Changes - 3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Several weeks later, Don moved to the rehab wing of the Institute. He was happy because he was working to get stronger, zooming down the hall in his wheelchair. Donny was trying so hard, he tired out his physios!

Rena had sold her home in Calgary, and her things were ready to move when we found a new place.

She was working tirelessly to do that.

I was back at work trying to balance visiting Don, hanging with Rena, along with eight to ten hours at work. Rena was such a help to me, doing housework, groceries, visiting her son, and trying to keep my spirits up.

One afternoon I met Rena at the hospital after work. We spent an hour with Don. He was in fine spirits, excited that he’d experienced a bit of tingling in his legs. Doctor Robinson said it could be nothing, but they would monitor it.

It was Friday night, and Rena kissed her son and patted me on the shoulder. “I’ll wait downstairs, let you two be on your own for a bit.”

Donny grinned from where he lay on top of his bed. “Thanks, Mom!”

He waited until the door closed. “Come here, Lous.”

I moved closer and sat on the edge of the bed. He reached for me. “Lay down with me, baby. I want to be near you.”

I stretched out next to him and nestled my head on his shoulder. His arms felt so good; it had been so long. “I miss you so much, Don.”

He kissed my forehead. “I miss you too, baby.”

Don tugged on me until I shifted to my right side and then we kissed. Sweet chaste kisses became hungry, and we pulled each other tighter, our want and desire for each other evident. I could feel him harden against me; I grabbed his butt and ground against him.

We moaned and we were getting loud. Between Donny’s hot kisses, I managed to say, “Mmm…nm…stop…mmnn. Donny.”

My lips missed his the moment he pulled back. “What, baby? Why we stopping?”

“Because, I’m gonna cream my jeans if you don’t stop! We don’t stop.”

“I want you so much.”

I stared at his sweet eyes, filled currently with lust. “Me, too. But this isn’t ideal, baby.”

He rolled onto his back and drew me close. “I know. They’ve been talking about me coming home and then doing physio as an out-patient.” He winked at me.

I kissed his cheek. “Yeah, that would be good!”

“I’m getting stronger.”

“It’s great, baby. You’re so determined.”

“I know I’ll be in a wheelchair though.” Donny went quiet for a few seconds and then said softly, “Our sex life may be different, Lous.”

“We’ll work it out, Don. Please don’t worry about it.”

“But we’ve always done it with me … you know.”

“Yeah I know, but there are other ways to be my sweet-alpha-baby. We’ll work it out.”

He hugged me tighter. “You’re right. I love you.”

***

I found Rena downstairs in the gift shop, after leaving Donny for the day. I told her about the outpatient possibility as we walked out to the car.

“How will we manage if he’s in a wheelchair and they send him home now?”

“Well, it may not be for too long. I have some nibbles from all the fishing I’ve been doing. There’s one in particular I’d like you to consider.”

We got into the car and I turned to her and asked, “So, what kind of place is it?”

“A house … with … some land … and a barn.”

“Sooo, it’s a farm.” I wondered what Rena was thinking! What would we do with a farm?

She smiled broadly and put her hand on my forearm. “Just a small one, but it’s the house really.”

“Is it? What about it?”

“It was renovated years ago for the owner who passed recently. He was in a wheelchair for a long time. I’d like you to come and see it.”

Hmmm, a farm? I’d never considered that. Would Don like it?

I slid the key into the ignition and started the car. “Why not, what can it hurt?”

Rena was on the phone before I finished speaking arranging an appointment for us to view the property the next morning.

***

“It’s got how many bedrooms?” I pulled the car around to the take-out window, stopped and reached for the bag and tray of coffees. I handed them to Rena while I paid the server.

He was cute when he smiled. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Come again.” The server closed his window.

Coming anytime would be nice.

“There are three bedrooms in the main house.” Rena bent back the tab on the lid of my coffee and placed it in the cup holder nearest me.

I pulled into a parking space so we could eat. Neither of us really wanted to go into the doughnut shop.

I lifted the egg and bacon on rye to my lips and spluttered, “Main house? Geez, Rena what kinda place is this?”

She patted my arm. “It’s not as huge as it sounds.”

“Okay, well I’m keeping an open mind.”

“Good because I think you’ll like the house.”

I sipped my coffee. “You think Donny will like living in the country?”

“Louis, it’s not exactly the country.”

“It’s a farm!”

“A small holding. You can have a horse and a dog if you want.” Rena wiped her mouth with the small white napkin. “It’s not the King Ranch, you know.”

“That’s in Texas!”

Rena set her mouth, but her eyes were laughing. “Fine! Then … it’s not the … the … Douglas Lake Ranch! How’s that?”

“Is it in Canada?”

“Yes, it’s in B.C. Now stop being difficult.”

“Okay, okay.” I couldn’t help laughing. I finished the last bite of my breakfast and drank the final mouthful of coffee.

After disposing of the remnants, we continued on our journey. Turned out the place wasn’t too far from the city.

***

We pulled in, drove down the long driveway and stopped in front of what I would call a typical farmhouse. We got out of the car. It was quiet, the breeze carried scents of the trees and earthy odours from nearby farms. Birds chirped, but beneath that there was quiet. It was very pleasant. I turned and noted there was a ramp into the house, paved paths between the house and barn and other buildings. It was very tidy and well cared for. I’d been leaning on the car’s roof and, Rena turned back to me.

“You want to see inside?”

I nodded, took a step back and closed the car door. “Yes, I’d like to, very much. I’ll just take some pictures to show Don later.”

After taking some of the outside of the house and other buildings, Rena and I walked up the steps to the porch. The house was Victorian style, with gray rusticated stone. There was a veranda and the roof had gables decorated with a white gingerbread border, which matched the trim around windows and doors. It was a lovely house.

Please let the inside be just as nice.

Rena opened the lock-box, found the key and unlocked the front door; and we stepped inside.

“Wow!” I could not not say it, because the entranceway and the living room to the left were beautiful. The walls were creamy white with gray-pine trim.

“The floors are a maple laminate, which has a high Janka rating,” Rena was saying as we moved into the large living room. If felt welcoming even though it was empty.

“Janka rating?” I took more photos to share later with Donny.

“Yes, the hardness rating. It’s hard enough to withstand the wheelchair, and wood offers better traction than carpet.”

“Okay, so no carpet then?” I wasn’t disappointed about that. It was easier to clean the wood than carpet anyway.

“No. The kitchen and bathrooms and the mudroom are tiled, with the recommended two-inch tiles. Larger tiles would crack eventually under the weight of the wheelchair. Plus there’s more traction with the two-inch tile.”

I gazed at Rena as she provided the facts to me. She smiled and said, “I only know all this because the seller gave me the information. They knew I wanted a wheelchair-accessible place.”

We walked through to the kitchen, and I noted the doorway seemed wide.

“Louis, the recommended width is 36 inches, but I understand the previous owner had them made wider than that. Most of the doorways in the house are 38 inches.”

The kitchen was pale lemon-yellow with blue tiles on the floor. It was warm and inviting; it reminded me of my current kitchen. There was a lovely picture window offering a view of the fields at the back of the farm.

Most of the counter was at the normal height, as was the sink, but there was a section which was lower with a single sink at wheelchair-height too. A standard self-cleaning oven was available, but in the island were two burners at a lower height. The counters were plentiful at both heights, as were the cupboards.

Someone had put a lot of thought into this house. I was already at seventy-five percent for buying it right then!

Rena pulled me down the hall toward the rear of the house. “You will love this. Here ….”

I gawped, blinked and said, “Is that what I think it is?”

Smiling broadly and nodding, Rena said, “It’s an elevator up to the second floor.”

“Wow. That is great! I was wondering what we’d do but this is perfect. We can keep that part of our lives normal.” I peered inside and turned around. “Is it working … online?”

“Yes, we can try it. Let’s go check out the bedrooms.”

After another picture, this time with Rena waving, we took the lift up to the second floor. It was smooth, if a little slow, but no matter! We could get Donny up and down, but more importantly, he could do it on his own.

Put up a sold sign, I want this house.

The bedrooms were all a nice size, but the master bedroom was Shangri-La! It was roomy, with wonderful windows, and I liked the selected colours in shades of slate blue, soft dove gray and white. There was also a huge en-suite bathroom with massive tub and shower for me, and a roll-in wet shower for Donny and maybe me. My sex-deprived mind was thinking up all sorts of scenarios!

Rena had been staring out the window as I prowled around. She turned, and leaned on the ledge, her arms crossed and legs crossed at the ankles. “Well? What do you think?”

“I want it.”

“Good I was hoping you would! It’s amazing. I think you’d both be happy here.”

“I think so too. Can we afford it, Rena?”

“Yes. You’ve got enough for the down payment, and once you sell your place you should be fine.”

I nodded while taking in the view of the fields. “Is there more to see?”

“Yes, come on. Let’s go.”

We took the stairs down and went through to the back door. We went out and just to the rear was a smaller house.

I stared at it and then at Rena. “The granny flat?”

Smiling broadly, she nodded. “Yes. I love it.”

“Hmm. I don’t like this.”

“What do you mean? It’s perfect; it’s private, I’m right here but we’re separate too!”

“No, no. What I mean is, it’s not covered. If you need to come over, you’re exposed out here.” It wasn’t too far away. “Maybe we could see about a covered walkway.”

“I see what you mean, but I wouldn’t worry about that yet.”

“No, okay.”

Together we walked over to the little cottage. It was cozy, but there was certainly room for two in there. I took a few pictures for Don. I was sure he’d like to see where his mother would be living.

Next we visited the barn, which seemed fine to me. It wasn’t huge but there was room for a couple of animals I supposed, or better yet, expansion room! That wasn’t my main concern however, the house was. I was happy with the house. I’d taken lots of pictures with my phone to share with Donny. He just had to like this.

As we walked back toward the car, I said, “Can we put in an offer for this place, Rena?”

“Yes, if you’re sure.”

“I am. Let’s go to see Don and show him the pics.” I unlocked the car doors.

***

Don was just back in his room when we arrived having given his therapist a good workout. I kissed him, and he held on to me. A massive grin spread across his face. “Guess what, Lous?”

“What, baby?”

“They said I can have a conjugal visit soon.”

I laughed. “Is that their words or yours?”

Donny joined me in the laughter. “Mine! Tearing your clothes off is just about all I think of!”

I bent down and kissed him, and things got rather passionate for a few minutes.

“Don’t mind me!” Rena said.

When I caught her eye, she was smiling. Don removed his hand from my ass.

“Hiya Mom!”

She stepped forward to kiss Don on the cheek. “You seem to be feeling good!”

“I am!”

“Good!”

Don studied us both with the start of a frown. “What’s going on?”

Rena and I glanced at each other.

“One of you tell me!”

“Don’t worry, it’s good stuff,” I said to him. I pulled out my phone and found the file with the pictures I’d taken. “I’ve got some pics of a house for you to look at. Tell us what you think.”

“Okay.” He took the phone gingerly and began to thumb through the pictures. His face was blank!

Once he’d finished, he scrolled through them in reverse. His expression was unreadable. He handed me the phone.

He was driving me crazy! “Well? What do you think?”

“It’s a farm, Lous. What are we going to do with a farm?”

“Don’t worry about the farm part. Do you like the house?”

Rena sat down in the chair on the other side of Don’s bed. “Donny, this place is perfect for you both. No renovations, lots of room, you could have an office there if you wanted. You could have a dog or a horse if you wanted. The land can be rented out.”

Don regarded his mother. “Rented?”

“Yes. That’s what the man who lived there before did. He rented to farmers who wanted to grow hay. You can too, for a bit of extra income.”

“Hmmm.” He turned to me. “You like it, Lous?”

“Yes. I love it. I think it’s perfect, and I think we need to put in an offer.”

“Okay. I see. Well then, let’s do it.” Finally, he smiled!

Yay!

We briefly discussed what our offer should be with Rena, who recommended four thousand under asking. Once decided, she left to go and put in the bid, on our behalf.

Don reached out, and I took his hand. “You okay, baby?”

“Yes, Lous. Just thinking.” He pulled my hand to his lips and rested them there for a few moments. “How long for you to get to work from that place?”

“It wouldn’t be too bad. Maybe thirty minutes if I drive.”

Don sighed. “So much needs to change, doesn’t it? I’ve fucked everything up, haven’t I?”

“No. Shit happens sometimes, Don. We need to deal with it, and not wonder what if.”

“You’ve changed, Louis.”

I gazed at my husband. “Have I?”

“Yes … I mean it’s good, but you have a little.”

I contemplated that for a minute. “Maybe I needed to. I didn’t have you there to decide for me.”

Donny ran a hand through his hair. “Shit, Lous, was I that bad?”

“Bad? You weren’t bad. You were just what I wanted and needed. Strong, and you knew what you wanted and what was best for us.”

“Are we going to be okay, Louis? I mean, things will be different. Maybe you should take a lover.”

My neck cracked, I turned my head so fast. “What? A lover? Don, why do you say something like that? Christ ….”

“I don’t want you to suffer, baby.”

“And taking a lover, leaving you home every Tuesday night would be good for us, would it?”

“What if … I can’t … you know?” Don rubbed his groin. “There hasn’t been much activity down there the past few days.”

“Donny … baby, please.” I moved from my chair and sat beside him on the bed. “There’s no rush. When we get there, let’s just relax, have some wine, kiss a lot … there must be lots of kissing … then just see what happens.”

Don nodded with a smile. “You’re right. I have to just take it one day at a time.” He patted the bed. “Lay down with me?”

“Sure.” I pushed my shoes off, swung my legs up and lay down. I missed him so much, the scent of him, his hard body and his heavy muscular arms around me. I snuggled into him and kissed his cheek. Then with my arm across his chest, we fell asleep.

I’m not sure how long we slept but Rena was talking to Don when I finally came around.

“Hey, sleepy head!” Don kissed my cheek. “I was just about to wake you. Mom needs to talk about our offer on the farm.”

I pulled myself up, feeling heavy with sleep. “Sure ….”

Rena smiled. “Right, the story is the owner’s daughter is the seller. She’s happy the place would go to someone who needs it, like her dad did. But she feels the offer is a little low.”

“Did she say what she was thinking about, Rena?” I rubbed my face to try and get myself into the game.

“Not exactly, but her rep seems to think another three thousand would do it.” She smiled at us both.

I turned to Don. “What do you think?”

“Can we manage that, Lous?”

“Yes, I think so. The market is pretty hot in the city. I think we can move our place for a good price.”

Don grinned. “So, let’s up the offer.”

Rena clapped her hands. “Great. I’ll go back with that.” She was smiling broadly as she left the room, leaving us alone.

“Fingers crossed, Lous.”

I nodded at my husband and then bent over to snatch a little kiss. “I hope we get it.”

“It’s a really great house.” He rubbed my thigh, and then he locked onto me with his gorgeous amber eyes. “I just want to be home with you. I miss you.”

I felt tears well. “I miss you too.”

Donny reached up, put his hand on my cheek and used his thumb to wipe the moisture away. His voice sounded low and husky when he said, “Please don’t cry, sweetheart.”

He tugged me closer to him and surrounded me with his strong arms. “Louis, everything is going to be okay. I’m getting better. You and Mom found us the perfect house. That is such a relief.”

I nodded. “You’re right. Sorry, I shouldn’t cry. But … it’s been hard. And now I sound selfish.”

Don kissed my cheek, held me tighter and leaned his head against mine. “Lous, baby, you had to watch, wait and wonder if I’d be okay. Frankly, doing that is more of challenge than suffering through it. I got to be asleep and on drugs. Right?”

I took a deep breath and sniffed. “Yeah, you lazy bastard.”

Don chuckled. “That’s better. Now think positive. We can have Christmas in our new place!”

“Yeah.” I let myself think of the possibilities. Maybe revamp the barn into a gym, with an office for Don. Maybe ….

Just then the door swooshed open. Rena clapped and jumped up and down as she came in. Don sat up smiling at her and me. I grinned back as I realized.

“It is yours!” Rena said. “All yours!”

We both let out whoops of joy. Don planted a big kiss smack on my lips!

Then the door opened again—I twisted to see—my lips still on Don’s. A woman stood there. She looked severe, and was dressed in a black-wool suit, stockings and low black pumps. Her hair was pulled back harshly, giving her a mini-facelift, but her eyeshadow was dark and smudged. She just stood there staring.

Don noticed her and Rena turned around.

It was Don who said, “Miriam. What are you doing here?”

*****