Except for me. I was still stuck in this spot, progressing from one day to the next with very short-range goals. True, they were all necessary things and necessary for me to have a successful life outside of this place, but where would I go once I was discharged? It really was as if I’d lost all my direction. There would be no football scholarship to a great college; heck, I hadn’t even graduated from high school. How would I finish that? Test out? I didn’t want to go back and finished another year with a bunch of younger kids. Besides, I was nineteen now. That would make me twenty before I could start the next school year. Hello? Awkward. Well, that was one problem solved. I’d definitely be going the GED route.
What about after all this, though? It was my intention to recover back to my full capacity and the doctors remained optimistic about that being a viable, realistic, goal. I’d been lucky, much luckier than others with this same kind of injury. Some of them had so much pressure on their brain that it destroyed key function centers, making it extremely difficult—if not impossible—for them to ever return to their former lives. I’d received treatment quickly enough that I’d been spared most of those horrors. Being in a coma had been the worst of my mental side effects. Dr. Kennish said. My brain had shut down everything but that which was absolutely necessary, while it struggled to survive.
My memories of minute details from my alternate life were already beginning to fade away. There were still key experiences that might never fade enough for me to believe that I didn’t really live them. Sometimes it was hard to integrate what I’d believed to be reality into what really was. Plenty of my mornings still began with the ache of losing Nikki residing in my heart, only to be replaced with inexplicable joy when I remembered it wasn’t true. But, just because it wasn’t true, didn’t mean I still didn’t feel it. It didn’t mean I didn’t learn the lessons from what I’d gone through. I wanted to hold tightly to those memories and use them to guide me in my future. I may have been lying in a bed unconscious for nine months, deteriorating on the outside; but I was changing on the inside and I would never take anything for granted again.
The sound of the door opening caught my attention and I glanced toward it, finding Nikki there. I couldn’t stop the skip in my heart and the wide smiled that followed every time I saw her. It was like getting to live the miracle of having her, over and over again.
“Hey, gorgeous,” I said, every nerve in my body responding to her being next to me.
“Am I interrupting?” she asked, not coming any closer, instead leaning against the door, her eyes never leaving me.
“You never interrupt me,” I replied, my gaze traveling over her from head to toe. I loved how she’d let her hair grow longer, it complimented her, making her even prettier than before—if that were possible. I just wanted to get my hands on her again. “Quit hanging out over there and come sit with me.”
She shook her head, not moving. “I can’t. I need to leave.”
My heart fell. “Already? You just got here.”
She seemed to consider this for a moment. “I guess you could come with me.”
I snorted. “I wish I could. You have no idea how much.”
“What if I told you I have a little present for you, but you have to come over here to get it?”
“Well, under normal conditions, I’d already be at the door, but I’m not as fast as I used to be.”
“I can wait.” She smiled but didn’t move.
Carefully, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, grabbing my walker and using it to help pull myself up into a standing position. “You know they like me to tell them when I’m getting up, just in case I need help. You’re making me break the rules.” I moved to the end of the bed, merely a few feet away from her. Setting the walker aside, I took a step toward her, followed by another, and another, until I reached her, wrapping my arms around her.
“I see you’ve been doing a lot of practicing.” She slipped her arms around my waist, laying her head against my chest. “I’m so proud of you, Chase. You’ve had so much to overcome and you’ve come so far in such a short amount of time. It’s amazing.”
I kissed the top of her head, squeezing her tighter. It felt so good to have her in my arms. I wished I could stand like this for hours, simply holding her to me, but the telltale tremble was burning through my calves and thighs, signaling my need to sit down soon.
As if sensing I was on borrowed time, Nikki released me. “I said I have a present for you, are you ready for it?”
“Lay it on me,” I replied, wondering what she’ brought. Reaching outside the door she bent to retrieve something before straightening, holding the object in front of me.
“A coat?” I asked, puzzled, leaning against the wall for support. I mean it was nice and the weather was turning colder, but I didn’t get out much. “Thanks. It looks nice.” I wasn’t sure what she wanted me to say.
“Put it on, silly.” She held it up for me and I slipped my arms into it. Stepping away, her gaze traveled over me and she nodded in approval. “There. That looks nice. Okay, let’s go.”
The door opened wider and Barney came in pushing a wheelchair and grinning widely.
“Where am I going exactly?” I glanced back and forth between them suspiciously.
“You’re going home,” Nikki said with a squeal, clapping her hands together.
Barney grabbed me by the arm as I sank toward the chair, shock overwhelming me.
“Are you serious?” I was trembling now for an entirely different reason.
“Of course, she’s serious,” Barney said.
“For how long?” I asked, unable to believe this day had finally come.
“You get to stay, but you’ll have to come in for sessions with me every day still. You’re not getting away from me that easy,” Barney teased.
Nikki bustled around the room, gathering my personal items and placing them in a little rolling suitcase—a few changes of clothes, hygiene products from the bathroom, before picking up Turk, tucking him tightly in the crook of her arm. “I think that’s all his stuff,” she said, glancing around the room.
“It’s not like we don’t know where to find you, if you did forget something,” Barney added. “Are you ready to get out of here?”
“I was ready the moment I woke up,” I joked. “Nothing personal.”
“Hey, I get to go home every day,” Barney said, turning the chair and pushing it out of the room. I didn’t even look back. “I don’t blame you one bit for wanting to do the same.”
Several of the nurses stood as I passed the station. “Goodbye, Chase. Good luck. We’ll miss you.”
“Thanks,” I replied, unable to stop smiling.
“He’ll be back every day for a while,” Barney reminded them.
My grin widened as the double doors to the front of the building opened, exposing Nikki’s red VW Bug sitting under the canopy at the curb. My breath caught a little when I saw it because, in my mind, it was still smashed and in pieces.
She opened the passenger door before hurrying to the trunk to put the suitcase inside. Barney helped me stand, turn, and then got me seated.
“Can you get your legs in by yourself?” he asked with a challenge, and I snorted.
“Of course, I can.” One by one I lifted them into the vehicle and he looked very pleased.
“I’m going to follow you home in my truck. I want to make sure you get settled in okay and go over a checklist with your family.”
“Sounds good. See you there.” He shut the door and Nikki slid into the driver’s seat beside me, grinning from ear to ear as she rested her hand on my leg.
“I’m so excited for this. I can’t even tell you.”
“I am, too. It should be wrong to be this excited about riding in a car.” I placed my hand over hers squeezing lightly. “Thank you for coming to get me.”
“Well, the rest of your family is getting things ready for your arrival or they would’ve been here.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
She started the car and I glanced out the window as she pulled away from the quiet, stucco building, relief pouring through me. This wasn’t my home any longer. I was going home, back to the ranch where I was supposed to be.
Driving along, I stared silently out the window, taking in the buildings that used to be so familiar to me. “As you can see, the town is pretty much the way you left it. Not much has changed.” Slowing, she pointed out the window. “That’s where you rolled your truck. If you look closely, you can see the bricks in the center of the wall are a slightly different color than the rest of the building where they had to repair it.”
I could see the change and it was a fairly large patch. It appeared that I’d taken out most of the wall. “I’m surprised it didn’t fall in on me,” I commented. “It looks like a big hole.”
“It was. For a long time, there were candles and flowers placed down the side of the building that kids from school brought.”
I snorted. “Yeah, right.”
Her head snapped toward me. “I’m completely serious. Everyone had a hard time with what happened. Whether you think it or not, people in this town do actually care about you.”
Turning, I stared back at the building until it was uncomfortable to do so.
“You still don’t remember anything about that night?” she asked, reaching over to rest her hand on my leg again. I naturally slipped my fingers in between hers.
“No. I’ve tried, but all I remember is what I thought I was experiencing. I’m positive some of that probably matches things that were really going on around me, but everything else is blank. I honestly lived something completely different.” I squeezed her hand. “Horribly different.”
She nodded, keeping her eyes on the road. “Well, we’re both going to be okay now. I promise.”
“I want that more than anything,” I replied. Lifting her fingers to my mouth I kissed each one, counting each one as a blessing I never thought I’d have again.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“What the hell?” I asked, my eyes widening as we rounded the bend and the ranch house came into view. The normally open driveway and area around the barn were packed with an insane number of cars. I glanced at Nikki. She was biting her lip and her eyes were watering.
“I might’ve neglected to tell you the real reason your family didn’t come.”
“What’s going on?” A pillar of blue and white balloons stretched up tall in the front yard and a massive sign that read, “WELCOME HOME CHASE!” had been hung across the eaves of the porch.
“What’s going on is probably half the town coming to welcome you home.”
“How long have you guys known this was happening?” I asked, amazed. “There’s no way this was thrown together last minute.”
“We’ve known since fried chicken night.” She smiled at me. “Are you mad?”
I shook my head. “No, not mad. Maybe a little overwhelmed.” As we approached the house, the door opened and throngs of people began pouring from inside, led by my grandma who was running to the end of the sidewalk. My eyes searched the crowd in shock. Everyone was here. My friends, family, Nikki’s family, kids from school, kids I didn’t know, my teachers and what appeared to be the entire football team. Nikki parked the car and my grandpa hurried forward to open my door.
“Welcome home, Chase!” Everyone shouted in unison. I didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or be embarrassed. I’d never imagined a homecoming like this.
Barney pulled up beside us in his truck and started to remove the wheelchair from the back, but Grandpa waved him off. “Don’t worry with that right now, Barney. We’ve got him.”
I picked up and moved my legs out of the car and Grandpa helped me stand. Immediately, Brett and Chad were on each side of me, supporting my arms. “Feel up to a jaunt down the sidewalk, bro?” Brett asked, his eyes warm and bright.
“Totally,” I replied, allowing them to help guide me. At this moment, though, I felt like I could’ve flown to the moon and back, under my own power. The group parted, allowing my slow progress through. A few of my old teammates stepped forward to bump fists with me and others called out greetings. My gaze zeroed in on Brittney, who was holding a small bundle in her arms. I gave a nod for her to come closer.
“I want to see this baby of yours,” I said with a smile, trying to ignore the small tinge of regret that shot through my heart.
She removed the blanket that was swaddled around the baby’s head, revealing a tiny little girl, who thankfully looked nothing like the baby in my memories.
“She’s beautiful.” I smiled at her. “You did a good job, kid. What’d you name her?”
“Abigail, but I’m calling her Abby.” Motherhood looked good on Brittney, in both realities. She had a nice soft glow to her and she looked really happy. “When you get settled inside, I’ll let you hold her.”
“I’d like that.” She stepped aside so I could continue on my escorted path to the house. Mom and Greg were standing by the door.
“Welcome home, sweetie,” Mom said, stepping forward to hug me tightly and Brett released my arm so I could hug her back.
“It’s nice to be home. I was starting to think I’d never make it back to this place. I missed it.”
“Let’s get you inside. We’ve got the nice overstuffed chair and ottoman for you to relax in while everyone is here.” He opened the door for me, but I paused, glancing over my shoulder for Nikki, spotting her standing on the steps to the porch, hanging back, carrying Turk.
“Get up here, girl. Aren’t you supposed to be carrying me over the threshold or something?” I teased.
Laughing, she came closer. “I think you have your happy events messed up. That’s for the honeymoon.”
“Well, damn. Here I was hoping you were going to rush up and sweep me off my feet and carry me off to my bed . . . that is how it goes in those romance novels of yours, isn’t it?”
I loved watching her face flood with color as she shook her head. “Get inside. Everyone is freezing out here.”
“That brain injury didn’t seem to damage your flirting skills at all,” my mom said wryly, following in after us. I laughed.
Stepping inside, I saw Mom and Grandma had clearly gone all out. There were party streamers and welcome home signs everywhere, along with a giant buffet table packed with food out in the wide hallway. It smelled, and looked, delicious.
Brett and Chad steered me toward the living room.
“Hey,” I complained, glancing back at the table. “The food’s that way.”
“Looks like he didn’t lose his appetite, either,” Greg teased.
“Can you blame me?” I asked. “I’ve been living on hospital food for months.”
“Sit down and get comfortable, Chase,” Nikki piped up. “I’ll get you a plate.”
“Thank you,” I replied, arriving at the chair I’d been guided to. “I’ve got it from here, dudes. You can let go. I’m not that much of an invalid.” They both released me and I sank into the soft spot, leaning my head back with a sigh. I was home.
“What would you like to eat?” Nikki asked, setting Turk’s bowl on the end table beside me.
“One of everything.”
She laughed. “That’s a lot of food. Do you even know what’s out there?”
Staring at her, I shook my head. “No, but if Grandma cooked it, then it’s amazing.” Grandma beamed at me, blowing me a kiss. “And, if I don’t get my share now, there won’t be any left. Who invited all these football players anyway? They’ll eat everything.”
I was amazed as I watched everyone pack into the house until it seemed as if it would burst at the seams. I noticed most of the guys here were from the current football team, guys who’d been underclassmen when I’d played. I figured most of the seniors had graduated and moved on to bigger and better things.
Nikki brought me a plate and perched on the arm of the chair beside me, as I visited with random well-wishers for what seemed liked ages.
“Can I have your attention?” Grandpa said suddenly, standing in front of the huge fireplace and the room quickly quieted to murmurs, with people crowding into the two doorways leading into the room to listen. “We’d like to thank you all for coming out to this special homecoming for Chase.” He glanced at me and smiled, but I noticed his chin quivering slightly. “We weren’t sure our boy was ever going to come back to us; but thanks to all the prayers, we definitely got our miracle.” Nikki rubbed her hand absently across the back of my neck as he spoke. I loved feeling her touch. “Coach Hardin has asked for moment now.”
Sitting a bit straighter, I wondered what was going on. Coach came to stand beside Grandpa and smiled. “Thanks for giving me a minute. I won’t be long. As I’m pretty sure most all of you know, Chase was our starting quarterback last year. He was a great leader and got the team off to an amazing start before his accident. Although we struggled a bit after we lost him, the boys managed to pull themselves together and made it into the playoffs—and they won the State Title.
“What you may not know, is the team dedicated the rest of their season to Chase and prayed, before every game, for his recovery. They also wore armbands with his number on them, never forgetting the young man who helped us to get to the title.” Turning to the mantle, he lifted up a small box and stared directly at me. “Since you missed the award ceremony, Chase, I want to present you with your State ring here, tonight, as well as a Championship t-shirt and hat.” He gestured toward the crowd and Brett stepped forward holding the clothing. Coach and he approached, handing me the items. Everyone burst into applause and I couldn’t swallow past the knot in my throat.
“That’s not all,” Coach said, clearing his throat. “When Chase was injured, Chad Thompson stepped up to fill his shoes as quarterback. Both of these young men were amazing assets to the team. Both Chad and Chase were nominated as Most Valuable Player of the Season.”