The Healing Quilt (2 page)

Sarasota

Kyle Wilson stopped near the living-room couch. His fifteen-year-old daughter, Erika, sat in her wheelchair in front of the window facing the bay. She seemed so forlorn, with head down and shoulders slumped. But then, that was nothing new for her these days. Once full of life and unafraid, Erika was a different person now. She’d been despondent for more than a year—ever since her accident.

Kyle reflected on the event that had left his only child paralyzed from the waist down. Erika had invited two of her friends over to swim in their pool. They’d had a great time, laughing, splashing each other, and taking turns competing on the diving board.

Erika had learned to swim when she was a young girl. Kyle and his wife, Gayle, had nicknamed her “tadpole” because she loved the water so much. Last year when Erika turned fourteen, her interest turned to diving and trying different techniques off the springboard. Kyle was truly amazed at how fearless his daughter had been. She’d seemed to be good at everything, no matter what she attempted.

Kyle’s throat constricted as he recalled how the accident happened….

“Come on, Erika, it’s getting late, and you’re tired. I think you’d better get out of the pool.”

“In a few minutes, Dad. I just wanna do one more dive,” Erika protested. “It’s called a ‘forward reverse.’”

Kyle could almost feel her eagerness as she climbed out of the pool and clambered up the diving-board ladder, so he let it go. He watched as Erika stood forward on the board, staring down at the pool’s blue depth, her honey-blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, with water still dripping off the ends. As she leaped into the air, her body arching backward, it was like watching in slow-motion as her head and shoulders cleared the board
.

Kyle held his breath. His daughter’s fluid motion seemed to go perfectly. But instead of Erika’s body straightening out after clearing the board, she made a wrong move. Her body came out of the arc at an odd angle, throwing her off-balance
.

Kyle stared in horror as Erika’s back and legs hit the board with a terrible crack. He watched helplessly as she bounced off the board and let out a scream as she fell into the water. Something had gone terribly wrong
.

He leaped out of his chair, knowing he had to get his precious daughter help as quickly as possible
.

Sweat beaded on Kyle’s forehead as his mind snapped back to the present.
It’s my fault she’s crippled
, he berated himself for the umpteenth time.
If only I’d insisted she quit for the day, before she did that stupid dive. If I’d known what Erika had in mind, I would have stopped her before it was too late. I’m a doctor who treats many children every year, but I couldn’t help my own daughter because the damage to her spine could not be fixed
.

Kyle clenched his fingers until his nails dug into the palms of his hands. Erika’s accident had been the second traumatic event he’d faced in a relatively short time. Kyle’s beautiful wife had died a year earlier from injuries she’d sustained when her car was broadsided by a truck. Truth was, Kyle felt guilty about Gayle’s accident, too. She’d asked him to run to the store that rainy evening to pick up some baking soda she’d forgotten when she’d gone shopping earlier in the day. Gayle had all the other ingredients she needed to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies, Kyle’s favorite. But Kyle had said he was too tired after a long day at the hospital to run to the store. So Gayle had gone out on her own. If Kyle had been driving the car, he might have avoided the accident. Even if he’d been the one killed, Erika would at least still have her mother.

Kyle rubbed a pulsating spot on his forehead. He knew all the
if only
s and
what if
s wouldn’t change the facts, but it was hard not to be consumed by guilt—especially when he’d had to watch his daughter struggle with her disability. Erika needed something to look forward to each day—something meaningful to do with her time. He’d tried to interest her in some creative projects she could do from her wheelchair—like making beaded jewelry and painting—but she’d flatly refused. She wasn’t even interested in playing her violin anymore. Gone was her dream of becoming a high school cheerleader, swimming, and going to dances. Erika seemed to think her life was over, and that grieved him immensely.

Should I force the issue and hire someone to come in and teach Erika something despite her objections?
he wondered.
Would she cooperate if I did?

The phone rang, startling Kyle out of his musings.

“I’ll get it, Dad,” Erika said, seeming to notice him for the first time. “At least answering the phone is something I can manage.”

Kyle couldn’t help noticing her sarcastic tone. Did she really feel that she wasn’t capable of doing anything more than answering the telephone?

Dear Lord
, he silently prayed.
Please help me find something beneficial for my daughter to do
.

“Come here, girl!” Kim Morris called as her dog frolicked on the beach, kicking up sand. The black-and-tan German shepherd ignored her and chased after a seagull.

Kim clapped her hands. “Stop that, Maddie, right now!”

Apparently tired of chasing the gull, Maddie darted in the direction of a young boy playing in the sand with his bucket and shovel. Thinking the child might be frightened by the dog, Kim picked up a stick and called Maddie again. “Come on, girl, let’s play fetch!”

Woof! Woof!
Maddie raced to Kim’s side, eagerly wagging her tail.

Kim flung the stick into the water and laughed as Maddie darted in after it. The dog might be six years old, but she had the energy of a pup.

Coming out of the water and bounding across the sand, Maddie dropped the stick a few inches from Kim’s bare toes. Kim grunted and picked it up. She would toss it a few more times, and then it would be time to get off the beach. It wouldn’t be good if she were late to work her first day on the job. Being fairly new to the area, Kim was glad she’d been hired as a waitress at a restaurant a short distance from the small community known as Pinecraft. A lot of Amish and Mennonites lived in Pinecraft, either full- or part-time, and she’d been told that the restaurant business during the winter months was always the best because of so many visitors.

I just hope I don’t lose this job because of my klutziness
, Kim thought as she gave the stick another good toss, and Maddie tore after it.
I can’t live on unemployment forever, and I need this job if I’m gonna start a new life for myself
.

Kim had moved from her home state of North Carolina to Sarasota a few months ago, hoping to start a new life with her boyfriend, Darrell. But things hadn’t worked out, and they’d broken up. Rather than moving back home and admitting to her folks that she’d lost another boyfriend, Kim had decided to stay in Florida and make the best of the situation. Since she loved the beach and enjoyed year-round warmer weather, she thought she could be happy living here, even without Darrell. Kim’s track record with men wasn’t that good, and she was beginning to doubt whether she’d ever find the right one. For now, though, she needed to settle into her new job, make a few friends, and find something creative to do in her spare time. Hopefully, this would give her life more meaning. Making friends shouldn’t be that difficult, as she’d always been a people person. Finding something creative to do shouldn’t be that hard, either. The thing Kim worried about most was keeping her job, but with determination to do her best, she was sure that would work out, too. At least she hoped it would. If it didn’t, she might be forced to return to North Carolina, and that would mean admitting to her folks that she’d failed again.

P
hyllis Barstow smiled across the dinner table at her husband, Mike. “How’d it go on the boat today?” she questioned.

“The fishing went fine, but my boat started acting up. If it keeps on, I’ll have to take it in for an evaluation. Things are busy right now, with all the visitors in town, and I can’t afford to lose any business.” He took a drink of his lemonade.

“Well, don’t take any chances with the boat,” Phyllis cautioned. “I don’t want you getting stranded in the middle of the gulf or the bay—especially with a boat full of people.”

Mike pulled his fingers through the ends of his dark, wavy hair. “You worry too much, Phyllis. I’m not gonna get stranded.” He finished his pancakes, pushed away from the table, and stood. “I need to get going. See you this evening, hon.” He gave Phyllis a quick peck on the cheek, grabbed the lunch she’d packed for him, and raced out the back door.

Phyllis sighed. Mike had become a workaholic. His charter fishing boat seemed to be his life these days, and his relationship with her was no longer at the top of his list. Even though she went on the boat with him sometimes to help out, it wasn’t the same as spending time alone with her husband, since Mike was busy with the people who paid him to take them fishing.

Ever since their twin girls, Elaine and Elizabeth, had gone off to college, Phyllis had been trying to get Mike to pay more attention to her. But work always came first. She was forty-five and he was forty-six, and since they weren’t getting any younger, she hated to see him pulling away from her—especially when a boat and fish were what seemed to be coming between them.

Phyllis reached for her cup of coffee and drank the last of it.
What I need is something fun and creative to do that won’t leave me smelling like fish
. She tapped her fingers along the edge of the table.
Maybe I should take that quilting class I read about on the bulletin board at the supermarket the other day. At least it would be something to look forward to, and it would give me the opportunity to be creative
.

She reached for the phone.
Think I’ll give the teacher a call and see if she has room in her class for one more student. This will certainly be an adventure…something I’ve never done before
.

As Noreen Webber drove home from her hair appointment, a sense of satisfaction welled in her soul. She had wanted a red sports car since she was eighteen years old and had finally purchased one last week, on her sixty-fifth birthday. The car not only looked cute, but it had all the bells and whistles. She’d waited a long time to have the car of her dreams, and just sitting in the vehicle, not to mention driving it, caused her to feel like a teenager again. So much so, that it made her wish she was young again and could flirt the next time she saw a good-looking guy.