Senses 03 - Love Comes Home (DA) (MM) (9 page)

“I should go,” he said, shifting things as unobtrusively as he could. He took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. “I’ll call you in the next few days and let you know what’s happening. I figured we could set up a trial run with Davey and Howard once the equipment arrives.” He had no illusions that a date of any kind was in the near future. “I’d like to have lunch or dinner with you and Davey. Maybe we can arrange a picnic by the lake or something,” he suggested, figuring it wouldn’t matter if Davey was messy, and some time outdoors might be good for him.

“I think we’d like that,” Greg said and took his hand. “I’ll talk to you in a few days, if not before.” Greg squeezed his hand, and Tom returned the small touch.

Then he walked to the sofa, touched Davey’s shoulder, and said good-bye when Davey pulled out the earbuds. “I’m going to order the beep baseball equipment when I get home.”

Davey stood, and to Tom’s surprise, gave him a hug. “I wanna play baseball again,” he whispered.

“Then you will,” Tom promised. “It might not be exactly the same, but you’ll play again.” He returned Davey’s hug and said good-bye to both of them before heading for the door. He said a final good-bye and then left the house. It had begun to rain, and he hurried to the car, unlocking it along the way.

The drive home didn’t take long, but the entire time he couldn’t help thinking how much easier things would be if he simply walked away and let Greg and Davey get on with their lives. They would get along just fine without him, and Lord knew his life would be simpler. Tom pulled to a stop at the light closest to his home. It was a long light, and he usually fidgeted, especially when no one was coming, but instead, this time, he remembered that kiss—warm, rich, and electric—and the hours they’d spent talking. Even tonight, with the occasional tension, they’d been able to talk to each other easily. The light changed, and he pressed the accelerator, continuing his ride home. The ball was largely in Greg’s court. Tom had made an effort and had even offered an idea for them to get together again. But he wouldn’t force it. As far as beep baseball was concerned, he’d definitely move forward with that, regardless of how things went with Greg. However, the rest of it was up to Greg.

Tom pulled into his drive and pressed the button to raise the garage door. He parked the car and got out, then closed the door and headed inside. As much as he wanted to remain close to Greg, it had to be Greg’s choice. With his mind made up, Tom went right to his office and booted up his PC. He needed to order the equipment, and he probably had queries and proposals to review for the foundation, so he figured he might as well get some work done. It took him well into the night to get done what should have taken a few hours. Eventually he couldn’t fight his wandering mind and went to bed.

“D
AVEY
,” G
REG
said from the doorway, “it’s time for you to get up.” He’d noticed his son sleeping later and later.

“Is it morning?” Davey asked with a yawn.

“Yes. It’s a great day, warm and sunny,” Greg answered.

“Not that I can see it,” Davey muttered. Greg let it slide, figuring it was a little more of his son’s frustration coming out.

“I’ll have breakfast ready and we can eat on the back deck. Do you….” He stopped himself from asking if Davey needed help. He had to learn to do for himself. He’d cleared the bathroom of anything sharp and had shown Davey where everything was. He’d also worked with Davey to simplify his room for easier mobility and to lessen the possibility that he could get hurt. “Call if you need me. If you tell me what clothes you want to wear, I’ll lay them out on the chair for you.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Davey mumbled before getting out of bed and feeling his way through the room and across the hall to the bathroom.

Greg put out some clothes and left the room. As he made his way to the kitchen, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed. “Tom,” he said brightly when his call was answered. “Is that offer of a picnic still good?”

“Sure. I have some things I need to get done. I can pick you up in two hours, though,” Tom offered.

“Perfect. I… I’m looking forward to it,” Greg said with a smile. “I’m getting Davey up and I’ll pack a lunch.”

“I’ll get the lunch, if you like. You get Davey ready.” The excitement in Tom’s voice was contagious, and Greg felt a burst of energy he hadn’t felt in a while.

“Okay. Would you mind if I called Gordy and Howard? You were right—the anger is there almost all the time. His occupational therapist says it’s normal and suggested he spend some time around other blind people. Howard was the first person I thought of.”

“Call them. Just let me know how many, so I know how much food to get.” Tom paused for a few seconds. “I was hoping you’d call me.” He truly sounded happy.

“I wasn’t sure if I should. I was expecting you to call me, and when you didn’t…,” Greg started. This sounded way too much like a high school conversation, so he cut it off. “I’m being dumb, sorry. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Okay,” Tom told him with a chuckle and disconnected.

Greg then called Howard and Gordy. Howard answered the phone, and it seemed that all of them, including Sophia, were excited about the idea of a picnic. He finalized the details and then called Tom back before going in search of Davey. He was pulling on his T-shirt, and Greg rolled his eyes. It was inside out. How Davey had managed to do that, he had no idea.

“Uncle Howard and Uncle Gordy are going with us. Sophia is going to come too. So somehow I don’t think you want them to see you with your shirt inside out.”

“Dad,” Davey whined. Greg helped him get it off and made sure it was on right.

“It’s okay to ask for help. It doesn’t mean you’re weak or helpless.” Greg sat on the edge of the bed. “Come here,” he said gently and waited for Davey to find his way over, then he guided Davey until he was sitting next to him. “There are going to be things you can do easily, some that will take more time to learn, and others, I’m sad to say, that will be impossible.”

“Uncle Howard dresses himself,” Davey said.

“Yeah, but don’t you think he also has Uncle Gordy to help him? Being as independent as your Uncle Howard is good. Don’t get me wrong. But that won’t happen overnight. He’s older and had more time to learn and cope with being blind. You’re just learning.” Greg put his arm around Davey’s shoulder, tugging him close. “I’m very proud of you. You have always made me proud, and nothing can change that.” Greg lightly stroked Davey’s hair. “I love you the same as I always have. Nothing has changed there.”

“Would you have loved me if I had been born blind, like Uncle Howard?”

“Of course I would have. You being able to see or not wouldn’t have made a difference. I love you no matter what.”

Davey nodded and stayed quiet for a full minute. Greg could almost feel him thinking. “Does Mom know about me? Do you think she’ll care?”

“I haven’t talked to your mother in a while,” Greg said. When it came to his ex-wife, Greg knew very little any longer regarding what she liked or didn’t like or how she’d feel about anything. “I’ll call her if you like and make sure she knows.” Greg paused. “Or you can tell her. It’s up to you.”

Davey shook his head.

“Okay, I’ll make sure she knows. Now, let’s get some breakfast and then we can get ready to go.”

Getting things together to leave took longer than it used to. Greg had to pack things for himself as well as Davey. He also made a much faster breakfast than he usually would on a Saturday. He was getting the last of the beach things together when Tom knocked on the door. Greg opened it, and they began loading things in the car. Once they were ready, he guided Davey out to the car. “You probably should leave your tablet here. There’s going to be sand everywhere.”

“I’ll leave it in the car,” Davey said, and Greg acquiesced. He closed the car door and hurried back to the house to lock up.

“I told Gordy where we were going. I figured we could head to the park where you took me a few weeks ago.”

“Good choice,” Tom said and backed out of the drive. “So, Davey, how’re the classes going? Are you learning anything?”

“They’re good. They said they wanted to start with basic stuff, so they’re teaching me how to eat without making a mess. They also have fake rooms where they move things around so I can get used to feeling my way. That part really sucks, ’cause last time they set stuff up so I’d get trapped.”

“What did you do?” Tom asked.

Greg had already heard this story.

“I was supposed to go back the way I came and find another way around. I just pushed the sofa out of the way so I could get through.”

“Clever,” Tom said.

“Not really,” Greg supplied. “He pushed over a table they had behind the sofa and knocked over two floor lamps.” Greg grinned and then broke into laughter. “You should have seen the shock on their faces. Apparently no one had done that before. Now they give him more specific instructions.”

“I bet,” Tom said. “Davey, there’s nothing wrong with thinking outside the box. There will be times when you’ll need to. But be careful you don’t hurt anyone or yourself, even if you don’t always do what they expect.”

Harps began playing, and Greg pulled his phone out of his pocket. “It’s your mother,” he said to Davey and then answered the call.

“I got your message,” she said snippily.

“God, Joyce, there’s no need for that. I called because Davey asked me to.”

“What does he need?” He could almost hear her calculating the amount in her head.

“Joyce,” Greg said. “Davey can’t see anymore. His vision has been failing for a while, and a few weeks ago, the last of his sight failed. He asked me to call and tell you.” He heard nothing. “Joyce,” Greg prompted.

“I’m here,” she said more softly. “You’re saying Davey, our son, is blind?”

“Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying,” he clarified. “We’ve been to specialists, and unfortunately it’s genetic.” He felt Tom lightly place his hand on his leg. His heart had been racing, but he calmed quickly. She was thousands of miles away and there was no need to get upset. “We’ve looked into a lot of various treatments, but there are none available for what he has. The nerves have basically shut down.” He turned to peek into the backseat. Of course Davey was listening to every word, and Greg regretted making this call today. But it was too late now.

“How is he taking it?” Joyce asked, choking up.

“Like a fine young man. It’s taking some adjustment, but we have a friend who is blind and he’s working with Davey. He’s also in therapy classes to teach him how to get around and perform everyday tasks. In the fall he’s going to take lessons in reading Braille. I firmly believe he’s going to thrive.” He’d said that as much for Davey’s benefit as for Joyce’s. Greg had long ago stopped worrying or caring what she thought. But Davey needed to hear that people had confidence in him. “Do you want to speak to him? We’re in the car on our way to the beach to meet some friends, but we have a few minutes.” He placed the phone in Davey’s hands, and Davey held it to his ear. Greg turned and glanced at Tom.

“What’s worrying you?” Tom whispered as they stopped at a light.

“I’m fine, Mom,” Davey said. “Dad is taking good care of me. The doctor said I would have gone blind no matter what.” Davey grew quiet, and Greg shifted his gaze to the back. Tom nodded and they began moving again. “I can get around the house really well now. And I’m learning to eat without making a mess.” He paused for a few seconds. “That’s what they do,” he said, becoming agitated. He said no more and extended the phone. Greg took it.

“What was that about?”

“I can’t believe you don’t have the time to teach him how to eat,” she spat. “What do you do with him? Leave him with a sitter or something?”

“That’s enough,” Greg said. “Davey asked me to tell you and I have. Other than a card on his birthday and a present at Christmas, he hasn’t heard from you in two years.”

“He’s my son too,” she began.

“Well, that’s debatable,” Greg said and then took a deep breath. He was not going to go into all this in the car with Tom and Davey, who looked miserable. “I’m sorry we called,” Greg said and hung up. Turning to the backseat, Greg asked quietly, “What did she say?” Davey shook his head and pursed his lips. Greg knew he wasn’t going to get anything out of him right away. Hopefully some fun would help soothe his hurt feelings.

A short while later they turned into the park, and Tom pulled into the last parking spot. “We’re here,” Tom said happily. Davey didn’t move, sitting in the backseat with his arms folded over his chest.

“I wanna go home,” he said quietly.

Greg ground his teeth together. He knew he should never have let her talk to Davey. Now he was upset, and that bitch of an ex-wife had stirred things up from across the country.

“We’re here, and so are Uncle Howard and Uncle Gordy. Sophia is here too. So let go of whatever your mother said and have a good time. We’re going to eat, and then Tom and I will take you in the water. You can’t go alone, but you can go in if you want.” That seemed to mollify him, and Davey searched for the door handle, opened the door, and began to get out.