HELL ON WHEELS

By Beej

Part 3: 

“He’s doing fine, physically…he’s still very fragile emotionally, though, and his mood swings are getting worse by the day.”

“Do you want me to come down?”

“That’s very kind, Mike, but I’m not sure it will do any good.”

“Where is he now?”

“He’s down at the pool with Kev. At least he’s keeping up his physio.”

“Not much good if he’s acting like an ass!”

“I know, Mike. He needs to see someone, but says he doesn’t need a shrink.”

“”Hang on in there, Angie. We’ll think of something.  I’ll call again tomorrow to see how you’re both doing.”

“Thanks, Mike.  You’re my rock.”

“That’s what friends are for, sweetheart.  Talk tomorrow.”

“Bye, Mike.”

Angie switched off the phone, sat on the sofa, and cried.  She’d been doing a lot of that since their return to Sydney, always when Jake wasn’t there.  He had enough to cope with and didn’t need a crying wife on his hands as well.  So, she tried to be strong when he was home.

“Angie Mitchell.”

“Angie…it’s Jenny.  Where are you?”

“At the quay.  I’m waiting for the Manly ferry…what’s that noise?”

“It’s Jake.  Can you get over here?”

“I’m on my way.”

Angie put her phone away and started to run from the quay towards the office building.  When she arrived, she realised that she didn’t  have her lift key, so had to stop and ask security to release the lock to the 12^th floor.  On leaving the lift, all was relatively quiet so she rushed up to Jenny.

“He’s stopped throwing things now,” Jenny said, rising from her desk.

“What happened?”

“We don’t know.  He’s been a bit quiet all morning.  Brian went in to show him something on the books and all of a sudden he just blew.  Brian got out just before Jake’s laptop hit the door.”

“Has he locked himself in?”

“No, but every time we tried to go inside, he threw something else to keep us out.”

“Well, this just won’t do.  I’m going in to see if he’s okay.”

“Be careful, Angie.”

She walked over to Jake’s door and knocked it gently. “AJ, it’s me. I’m coming in.”

She pushed the door open slowly and peeked inside. Jake was sitting at his desk, his head resting on his hands.  She thought she saw his shoulders shake. Stopping by his side, she placed her hand on his shoulder.  He shot up instantly, blindly knocking her hand away.

“Get out and leave me alone!”

“Jake, it’s me.”

“GET AWAY FROM ME!”

Angie wiped a tear from her eye and turned to go. She was half way to the door before she heard him sob.

“Angie?”

“I’m here, darling.”

“Help me…please!”

In two strides she was back at his side and holding him as he sobbed in her arms. She untangled herself from him and stepped behind him, pulling his chair out from behind the desk and pushing him towards the sofa.  She put the brake on and waited for him to get himself from the chair onto the sofa, then she wheeled it away and sat beside him, allowing him to lay with his head on her lap until he’d settled down.  She then called Jenny.

“Can you see if Drew can come up for a minute please, Jen?”

“Consider it done, Angie.  I’ve also sent someone to put the kettle on,” she grinned, thinking of the in joke between them that despite all the years she’d lived in Oz, she’d never lost the British idea that a good cup of tea solved most anything.

Drew arrived almost immediately and went straight into the office.  Jake was still lying with his head in Angie’s lap, and his eyes were closed.

“Jake?”

Jake opened his eyes and looked over at Drew.  He sighed and closed them again, reaching out for Angie’s hand.

“It’s been coming on for a while now, Drew.  He’s been having major mood swings, and it looks like everything just boiled over this morning.”

Drew crouched down in front of them.  “Jake? Can you open your eyes for me?”

Jake did so, somewhat reluctantly.  Drew shone his light pen into them and nodded to himself.  “Now, do you think you could sit up? I can help if you want.”

Jake stared at him for a moment, and then took the offered hand, allowing Drew to help him sit up.  He then did the normal ‘doctor things’, taking his blood pressure, pulse and listening to his heart and chest.  He’d just finished when the door opened and Jenny walked in pushing a small trolley.

“I’ve brought us all a nice hot drink.  I think we could all do with one.”

Drew and Angie took the offered mugs, and as Jenny offered one to Jake, he gave her an embarrassed smile before he accepted it, mouthing “sorry” to her.  By the time they had finished their drinks, and Drew had spent a long time talking quietly to him, Jake seemed to have calmed down a lot, so Drew offered to drive him and Angie home.

“If it’s okay, Drew, I think I’d rather ‘walk’,” Jake said quietly.

“No worries, the fresh air will do you the world of good.  Would you mind if I join you?”

“If you insist. I might even let you push when we get to the hill.”

Drew smiled at Angie and Jenny, a bit of the old Jake seemed to be fighting its way to the surface.  Jake kissed Jenny goodbye and promised to call her later that evening, then they made their way out of the building and headed towards Woolloomooloo.  Jake was quiet until they hit the boardwalk, and then turned in his chair to look up at Drew.

“I’ve made a real mess of my life, haven’t I?”

Drew squatted down in front of him before he answered.  “No, mate, the sick fuck who put two bullets in you is the cause of all this, but you can get back on track…all you need to do is allow people to help you.  Let’s go up to the apartment and I’ll tell you what I have in mind.”                

Jake decided that he needed to feel the breeze on his face, so once they were up in the apartment, he and Drew went out onto the balcony to talk.  Jake wheeled across to the rails and closed his eyes.

“Speak.”

Drew cleared his throat. “Jake, I know that you don’t want to talk to a ‘shrink’, and that’s not what I’m suggesting.  I know a very good counsellor who does excellent work.  Now, her schedule is pretty full, but she’s agreed to make time for you…should you want to go.”

Jake opened one eye to look at his friend, “And what if I get there but don’t want to talk?”

“She’s a very patient woman,” Drew grinned.

“I don’t need therapy.”

“Would you at least give her one visit, and let her be the judge of that?”

“One visit?”

“Yeah, just one hour.”

Jake sighed.  “Well, I guess it’s the only way I’m gonna shut you up about it, and I’ll admit that things are getting to me.  Go ahead and make the arrangement.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go lie down for a bit.”

“Headache?”

“No…earache,”   Jake replied, wheeling himself towards the stairs.

Drew smiled as he watched his friend slowly ascend on his stair lift.  He took his cell out and made the call.

Wednesday morning found a very grumpy Jake in front of the office of one Doctor Isabelle Scott.  He didn’t want to go inside, but he’d promised both Angie and Drew, and he always kept his word.  He wheeled himself inside and up to a friendly-looking receptionist.

“I have an appointment with Dr. Scott.”

“Good morning, Mr. Mitchell, You’re a bit early, but if you’d like to go through to the waiting lounge, it shouldn’t be too long,” the receptionist smiled in reply.

“How did you know who I was?”

“You’re the only new face on the block, Mr. Mitchell.  Can I get you something to drink while you wait?”

“A glass of water would be good, thanks, miss.”

“My name is Julie. Feel free to use it.”

Jake couldn’t help but smile at her cheerfulness, and almost managed a chuckle when she winked at him after handing him his water. He moved over to a corner and settled down to wait.  It was nice and quiet and he used the peace to think.  It didn’t last long, though. The silence was broken by the outer door slamming open and a rebel yell preceding the occupant of  a graffiti-covered wheelchair, who stormed up to the reception area.  

“G’Day, beautiful.”

“Good morning, Shannon. You’re way too early.”

“All the more time to spend with you, Julie my love.”

“Behave yourself and go sit in the lounge, will you?” Julie requested before lowering her voice and continuing.  “There’s a newbie in there, Shannon. See if you can keep him company. He looks like he really doesn’t want to be here at all.”

“Will do, gorgeous.  What’s his name?”

“His details say Aaron Mitchell.”

“Ta, luv.  Any chance of a cuppa?”

“You know there is.  I’ll bring in some bikkies as well.”

Shannon wheeled himself through to the lounge and looked at Jake.  He was still in the corner sitting quite still, but Shannon noticed that his eyes didn’t miss a thing.  He stopped close to Jake, but not too close, and said hello.  Jake didn’t answer.”

Never one to pass up on a challenge, Shannon carried on trying to get Jake to speak.  Before he could get anything out of him though, Dr. Scott came out of her office and walked over.  “Mr. Mitchell?  Please follow me,” she smiled, patting Shannon on the shoulder as she passed.  “You’re way too early, Shannon. Don’t eat all my biscuits.”

“I’ll try not to, Doc.”

 “Make yourself comfortable, Mr. Mitchell, or may I call you Aaron?”

“Jake.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Most people call me Jake. Only my dad and Emily call me Aaron.”

“Emily?”

“My grandmother.”

“Ah, you’re close?”

“She brought me up.”

“Any reason for that?”

“That’s none of your business…Doctor.”

“Sorry…Jake. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I’m not upset. It’s just none of your business is all.”

“My notes tell me you’re a military man.”

“Was.”

“Not anymore?”

“Hardly,” Jake sneered, wondering why he’d let himself be talked into this.

“Would you like to tell me about your military career?”

“I could…but then I’d have to kill you.”

“Nice, Jake.  So there’s a bit of humour hiding in there somewhere evidently.”

Jake sat and took a real good look at Dr. Scott.  She was a pretty woman, maybe in her late thirties.  She had smile lines around her eyes and her mouth had a perpetual smile.  Maybe he could bring himself to talk with her…maybe.

Before he knew it, his time was up.  He hadn’t talked much about the shooting, or the aftermath, but Isabelle had kept it nice and light, encouraging him to chat about anything but his injury and condition.  She was very good at her job and had managed to relax him into giving her more than one word answers.  She was annoyed when his hour was up as she felt she was beginning to get him to a point where he might open up a little.  She walked him to the door and followed him out.

“If you want to wait for a few minutes, Jake. I’ll arrange your next appointment.”

He nodded and rolled over to the side of the lounge, close to Shannon. “G’Day again, mate.  My name’s Shannon Cross.”

“Aaron Mitchell.”

“Pleased to meet ya, mate.  What you doing for the rest of the morning?”

“What’s it to ya?”

“I’m off down the gym.  You look like a bloke that looks after yourself. Thought you might want to join me.“

“I can’t hang around here for an hour waiting for you,” Jake replied.

“An hour?  Oh, no worries. I’m not here to see the doc. I come in on Wednesdays ‘cos it’s close to the gym and Julie makes a bonzer cuppa.”

“I thought the doc said you were early.”

“Yeah, I don’t usually get here until closer to lunch. Decided to make an early start today.”

“There you go, Jake.  Same time next week, but if you need to talk to me sooner my office and cell number are on the back of the appointment card.”

“Ta, Doc.  Appreciate it.”

“You away now, Shannon?”

“Yeah, Doc. You’ve run out of bikkies.”

“Maybe next time you’ll bring some in yourself.”

“Get off the grass, Doc.” Shannon laughed turning towards the door. “C’mon, mate, let’s get outta here.”

Dr. Scott and Julie both smiled as they watched Jake follow Shannon through the door.

“Shannon couldn’t have chosen a better time to drop by, could he, Izzy.”

“Yes, lucky, wasn’t it.”

“You up to your tricks again?”

“Well, who would you choose as the best one to bring Jake Mitchell out of his dark place?”

“You’re right, as usual.  I don’ think we’ve ever had anyone adjust so well to his dramatic change of life, especially one of his age.”

“I think we might see a difference in Mr. Mitchell next week.”

True to his word, the gym was only just a short distance from the doctor’s office. Instead of taking Jake in the weight room, where he thought they would end up, Shannon took him right through to the back to a lift. They went one floor down, where a full size sports hall was situated. As well as a basketball court, there was also badminton, squash courts and archery. Jake was amazed.  All the years he’d been in Sydney, he’d never known this facility was here.

Wheeling to the side of the basketball court, Shannon looked at his watch.  “Won’t be long now.”

“For what?”

“The rest of the team to arrive.”

“Are you playing basketball then?”

“No, mate.  Much better than that.  Wait and see.”

A couple of minutes later the hall was full of wheelchair-bound men.  Most of them seemed to be around his age, and Shannon looked to be the youngest in the group.  An able-bodied man followed them out with a large net full of balls, not basketballs, as Shannon had already told him, but rugby balls.

“You ever played footy, Jake?”

“Union, in the forces.”

“Union?”

“Fair go, mate.  I’m a Kiwi, was brought up on it.”

“Shit!  Well we play league here, mate.  Do you think you could manage to suss out the rules?”

“I’ve played it over here, mate.  Not too sure about on wheels, though.”

Shannon looked at Jake’s wheelchair for a minute and smiled.  “That’s a nice-looking set of wheels, mate. Must have cost a pretty penny.  It looks nice and light.  Can I have a try?”

“Why not?  Let’s get over to the bench and switch.”

Jake got himself onto the bench while Shannon tried out his wheels.  The men took to the court and were soon racing up and down in a very spirited game of wheelchair footy.  Jake was amazed at how fast and skilful they all were.  He was also full of admiration for their courage in the tackles.

At half time, Shannon wheeled back to Jake and switched again into his own chair.  “You have a great chair there, mate. It’s light, fast, and strong.  If you want to join in anytime, this should be more than good enough. It would save you forking out for one especially for sport.”

“Is that what the others do?”

“Most of the others use the sports chairs that are donated to our club. They have a ‘normal’ chair for their work, and some of them just can’t afford to have two.  You know yourself how much these beauties cost.”

“You have your own, though,” Jake stated, looking at Shannon’s artwork-covered chair.

“Yeah, I was lucky enough to be able to afford the best for both sides of my life. My settlement saw to that.  I have a spare at home.  Sometimes I find myself going to places where the graffiti isn’t appreciated.“

Jake joined in with the laughter and looked around at the other men, who were making their way over to where he sat.  Shannon made the introductions and Jake was asked if he were going to join the club.  When he said he wasn’t sure of how much time he could spare, he was told that they met Wednesday and Friday for two hours during the day, Monday and Tuesday evenings, and usually had a game alternate Saturdays and Sundays.

“Hey man, if that’s too much for you to manage, you could maybe just come along a couple of times a week, and maybe to watch the game,” a big man at the back of the group said.

“I’ll give it some thought,” Jake replied, looking at his watch. “Sorry, I’ve gotta go, I’m being picked up soon.“

“Call and cancel, if you want to stick around that is.  I can drive you home. We can stop off for coffee on the way,” Shannon told him.

“You’re on,” Jake replied, and smiled for the first time since he’d been at the gym.  Shannon was pleased to see him smile.  He looked a lot younger when he did.

Training over, everyone headed home, and Jake followed Shannon to where his car was parked.

“Nice wheels, mate,” Jake remarked.

“Yeah, she gets me from A to B.  Had a lot of modification done. All the controls are on the wheel, and of course she’s automatic.  You get in first, and I’ll put your wheels in the back.”

Jake got into the passenger seat and watched as Shannon put his chair in the back, then sat and watched how easy he made it look to get behind the wheel and twist round to dump his own chair behind him.

“Another reason to have a light chair.  A normal one isn’t so easy to get in and out on my own, and I don’t like having to get my dad to help all the time.”

“I’m impressed, mate.  If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to you about a few things.”

“No worries. You want to stop for a coffee?”

“You could come back to my place so we can drink one in comfort,” Jake replied.

“You’re on.  Where do ya live?”

“Finger Wharf.”

“Wow…nice place.  I’ve been to a function at the Blue there once.  You have good taste, my friend.”

Shannon didn’t say too much when they arrived at the residents' parking area, but after parking in one of Jake’s spots he mentioned that he’d always wondered where people parked at the wharf. They rode the lift up to Jake’s floor and he led the way along the walkway to his door.  Angie was in the kitchen when she heard the door close.

“How did it go, darling…oh, sorry, I thought you were on your own.”

“Hey, baby,” Jake replied, kissing Angie before making the introductions. “This is Shannon. We met at the doctor’s office.  Shannon, this is Angie, my beautiful wife.”

“G’Day, Angie. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Thank you, Shannon.  Would you both like a drink?”

“Please, Luv, could you bring it out on the balcony?”

“Will do. Tea okay?”

The men both nodded and then wheeled over to the balcony.  Shannon watched as Jake negotiated the step.  He was impressed. He had the feeling that Jake was very new to this mode of transport.

“Can I ask you a question, Jake?”  Jake nodded. “How long have you been in the chair?”

Jake found himself telling Shannon everything that had happened, and was even persuaded to go back to his army days and how the bad feelings Collin had for him had started.  Angie was amazed at how he was opening up to his new friend, and sat quietly listening to them both as she drank her tea.  Jake finished his story and took a sip of his tea.

“One more question if I may, Jake.  Julie told me your name is Aaron, but Doc. Scott called you Jake.”

“My first name is Aaron, but only my grandmother, her rellies back in NZ, and my father call me that.  Most everyone else calls me Jake. My second name is Jacob,” Jake smiled in reply. “Now, would it be okay if we heard your story?”

Shannon began telling them both how he ended up in the chair. He had been a junior champion athlete before a cruel accident had happened 18 months previously.  He had been cycling as part of his training when a drunk driver had driven his truck right into Shannon, throwing him off his bike to land in the road ahead.  The truck kept going and he ended up under the wheels.”   

“I thought you looked familiar,” Angie remarked.  “I’ve seen you in action, pole vault, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, I was tipped for the 2012 Olympic team,” Shannon answered.

“I remember now. The DD case was all over the news, wasn’t it.  Didn’t you sue both the driver and the company he worked for?”

“That would have been my dad.  He took over everything after the accident.  When I left the hospital, he sold his place and went looking for a new, custom built place for a wheelchair user.  He then got me to sell my unit and we ended up living together.   He’s over-protective and didn’t want me joining the footy team, but as soon as we became successful, he decided it was a good thing.  I’m afraid he’s a publicity junkie, but he’s me dad.”

“Footy team?” Angie asked.

“Yeah, it’s great, Luv.  I went to watch them train,” Jake grinned.

“Don’t tell me…”

“I’d like to give it a go,” Jake replied.

And so began the next phase in Jake’s recovery…