Page 16 of Waylon

“I’ve never met her before now. At least, I don’t think so. You’ve talked about her a great deal, but I don’t think that you ever brought her home. What did you say happened? I know you said accident, but I haven’t been able to find out anything about it in the papers nor on the news.”

“They’re trying to keep it hush-hush. The senator who was driving the original truck that pushed her into traffic had a blood alcohol level of .45%. Dee’s car was shoved into traffic by him, and eighteen other cars were involved in the accident that she was a tennis ball in. The police are saying that she was hit as many as half a dozen times but other cars, and if not for the men who had pulled her out of the car when it was upside down, there is no telling what she would have had to have done to her when the thing caught fire. As it is now, there are four dead and sixteen injured, three of which aren’t expected to live, and the senator is under house arrest and expected to be arrested as soon as tomorrow. Jamie, as you probably have figured out, is looking to have him lynched.” Booth asked what he was saying. “That it was her fault. Something about her not getting her ass in gear when she had to know that he was someone important. They’re trying to figure out if he was just drunk off his ass or stoned as well. There was enough coke and other paraphernalia in his truck to have felled one of us. Christ, you should have heard him barking orders about Dee when he found out that she’d been brought in by chopper and he’d had to ride here in a police cruiser. He was acting like this was all her fault, too.”

Cullen and Booth took turns going in and out of her room. After surgery, she was put on a special floor so that the press couldn’t find her nor Senator Fullner. The man was going to be in big-time trouble if he didn’t keep his mouth shut and away from the press. To hear him talk about it, there should be special roads for people like him so that he didn’t have to deal with John Q. Public when he was late getting around. The man was certifiable.

The room that she was in was private. Even if Jamie hadn’t of made sure that she got the best of care, he would have. She was his friend and had been someone that he could cry on her shoulder when he needed it. Right now, she needed him more and he’d not let her down. Also, he’d be there for her when she woke up and found out that she’d never walk again, much less be able to use her arms and body. Cullen wondered if her being mate to his brother Booth would help with that in any way. He hoped so. He wanted to see her dance again.

Their parents showed up around seven the next morning. They were still monitoring her every fifteen minutes and he and Booth could only see her ten minutes at a time each hour. They weren’t able to touch her, nor were they able to talk to her if she woke up. He and her had a connection made between them years ago, and he’d speak to her when he wanted and needed to and be damned their rules.

It was Falkner who looked over her chart and told them what the doctors hadn’t. She was going to be paralyzed from the waist down because of the accident, and he was hurt all the way to his feet for that. Whether or not Booth could heal her, no one knew just yet. But for now, they were holding off in healing anything about her because of the circumstances of the accident. If she were to heal up too quickly, there would be hell to pay, and he didn’t want that for his best buddy.

Chapter 7

Waylon was having so much fun shopping for supplies that he nearly forgot that it was something that he usually hated doing. They were going to do a reset in the hardware store in a few weeks, and there was a need for extra shelving. He was going to have an entire wall filled with things so that construction workers could see what sort of package deals he could do for them. Just as he was looking over the newest in peg boards, his cell phone went off. Answering it with a heavy heart, he wondered why his dad would use a phone rather than just contacting him. The first thing he asked was if everyone was all right.

“Yes, everyone is good. Booth is spending a great deal of time at the hospital, as he should, but other than that, everything is fine. I have a question for you, and I was wondering if you could spare me a few minutes after you get back home.” He told his dad that he would make sure he had time for him forever. “Thank you for that, son. I needed to hear that. I have myself a problem that might need your expertise on remodeling the pantry. Just what sort of things I’d need to consider and what not. I know that sounds so mundane, but I want to expand it for the holidays and when you all come over but I don’t even know where to begin. I won’t be doing the work myself, oh no, I know better than that, but get you to help me find someone other than Amy’s crew to do it. I’m hoping that once we get it done up, you or one of your brothers will move into this big old house, and we move into something smaller.”

“I’m not sure if you realize this or not but we spend more time at your house than we do our own. Having you move into something smaller will only make your new place crowded.” Dad laughed and said that was what his mom had said. “Well, as usual, she’s right. Since the ones of us with mates have a home, you’d be better off having Amy do the work, she is the best there is and then seeing if you can get one of the others to move in. If that’s really what you want to do.”

“It is. Your grandparents have been able to find their own space recently and have decided that the house has too many stairs in it for them. I guess it does. I never really gave it much thought before they mentioned it. After I told your mother, she said she’d been thinking the same thing. And she would love something smaller so that she could have the grandkids over and not have them putting out bread crumbs to find our way to them. I never thought the house was that big but she’s got her heart set on something much smaller and with a nice big pool. We so love watching the kids play in yours this summer.”

“I have, too. It’s been a great deal of fun for all of us.” He didn’t mention that he and Londyn had been enjoying the pool in the dark of the night for making love, but he had a feeling that his dad, a man who usually thought outside the box about sex and talking to them about it, that he figured it out on his own. “We’re having a pool house put in soon. Just to be able to store things in during the colder months. Also, Londyn and I want to get a pontoon boat to travel up and down the river with the kids. You know how much we all love the water.”

“I do. Oh some of the trips that we’ve had over the years. It makes me sometimes sad that you’ve all grown up and moved on.” He told his dad that they’d never move on because they had them to keep them on their toes. “I hope that’s true when you all have families of your own.”

“Dad, we all have families of our own in you and mom and the grandparents. That will never change.” Dad told him he was making himself sobby. “I know what you mean, I’m feeling that way as well right now. Why don’t you and Mom meet Londyn and me in town to have some dinner? I know you guys haven’t been out in a while, and it will be a blast for the four of us to get together.”

“I’d like that. Very much.” He told him that he would as well. “Let me talk to your mother and see if she has any plans. I doubt that she’d let that get in the way of spending time with her boys. Butyou never know.”

“She’ll have fun too.” They made plans for Dad to get back with him as he finished up his part of the shopping. Londyn was nearby in the building next door, looking for things for her new office. She’d decided that working for the family was the only way that she was going to enjoy herself and was pleased that Dad had given her all his law books. Some of them were fairly old, but they were perfect for her. She’d never had her own books, not that many anyway and was excited to build up her own library. He told her what was going on when they met for lunch.

“This will be awesome. I have found myself a desk at the second hand shop. It looks like something that your dad might well have had in his own offices. But I got such a good deal on it that even if it was ugly, I could put up with it. But it’s not. I love it, and it’s going to be perfect for my new offices. I did get me a new chair however.” He told her that he’d gotten another stool for the shop, too, that had a back on it this time. “I don’t know how you guys stood, not having a back on your chairs there. I would have been unable to move much after getting up from it.” He told her that he rarely sat down, nor did the grandparents and that was probably the reason for it.

“Grandda called me too. He told me that he’s been really good at not giving away too much stuff today. I swear that if they worked more than a couple of days a month there each, I’d be in the poor house. They do love to help other people. But they keep good records of things, too. Making sure not to give too much away to one family. Then they’ll expect it, and that won’t be good for anyone.” She asked him if they did that a lot, gave away things. “Not really. I did have herbs in the spring and when they were finished up with them, they paid some kid around to plant them around the building. It’s been nice, but looking over the receipts, I can see where they were giving one away for every one they sold.”

“My goodness.” They both laughed, and he leaned back in his chair to stare at his mate. “You’re looking like a bird who is surveying his prey. Do I have to remind you that we’re in public?”

“No. I wasn’t…well, I was thinking about sex, but not at that moment. I was thinking about something my dad said about having our own families. I did remind him that he was still a part of the family, with all of us finding our mates. Did you hear that Booth found his mate in a friend of Cullen’s?”

“I did hear that. I’m so happy for the two of them. I only hope that he’ll be able to heal her when the time is right. I can’t imagine what she must be going through right now.” Waylon told his own mate that he wasn’t sure that she knew that she was paralyzed. “That’s more than likely for the best. I mean, she is going through a great deal right now. I’d want to know right away, but I’d also not want to know. Does that make sense?”

“It does. You’d want to know but would be afraid of knowing. Cullen has a connection with her, and I’m not sure what she might know or not now that I think about it. I can see him talking to her and letting her know what the doctors are saying. I would as her friend.” She asked him how long they’d known one another. “Years, I guess. I think they were going on a date and figured out that it wasn’t for them. I can see that as well. They’re good friends that are just that. Very good friends.”

“I’ve never had a friend like that. I wish I did. Someone that I could have spoken to about anything.” He pointed out that he was her friend. “Yes, you are, but it’s not the same. They’ll be able to talk about other people and how much they get on their nerves. You can’t be that honest and open when talking about family with family.” He still didn’t understand but changed the subject.

“I’ve only a few more things that I need to get. Mostly, it’s a new cash register. No one is going to like the change, but they’ll get used to it. Or I’ll end up with a lot of cash on the counter with slips of paper on what was sold. It’s supposed to help with inventory and will have a special key for when my granddas give things away I can still take it out of inventory. The other day, I read a note from my grandda Sherman that just said paint stuff. That’s not very helpful, if you can imagine.” They both laughed. “He tried very hard, but there are times when I want to beg him not to come to work. I think they’d be sad if they couldn’t be there on their days. They honestly think that they’re helping me and I would hate to not have them around to talk to.”

“I bet they’re a hoot to work with, too. Or do they work alone?” He told her how he had abouta dozen high school kids who worked with them so they’d not have to do any heavy lifting. Also, they were able to keep track of the things that went out the door when they were working. “That’s good. I can’t imagine trying to tell them no, that they can’t give things away anymore. I think it would break their hearts.”

“It would, I think. Especially when they figure out it’s for a good cause. A couple of years ago, while at work, Grandda Sheppard contacted a friend of his to plow up Mr. Martin’s ground so he could put in a garden. Then he gave them all the plants and seeds he’d need. Didn’t a day go by that Mr. Martin wasn’t bringing in something that he’d picked for us. They still talk about how he died that fall after getting everything brought in and saved up. But then it’s always a good cause when they’re busy giving things away.” Again, they both laughed, and he had to stand up they’d been laughing so hard. “We should get finished up if we want to be on time with having dinner with my mom and dad. Dad contacted me a little while ago and told me that Mom was very excited. She wants to go to the garden show nearby and find herself some roses to plant in the garden. My mom has been in garden shows for years and usually comes home with one or two ribbons.”

After lunch, they went their separate ways. She was finished up with shopping for her office but she wanted to look for things to put in the spare rooms that had been done up for guests. He didn’t know who they’d have staying with them as their family was right there with them, but she was having fun, and he loved watching her enjoy herself all the time.

By the time they were both about shopped out, it was time to meet his parents at the restaurant. He knew that they’d arrived earlier than planned but was able to meet them when it came time for his mom to find her flowers. They’d be delivered next spring and planted in the gardens that she’d had laid out for them. His mom loved a beautiful garden, and he was glad that she was able to get some great deals on them, too. He’d made arrangements to have an herb garden for their cook, and both he and Londyn were thrilled about that.

Dinner was great and he was delighted that his parents enjoyed the place they’d picked out. Having a salad bar in the place, something that he’d not seen in some time, he was happy with just having a go at it. However, he did eat some chicken and loved the lemony sauce that had been seared onto it. None of them drank alcohol, but it was great tea, and they were very happy with that. For dessert he had a nice bowl of ice cream while Londyn had a lovely piece of lemon meringue pie. He was able to have a taste of it and envied that she’d gotten the last piece. After dinner, they were walking around the outside mall and enjoying the evening’s slightly cooling weather.

“Won’t be long, and it’ll be the holidays again. I can’t believe that.” Londyn told his mom that she had already seen a lot of Christmas décor out in the shops, and it was sad to her. “By the time the holidays are here, I’m about as burnt out on them as I am when summer is over and we’re getting ready for fall. I want them to be ready for one season and holiday at a time, but I doubt that they’re going to listen to me, some grouchy old ape that has seen better times.”