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The nearest hospital to Wilkins’ Gap was in a slightly larger town about an hour to the west. I used the windshield time to run through everything that happened on my trek in the mountains. I pulled over at an overlook, so I could add some things to my list. I need to talk with Jim about the journal and the agreement Chance and I made. I had a dinner date with Tom, and I really need to spend some more time settling into my apartment. When I was planning my move to Wilkins’ Gap, I expected to have no social life for several months. Instead, I'm busier than I've been since my divorce.
Parked in the hospital parking lot, I sat in the truck and took some deep breaths. I was nervous about seeing Chance. If they were releasing him, he must be OK. By now, he'd know what he was facing in terms of recovery. I expected he might be really angry with me though he sounded pleasant on the phone. Maybe they were giving him pain meds that improved his disposition.
Thankfully, I'd never spent much time in hospitals and hoped to keep it that way. The door to his room was open, and I could see Chance sitting in the chair dressed in clean clothes with a cast on his left leg.
"Hi. How are you?" I asked. It felt like a stupid question to ask anyone in the hospital, but I couldn't come up with anything better.
"Anxious to get out of here. Go to the nurses' station and let them know I'm ready to go," he said, back to giving orders.
I took his stuff to the truck and pulled it up to the entrance. When the orderly stopped by the passenger door of the truck, I walked around to help get Chance settled. He asked me to stop at the grocery, before we left town. "Might as well get some supplies while we're here," he said. I offered to make a list and do the shopping while he sat in the truck, but he wouldn't go for it, so I helped him get out, and he made his way up and down the aisles on his crutches.
He didn't say anything for most of the drive. I thought he was probably sleeping, but I couldn't risk taking my eyes off the road to check. I was not about to cause him anymore problems. As we got closer to Wilkins’ Gap, I realized I had no idea how this was going to work. "Chance, do you live by yourself?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Do you have stairs? Are you going to need help with things?"
"You volunteering? After all this is your fault."
"I'm happy to help if I can." I decided it would be best to get him home and then figure out what help he was really going to need.
I followed his directions and pulled up in front of a small A-frame style house. The building and surroundings were well maintained. Before I could get around to the passenger side, Chance had gotten out and pulled his crutches from behind the seat. I walked beside him as he maneuvered up the two steps to the front porch that ran the width of the house. Chance unlocked the door and motioned for me to go ahead.
"Surprised?" he asked as he headed for the kitchen.
I guess it showed on my face. The house was really nice inside. Yes, there were the mounted heads of animals I expected to find in a home belonging to someone who made their living leading hunting trips, but it was tastefully done, and everything was surprisingly neat. I appreciate that quality in others because it's something I never quite seem able to achieve in my own space.
"A little. You're very neat," I said. "Your home is very nice." I'll go get the groceries and your stuff."
When I stepped into the kitchen, I nearly dropped the bags I was carrying. The entire back wall was windows that faced a lake surrounded by mountain peaks. It was spectacular. "Wow. That's quite a view."
"That's Munroe Lake," he said, reaching for some of the bags. I offered to start a load of laundry or fix him something to eat, but he declined.
"Is your bedroom on this level or upstairs?
He pointed up. "It's OK, I'll just crash on the couch until I can make it upstairs."
"Is there anything up there you need me to bring down for you before I leave?" He looked like he wanted to say yes but wouldn't let himself.
"Look, I'm responsible for your current situation. If there's something I can do to help, tell me."
After a few seconds, he told me where to find a piece of paper and a pen, so he could make a list. "There's two bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs. The first bedroom is my office. I took the list and headed upstairs. I was serious about wanting to help Chance anyway I could, but it felt way to personal to be poking around his office and bedroom. I gathered the things and took them downstairs.
I did as much as Chance would let me do to help. He was settled in on the sofa with his leg up and his laptop open in his lap. He had a fresh cup of coffee and a glass of water within reach as well as his cell phone plugged in to charge. I was putting on my jacket before I realized that I drove Chance's truck here.
"I was going to head out, but I forgot I need to call someone to come get me."
"Just take my truck. I'm not allowed to drive while I'm on the pain meds. I'll figure out a way to get it back in a couple of days."
"I understand you shouldn't drive with the medication, but it doesn't seem safe to leave you out here on your own when you just got out of the hospital."
"You could stay. We have a lot more cryptid info to cover."
I couldn't tell if he was serious or not. I looked at his face trying to gauge if he was joking. His eyes looked straight into mine but gave nothing away. I pulled my arms out of my jacket and dropped into the chair that faced his sofa. "Chance, I have no idea if you're joking or not."
"To be honest, I'm not sure either. I'll be fine here on my own, but I know you feel responsible, and I don't want you to worry about me. We do still need to go over a lot of cryptid information. That's what we were supposed to spend time doing on the walk back."
I took some time to think it over. "How about a compromise. I'll take your truck back to the cafe. I'll help them with dinner and bring back something for us to eat. I'll stay here tonight, and we'll re-evaluate the situation in the morning."
"Sounds like a plan," he said, raising his hand for a high five. After slapping his palm, I got my jacket and headed home to pack a bag. Driving back to the cafe, my mind flipped back and forth between worrying about leaving Chance alone and worrying about staying with him.