"Kimmie," he said, pulling me in for an awkward hug since my crutches got in the way. "He doesn't mean it. He's just frustrated."
"Maybe, but I don't think my staying is doing him any good. He needs to focus on getting better first. I'll be in touch," I said, holding my tears in by a thread.
"I've really enjoyed being with you this summer, despite the mishaps," Rick said, pulling me in for another hug.
"I feel the same," I said as a tear slipped down my cheek. "I'll be back, Dad."
"That sounds nice to hear," he said, acknowledging the fact that I was finally calling him his parental name.
"It feels right," I said, giving him a watery kiss on the cheek. "I'll call," I said, hurrying down the hall as fast as my aluminum crutches would allow before my tears tainted my exit.
Chapter 16
"You okay?" my mom asked for the hundredth time as our plane landed.
"Mom, I'm fine," I said, exasperated.
"I know, you've said that, but we left in such a hurry that I'm not sure you said your goodbyes properly."
"Mom, you're the one that wanted me to come home," I said wearily, grabbing my carryon bag.
"Not with your tail tucked between your legs," she muttered behind me, grabbing my bag from me and handing me my crutches the flight attendant had handed her.
"When can I be done with these stupid things?" I grumbled, hobbling off the plane.
"I'm taking you to see Dr. Roberts tomorrow. She'll give us a verdict then."
By the time we made it out of the airport, I was ready to throw the crutches into the nearest dumpster. My armpits protested the hard cushions that dug painfully into them with each step I took. It felt better to complain about that kind of pain, rather than deal with the true pain I was feeling. After much soul-searching the night before, I felt Mason had lied to himself and me about his feelings. I had to fight the urge to run to him and make him admit it. He needed to believe in himself before he could begin to explore the feelings he had for me. Putting distance between us seemed to be the best option I could think of. One day he'd be ready to own up to them, but for now, I'd have to give him the space he needed, no matter how painful it was.
Carol was waiting for me when Mom pulled the car into the driveway. I climbed out of the car smiling, and was surprised when she nearly bowled me over in a bear hug.
"Kim, I've been sooooooo worried about you," she said, dragging out the word.
"When I heard you were lost with some guy, I about died. I begged my mom to let me go with your mom, but she said I would just get in the way. As if, right? I mean, seriously, I'm not a two-year-old," Carol chatted on as she helped my mom drag my luggage down the hall to my room.
"I'll get you girls a snack while you catch up," Mom said, giving me a knowing look.
She knew I was dying to tell Carol everything and was giving me the space to do so. I knew she wanted to know too, but respected the new boundaries I had set up between us. For years, she had been my sounding board, my shoulder to cry on, my everyday champion, but her betrayal, although forgivable, had erected a wall between us that I wasn't ready to scale just yet.
"So, what's the deal with that," Carol asked, settling on my bed beside me.
I shrugged my shoulders "We're working on it, I guess. She came clean for her reasons in Colorado and I forgive her, but it just still feels off. I have so many other things to deal with that I've pushed it to the back of my mind for now."
"So, tell me everything about your accident and trip," she said, switching gears. "How was your dad? And how did you get lost in the mountains with your stepbrother."
"Foster brother," I corrected, sharper than I intended.
"Oh, foster brother, I see. Everything is looking a little bit clearer," she said, arching her eyebrows at me.
"Very funny," I said, not knowing where to start.
Figuring the beginning was probably the best approach. I told her about discovering that Rick owned a camp and how worried I was about fitting in, how Mason made it his mission to point out my every flaw and mistake.
"What a jerk," she interrupted, sounding pissed that he dared criticized me.
"Let me finish," I said, breaking her tirade as I bit into one of the chocolate chip cookies my mom had dropped off for us.
"Fine," she teased, snatching up two cookies at once.
Smiling at her loyalty, I filled her in on the rest. Like how Mason and I started to have feelings for each other, how I grew to love teaching the kids about art, and then finally I told her about the accident. I tried to paint a visual picture with my words of what our little cave looked like and the way Mason had held me in his arms at night.
"He sounds dreamy," she interrupted again.
"He is," I agreed.
"So, you don't believe he doesn't have feelings for you, do you?"
"No, I know he feels the same, but he has to recover from his injuries first, and then we can re-evaluate."
"You little minx. You think he'll come after you."
"I hope he does," I said honestly, knowing the risk of calling his bluff. "But still, what if he doesn't come after me?" Panic seized me at the thought.
"He will. Clearly he knows of your fabulousness," she teased. "So, what are your plans for school?" she added, once again switching gears.
"Originally, I planned on withdrawing my application from UCLA and going to a community college for a year in Colorado, but I guess I'll hold off on that. I'm planning on doing a dual major so I can get my degree in education."
"Wow, it’s seriously wigging me out to hear you say you want to work with kids. If I didn't know any better, I'd think your body was abducted by aliens while you were lost in the mountains."
"I know, right? Believe me, it sort of wigs me out too, but seriously, you should see how some of the kids opened up. They were like sponges as I took them through some of the basic art steps..." My voice trailed off when I noticed her studying me appraisingly. "What?" I asked, paranoid.
"Nothing, it’s just, I've never heard you talk like this. You sound so inspiring."
"Well, I guess that's because it's really inspiring. The kids changed the way I look at art."
"That's great, Kim," she said, giving me hug. "I'm a little sad you might be leaving me behind soon, but I'm glad you have direction," she said, sighing dramatically.
"You have direction. I thought you were going to major in set design," I said, trying to remember if that was the last major she had mentioned.
"I'm thinking I should do something more worthwhile like you. Think about it. You’ll be sculpting the minds of young children everywhere, that could be me," she said, holding back a smile.
"Right," I said, starting to giggle. Carol had six brothers and sisters and though she loved them all, she had vowed that when we went to college, she wouldn't spend more than a day with anyone younger than the age of eighteen for the next ten years. "Of course, that might make your vow a little tough or maybe you plan on teaching college boys," I said, wagging my eyebrows at her suggestively.
"Hmmm, that's not a bad idea. I'll make every class a nude study," she said, saucily.
I laughed because it was something I could totally see her doing.
"So, what are you going to do now?" she asked.
"Well, I can't go back to work until I'm done with those aluminum torture devices, so I plan on catching up on a few pieces for my portfolio. I want to catch the Rocky Mountains on canvas before the images fade away."