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Constantly monitoring himself, he figured his left eye had become stronger with fewer headaches and sharper vision. Even his right eye that had always been reliable for having peripheral vision had somehow shown signs of repair, probably due to the medications he’d been strictly taking every day.
Things were better but far from perfect.
When he called the surgeon in Miami to report on his progress, the doctor laughed with satisfaction. “I didn’t want to make any promises before you left but I could see the healing had begun. Also, you can thank the fact that you’re a healthy man in his prime, and your body’s immune system works well. Not everyone’s as lucky as you.”
“I can’t take all the credit, man. I have no doubt the medications are helping a lot.”
“No doubt. Glad you’ve been committed to following doctor’s orders. I’ll send you a new prescription and you can back off the ones you’re on to every second day until they’re used up. Look, I need to see you again. Any chance you can make an appointment in January?”
“Can’t I just see an Ophthalmologist here in Ketchikan?”
“You could… but the reason I wanted to see you in person is because they’re starting a trial for eye challenges such as the one you have going on in your right eye. I can’t be sure at this point if they’ll accept you, but if you do show up here in the city and let me do my examination, I can promise to put your name on the list.”
“Would that restore my sight altogether?”
“Again, I can’t say for sure but there have been some mind-boggling miracles happening with this new procedure and the resultant drugs used. It’s the best chance you’ll have for the foreseeable future.”
“Then send me the date, and I’ll be there.”
“Great. I’ll get my secretary to email you the information. See you soon.”
Though he hadn’t planned to do so, Whit kept the discussion with his doctor to himself until he had a chance to think it through. Crazy as it seemed, he worried it would put a hex on his chances if he bragged about the appointment and getting into the trial. It went against his principles to keep it from Demi, but as much as he’d be let down if things didn’t work out, he knew she’d be devasted for him.
That woman didn’t go halfway on anything. When she was in… she was all in. He’d felt it from the moment they’d gotten back together in Miami. And as much as he knew she cared; she’d still held back. Not once had she told him she loved him. And fool that he was, he’d been afraid to say those words himself because he worried she’d feel caged or some stupid shit like that.
Damn, but the woman had built some impenetrable walls. As close as they’d become, he sensed them every time he tried to tear the suckers down. When he’d brought up his past and told her about his mother – the woman who’d been the angel in his world and helped make him the man he was – he’d seen the tears in her eyes. But when it came time for her to share, she’d shut down tighter than a virgin’s thighs.
Waiting for her to reciprocate with stories from her past had kept him unfulfilled because she never shared… ever. Just listened to him rambling on and then changed the subject. It was kind of demoralizing. Yet to ask her about her own past made him feel like he was begging for nuggets.
Shaking off his building resentment, he warned himself to stop being an ass.Buddy, you’ve got the best woman in the world. She’s taken to this life in the wild like a reincarnated frontier wife. Appreciate what you have and stop wanting it all.
Chapter Twenty-one
Calm as her world had become lately, there was still one annoying obstacle.Like a sneaky infection out of control. Nora, her old working partner from Fulton House used to make that same comment often and it fit her present situation perfectly. Demi had begun to worry about Glen and hated to go running to Whit with stories behind his back. Yet she could swear she’d smelled beer on her young friend’s breath more than once.
Unsure how to handle it, she searched out Norrie the next time she went to town. “Hey, you got time for lunch?”
“Yeah. My helper’s here and can take over the till. The café’s open today, and Mrs. Libby serves a mean gourmet grilled cheese and frozen fries.” She laughed at her quip, and Demi had to join her.
Once they gave their orders and sat in a booth, Norrie became serious. “What’s up?”
“How do you know something’s up?” Demi teased her friend as they sipped their cokes.
“Your eyes are shady with secrets.”
“Seriously?”
“Fuck, no.” Norrie laughed. “You seldom make time for lunch, figured you wanted to talk is all.”
“Phew. I thought maybe you were becoming psychic or some shit like that.” Demi took one last deep dive into whether she should say anything or not and then decided that Norrie cared about Glen too. “I’ve been worried about Glen lately.”
“Oh? Why? I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so happy. Although I’ve had my doubts about Rudy. In the past, he could be a wild one, drives Fred – that’s his old man – crazy from time to time. Don’t like to gossip but old Fred deserves it from what I’ve been told. He’s one mean son of a bitch and didn’t believe in sparing the rod. He belted those boys of his whenever he got pissed, and he did that a lot. Rudy’s two older brothers left as soon as they could but Rudy’s the youngest, and he’s stuck around to work the business with Fred.”
“Yeah, he came around with the gravel truck and helped us spread it over the road in to the cabin. He worked hard. I like him.”
“Me, too. He’s had a lot of shit to deal with being that he’s gay. Figure it’s made things a hell of a lot worse for him growing up. Always felt sorry for that. Can’t even imagine what would happen when Fred finds out.”
“He doesn’t know? Chrissakes, how can that happen in such a small town?”
