A Life Worth Living by Kruse Lorrie

Author:Kruse, Lorrie [Kruse, Lorrie]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Storyteller Publishing
Published: 2012-06-30T04:00:00+00:00

Matt’s arms stayed in steady motion as he wheeled down the hallway the next morning after his last therapy session. His goal was to be packed by the time Crystal and his parents arrived. Get the car loaded up before the engine had time to cool off. And be on their way. Home.

He had the wheelchair humming so fast he had to grip the push rims to slow down when he reached his room. His parents were already here, fowling up his “be packed before they showed up” plan, but he couldn’t think of a better plan to get messed up.

His mother dropped the shirt she’d been refolding and rushed toward him. Her hug threatened to squeeze the air from his lungs. He looked around the room the best he could while being pinned to his chair. His father stood by the window, grinning. He looked better, much better than when Matt had transferred from St. Luke’s. But he still looked older than he had before Matt’s accident. Maybe now that he was going home, that’d change.

His father left his perch and patted his wife’s shoulder. “Honey, let go. He’s turning blue.”

The greeting cards and Kaylee’s drawings that had papered the walls were gone. Boxes and bags lined a pushcart by the bed. Everything seemed to be in order for his release, except for one thing. Crystal was missing.

Crystal said she’d come. She’d asked for time off work as soon as they’d known his release date.

“I’m sorry.” His mother’s words came out choked. “It’s just this day’s been a long time coming.”

This day. His homecoming. After eight and a half long weeks, he was going home.

Reality struck hard. He was really going home. Today was no longer some abstract date in the future. It was today. Now.

His father stared at him with that shit-eating grin. The man who’d mentally had him back to work with that first quarter-sized patch of sensation.

His mother still hovered close by. The woman who’d had him walking down the aisle.

And his fiancée, the woman he was supposed to escort down that aisle, was nowhere to be seen.

The wheelchair suddenly felt too hard, pressing against every part of his body. He took small, quick breaths. None of his plans were panning out. The damn chair wasn’t supposed to be a part of this moment. He was supposed to be walking out of here.

“Honey?” his mother said.

His father stood straighter. “Matt?”

Matt forced a smile. “Just surprised by how much you got done already.” Where the hell was Crystal?

The toilet in the little bathroom flushed. His gaze shot to the bathroom door. Water ran in the sink. He held his breath. After what felt like a lifetime, the door finally opened and Crystal filled its void.

“You’re here.”

She laughed. “Of course I am.” She gave him a hug, one that felt one hundred percent genuine. “Are you ready to go home?”

Home. With her. He nodded and placed his hand in hers. “More than ready.”

The doctor knocked on the doorjamb and then entered the room.

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