“If he’s here, you sure will,” he said. “First things first, so let’s get you into your room.”
They kept moving down the hallway, and then he turned a corner and then another corner. “Wow, you’re right. This is a big place.”
“You have no idea,” he said. As they came to the end of the hallway, on the right-hand side was an open door. Jim wheeled him in and said, “This is your room. Got your own bathroom, and you look out over the horses,” he said. “Hopefully that’s not a hardship for you.”
“I still struggle with the fact that you have animals right here with you,” he said.
“Yeah, I know, but that’s one of the joys of the place.”
“I agree,” he said. “It’s pretty special.”
With Jim’s help, Lance made the couple steps from the wheelchair to the bed. When he sank down onto the bed, he shifted his weight backward and stretched out and groaned with relief.
“How about I help you raise the head of the bed a little bit,” he said, “and I’ll show you how the mechanics work.” Together they adjusted the bed so Lance was at a better angle and much more comfortable.
From there, he could even look out over the horses and the pastures. His gaze was drawn to the green grass, the white fences, and the animals free to move about. “It’s a beautiful view,” he said.
“It is. Almost everybody on this side gets a similar view,” Jim said. He dropped Lance’s bags over by a wall with built-in cupboards and said, “When you get rested up a bit and feeling better, you can unpack over here. If you need help, just let somebody know, and one of us will give you a hand.”
He nodded. “That sounds great,” he said. “It’s been a very long day.”
“That’s why I would offer you a cup of coffee or some water,” he said. “Something to hold you over until Dani gets here.”
“Do you think she’ll be all that long?”
“Nope,” Jim said. “Dani is really good at sorting out stuff like that.”
“Glad to hear it,” he said, laughing. “I don’t envy her that job.”
“It’s her place,” Jim said, “so, for her, it’s less about a job and more about a passion.”
“Oh, that’s right,” he said. “I did hear something about that.”
“She started the place for her father, and, once she got it going, a tsunami of others with like needs came here too,” Jim said, his tone respectful.
“That’s cool,” Lance said, feeling hopeful.
Jim headed for the door and said, “Coffee? Or something else?”
Lance leaned back, thought about it, and said, “How about a hot cup of tea instead?”
“You got it,” he said. “Milk? Sugar?”
“A little bit of milk would be great, thanks.” And, just like that, Jim left. Lance should get up and unpack. It was part of his motto for life to do what he needed to do today and to not push it off, but his body was just too sore and too tired to tackle it now. He thought, if he could curl up under a blanket, he’d sleep. But he lay on top of the blankets, and it was way too much of a headache to try to get under them. Besides, he didn’t want to be asleep when Dani arrived. He still had yet to be properly introduced to the place. He was sure he had a mess of paperwork to handle as well. Jim came back with the tea, just a few minutes later.
“Here you go. If you need anything else, you’ve got a buzzer right beside you,” he said. “Seriously, don’t hesitate if you need it for anything. Somebody will come to your aid.” And, with that, he took off.
Lance leaned back and sipped his tea, but, when he heard light footsteps coming down the hallway, he wasn’t surprised to see Dani walk in with a bright smile on her face. “Did you get the rooms all sorted out?”
“All sorted,” she said. “There aren’t all that many places like this where people are so eager to get into it, right?” she said with a laugh.
He smiled. “Well, it’s good advertisement if nothing else.”
She nodded. “And how are you doing after your trip?”
“Questioning my choice,” he said bluntly. “Double questioning actually.”
“I get it,” she said. “So, double question all you want, but you’re here, so make the best of it. An awful lot of good work is happening in Hathaway House.”
“I hope so,” he said, shifting in the bed.
“You look worn out,” she said. “Do you want to catch a nap before dinner?”
“I was thinking about it,” he said, “but I’m lying on the blankets, and that seems like way too much trouble to deal with.”
She walked over to the cupboard, pulled out another blanket, and, opening it up, she spread it across him. “More linens and such are always in the cupboard, and, if you find that you need something that’s not there, just let us know.” Then she said, “Now I have a packet for you.” She proceeded to go over the details on his own personal iPad, showing him how it worked. She went over his team, listing all the people who would come by to see him. Then she went to a general information tab, where information about meals could be found and about how the system here works. “Dinner will start in forty-five minutes, so, if you want to have a rest, go for it. You’ve got a two-hour window for eating dinner from the buffet line,” she said, “but, if you happen to sleep through a meal and wake up afterward, not to worry. Just go on to the cafeteria. There will always be food for you,” she said.
He nodded. “That’s good to hear.” He hesitated and then said, “I know Iain.”
“Yes. Iain recommended that you come here,” she said. “I also heard you know Jaden.”
“Yeah.” He hesitated. “Is Jaden still here?”
“He is, indeed,” she said. “He’ll be here for another month or two, and Iain comes
