Raising the Limit-Book 1 - 19. Chapter 19

The following weeks were a whirlwind of activity and seemed like a blur to everyone. Lyssa’s surgery to remove her fixator and close the wound on her calf was able to take place at the end of the week on Friday. It was a short surgery, roughly an hour and a half. She was back in her room before lunchtime and the rest of the day was mostly asleep, a byproduct of the anesthesia and painkillers. Mike and Owen were there by midafternoon, Mike having picked up Owen at noon.

TC had checked in with David everyday. David had spoken with his boss, who was completely understanding and told David to take whatever time he needed. His assistant overnighted his laptop to him so he could work remotely. Most days he was able to put in nearly a full day, albeit in chunks of an hour here and a couple hours there.

Lyssa for the most part was handling everything quite well. She was understandably upset when David told her her friend Emily had died. The therapist on her care team helped her to work through a lot of those emotions and gave her some really helpful tips on handling her grief.

As far as dealing with her injuries, Lyssa was a strong and resilient kid. She knew she couldn’t change her circumstances instantaneously and did what she was told, knowing that it would help her get better, sooner rather than later. She did have her moments, but with the help of her family she dealt with them as best she could. She had both physical and occupational therapy twice a day while she was on the orthopedic unit and quickly learned how to get around in a wheelchair.

Behind the scenes, David, Renee and Mike were working diligently to figure out how to best handle moving Renee’s family to Florida. David interjected only when asked, and mostly it was to advise them of the pros and cons of the areas they were looking at. Renee and Mike had already decided that they didn’t want to live in Tampa or the immediate surrounding area. They were all used to a more rural way of life and Renee didn’t want to deal with the crowded conditions that were prevalent in cities. They finally settled on the area south of Tampa, but farther north than Sarasota where Mike would start looking at houses for them after Thanksgiving.

David stayed through the weekend after Lyssa’s second surgery and promised to come back for Christmas. She would be moving to the rehab unit either Monday or Tuesday, as soon as a bed was available. David had gone out and gotten her a new tablet and an extra long charger so she could always reach it. He promised to Skype with her everyday.

The flight home was tedious. The plane was packed, the ride bumpy due to a storm along the Atlantic seaboard. David had a white knuckle flier next to him mumbling the whole flight, not to mention at least two babies nearby who took turns screaming.

TC met him at the airport and drove him home. He had given him a house key and TC had taken in his mail and turned down the A/C for him while he was gone. Pulling up to the house David noticed that the lawn had been mowed and the weeding and edging had been taken care of.

“Did you take care of the yard while I was gone?” he asked.

“Yeah, it was getting pretty scruffy looking and I wasn’t sure if there was an HOA that would’ve given you a notice or written you up or something, so I took care of it for you.” TC answered.

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” David remarked as he unlocked the door and led TC into the house. Inside everything was spic and span, the floors had been cleaned, dusting was done and the clutter that he knew he had left behind was gone. David gave TC a look, silently letting him know that while he was grateful for what he did, it wasn’t necessary. TC just quirked his eyebrow. Taking care of those closest to him is just what he did. It was in his nature.

The final surprise was in the kitchen. TC had something cooking that smelled amazing. Turns out he made a crockpot full of alfredo chicken. He had thrown in boneless chicken breasts, a bag of spinach, a bunch of sun-dried tomatoes and covered it all with a couple of jars of garlic and bacon alfredo sauce.

TC just grinned when David sighed. “It was easy. All I had to do was chuck everything in there and turn it on. The village idiot could’ve handled it. If you want, I’ll let you cook the noodles to go with it.”

David merely walked over to TC and wrapped his arms around him, squeezing tightly. He had missed the comfort of the arms that enfolded him in return. David turned his face up and pulled TC down to kiss him thoroughly. He had missed this too.

Pulling apart David thanked TC again, TC just shrugged it off. He had missed David immensely, more than he was willing to admit and was extremely happy the man was back, and back in his arms to boot.

TC pulled out a large saucepan and filled it with hot water and put it on the stove to boil. David told him he was going to put his stuff away and get his laundry started. When David returned to the kitchen TC was opening up a bottle of wine so David set the table for them. The noodles didn’t take long and TC had already shredded the meat within the crockpot. He took the plates and scooped out some noodles onto each one and then ladled some of the chicken concoction over the noodles.

“Enjoy.” TC said as he set a plate down in front of David and sat across from him with his own plate.

David mixed the savory smelling chicken with his noodles to coat them evenly and then took a bite. Holy shit! He smiled at TC as the flavors washed over his tongue. Swallowing his bite, he licked his upper lip and complimented the chef. “This is really good. Where’d you find the recipe?” he asked.

“My assistant was talking about it in the break room. She printed out a copy for me. It’s one of the easiest things I’ve ever made. She was the one who recommended the sauce from Aldi. She swears by their brand, and I gotta admit, it is really good!” TC smiled.

After dinner TC and David cleaned up. They settled down on the couch and David caught TC up with the latest updates.

“When are you going back up there?” TC asked.

David answered “Probably not until right before Christmas. Obviously the kids aren’t going to be able to come down here so I promised Lyssa I’d go up there. Mike is supposed to come down right after Thanksgiving to look at houses. We’re hoping that Lyssa gets to go home in time for Thanksgiving, but it’ll be cutting it close. Renee told me that Mike’s new employer has given him some extra time to make the move, but they want him to start no later than the first of February.”

TC nodded and David continued “Renee and Mike are going to set up their room for Lyssa. They have a two story Cape house and Lyssa’s upstairs room won’t work when she gets discharged, so they’ll move into her room temporarily until they move down here. There’s just so much for them to do. Renee has put her job on the back burner, she’ll do what she can, when she can, but her Editor-in-Chief has already told her he would have some others covering for her when necessary.”

“What does she do again? I’m sure you’ve told me. I know it has something to do with marketing.” TC commented.

“She’s a marketing editor for a large internet retailer. You know all those ads you see online, especially the ones on the social media sites? Well she proofs them before they can be posted. She scans hundreds of them every week. Luckily she can work from home remotely. I think she goes to the main office in New York once or twice a year.” David informed him. “I don’t envy her right now, taking care of Lyssa, packing up the house, trying to keep Owen on track, finding a new place to live. She’s got a lot on her plate and if I can do something to help out I will.”

“You’re a good man, David. I’m sure she appreciates your support.” TC told him.

David started to yawn and TC told him to go get ready for bed, he’d make sure everything was locked up and switch David’s laundry from the washer to the dryer. By the time TC got under the covers next to David, he discovered that his lover was sound asleep. He scooted over so he was spooned up against the warm body and settled his arm around the firm torso and rested his hand right over David’s heart, feeling the rhythmic beat and letting it count the seconds until he too was asleep.

The next few weeks were busy for everyone. Lyssa did well enough with her rehab that she was allowed to go home a few days before Thanksgiving. The hospital social worker had arranged for a private ambulance to transport Lyssa back up to Maine. Renee had their room all set for her, having transferred clothes from one room to another and vice versa. Mike would just have to suck it up and deal with pink walls and sharing a bathroom with Owen, something he said he would do for a lifetime if it meant Lyssa got to be at home where she belonged.

Thanksgiving was a quiet affair for both families. David Skyped with everyone and could see for himself how happy Lyssa was to be home. Her best friend, Kendra, had come to see her the evening before and together they had cried over Emily and laughed over some of their shared memories. Chelsea had called and said she would be by over the weekend as she was in upstate New York at her grandmother’s for the holiday.

TC came over and he and David, well mostly David, fixed a small turkey with all the trimmings for just the two of them. There was enough leftover for sandwiches the next day and David had made extra mashed potatoes and stuffing to make two turkey pot pies which he froze for later use. He had filled the pie crust with mashed potato, stuffing, leftover turkey, and carrots, peas and pearl onions, then dumped in enough gravy to cover the whole thing without spilling over.

The Tuesday following Thanksgiving Mike arrived, having flown into Tampa and David had graciously offered him the use of Owen’s room which he accepted. They didn’t see too much of each other as David was working and Mike spent the better part of three days with a local realtor named Becky. By Friday, Mike had narrowed it down to three houses and asked David to come see the houses on Saturday and put in his two cents.

Saturday morning David and Mike met the realtor and followed her to the first of the three houses Mike had liked. Renee had seen the virtual tours of all three and she was torn between two of them, while still keeping an open mind about the third.

David thought that both of the first two houses were nice. They were similar in layout, three bedrooms with two baths, having been built by the same developer and were in the same community. A little cookie cutter, but nice just the same. One had a pool while the other didn’t.

The third house was a recent build in a community that was still being developed and the layout of the development was more open, leaving a lot more room between houses. So many communities in Florida stacked new homes practically on top of each other. Each home in this community was on either a half or three-quarter acre lot. There were several large retention ponds scattered throughout the development, adding to the openness.

The house that Becky showed them was one story, four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms with a two car garage, enclosed lanai and overlooked the largest of the retention ponds. It didn’t have a pool, but that was a feature that Renee was ambivalent about. Mike didn’t care about having a pool, as it was less work not having one. Besides, the enclosed lanai would give them plenty of outdoor space for entertaining. There was a bonus area that was built onto the back of the lanai, it wasn’t enclosed, but the area boasted an outdoor kitchen area with a built in food prep area, large built in grill and a utility sink. There was also a fire pit with a sitting area too.

The inside of the house was beautiful as well. The large living area was open to the kitchen which had plenty of cabinets and a large island that separated it from the living room. There was a bonus area that separated the kitchen from the master bedroom that could be used as a more formal dining area or an additional living area. Mike whispered to David “You think Renee would let me get a pool table for here?”

David laughed and replied “Get the kids on your side. She won’t say no.”

The other three bedrooms were down a hallway off the main living area. One was a little smaller, but it had its own ensuite bathroom, whereas the two larger bedrooms had a shared bath.

When they finished their tour Becky said she would wait outside so they could discuss the options. As soon as she was gone David looked at Mike and said “This one, Renee will love it. She’s already seen the virtual tour and the pictures right?”

Mike nodded and replied “Yeah, I was leaning toward this one too even though it’s bigger than we really need. I’m going to call Renee and see if she wants to put in an offer.”

David poked around a little more, and the more he saw, the more he could envision Renee and their kids here. Another item on the plus side was the fact that it wasn’t far off of I-75 and was thirty to forty-five minutes from his house, depending on traffic. Mike should have a manageable commute as well. The development was also close to I-275 and he could easily take the Sunshine Skyway bridge to cut through Pinellas county to get to downtown Tampa.

Mike was smiling when he got off the phone. Renee had agreed to the decision. Mike took some more pictures for her, opening closets and cabinets so she could get a sense of storage space.

When he was done they went outside and David stayed in the background while Mike spoke with Becky. She took care of sending the offer to the developer and while they were chatting the reply came back within ten minutes and the offer was accepted. David congratulated Mike and after he was done signing some paperwork they decided to stop for lunch at David’s favorite place, the Ale House.

Mike was eager to get back up north, especially since they were anticipating a storm on Monday. He was able to get a flight out early Sunday afternoon and David said he'd see him in a few weeks for Christmas.

Three days after Mike left, David went into work on Wednesday with a slight headache. By early afternoon his whole body ached and he had the chills. Dammit, the last thing he needed was to get sick. By three o’clock he could barely focus and went home. He managed to make it to his bed and get under the covers, shaking with the chills.

The next forty-eight hours were a blur. He remembered hearing a pounding noise and someone yelling, but he didn’t have the strength to move. He recalled feeling a cool dampness on his head at one point, but mainly he just drifted in and out of sleep.

The third day after his flu hit he finally opened his eyes in a lucid state. He was in his bed, dressed in a clean pair of boxers and a light t-shirt. He heard noises from the kitchen and got out of bed to investigate. He was still feeling weak, but no longer felt like he was going to pass out. He made a pit stop at the bathroom and realized he must be dehydrated when he saw the dark yellow piss hitting the bowl.

David flushed, washed his hands and went into the kitchen where he saw TC sitting at the table working on his laptop. TC smiled when he saw him. “Welcome back to the land of the living.” he greeted David, standing up and getting a bottle of Smartwater from the fridge. “Here, drink this. You’re a pain in the ass when you're sick. You don’t listen for shit. I did the best I could to get you to drink, but you are quite the stubborn bastard. Even my ‘I’m not in the mood for this’ voice didn’t work.”

David gave him a wry smile and shrugged. “Sorry. How long have I been out of it? I don’t remember much after I left work. Shit. I hate being sick.”

“Two days.” answered TC. “If you didn’t start to come around I would’ve had to get you to the ER. As it is, you could probably benefit from IV fluids, but as long as you promise to drink the water with electrolytes throughout the day and to eat something, I’ll settle for keeping an eye on you instead. You had me worried last night. Your fever hit 103. All I could do was just let it ride. Fever is the body’s way of fighting off what’s making you sick, but damn, if it had gone much higher I would’ve had to call an ambulance.”

“Thanks for not doing that. I hate hospitals and I’ve seen enough of them this year to last quite awhile. I didn’t mean to scare you. Ugh, I still feel like shit, but if you don’t mind fixing me some toast, I’ll see what I can do about getting some of this water into me.” David stated.

TC made the toast and David managed to drink half the large bottle of water. When he was done eating David went and took a shower, feeling much better afterward, but still weak. He went and laid on the couch and TC brought his pillow and a blanket for him. David turned on the TV and binged on Netflix for a while, drifting off to sleep here and there, giving in to his body’s demand for rest. TC made sure he had water next to him at all times and by the early evening hours his pee had turned back to a mellow yellow. He still didn’t have much of an appetite, but managed to eat most of the sandwich TC fixed for his dinner. TC had also called David’s boss and updated him on his condition. His boss told him to keep David home until Wednesday. December was usually a slower month for them and David’s boss could easily have someone handle whatever needed to get done in David’s absence.

TC spent the rest of the weekend with David, taking care of him. He even refused to go home on Monday, even though David felt almost back to normal. Tuesday David insisted on TC going back home and getting back to work. He didn’t need a nurse anymore, he said he felt fine. TC responded by tying him up and turning his ass red. His orgasm wiped him out, but in a good way. Wednesday David went to work and TC did the same.

Christmas was on them before they knew it. David left for Maine on the twenty-second on the earliest flight he could get. It was a Sunday and he knew that later in the day the airports would be a mess. The flight was full, even with a six a.m departure and the connecting flight was the same. It was uneventful and he arrived into Portland before noon. When he stepped out into the terminal to catch the shuttle to the rental car office he got hit in the face with a blast of icy air. Shit! He hadn’t really been paying attention when the announced the temperature as the announcements regarding their approach had been made, but it was fucking cold! His breath blew out in big, visible puffs and the cold air stung the inside of his nose. He had put on a sweatshirt and a fleece pullover, but figured he would need to make a trip to a store to get an actual winter jacket or borrow one from Mike or Owen.

He picked up his rental car and jacked the heat full blast for the short ride to Mike and Renee’s house. He was staying for a week and had one suitcase with him. He had ordered Christmas presents for everyone online and had them delivered to the recipients. He had told TC that he wanted to wait until they were both back before exchanging gifts. His was x-rated and for TC’s eyes only.

Lyssa was bouncing excitedly in her wheelchair when he came into the house. He dropped his bag and hurried over to hug his baby girl. He hugged Owen as well and gave Renee a hug and kiss on the cheek. Mike got a hug as well. He was so very grateful that he had such a warm relationship with Renee and Mike. It made occasions like this something happy instead of stressful. He knew too many people who couldn’t be in the same room as their exes and the only ones who suffered were the kids.

Lyssa had progressed to the point where she had just been told she could start bearing a little weight on her leg. This basically meant she could put her foot down when she stood up, but couldn’t shift weight to that side just yet. The bones were healing properly and her therapist would be working with her to strengthen the muscles in her damaged leg so she could start walking when the orthopedic doctor gave the go ahead. She still had a rigid leg brace which restricted movement while protecting the healing bones. That would be switched over to a more flexible brace in another week or so. All in all things were progressing well with her rehabilitation.

The next few days were spent playing games, cooking, baking and doing last minute shopping. Mike was busy getting things ready to move and David helped him and Owen pack up stuff in the garage and basement. They had already cleaned those areas out, donating or giving away things they didn’t need or just didn’t want anymore. Mike was hanging on to his snowblower and shovels, his neighbor had already called dibs on them when he heard of the impending move and he offered to buy the equipment from him.

Owen suckered David into helping him sort through his closets under the guise of not knowing what clothes to keep and what to get rid of. David looked at it as a chance to spend some quality time with his son, so he really didn’t mind.

Renee had gone all out with Christmas decorations, figuring that once the holiday was over it would be easier to weed out the older decorations as well as repack what they would take with them in new boxes that would handle the long distance move better than some of the battered boxes that they had used forever.

Mike’s new employer was paying for their relocation, but they were still responsible for packing all of their personal belongings. When they were done the garage was stacked on one side with boxes for the move and on the other boxes for either trash or a trip to the donation center.

Christmas Eve a few of their friends stopped by for an informal open house. Renee and Mike had stocked up on hors d’oeuvre plates from Costco and had a few bottles of wine at the ready. It was a chance for some of them to enjoy one last holiday with their dear friends.

Christmas morning was a treat for Mike and Renee to be able to celebrate it on the actual day. David was happy to get to see them enjoying watching the kids open presents. They all got a kick out of watching Owen’s confusion as his sister opened a pile of presents twice as big as his, and what he opened was mostly clothes and practical things like body wash and deodorant.

David had gotten Lyssa a new laptop, Renee and Mike got her a forty inch flat screen for her room. They let Owen get to the point where he looked like he was about to say something and then David handed him a small box that he had hidden behind his back.

“I think this one has your name on it.” he said as he handed the brightly wrapped box to his son.

Owen tore the wrapping off and opened the lid to reveal a keychain with a Subaru logo on it and a key fob. He looked perplexed for all of two seconds until he jumped up and yelled out “No way!” He dashed to the kitchen so he could look out to the driveway where a black Subaru Forester sat, a big bow on the hood. He started jumping up and down and then ran around looking for his shoes and a jacket. He bolted out the door after shoving his feet into a pair of sneakers by the door, not bothering to find a jacket.

David and Renee had decided that it would be a good idea for Owen to have his own transportation. The new house was in a more rural area and Owen had already said he would like to see if he could work part time at the marina. Having his own transportation would make life easier. The little SUV was five years old, but only had twenty-thousand miles on it. The original owners were an older couple and when the husband had died, his wife had let it sit in the garage for nearly two years before she decided to sell it as she didn’t drive any longer. It needed a new battery and Mike had it tuned up as well, making sure all the fluids were changed and all the systems were running properly. David paid for half of it and had new tires put on, not wanting to risk tires that had been sitting dormant for two years to dry rot.

Owen and Lyssa had both gotten their licenses when they returned from their summer in Florida and Mike and Renee had let Owen drive most of the time when they went anywhere. He had been allowed to borrow Renee’s Chevy Malibu on occasion and had proven himself to be responsible. Lyssa had managed to get in two months of driving before her accident, but she wouldn’t be ready to get behind a wheel for quite some time. She was happy for her brother, not jealous at all. Well, at least not too much. She knew if the situation was reversed he would be happy for her.

The rest of the week flew by, David helped with some more packing and Owen convinced David and Mike to take a day trip to Sunday River to go skiing. David hadn’t been skiing since he had moved to Florida. He had to borrow ski pants from Mike, who was a little bigger than him, but Owen’s old down ski jacket that he had outgrown fit him perfectly. He rented skis, boots and poles and after reacquainting himself with the skill necessary for not getting killed or seriously injured he was able to venture off of the easier, beginner trails and hit the more intermediate and advanced ones. He wasn’t ready for the black diamond trails and waved to Owen and Mike as they skied toward the lift that would take them to the highest point that could be reached. They had a fun day and David was wiped out on the ride home and dozed off in the back of Owen’s new vehicle.

The following Sunday he was saying goodbye, knowing that he would be seeing everyone in a few weeks. The closing was set for January 23rd and the moving van was picking up their stuff on the 20th and would arrive at the new house on the 24th. Everyone was excited for the move. The kids would fly down on the 19th, David had offered to let the kids stay at his house for a few days so that Mike and Renee could concentrate on all the last minute things that had to be taken care of. They were planning on driving down after the truck was loaded on the 20th. With both of them driving, they should be able to get there in plenty of time for the closing. They would stay at a hotel for a couple of nights until their belongings and Owen’s car were delivered. Mike and Renee had sold Renee’s vehicle and she would look for a new one after they were settled a bit. She would use Owen’s car if needed.

David had some things to do when he got back. He told Renee that he would take care of getting the kids enrolled in school, he had copies of their transcripts and shot records. They already had appointments set up for Lyssa with a new orthopedic doctor and physical therapist. All of those records were being sent electronically. He needed to meet with a guidance counselor at the new school and see what types of arrangements could be made to accommodate Lyssa in her wheelchair. She could get around quite well, but he was hoping they could pair her with someone who could help her navigate the new environment, at least for the first couple of weeks. He had thought both of his kids would resist the move, but they were actually really excited. He thought part of Lyssa’s enthusiasm was because she was leaving the trauma of the accident and losing her friend behind. Her best friend had pulled away after the accident as well as the other girl who was in the car. Lyssa’s therapist said that it might happen. He had seen it before. It was their way of coping with their own trauma, as well as the fact that Lyssa was moving away from them. Lyssa didn’t blame them nor did she harbor any resentment. David could tell that she was a little hurt though. It was a tough situation all around.

One thing was for sure. David would be glad to get back to Florida and get out of this god damn frigid environment!