Page 50 of Heal For Me

Janelle squeezes my free hand.

“You got a middle name?” Jethro barks.

The worker, seemingly unfazed, nods. “Alan.”

Jethro shoves a hand out, and the guys takes it and shakes. “Nice to meet you, Alan.” He emphasizes his name. “I’m Jet.”

My stomach bottoms out, but this time in a good way. He called himself Jet. He’s never done that before.

“Nice to meet you.”

Uncle Jet drops his hand and places it on my shoulder. “This is Payson and her friend Janelle.”

Alan shakes our hands before offering me the wheelchair. He helps get my leg positioned up and then starts the tour. He mentioned a pool, so I asked to see that first.

What’s better than having a pool? Two pools. One outside and one inside for on the rare occasions it storms—according to Alan. Not only are there two pools, but they are massive. Easily the biggest pools I have ever seen in real life. A few people are swimming laps, others are sitting on the edge or in the chairs surrounding it. Reading or chatting, they look so . . . casual.

Alan continues the tour, showing us everything from the cafeteria where I get the option of eating in my room or in the courtyard, to the fitness center. I say fitness center because it’s not simple a gym. It’s an entirely separate building behind the main building and about half the size but still huge and equipped with a weight room, a sauna, a wellness center where I will have my physical therapy, a gym, and a full basketball court. When I asked if they had volleyball nets, he typed a code into the panel on the wall and the floor opened and a code-regulated net appeared. Ash would probably get a boner from the setup they have here.

“Payson’s room is room 202 and is located on the second floor, facing the courtyard and pool, per your request.”

I didn’t request anything on my form, so must have been Jethro. Sweet.

We get on the elevator and Alan presses the number 4 instead of the 2 like I expected. When the doors open, my eyes widen. It’s not another floor, it’s the roof. He wheels me forward, and I’m able to see everything. Three of the four edges are boarded with flowers and shrubs, obviously used as some friendly barrier, as if to say please don’t jump off. The fourth side has no barrier, but there are two guard-looking men on each side and one in the middle, obviously to stop any attempts. It overlooks the outdoor pool and is a beautiful view. People are hanging about, and they glance at us but go back to their own thing without a care. I’ve seen every kind of person here and every age as well. It’s nice. I guess Jethro was right about everyone needing a break at some point. I narrow in on the three easels along the edge and the girl around my age painting on one of them. I can’t see what she’s painting, but she seems as lost in her painting as I get in sports.

“Shall I take you to your room now?”

“Um, yeah. That would be nice, thank you.”

“Of course. And you are allowed up here at any time. In your room, you will find the codes to get in anywhere, including the volleyball net code.”

Sweet. It’ll be a minute before I can utilize it, but it’s good to have anyway.

Alan fills us in on the schedule around here as we make our way to the second floor. Breakfast is at seven, there is a snack at ten, and lunch at noon. Another snack at one and dinner at five. There is also an optional snack at ten p.m. if we choose, and a twenty-four-seven a la carte, so I definitely won’t be going hungry.

“There is a shift change at three a.m. and three p.m., but you will deal with the same nurses weekly, and the weekend staff is pretty regular as well. Give it a few weeks and you will be familiar with all the faces.”

That’s nice. I’ll be able to get used to people. “What about my physical therapist? Will they be the same?”

“Yes. Dr. Stephan is our full-time physical therapist. He has a select few nurses that work under him but all the same daily.”

We are walking past yet another sitting area when my eye snags on two photos of probably the prettiest people I’ve ever seen.

“Who are they?”

Alan pauses and regards the images. “Ah, that is Mrs. and Mr. Ludgate. Crew and Penelope. They own Blue Gate and several help centers around the United States.”

Wow. They could almost be siblings for how much they look alike, but they definitely make the hottest couple ever. I wonder if I’ll get to meet them at any point.

“Hot and successful. Nice,” Janelle comments. Thankfully, Alan chuckles under his breath and isn’t offended as he continues forward.

Alan pulls up outside room 202, puts on the brakes for the chair, and walks in front of us with his back to the door. “We usually leave the patient and their family to get acquainted with the room, but if you would like assistance, I am happy to help.”

“We can handle it,” Jethro tells him.

“In that case, it was very nice to meet you, Payson. Family.” He crouches to give Todd a treat from his pocket. I don’t know where he picked that up or if they all just carry treats, but Todd enjoys it, nonetheless. “I will give it an hour before sending up the night nurse who will be looking after you your entire stay.”

Another thank you, then I scramble from the wheelchair and Alan takes it and makes his way back down the hall. Janelle is the one who pushes open the door, but they wait for me to enter first.

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