Chapter 123 A Walk in the Country
Emily stayed and worked the rest of the week to make sure things stabilized after Ruby’s attempted disruption of the company. Yet, she yearned to get back to California since she wanted to see Teddy again, and Byron would definitely need her support if his father’s condition was going to worsen.
From what Byron reported in his daily phone calls, things weren’t looking good. Teddy was in a lot of pain, which was dulled only by the strongest drugs, and he was usually too frail to get out of bed.
Emily noticed a much more subdued atmosphere as she arrived at the house, even more so than on her previous visit. Byron picked her up from the airport, and the family welcomed her, but everyone was quiet and somber.
“Hey, fellow soldier,” Teddy greeted her when she emerged onto the porch where he liked to spend his days lately.
“I didn’t know you were both soldiers,” Byron said, sitting down on the porch railing.
“We share a touch of ‘battlefield experience’ and PTSD,” Emily said, “Teddy taught me a way to stop the panic attacks.”
She sat down in another chair beside Teddy, and they talked for a while. Soon, his daughter Clarita came outside with a plate of cookies, offering them to everyone. She was a couple of years younger than her brother and had glossy dark hair and brown eyes like Aitana.
“I made these for you, daddy,” she said, giving Teddy a kiss on the cheek. “I don’t have Mateo’s crazy cooking skills, so I made these cookies from a pack of frozen dough, but they’re really good.”
“Thank you, darling.” Teddy barely had enough strength to hold the cookie in his hand and bring it to his mouth, but he took a bite. His voice quavered. “They’re delicious.”
“I hope they help you get better,” she said, ruffling his hair.
“I’m going to go for a walk,” Emily said, beckoning Byron to come with her. She thought the father and daughter could use some time together, and besides, it was hard for her to see Teddy so weak, even worse than when she had left him.
A cooling breeze blew in from the ocean as they walked through the rows of walnut trees together. Emily still held a cookie in her hand, and it was so warm and delicious, filled with gooey chocolate. Somehow, it made her even sadder.
Byron reached up to pick a walnut from one of the branches. “Look, I can crack this walnut shell with my bare hands.” He really could, and he did it in just a few seconds.
“Very impressive, Mr. Superman,” Emily said, laughing.
“It’s nice to hear you laugh,” he said. “I was worried you were getting upset there.”
“I was,” she admitted. “Teddy is too young to die. It seems so unfair. And those kids are going to be devastated…”
“Of course, it’ll be a great loss for them, but they’ll be all right in the end. I promise you, I’m going to look after those kids from now on.” He passed her a piece of walnut.
“So will I. But I’m afraid you’re affected by this than you know.”
Byron’s handsome face reflected the golden rays of the setting sun. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to sink into another depression when he goes. It’s not that I don’t care, but I found some kind of new strength from knowing my father has always loved me. I just wish I had more time with him…”
“We should appreciate the time we have,” Emily said. She ate the walnut piece, which tasted so fresh. “Maybe we should help out around the farm instead of eating up all their produce.”
The next morning, they joined Aitana to help weed the vegetable patches. Then they helped Mateo cook breakfast, which was a lot of fun since they learned some special techniques for flipping pancakes from the kid.
Towards mid-morning, Teddy, who everyone thought was sleeping, showed up in the dining room just as everyone was finishing their breakfast.
“Hey dad, you’re better!” The teens ran to him and hugged him.
“Take it easy,” he chuckled, barely able to stand up.
He slumped down in a chair and began eating some pancakes with a hearty appetite.
The whole family looked on in amazement. He hadn’t eaten this much food in the last few days as he was now consuming in a matter of minutes!
Later, Teddy wanted to go for a scenic drive, and as he wasn’t strong enough to do the driving, Aitana took him in their pick-up truck. They returned, with Teddy looking more peppy than ever.
Emily was only alone with Byron at the end of the day in their guest room. They had spent a long time helping the kids with farm chores and hanging out with the family after dinner.
“Do you think it’s going to last?” Emily whispered as they got into bed.
“I hope so,” Byron said. “Sometimes people experience these surges of energy just before the disease strikes its final blow. But I don’t want to think about that.”
The next day, however, Teddy seemed even better, walking unaided with more and more confidence. He even tried to help with some farm work before his wife ordered him to get back in the house.
His improvement was so great over the next few days that everyone began to hope for a recovery. Byron and Emily had pressing work matters that began to pile up after so much time away, so they traveled back to Vancouver. They hoped this was a miraculous recovery, but even if it wasn’t, the family could at least have some private time together.
