He laughed and pulled her into his arms and held her close. Life had never looked better.
Epilogue
Spencer Newcomb shareda semiprivate VA hospital room with his friend Timothy Watkins. “I don’t get it,” Spencer said. “Why are you trying to get into this place so much?”
“Because it’s got a fantastic rep,” Timothy murmured. “And this place sucks.”
Well, Spencer wouldn’t argue with that assessment of their current scenario because, well, it was true. There was an awful lot that they didn’t like about it here.
Timothy added, “And you and I are a team. We’ve been through so much already, and we should stick together in healing as well.”
“And what makes you think this Hathaway place will be any better?”
“How can it be worse?”
“It’s still a long trip for nothing.”
“Or it could be a long trip for everything,” Timothy argued. “You know, in some of the online forums, the guys talk about the different methods the guys at Hathaway House have of getting people back on their feet. I’m willing to try.” He frowned. “I think some of your friends went there too.”
Spencer rolled his head toward Timothy and asked, “Yeah, who?”
“Percy, for one.”
Spencer’s eyebrows shot up at that.
Timothy continued. “Ha, and didn’t you know Lance?”
“Well, I knowaLance,” Spencer replied. “Doesn’t mean I know the one who you’re talking about.”
“No, that’s true, but I think you’d probably do some good to ask them. Then fill me in, but I’m already sold. We both should sign up. You never know. You might get into this place before I do, knowing Percy and Lance.”
“And maybe not,” Spencer argued, with a smile. “After all, it’s not as if I’ll necessarily jump ahead in line. You know, if a place is this good, it’ll have a queue waiting to get in.”
“Yeah, it sure will,” Timothy agreed. “I’m just filling out the application now, but you know how I hate all this paperwork and dredging up all my medical history. Why do they want us to list all this stuff on their stupid forms when they also want our medical reports? Such a waste to ask for things twice.” Shaking his head, Timothy was typing on his phone. “I sent you the link. Maybe if you’re dealing with this headache of paperwork too, I’ll be happier dealing with my application.”
Spencer’s phone beeped, and he looked at the link on his screen, still undecided.
Timothy nodded at his buddy. “Try it. I mean, what’s the harm?”
After Timothy headed off for his therapy session, Spencer looked again at the link and frowned. It sounded a little bit too good to be true. It had been a really long time since Spencer got taken in by a dream, but it did seem to him that, if there were any truth to the Hathaway hype, some of his friends who already did their rehab there might very well give him answers, one way or the other.
So Spencer sent off a couple emails and followed up a couple text messages. When Lance got back to him and said,If you get an opportunity, go, Spencer was really surprised. Then he got an email back from Percy, saying,Go, man, go. After that, Spencer filled out the application without another thought. He told Timothy to get his butt in gear and finish his application too.Spencer’s internal critic highly expected to not get in; a place like that would have a long waiting list.
Nobody was more surprised than him and even Timothy when, just two days later, Spencer got an email response from Hathaway House, asking for more medical records. Spencer quickly filled out everything that needed to be done and then sent it all off, nudging Timothy once more to get the lead out. “We’re partners in this. I need my partner on this leg of the journey.”
Timothy nodded, but Spencer didn’t see his buddy jumping online.
When Spencer got a phone call not very long afterward, it was from the manager of the center. She introduced herself and said, “I’m calling about your wish to join Hathaway House.”
“Well, I was… I had… I know both Percy and Lance,” he muttered.
“They do give you glowing references,” she noted quietly. “We do prefer to take people who understand just how different we are here,” she murmured.
“I don’t know how different you are, but I can tell you that, in all the other rehab places I’ve been, nobody’s ever given me a good recommendation for any of them.”
She laughed. “No, and it’s not an easy road that you guys are on,” she stated, “which is one of the reasons why we try hard to make your stay here as pleasant and as productive as possible. I do have an opening, but it will be in about six weeks.… Wait. Let me check on that. Hang on a minute.” She came back a few minutes later and said, “I have a cancellation. I could move you up to three weeks.”
“Wow. Seriously?”