Reflecting On Wishes (The Wishes Series) (12 page)

“Sure, son, what’s going on?” Noah handed his plate to his daughter so she could let Miki put a slice of heaven on his plate.

Once everyone’s plate was full Dakota started explaining the situation with Angel between bites. The worry that was etched on his face did not go unnoticed. In fact, Lilah had tears in her eyes by the time he was done spilling his heart out. She reached across the table and took his hand in hers. The bond between them had only grown stronger over the years and the mere touch of her hand gave him comfort.

“You don’t worry about a thing, D. I’ll go visit her tomorrow and see what I can do to help.” Lilah gave him an encouraging smile.

“Do you want me to go with you
, sugar?” Miki put her fork down and put her napkin on her plate.

“I think if we both went, she might feel bombarded
, Momma. Let me handle it, I think I have an idea how to coax her out of the dark place she’s in right now. She needs a friend, someone that’s not her family. Sometimes it’s easier to hear things from an outsider than someone close to your heart.” Lilah had a confident smile on her face and that alone both soothed Dakota’s nerves and added a smile to his face. He knew he could count on his baby sister.

Chapter 9

Angel woke to sunshine on her face and the sweet, but loud voice of Ms. Lola as she flung open the curtains.

“Rise and shine, baby girl. I decided to swing by here on my way in to work and make my favorite girl some buttermilk pancakes!”

With a groan Angel rubbed her eyes and stretched, yawning instead of answering her.

“I bet you need to go to the restroom dontcha, darlin’? Sit on up now and I’ll get that handsome brother of yours in here to carry you in there. I’m gon’ make sure those men get this door fixed so you ain’t waitin’ on them all the time.” Ms. Lola went right back out the door, hollering for Rage.

Angel turned her head to look at the clock, wincing w
hen she saw it was only seven. With a sigh she tossed her covers back and gingerly pulled herself up, lifting her legs, one by one so they hung off the bed. Her wrist was getting stronger every day, the pain not nearly as bad from one day to the next. If only her legs would improve as well.

“Hey
, beautiful. Your chariot awaits!” Her brother gave her a huge grin and ever so gently scooped her up and carried her to the bathroom.

“Thanks
, Rage.” She waved him out with a flick of her wrist.

She quickly did her business and righted her clothes just as he knocked, asking her if she was okay. “I’m fine. I need to wash my face, give me a minute.” She was thankful for the help, but the thought of needing help all the time grated on her nerves and tended to put her in a surly mood. Now she wished she would have appreciated her mobility more before the accident. She wishe
d that the things she didn’t fully appreciate before were back to normal, but she knew that fate had handed her a messed up deck of cards and wishes never came true anyways. Not for people like her. Angel reached for a washcloth that was stacked on a shelf under the vanity, glad the sink was right next to the toilet. All she had to do was turn where she was seated and she could easily wet her cloth under the warm water so she could wash the sleep from her eyes and brush her hair. She hollered for her brother once she was done and he came in with a smile. He easily carried her back to her room and sat her in her wheelchair.

Angel looked at her closet door, realizing there was no way she could get the door open while in her chair.
The way it swung towards the bedroom door, her chair wouldn’t fit between her bed, nightstand and door. “Can you get in my closet and get my teal dress. It’s short and cool and it should make it easier for me to manage.”

“Sure thing
.” He opened the door and rifled through her clothing until he found the one she wanted. “I can rehang this door for you so it opens in the other direction, that way you can get in and out of it easier.”

“I appreciate it. I hate having to ask for help.” She dug through the middle drawer of the dresser and got out a white bikini and s
et it on her lap.

“Don’t worry about asking for anything
, Angel. You would do the same for any of us so don’t you worry about a thing.” Rage kissed her forehead and moved towards her bedroom door. “You got it from here? If your wrist is too sore to push yourself down the hall I can come back.”

“Nah, I got it. It’s feeling better today. Besides, it’s a straight shot out the door and down the hallway. As long as I don’t have to use my left hand much I’m okay” The smile on his face was contagious and it made her smile back.

“Alright, I’m gonna go see if Ms. Lola is making enough breakfast for me too cuz the smell is making my stomach rumble.”

“Go on,” Angel laughed. “I’ll be in there in just a little bit.”

It was getting easier day by day to learn to maneuver so she could dress herself. She was pleased that it didn’t take too long to take off her pajamas and slip on the bikini and spaghetti strapped dress. She didn’t like seeing the scars on her legs or how frail they looked after being in casts for six weeks, but if she was going to be at home all day, why bother trying to cover it up? Besides, she was looking forward to getting into the pool later to exercise. In the water she felt normal again.

Her doctors described her spinal injury as an
‘incomplete spinal cord injury’. After her first surgery she had some feeling in her lower limbs and her bowels and bladder were functional without any issues. Since both of her legs had been broken in several places she was in leg casts for six weeks. When her feet were poked or subjected to heat or cold she had some sensations.

However, now that her casts were off, when she tried to move her legs on her own she didn’t have much success. It was as if her brain wasn’t connecting with the muscles in her legs when she tried to get them to move. Sometimes she would get a twitch here or there and a few times she was able to get some movement. It gave her hope that someday she would be back on her feet again.

Physical therapy was supposed to start on Monday and she was looking forward to seeing how it would go. The doctor had also recommended the use of a FES (Functioning Electrical Stimulation) bike. The purpose of FES therapy was to use electricity to push muscles into action to retrain the central nervous system. The cost of purchasing one was around twenty-five thousand dollars which was beyond her means. The hospital had one in their physical therapy facility that was always in use, but Angel was excited to be able to make an appointment to start using it now that her casts were off.

Joining them in the dining room she was greeted with the delicious scent of sausage, maple syrup and pancakes that
Ms. Lola was arranging on the table. “It smells good in here. Thank you for breakfast, Ms. Lola.”

“My pleasure
, darlin’ girl! I brought some fresh tomatoes and cucumbers my mister picked from the garden this mornin’ and a batch of strawberries fo’ ya.”

Angel couldn’t help but smile
when the voluptuous woman wrapped her up in a warm hug and kissed her cheek. “You’re spoiling me, Ms. Lola. I like it! How is your mister doing by the way? Is he at the restaurant cooking while you’re here with us?”

Ms.
Lola’s laugh was boisterous, loud and full of joy. “Yes, darlin’. Jedidiah is holdin’ down the fort until I get there. He loves the early mornin’ crowd with all the old farts from around town jibber jabberin’ while they drink coffee. He told me to give you his love and said he was gon’ drop by and see ya soon.”

“Tell him I can’t wait to see him. I appreciated him coming by the hospital with a box of chocolates. It was really sweet of him.”

“Oh lordy, that man, I tell ya—he loves to see you, Angel. He’s as proud of you as your daddy is, I’m sure. Always braggin’ on ya. Now then, you’ns eat up this food and enjoy your day. Nahni said she would finish cleanin’ up so’s I can get to work now. I can’t leave that man alone too long in my kitchen. No siree!”

“Thank you again
, Ms. Lola. I appreciate you.” Angel hugged her and gave a kiss to her weathered cheek. She smiled when her father, brother and sister-in-law gave Ms. Lola the same loving affection. When Vito walked her out, Angel tucked into her stack of pancakes groaning when the fluffy sweetness melted in her mouth. The rest of breakfast was silent while they all ate until there wasn’t a crumb left.

***

Angel had two totes full of mail to go through. Most of it was fan mail, well wishes for recovery from her accident. Her family had tried bringing some of it to the hospital but she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to appreciate it at the time. Today she was going to begin tackling it, starting out by sorting the bills from the letters. Medical bills and insurance letters went in one shoe box. Since her hospital stay had been paid for, she made a mental note to have her father help her sort through these so she would know what to keep and what had been taken care of. Another shoe box was filled with credit card statements and other random bills pertaining to her apartment she’d had. It was mind boggling how much had accumulated in her absence.

As she filtered her way through the masses, one envelope caught her eye. It wasn’t because it was fancy with any sort of flowing script and it certainly wasn’t a bill. The stark white background was filled with colorful drawings of a child’s creativity artistically cov
ering it front and back, but for the center area on the front with her name and the address to the shop where all her fan mail went. In the top left corner in careful cursive was a name that was as familiar to her as her own. Kylie Lane was one of the children she met at
Sugar Creek Hospital
several years ago. When they met, Kylie was receiving treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma at the tender age of seven. Angel stopped for moment remembering the day changed her life; the day she made a very special little friend.

Kylie, w
ith her big smile and eyes so blue and bright, approached Angel without an ounce of shyness and took hold of her hand. The darling girl had a hot pink Angel Vega baseball cap on and was wearing little dangling angel wing earrings that sparkled with pink glitter along with hospital pajamas. She spoke with such excitement and enthusiasm in her cute country accent, Angel couldn’t help but smile.

“I know you, Angel! I watch all kinds a races with my daddy and he says you are the bestest girl racer ever. And I think so too!”

“Hi there, beautiful girl. Thank you for the compliment. I’m so glad to hear you like watching the races. I grew up watching them with my daddy too.” Angel squeezed her hand gently and squatted down beside her. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“I’m Kylie Lane. That’s my daddy right there in the Vega Racing shirt. His name is Bo and I gots a shirt just like his but I can’t wear it here. I gots to wear this nightgown and pj pants the hospital gives me so it’s easy for them to take care a me. But I gots my hat on so you know I’m your biggest fan even though it’s itchin’ my head like crazy. It’s bald,” removing her hat she pointed at the top of her smooth scalp, “see?”

A knot welled up in Angel’s throat and it took everything in her to keep her heartbreak from showing on her face. This sweet girl was the epitome of bravery and was quite literally bursting with joy despite her circumstance. All because she was meeting a racer she watched on television. No way would Angel ruin it f
or her by showing how the children’s illness ripped her heart to shreds and brought her to tears each and every time she left from visiting them.

“I see that,” Angel said. Her hand
was gentle as she smoothed her palm over the young girls scalp. “And you are absolutely gorgeous just as you are.”

“You really think so, Angel? Kids make fun a me sometimes cuz of it
, but my daddy says I’m just as pretty as my mommy was when she was alive. So that makes me feel real special.” Kylie cocked her head to the side, her eyes looking much older and wiser than her years.

“
Your daddy is a very smart man, Kylie. And if you look like your mom…well, she must have been the most beautiful woman ever, because you are lovely.”

Kylie’s dad rubbed his hand over his face and mouthed a silent “thank you”. No way could Angel imagine not only losing your spouse, but then having your daughter fall ill on top of that—life really wasn’t fair sometimes.

Angel had worn a pink bandanna with black angel wings on the sides around her head tied in the back. The length of her hair was hanging free down to her waist. She felt guilty for having it while this precious girl suffered with a bitch of a disease that caused her to be bald and have such tenderness on her head. Not to mention having to deal with meanness from kids who had no manners whatsoever. Yet Kylie still had such exuberance for life and a bright outlook. She was a joy and in that instant, had completely stolen Angel’s heart.

That day, Kylie had followed Angel as she visited with ot
her kids and their families. Kylie’s father had tried to insist she leave Angel be and let her do what she came there for. But with a conspiratorial wink towards him, Angel assured him she needed an assistant to help her hand out teddy bears and asked Kylie if she would mind being her helper. Kylie was thrilled to follow along, watching Angel sign photographs and pose for pictures. Each time they began to walk to another room, Kylie took Angel’s hand again and asked questions about everything from racing to what kind of food was her favorite. Angel responded in kind, asking some questions of her own as they walked from room to room. She found out Kylie’s favorite color was pink. Therefore pink donuts, pink gum, pink candy, strawberry cake and ice cream and pink Popsicles were delicious. In her opinion pepperoni pizza was the best food on earth, especially with lots of Parmesan sprinkles and slushy apple juice. Her favorite thing to do at her grandma’s house was to help her pick cherry tomatoes and eat them when they were still warm from being in the sun. In fact, she admitted that sometimes she would eat so many that her tongue would get raw, so now her grandma only lets her eat ten cherry tomatoes at a time.