Somebody to You

Ch. 61

Nick

It had been almost exactly six weeks after the accident that changed most of our lives & it was also almost one year that my brother married the love of his life. I was sitting on a weight bench in Joe's gym that I helped him set up in the enclosed porch off the back of his house. Joe was with Lindsay, doing leg exercises & as I watched him, I felt so much admiration & pride for my little brother. He had come so far in the last few weeks, it was like he was a new man.

"Let's not overdo it, okay? We should stop for today." Lindsay said to Joe as she put his leg down & stood up.

"Wait." Joe said, reaching for her arm. "Can I show my brother what I did yesterday? Will you help me?" Joe asked, his expression pleading with her.

Lindsay glanced at me as I sat up a little straighter & she sighed. "Okay. Fine." She went to get a walker & put it in front of Joe. He put his hands on it & Lindsay put her hand under his armpit & she helped him stand up. I watched with my mouth hanging open as Joe stood, by himself, after Lindsay let go of him.

Joe was grinning, proudly as he stood there & I almost jumped up from the bench I had been sitting on. "Holy shit, bro! You're fucking standing." I laughed, taking a few steps toward Joe.

He nodded. "Tomorrow we're going to work on taking some steps. I'm hoping I can take a few steps by this weekend for my anniversary."

Lindsay helped Joe into his wheelchair. "He's making amazing progress, actually. He's got almost all the feeling back so I don't see any reason why he shouldn't be able to start a hardcore physical therapy regimen sometime in the next few weeks. I think, with his determination & strength, he could be walking without assistance by Halloween." She said, smiling at me.

"Are you kidding? That's like a little over a month away?" I was almost laughing I was so happy.

"Your brother is very strong & he has set his mind to it." She shrugged. "I'm going to go in & make you a protein shake, okay?"

Joe nodded & after Lindsay walked away, I put my hand on his shoulder & shook him as I made noises of excitement. "This is fucking awesome, bro." He nodded, still smiling up at me. "You're a fucking warrior."

"Do me a favor, though. Keep this between us. I want to surprise Chloe." Joe said & I nodded, smiling at him.

Joe & I sat, talking for a little while, then I got a phone call. It was my Realtor telling me that my offer on the house was accepted. "It's official. I'm moving in on October first." I said to Joe, with my arms out.

"Congratulations man! Is Demi moving in with you?" He asked.

"I don't know. Probably not. She wants to be married or at least engaged before she moves in with someone." I replied, taking a sip of my shake that Lindsay made.

"So when the fuck are you gonna propose?"

I sighed, heavily. "As soon as I find a ring."

"What's the problem?"

"I think you were right when you had suggested designing a ring. I mean no ring is jumping out at me, screaming, 'Demi would love that' because I have no idea what kind of ring she would even like. I can't even begin to design one until I know what she wants." I laughed, leaning on my knees.

"Have someone help you find out what she would want." Joe said, like it was the most simple solution. I nodded, thinking he was right. I needed to find someone to help me.

I left Joe's a little later & headed to Demi's to tell her the news about the house. When I got there, Jules was just leaving. "Hey, Nick. Demi's upstairs giving Damon a bath." Jules said as she stepped off the porch.