Chapter 61

Chapter 30 Grayson walked into my bedroom and sat down on my bed. "Hey," he said as he rubbed my arm. "How are you feeling?" I sighed. "I'm bored. I hate laying in bed all day." "You don't have to," Grayson pointed out. "You could still play video games downstairs. None of that requires standing." "I know," I said. "Is it almost dinner?" "About that," Grayson said. "My mom called me yesterday. She really wanted to have dinner with my family and your family, so they're here now. I would have said no, but I was too tired to argue." "They're all here?" I asked. Grayson sighed and nodded. "Yeah. Even my brother and dad. So I am here to help you out of bed." After helping me back into my wheelchair, Grayson pushed me down the stairs. Dad set up a ramp when I was at school yesterday, so Grayson was able to get me up and down the stairs with no problem. Grayson's parents were talking to my parents when we came down and as soon as we were in the dining room, Grayson's whole family went quiet. Gale was the first one to speak. "Grayson told me what happened," she said to me. "I hope you get better." "Thanks," I said. "What did happen?" Gertrude asked. "Um..." I hesitated, not really wanting to tell them that I was paralyzed due to a car crash, which Grayson was driving. "She has paraplegia," Dad explained for me. "Paralysis in the lower half of her body. We have to wait for her to get into the surgery, so she's using a wheelchair." "Oh my!" Gertrude said. "How on earth did that happen?!" "Spinal cord injury," I said quickly before Dad could say it was caused by the car accident. Grayson told me he felt guilty about it, but I knew it wasn't his fault, no matter what he said. I was the one who yelled at him and started the argument. Luckily not being asked what caused the spinal cord injury, Grayson pushed me to the spot where the was no chair before taking the spot beside mine. When dinner was served, it started off quiet. Then, Gertrude decided to bring up something I knew Grayson was going to hate. "I'd actually like to talk about Grayson's current living arrangement," she said. Grayson sighed. "Mom..." Gertrude held up a finger to quiet him. "No, let me finish. I think it would be best if you move back home with us." "I can't," Grayson said. "Mom, he's eighteen," Gale said. "And he'll be nineteen in four months. You need to let him make his own decisions." Dad cleared his throat. "With all due respect, Gertrude, I think living here is what's best for Grayson." Gertrude shook her head. "I don't think you know what's best for my son." "But living here is what's best for me," Grayson said. "Besides, Poppy needs me more than ever." "Poppy isn't your responsibility," Gary pointed out. "She's seventeen, she can take care of herself." Honestly, I hated being part of the conversation, but I was a bit appalled by what Gary said. He thought I could take care of myself because I was seventeen, but apparently Grayson couldn't take care of himself. And he was a year older than me. "No, she can't," Grayson said. "She's paralyzed, Dad. It's hard for her to get around the house. She needs someone here when both her parents are working." "And why can't you just go over when that happens?" Gary asked. "You don't have to live here." Gale groaned out loud. "Mom, Dad, how many times do we have to tell you? He's eighteen, almost nineteen, but you're treating him like he can't make his own choices. I thought we were going to have a nice dinner with the McCormicks, not discuss where Grayson lived. If you really wanted to talk about it, you should have called Gene and Izzy. But you shouldn't have to because Grayson, like I've said a hundred times before, he's an adult. He can make his own choices, and moving out is one of them." After that, nobody really said anything else. Gale seemed to have shocked everyone with what she said. That being said, the rest of the dinner was a bit awkward. As soon as it was over Gary and Gertrude thanked Mom and Dad for dinner and left with Ginny. Graeme and Gale hung back a bit, helping Mom and Dad clean up the dishes. "I'm so sorry about my parents," Gale said to Mom and Dad. "Grayson's still their little boy and it's hard for them to accept that he's growing up." "I'm not a little boy," Grayson muttered. "What my sister meant is that he's the youngest boy of the family," Graeme said. "Our parents are probably not going to have any more kids, and letting go of the youngest boy is hard." Dad nodded. "I completely understand. I still remember having to let Tony move out and soon, Poppy will be heading off the college. It's what every parent doesn't want to face." "I'm going to talk to my parents when we get back," Gale said. "Thank you for letting Grayson stay here. He really needed to get away." "Of course," Mom said. "It's been great having him here so far. He's been so helpful around the house." They finished washing the dishes, so she and Dad left the kitchen. Grayson stood up from the table and was about to wheel me out of the dining room when Graeme walked over to him. "I want to apologize to you, Grayson," Graeme said. "I've been the worst brother in the world dating most of your girl friends and, well, the whole incident when Mom left. Having you leave made me realize how much I really hurt you if you wanted to leave so bad." "I have one question," Grayson said. "Why? Why would you do everything you did to me? I was ten when you started beating me and I was thirteen when you hurt me so bad I had to go to the hospital." Graeme sighed. "I honestly have no idea what went through me. The first time, I was scared Dad would hurt me if I didn't do what he wanted, so I joined in. I don't expect you to forgive me, Grayson. But I wanted you to know that I'm sorry." Grayson didn't even reply to his brother. I could tell by the look on his face that he didn't exactly forgive his brother, but he was happy Graeme did apologize. Gale gave Grayson a hug, telling him to take care before she and Graeme left. "Alright," Grayson said. "What do you want to do, Flower?" "Can we watch a movie in my room?" I asked. "Of course," Grayson said. When we got to my room, he helped me into my bed before turning on the TV and grabbing the remote. He climbed into the bed with me and gently pulled me into him. I rested my head on his chest as he wrapped his arm around me. I wasn't even paying attention to the movie Grayson put on. I was too lost in thought, worrying about so much. Grayson ended up noticing something was wrong. "You okay, Flower?" he asked. Not wanting to lie any longer, I shook my head and dug my face into his chest. "You want to talk about it?" "I'm scared," I murmured into his chest. "Of what?" I looked at him, wiping tears from my eyes. "I'm scared I won't be able to get into the surgery. I'm scared that it's actually permanent and not temporary. I'm scared I'll never be able to walk again." Grayson wrapped both his arms around me and pulled me into him as I started to cry. "It's okay," he said softly. "It's normal to be scared. But you'll get into the surgery. You'll be walking again in no time, alright?" He kissed my forehead. "I promise." I hugged Grayson tighter. "I'm still scared. I can't stop thinking about it. What if the surgery..." "Poppy, I promise you that it will go perfectly," Grayson said. "You have nothing to worry about. Just have a nap. Sleep off your fears and I promise you won't be as worried." "Stay with me?" I asked. "Of course," Grayson said, so I closed my eyes and tried sleeping off my fears.