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PROLOGUE
LUKE
I’m worried about my sister, Daisy. I told her not to go to the party at the lake, but she wouldn’t listen. She’s always been so independent. I should have known better than trying to talk her out of it. Maybe if I’d used reverse psychology and told her she had to go she wouldn’t have gone. At least John my best friend agreed to go and keep an eye on her. I couldn’t go because I had to work at the video store. I had a bad feeling about this party from the moment Daisy told me Amy had invited her.
Amy is John’s sister, and she is trouble with a capital T. She’s the captain of the cheerleading squad and is used to getting her way. She’s been all over me for the last couple of weeks ever since she broke up with Dylan Riker. The two have been on again, off again since our freshman year. Whenever they break up, she goes after another guy to make Dylan jealous. She’s been with almost every member of the football and basketball teams with the exception of myself and John.
John has been in more than one fight over the years due to guys talking shit about Amy. What an easy lay she is and all the things she’s done with them. I wouldn’t touch her with a ten-foot pole. First and foremost because she’s my best friend’s sister, butalso because she’s way to free with herself. I’m not interested in a girl who’ll lay down with anyone. Don’t get me wrong, I’m like any teenage boy. I have sex on my mind most of the time, but I have standards.
Amy is a pretty girl, but her personality is a huge turn off. She’s vain and entitled, which makes her very high maintenance. Her parents are loaded and give her whatever she wants. She expects everyone else to do the same, but not me. I’ve done my best to not give her the time of day, which is why I think she’s been trying so hard to get me to go out with her. She doesn’t like being told no. When Daisy told me Amy had invited her to the party, I worried Amy was up to no good. She’s either going to try to use Daisy to get to me, or she’s going to get back at me by doing something to Daisy.
The store phone ringing pulls me out of my worries. I grab the cordless phone. “Movies and More, this is Luke how may I help you?” I answer while restocking movies on the shelf. I’m met with sobbing, and I immediately know it’s Daisy. Fuck! Something has happened at the damn party no doubt. She’s trying to speak, but I can’t understand a word she’s saying through all the crying. “I’ll be right there, just wait for me.”
Hanging up the phone, I pray the owner won’t be to upset with me for closing the store ten minutes early. There hasn’t been anyone in the store for the last twenty minutes, but at the moment, I don’t care if he is upset. Daisy is in trouble, and she is more important. I can’t afford to lose my job, but I’ll worry about it later. My sister needs me. Everyone in the family depends on me to keep the lights on and food in the house. Mom is gone again chasing after a man. It wouldn’t matter if she were here. She can never keep a job more than a few weeks at a time, anyway. I’m only seventeen, but I’ve been the adult in our family for the last seven years, ever since my dad left for work and never came home.
I quickly begin shutting off the lights. I flip the sign on thedoor to closed as I lock the front door. Then I hurry to the back door, making sure it’s locked up tight, before making my way to my old multi-colored sedan. It’s a Chevy Celebrity that I’d gotten for a steal. It had been wrecked a couple of times and was beat all to hell, but I’ve managed to find parts at the local junk yard and piece her back together. She might look like shit, but she runs like a dream and has room for all us kids. That’s the most important thing. I wanted a pickup truck like most of the other guys my age drive, but there isn’t enough room in the cab of a pickup for all my siblings so I had to get a car. This was the first one I came across in my meager price range. I climb behind the wheel and head toward the lake where the bonfire party was supposed to take place.
As I drive,I’m worrying about what has happened at the party. John promised me he would look after Daisy. Why is she there all alone? Why didn’t he stay and protect her? Better yet why didn’t he drive her home? The road to the lake is curvy as hell, so I can’t go as fast as I would like. I want to get there in one piece. I won’t do Daisy any good by wrapping my car around a tree in my haste.
My mind drifts to the worries I’ve been having over the last few weeks. I’ve decided to enlist in the Marines when high school is over, but I’m worried about Daisy and my younger brothers. How will they survive while I’m gone? Daisy is old enough to get a job now, and I’ll be getting paid as soon as boot camp starts, so I’ll still be able to keep the bills paid. My biggest worry is the boys staying focused on school and not giving Daisy too much shit. She’ll be in charge when I leave, and I know just how hard it is to keep everyone in line and on task.
I shouldn’t feel guilty about leaving, but I do. I know it’s the best decision. I’ll make a good salary and be doing something that I believe I’ll love. For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to bea Marine. My grandpa on Mom’s side was a Marine. I used to sit and listen to him and his buddies tell stories about being in the Korean and Vietnam wars. Some of the stories were horrible, but the bonds he had with his fellow Marines is what drew me. I want that life, to know my brothers have my back no matter what. I want to make a difference in the world and protect my country.
The night is dark and fog is rolling in. I slow my car down as I get closer to the lake. Deer are known to dart across the road on nights like this. I’m rounding a curve when I see the headlights of another car approaching. I slow considerably not wanting to take a chance on crossing the center line and hitting the other car by not making the curve on my side. I should be worried about the other car, however, it’s on my side and running at a high rate of speed. There’s no way to avoid the crash. My last thought is Daisy. She’s all alone and crying. I’ll never make it to her. What will happen to her?
Awareness comes slowly.Something is beeping rhythmically, and it’s irritating as hell. It’s getting faster, and that is only annoying me even more. Damn, my head hurts. I wish someone would shut off that beeping. I try to open my eyes, but they’re so heavy. I don’t know why I’m so tired. What day is it? Do I have school or work today? Fuck! I need to get up and see what the hell is beeping like that. It doesn’t sound my alarm clock. I finally force my eyes to open, but the room is entirely too bright.
“Luke! Oh my God!” Daisy’s voice comes to me from my left. “You’re awake!” I turn my head to look at her, but my head feels heavy. What the hell is wrong with me? “Oh Luke!” Daisy is sobbing uncontrollably. I reach out to comfort her, but I can barely move my arm. I blink my eyes, trying to get them to focus.I look up and realize I’m not at home. I lift my head slightly, taking in my surroundings. I’m in a hospital room.
“Wh-wh-” My voice cracks. My throat is so dry I can’t speak. I finally manage to get my hand up enough to place it on Daisy’s head, which is resting on my chest as she cries. My head falls back and I close my eyes to the brightness of the room. I try to remember how I got here, but my head is pounding, and my thoughts are fuzzy. My face pinches as I concentrate in an attempt to remember. I hear a door opening. I open my eyes again to see a nurse walking toward us.
“Hey there Mr. Robertson.” The woman is smiling down at me. “My name is Sherry. I’ll be your nurse for the rest of the night. I’m glad to see you’re awake. I’ll let your doctor know.” I attempt to speak again, but all that comes out is a squeak. The nurse steps away, before coming back to my side. My head begins to slowly elevate as I hear the hum of the bed as it rises.
“Here, take a sip.” The nurse holds a straw to my mouth. I take a sip of the cool water, and it soothes my parched throat. I gulp down another big sip. “Whoa, slow down. You don’t want to make yourself sick.”
“What happened?” I ask. Daisy raises her head. Her eyes are red with tears streaming down her face. Her nose is swollen and dripping snot. The nurse hands her a tissue. I keep looking between the nurse and Daisy, waiting for answers. It seems neither one is willing to give me an answer to my question. “Daisy, tell me how I ended up here,” I demand. She swallows suddenly looking nervous. Her eyes flit to the nurse.
“You were in a car accident,” the nurse replies. I frown, trying desperately to remember. I focus on the last thing I can remember. I was arguing with Daisy about going to the lake. She’d been sassing me that she was sixteen years old, and I wasn’t the boss of her. I look at her again. She’s refusing to meet my gaze.
“Daisy?” I know something happened, but she is less than willing to be forthcoming. I’m about to demand she tell me whatshe’s hiding when the door to my room opens. An older man enters the room in scrubs and white lab coat.
“Good to see you awake, Mr. Robertson,” the man says as he nears my bed. He flashes a bright light into my eyes while holding my lids open, which only causes my headache to worsen. He asks me to squeeze his hands, stick out my tongue, and several other things that make no sense to me. He moves down to my legs. “Wiggle your toes for me.” I do as he says, but the man frowns. He does something at the foot of my bed, but I can’t see what he’s doing. “Tell me when you feel me touch you.” I frown as I wait, but I don’t feel a thing. I glance at Daisy. She’s pale. I notice sweat beaded on her forehead, fear on her face. I look back at the doctor. I can see him touching each of my legs near my knees, but I don’t feel a damn thing. I attempt to lift my left leg. It feels like I’m making it move, but nothing happens.
“Doc, what’s wrong with my legs?” Even I can hear the panic in my voice. The doctor meets my gaze. I can tell he’s about to destroy my world.
“Your back was fractured in the accident,” the doctor explains. “You have a spinal cord injury. We won’t know for a while how much function you’ll get back, but it’s likely you will be wheelchair bound for the rest of your life.” As his words sink in, I realize my life is essentially over. Every dream I had is gone in the blink of an eye.
LUKE
Twenty years later…
Sitting in my office, I take a look around at the mess spread out on my desk. Normally I’m a very neat, ordered person, but my company has taken on several new clients in the last few weeks. I’m trying to make sure they are all getting what they need and that we are getting paid what we are due so I can pay my staff. The ringing of my cell phone draws my attention away from the disarray before me. I snatch it off my desk and answer gruffly.
“Robertson,” I bark into the phone, annoyed at the interruption of my train of thought. I didn’t even bother to see who was calling.
“Well, hello to you too brother,” Bo, the oldest of my younger brothers greets. “We’re about to break for lunch. You want to go with?” I look at my desk, once again, and consider not going, but my stomach takes that moment to add its two cents to the conversation with a loud complaint. I suppose I should take time for lunch.
“Sure, where are you going?” I ask, hoping they’ll chose my favorite restaurant of late. There’s a waitress, Marley Morrison,who has captured my attention like no woman ever has. One of these days, I’m going to ask for her number, but I keep putting it off. I’m not sure what’s been holding me back. It’s not that I’m in a wheelchair. She doesn’t seem to mind. Of course, she’s noticed, but she doesn’t look at me with pity or disdain as I’ve gotten from some people. She treats me the same as she does any of her other customers. She’s very thoughtful, kind, intelligent, and funny. I’ve begun eating there more often since meeting her about six months or so ago. She’s always happy and friendly. We’ve gotten to be on a first name basis and have some interesting discussions when I’m eating alone.
