, “One of the guys said it was easier to figure out how to have sex than how to take a shower.”

Jack laughed. “Good to know.”

“I doubt it’ll come up.”

When they got to the truck, Jack braced him under the arms and said, “Swing on up there, buddy.” When they were again under way, Jack just gave it some time. They were another half hour on the road after a long day, and now well into Mendocino County, when he asked, “How’s the pain now, Rick?”

“Okay. Pill kicked in, mostly.”

“We’ll be home in less than a couple of hours,” Jack said. “I’m sorry about back there, about the sandwich. The way I acted. We aren’t going to get too far if I try the bully approach. I apologize.”

“Forget it,” he said.

“You understand, I just want to find the best way to help you get on your feet.”

“Foot,” Rick said, not looking at him. “You want me to get on my foot.”

Jack ground his teeth and told himself, Let it go. Rick won’t be angry forever. Will he? “Listen, there are a couple of things we should talk about.”

“Like?”

“Rehab, for one. You’re set up at a clinic in Eureka. It’s supposed to be a good little shop and I’ll take you. Vets from around this county use it a lot. And there’s some counseling…”

“No counseling.”

“Gimme a break, huh? You hear yourself? You wanna feel like this the rest of your life?”

“Listen, we did that whole group-hug thing at Balboa. It was a waste of time. I felt worse, not better.”

“This will be one-on-one and you don’t have to hug anyone.”

“This one have two legs?” Rick asked sarcastically. “Because I just love it when some joker with all his parts tries to help me cope with what’s left of mine.”

“He could have two f**king heads for all I know,” Jack said. “Sorry. That was frustration. I’m just frustrated.”

Rick laughed humorlessly. “Is that a fact?”

“Moving on. I’d like you to stay with me and Mel. Once you get up the porch, the house is flat. The shower is a flat walk-in. You don’t have to negotiate a tub. I can get you around till you’re driving again, which will be as soon as you’re ready. You can spend as much time with your grandma as you like and I’ll even drive her out to our place, but her house is a challenge and she shouldn’t be taking care of you.”

“We’ll be fine,” he said. “She won’t have to take care of me.”

“Rick, try to be reasonable. Mel and I can help, but Lydie has enough challenge taking care of herself.”

“She won’t be taking care of me. We’ll manage.”

“Are you totally opposed to making this as simple as possible? Are you going to let me help at all?”

“I let you drive me home, didn’t I? And aren’t you glad for the good company?”

“Yeah. It was a slice of heaven….”

“Next item? Or is that it?”

“Liz,” Jack said.

“Nothing to talk about there.”

Now it was Jack’s turn to laugh without humor. “Buddy, on this we’re gonna talk. I know you didn’t take her calls, didn’t return them. I don’t know what’s up with that, but we’re going to be back in town and she works for her aunt Connie every week. You can’t avoid her. She’s scared to death of how you’re going to act toward her.”