can make it here in about an hour. Or we can schedule another time.”
He could make it if he pushed himself. And he would. “If the employee I have covering me at the store is good to stay a while, I’ll be there. Thanks very much, Dr. Taylor.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting you, Mr. Wilder. I believe you are a very special man, too.
After that remarkable statement, she disconnected the call.
Susan Taylor’s office was located in the nearby town of Rockingham, in a two-story medical building by the hospital.
Rory took the elevator up to the second level to reach her suite. Marjorie, her assistant, was in her forties. She wore a navy-blue dress and dangling earrings that looked like sparkling blue dolphins. Rory waited for Dr. Taylor in a comfortable waiting room with a pale green couch, matching guest chairs, and a soothing picture of lemons on an old wood table. The framed work was positioned over the sofa.
He imagined Daralyn here earlier. He bet she’d chosen the chair with the best view of that picture.
Just beyond Marjorie’s area, he could see Dr. Taylor’s office. The door was half-open, revealing another cozy space with warm colors, pictures of rustic farm scenes. A trio of pillar candles flickered on a side table, while a big box of tissues was placed within reach of the guest chairs.
Had Daralyn left the doc’s office crying? Or no reaction, just all closed in on herself? Did she feel unburdened, like going to confessional? Even knowing women had that peculiar habit of crying to help them feel better, Rory really didn’t like to think of Daralyn doing that without him around to comfort her.
Maybe next time he’d volunteer to take her to the appointment, instead of his mother doing it.
“Rory.” Susan Taylor stepped into the threshold. She was tall, had curly brown short hair, and wore gray slacks and a lavender blouse. The somewhat corporate business outfit was softened by the inviting expression on her face, and her choice of jewelry. A yin and yang pendant on a silver chain around her throat, and matching earrings. She also had a trio of chunky lavender and gray stone bracelets on one arm.
Surprise crossed her expression as her gaze coursed over him. She held out her hand. “Hello.”
“Pleasure.” He shook it, glanced down at himself. “Let me guess. You thought I was taller?”
She chuckled. “Come on in. Make yourself comfortable. Oh, wait a second.” She held up her hand, disappeared in her office and then returned, rolling out one of the cushioned guest chairs. Marjorie rose and took it, wheeling it into her work area. “I don’t want you to have to wedge yourself in here,” Dr. Taylor said.
When he came in and she closed the door behind them, she turned to face him. “I didn’t know you were in a wheelchair,” she said. “Some time ago, Elaine mentioned one of her sons having an accident, but I didn’t make the connection.”
“Daralyn must not talk about me much, then.”
“On the contrary. That’s why I was surprised. She talks about you all the time. Particularly recently. She’s never said a word about it.”
“Oh.” That was a hell of a realization. It called to mind what Will, one of his buddies in his adaptive challenge group, had told him.
They’d been on a bus, headed for Kitty Hawk and a day of hang gliding. Rory hadn’t yet been up for that, but he’d gone along to watch. Will’s able-bodied girlfriend Kate had been with them, and she and Will talked about how they met.
“I didn’t notice the chair all that much,” Kate said, in her broad Australian accent. “It was like noticing what kind of shirt or shoes he was wearing. His confidence and sense of humor made the biggest impression on me.”
Will ran his palm up her upper arm, giving her a squeeze and a smile. “If it’s not a problem that I let define me, then for the right girl, it’s not going to be a problem either.”
Rory was sure his face had reflected his yeah, right reaction, because Will had given him a knowing look. “If you want to get there bad enough, you’ll get there, man. You have to work on yourself, on your view of yourself, before you’re fit to be with anyone else. But that’s the same for anyone, disabled or not. Right?”
Coming back to the present, Rory parked himself in the spot the guest chair had occupied while Dr. Taylor took a seat on