“No reason he can’t make friends with you there,” he said, giving her a gentle nudge. “Go join them, and you’ll be accepted as part of it all as well.”
She frowned, hesitating and hating that part of her which said she didn’t belong, but Shane wasn’t having it.
“Go,” he said. She shot him a look, and he just shook his head. “Don’t even begin to give me excuses,” he said. “This is your one chance to join him, as if you were at a dinner party. Get out there and go. Let your own light shine a little bit too.”
“My light doesn’t shine very bright,” she said with a half laugh.
“That’s because you don’t let it,” he said. “Lately you’ve been all about getting Lance to shine,” he said. “Now you’re feeling like you don’t think you’re good enough or something, which is crazy,” he said, shaking his head.
She considered it, shrugged, and then said, “Okay, but if it doesn’t work out—”
“If it doesn’t work out,” he said in a sarcastic voice, “you’ll try again tomorrow.”
Lance glanced around, but he was surrounded by other patients, and they were all talking and laughing about concerts they’d been to. One of them used to jam on the drums, and another used to play trumpet. He was really happy that his music had sparked something for a lot of them. The energy was high and the conversation light and bubbly. Yet something was missing. He kept looking around, but he saw no sign of Jessica.
Finally a hand gently touched his shoulder, and he recognized it immediately. He also sensed something settling inside him at her arrival. He reached up a hand, grabbed hers, and tried to push his wheelchair with just his free hand, which didn’t work so well. She chuckled, squeezed his fingers, and, grabbing his wheelchair, pushed him from behind. He thought about arguing, then shrugged and gave up. The truth of matter was, his arms were sore, and he was tired. And he was also grateful to have her here with him. As they got to the cafeteria, Dennis waited for them behind the counter. He looked up and beamed.
“There you are, Jessica,” he said. “I wondered where you got off to, and then, when I heard the music, I figured, when it came to an end, you’d be all rushing down to eat.” Next he looked at Lance and said, “I got to tell you, man, that was some of the best music I’ve heard in a long time.”
That comment set everybody else off too. Lance felt warm inside, in a way he hadn’t in a very long time. He wasn’t sure who had brought it up, but it was all about acceptance, finding your place, and being true to who you were. A guy stepped back and, “Let Lance go first tonight.”
Looking around, Lance said, “Hey, you don’t need to give me any special privileges,” he said. “I’m just the same as you guys.”
Jessica plunked a tray into his lap, and she said, “Absolutely you are, and everybody else here has their own specialties too,” she said. “But tonight, you made us all very, very happy because that music was like nectar from the gods.”
A round of clapping came at her words. Lance just laughed.
Dennis said, “Okay, then. What can I get for the man of the hour? It’s steak night, by the way.”
Feeling like a celebrity and a bit of a fool, he said, “Actually I’d love a steak.”
Dennis’s eyebrows shot up, and he said, “Medium rare, rare?”
“Medium rare, baked potato, and a Caesar salad on the side.”
Dennis nodded. “You got it. Anybody else?”
Immediately half the gang behind him chimed in.
“Guess we’ll have to have steak night more often,” Dennis said.
“It’s the whole dinner-and-a-show feeling,” Jessica said.
“You may have something there. Anyway, where will you all sit? I’ll start bringing out plates as they come up.”
Chapter 12
They headed for the deck in the open air. It was still a hot afternoon, though it was overcast today, so it wasn’t like they were sitting in the direct sun. They collected their drinks, and, as a group, they all headed out to the deck and pulled chairs and tables together, so they could all sit somewhat close together. They ended up in a big square, with some seated inside and some out. Laughing and joking, Jessica hadn’t felt this good or this much a part of something since she’d arrived. As she realized that, she was also aware that this was really important. And the whole time Lance stayed beside her, being part of it all.
He reached over and gripped her fingers. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t do anything,” she said, her lips kicking up in the corners.
“Yes, you did,” he said. “You helped set this up, and you stayed with me the whole time.”
She looked at him in surprise. “That matters?”
“It matters,” he said. “I’m not exactly sure how or why, but I’m glad that you were there to share this with me.”
She squeezed his fingers back and whispered, “I am too.”
Just then Dennis came over with a great big tray. “I’ve got steaks here,” he said. “Put up your hands so I can remember who ordered what,” he said, in a cheerful voice. In no time he had those plates distributed, and Lance had a big slab of steak, a baked potato, and Caesar salad in front of him.
“Now this is awesome,” he whispered.
Just when they thought dinner couldn’t get any better, Dennis came around with a few beers and some sparkling juice and said, “This is a night we all need to celebrate,” he said. “It’s nonalcoholic beer, since most everybody is on medications, but let’s make the most of it.”
Everybody raised a can and cheered.
Just something was so special about this evening. It had started with Lance’s music, but it had also stretched into dinner.
