chapter 63

word count: 2091

“sandwiches and a icy cold drink!!! just what the doctor ordered!!” mrs. dunn proclaimed loudly as she picked up her lunch tray and headed across the kitchen,, putting behind her the puzzle of where the mayonnaise covered knife in the kitchen sink had come from.. 

“here we go!!” she exclaimed as she rounded the corner,, careful to make her presence known in effort to avoid interrupting an intimate moment between jeannie and buzz.. 

“thank you!! jeannie exclaimed, “i think it’s you, that is just what the doctor ordered!! i feel like a princess in my new home!!”

“ever so happy to serve you!” replied mrs. dunn,, as a sincere smile crossed her time weathered lips.. 

“hey, “ interjected buzz..” i know we got off to a bad start.. i know i am a little rough around the edges,, but i swear to you i am trying to improve on that.” he smiled sweetly at jeannie as he said it,, but silently he questioned his ability to change.. god he wanted to, for jeannie’s sake.. but could he?? could he really do it?? failure was a word that did not often enter into buzz’s vocabulary.. especially when it was directed at himself.. 

mrs. dunn  set a try table in front of each of them.. she served jeannie first, a picture perfect ham and cheese and a deliciously cold glass of ice water.. 

“and for you mr. miller, an extra portion!!” she said as she set down a plate containing not one, but two delectable sandwiches an icy beer mug filled with ice water.. “i thought the mug might give you some comfort.”

“looks delicious.. i am famished!” bud exclaimed. “thank you mrs. dunn,, and i really mean that!

“once again, my pleasure!” said replied.. “anything else i can get for you folks before i get started on dinner?”

“oh no, everything looks lovely! jeannie exclaimed.

“looks like i am all set too!” buzz chimed in as he took a whopping bite out of his sandwich..

“then i’ll just leave you two alone.. i’ve got work to do.. “mrs. dunn headed toward the kitchen.. she stopped short and turned to buzz and jeannie.

“oh i almost forgot to mention,, a miss lisa called and said she would be dropping your son adam off later in the day.. she will pick him up from school,, then take him to her house to collect his belongings and they’ll be around shortly after that. can’t wait to meet the little guy!!” 

“i can’t wait to see my baby!” jeannie said sincerely. “i have missed him so much!”

“yeah, it’ll be good to get the little guy home..”  buzz said as his mind wandered off in the direction of the devastating truths gil and hank had revealed to them in the hospital, concerning adam’s recent deviant behaviors.. 

“do you think we ought to sit him down,, and just let’er rip?? you know let him know we know what he has been up to,, and try and find out what’s behind all this acting out he’s been doing?” buzz queried.

jeannie paused to finish chewing and then replied, “not yet honey,, let just see if we can’t bring him around by setting a proper example.. he has been through so much.. he’s coming home to a home that is not even really his home.. his whole world was destroyed in the fire,,  let’s just give him a little time, and let him settle in..”

“i guess you’re right.” concluded buzz as he got started on his second ham sandwich..  

“we have been given the opportunity to start a new!” jeannie said trying to bring a positive light to the subject.. “let’s not grieve all that we have lost,, but instead focus on all that we have gained.. i have you back buzz,, and that is worth any material loss to me.”

“i still miss my wide screen.” buzz said,, mouth still full of masticated sandwich.. “but your right,, we have been given a second chance.."

“what do you say we have mrs dunn give us the grand tour after we finish lunch? i am dying to see the place.” jeannie said, as she popped the last bite of her sandwich in her mouth..

“sounds good.. wonder what the bed looks like?” buzz smiled slyly, “i’m thinkin’ a proper christening is in order!!”

“oh buzz!!” jeannie giggled, as a blush rose up in her cheeks.. “i am thinking you had better just put that christening off for a couple of weeks.. what would your physical therapist say??”

“screw my physical therapist!!” buzz bellowed,, as they both broke out in raucous laughter at the irony of his choice of words.. 

after mrs. dunn had cleared away the lunch dishes,, she gave each of them a rolling tour of the new house.. it was small, and sparsely furnished,, but as far as jeannie and buzz were concerned.. it was home.. .. 

when mrs. dunn rolled buzz back into the living room and brought his wheelchair to rest next to jeannie,, buzz noticed,, jeannie was pale,, and beads of sweat had formed on her brow.. 

“ you ok hun?? you look a bit peaked??”

“im fine.., just fine, buzz.. a little nauseated perhaps,, but nothing to worry about.. it kind of goes with the territory..” jeannie tried to put buzz’s mind at ease.. she was feeling a bit nauseous,, if the truth be told she was feeling very nauseous,, but she wasn’t going to allow it to spoil their home coming. 

“well you’re not looking too good.. do you wanna lay down a while? you look like you could use a little rest.. “ a tone of sincere concern took over buzz’z voice.. 

“that might not be a bad idea.. i want to look and feel good when adam gets here.. i don’t want to give him any cause for concern..”

“mrs. dunn!” buzz called out. “could you come in here a minute?”

mrs. dunn appeared almost immediately.

“jeannies not feeling all that well,, and she would like to lay down for a few minutes before adam get here.. would you mind helping her to the bed?”

“you aren’t looking all that well,, mrs. miller.” mrs dunn said as she laid her hand on jeannies forehead. 

“i would say you are running quite a temperature as well.. let’s get you to the bedroom..”

she loosed the breaks on jeannies wheelchair.. and wheeled her toward the hall that led to the bedrooms.

“i’ll get you in bed and get a cool compress for your forehead.. you’ll feel better in no time!!” mrs. dunn said reassuringly,, as she wheeled a visibly weakened jeannie into the bedroom.. 

“all this excitement in  one day,” continued mrs. dunn. “i think it’s just got the better of you.”

as she gently maneuvered jeannie gently into the bed,, it was evident there was something more than exhaustion going on here.. not only was she suffering from nausea, and running a fever,, but her whole body was covered in a cold clammy sweat.. 

“you just rest right here.. mrs. dunn we'll have you better in no time.” she tried to exude confidence so as not to alarm jeannie,, but she knew a call to the doctor was in order.. she went to the bathroom and soaked a washrag in cool water wrung it dry,, and proceeded to place it on jeannie’s fore head.. 

“there, there now.. you’re gonna be just fine.. she said as she silently slipped out of the bedroom. 

as she passed thru the living room on her way to place a call to jeannie’s doctor in private, so as not to alarm buzz,, she noticed buzz had gone quite pale in her absence.. 

“you’re not looking to good yourself mr. miller.. is there something i can do ?”

“just worried about jeannie, i guess.. she’s got cancer you  know.. she is on a rigorous course of chemo and radiation.. maybe we better put in a call to her doctor..”

“i’m one step ahead of you,, i was already on my way to do just that.” instructed mrs. dunn as she hastened her way to the kitchen to place the call..

as buzz and mrs. dunn anxiously awaited a return call from the doctor,, lisa pulled up in the driveway,, with a reluctant adam in tow..  he had hardly spoken a word on the drive over,, and lisa feared he might not be ready for this reunion with his father.. while he had expressed a sincere desire to see his mother,, he would not even discuss his father,, giving her a cold lifeless stare every time she even mentioned his name.. 

‘it’ll work out.’ lisa tried to reassure herself. ”it just has to.”

lisa had personally seen to setting up the new house so it was as homey as possible, in an effort to make the transition from the hospital to the rental home go as smoothly as possible.. she had taken special care in the preparation of adam’s room,, even bringing over a few of erik’s toys and stuffed animals,, to bring a bit of a warmth to the sparsely furnished room,, in hopes that it would help him find some semblance of normalcy there.. 

she had stocked the kitchen with everything that adam suggested,, as well as plenty of fresh meat and vegetables so that the new caretaker would have easy to prepare meals at the ready.. adam had even helped her by  putting  the groceries away,, while she busied herself with putting the finishing touches on the meager new home.. 

he had seemed so happy that day,, in fact it was the first time she had ever really see him smile..  he had even helped himself to a sandwich while he waited on her to complete the tasks at hand..  she had seen a spark of hope in him that day.. a spark that was more than visibly missing as they gathered together adam’s few worldly  possessions and headed toward the front door.. 

mrs. dunn answered the door,, and warmly welcomed both lisa and adam into the house.. 

“oh, your mama is gonna be so happy to see you!!!” she said as she ushered them into the foyer.. “your daddy is in the living room,” she admonished adam,, as she pointed him the direction of the living room. 

“you just go on in there and welcome him home!!”

adam gave her a vacant look,, and set off down the hallway toward his new room instead..

mrs. dunn gave lisa a puzzled look.. 

“he’ll be alright.. it’s just gonna take him some time to readjust.. he has been through so much.” lisa tried her best to sound convincing.. 

as adam made his way down the hall to his new room,, he saw jeanie lying in bed.. she looked like she was sleeping.. he set his backpack down,, and quietly made his way to her bedside.. 

“mommy?” he whispered. “mommy,, it’s me , adam. i’m home..”

jeannie didn’t stir.

“mom?” adam leaned in closer.. he wanted her to know it was ok.. he was there,, and she wasn’t alone with his dad anymore.

“mom!” adam said abruptly, hoping his heightened tone of voice would wake her up,, even if just for a moment so he could put her mind at ease.. 

jeannie still did not stir.. 

adam reached out and brushed a tousled strand of hair from jeannie’s face.. she felt kind of cold.. maybe she needed another blanket.. he went to his room,, took the comforter off his new bed and brought it in to cover jeannie..  he threw the comforter over her,, and tucked her in like she had so often done to him.. 

it was not until he lifted her arm out from under the covers as she always did to him when she tucked him in,, that he noticed how limp she was.. not like sleeping limp.. like dead kitten limp.. adam panicked..

“lisa!! he screamed at the top of his lungs,, “lisa come quick!! there’s something wrong with my mom!!”

jeannie lay still,, even the clamor of adam screaming out to lisa had not awakened her..

“what is it??” lisa called out to him as she and mrs. dunn scurried into the room.. lisa knelt next to adam,, as mrs. dunn went immediately to jeannies bedside.. she took jeannie’s wrist in her hand,, and then hurriedly placed her ear over jeannie’s nose and mouth.. 

“call 911!!” mrs. dunn barked urgently. “i don’t think she’s breathing and i can’t get a pulse!!”