Challen and Addy

Chapter 23 (Challen): My Pleasure

Copyright © 2025 by GroveltoHEA

The first thing I did when I woke up Saturday was look outside and check the weather. The sun was just up and it looked beautiful, so I checked the weather on my phone and it looked clear all day for the entire state.

I was nervous for some reason, so I went for a five-mile run, came home and showered, then headed for the store. If my guess was right, snacks would be welcome and I bought a huge variety with different textures and an assortment of drinks. I'd already purchased tickets for the boat tour and had pretty much memorized the menus for the two restaurants near the lake.

On the way home, I topped off the gas tank and then decided to run it through the car wash and vacuum the seats and the floor mats even though they were already clean.

I still had an hour to wait before I left by the time I got that done, so I checked in with my mother and we chatted for a bit and she told me that Addy had written her a short note thanking her for the cards and cookies she'd sent to her.

Still forty-five minutes to go. I called Sebastian, but he was trying to calm down my niece who was screaming and he didn't have Layana as backup since she was at a yoga class so we couldn't talk for long. 

At that point I decided to just head over to the Center and do my pacing there. At ten twenty-five, I headed in and found Addy and Grady just coming into the common room. 

"It's a beautiful day," I said. "Ready for a trip to Lake Hatchet?"

"Let's go," Grady said and wheeled himself out the door.

"Let's go," Addy echoed.

"Addy, I know you're working on your hands and wrists in OT, so I'm going to ask: do you want me to push your chair? Or, if you need a break, I can push you. Just putting it out there."

"I'll let you know," she said. "But thank you."

"I'll sit in the front," Grady said from beside my car that I'd been told to park in the covered drive when I picked up Addy and Grady today.

Not unexpected.

"Not a problem. There's more leg room for you."

Opening the door for him, I stood by, ready to help as Grady maneuvered himself into the front seat. I shut the door and folded up his chair, ready to put it into the back.

"I've moved my seat up so you have more leg room," I told Addy quietly. "There's a cooler beside you with drinks, and a bag with all sorts of different snacks, different textures."

Her eyes widened. 

"It took me a minute, but he reminded me of -- "

"Jackson," we both said my brother's name together.

"Sometimes misses social cues, doesn't have a filter."

"Yes, very similar to Jackson," she said.

"Let's get you in the car," I said. "Give you both a good day away from the Center."

Addy also got into the car by herself, not wanting me to help, but I was there in case she changed her mind or faltered.

We drove along for a while, all of us quiet until Grady broke the silence. "It's nice you can be here to take us out. My wife had to stay back home with our baby."

I looked over at Grady, but he was looking out the window.

"Do you have a boy or a girl?"

"A girl."

"What's her name? How old is she?"

"Her name's Rosabel. She's almost four months old, and she's still in the hospital. That's why my wife isn't here with me."