He knew Cara was working on a way to make it seem as though he were gone for several months, but he couldn’t wrap his brain around it. How could it be, and what had happened since he left? Time sped up. Morgan had only been in Kansas a couple of months, but it had been four years in the present. None of it made sense, but she seemed to think she could manage it and he prayed she was right. She assured him that if she had time to digest and analyze the critical components, she could send him back, to a later date. Truthfully, the thought of it made his headache. Later might be too late!
His physical therapistwas a sweet young woman called Heidi, and she’d come every day for a while. Now he was down to visits three times a week and he would miss her when he left. Surprisingly strong, the young blonde woman reminded him a bit of Jane, and she was just as stubborn he thought with a grin. Although, that seemed to be the way with women in the world he now occupied. They were beautiful, heavily made up he thought, but still, they knew what they were about and took no guff from men. In his time, he would have turned Heidi over his knee for the way she’d badgered him, but he had to admit, she got results.
Many times, she’d pushed him to work past the pain and ‘get off his lazy butt and stop complaining’. She had the face of an angel, a soft, feminine voice and she issued orders like the worst of his sergeants during the war. There was no room for hedging and grumbling that he was sore and tired. Heidi wasn’t having it.
“I’m being paid to get you on your feet as soon as possible,” she insisted, planting her hands on her hips. “And that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Now get out of that bed and let’s get to work!”
“I’ve been working,” he replied sharply. “I’ve been doing my exercises and I’m able to do most of what you taught me on my own.”
“Most is not good enough,” she insisted. “Everything depends on my skills as a therapist and your determination to recover. I don’t know who you are, mister, but don’t mess with me or my career. Dr. Whittaker is paying me top dollar and I’m going to earn it whether you like it or not, so don’t give me any bullshit about being tired. You’ll be a damn sight more tired if you have to spend the rest of your life carting around a cane or worse, crutches. It’s not necessary. You will have a complete recovery if you work for it.”
“They said I’ll have a limp,” he replied frowning.
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Heidi responded taking hold of his arm and easily pulling him up into a sitting position.
“God, you’re a bully,” he snapped.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she laughed. “It means you’re feeling better and beginning to resent my help. You think you can do all of this on your own, which you could, but I’m here to make sure you do. Now move it, buddy. I do have other clients, you know.”
“How long have you been doing this?” Mead asked as he stood up.
“Long enough to know a slacker when I see one,” she answered. “Not that I blame you,” she sighed. “This is a beautiful place and I’m sure sitting in a hot tub or floating in that gorgeous pool is much nicer than stretching those muscles you haven’t used in quite a while, but they are responding now, and we can’t back off. I know it hurts. I know you ache, but that will lesson with time and one day you will thank me for helping you live a normal life on your own two feet.”
I won’t, Mead realized. I’ll never be able to thank you properly because I won’t be here. But you will be, helping others as you have helped me. He wished he could say those things to her, but it wasn’t possible unless he wanted to open the door to a multitude of questions he could not, would not answer.
“All right, I’m up,” he stated briskly. “Do your worst you little termagant. I’m more than up to the challenge.”
Heidi laughed.
“That’s an unusual term of endearment,” she teased, “but I believe I’ve just received my first compliment from you.”
“It’s not a compliment,” Mead sighed. “It means you’re an overbearing woman and difficult to deal with.”
“Thank you just the same,” she replied with a laugh. “Nobody is supposed to actually ‘like’ their therapist. I must be doing something right.”
Mead was taken aback. He hadn’t meant to insult her. Hadn’t meant to be rude or seem ungrateful. She was just so pushy.
“I’m sorry,” he softly stated. “It’s not personal. I think you’re perfectly lovely. It’s just that at times everything seems so difficult, so painful. I know you’re doing what’s best for me, but I don’t have to enjoy it.”
“No, you don’t, and to tell you the truth if you did I would think you were a bit of a masochist,” she admitted. “Recovery takes time and hard work. Most of the time you feel worse instead of better after a session, but we are trained to know what works and what doesn’t. And sitting on your butt definitely does not work. Actually, I’m quite proud of you. You’ve come a long way in a short amount of time, much better than some of my other clients. Still, we have a ways to go and we can’t backslide now.”
“How’s the patient doing?” Witt asked walking in the door and surprising them both.
“He’s improving,” Heidi answered. “He’s compliant most of the time.”
“But not today?” Witt asked with a laugh.
“No, not today,” she agreed.
“Mead, you shouldn’t give the lady such a hard time,” Witt stated, not realizing his mistake until Mead’s eyes widened in shock.
“Mead?” Heidi asked. “You’ve remembered your name? That’s huge!” she continued happily. “I’ll just add that to your file.”
“Please don’t,” Witt replied. “It’s just a name that seems familiar to him. It could be a brother, father, or any male he’s had close contact with. I think it’s best to leave those types of details out of his records until we learn if his memory is returning or if it’s simply something he heard that stuck with him. You do understand?”
“Of course, anything you say, Dr. Whittaker. But it is a nice name,” she continued grinning at Mead.
“I like it,” Mead replied while shooting a look at Witt. “If I never remember mine, I might use it.”
