Page 75 of There Once was a Dancer
“Actually, Mickey, Napoleon, Alain, and Patsy came over last night to take inventory and go shopping while Nash and Joshua scrubbed the floors,” Candy said.
My jaw dropped open. “What?”
“Yeah,” Mars replied, “and ya forgot to tell ‘im that Raven and Miguel did your bathrooms and changed ya sheets.” He bent over and pulled a large Tupperware container off the fridge’s top shelf and opened the lid. Inside were neatly stacked empanadas in rows. “Cachi made these for ya.” He pointed inside. “These are chicken and these are mushroom, green olive, and cheese. ‘E says it’s a Puerto Rican recipe. Shall I ‘eat some up?”
I swallowed, unable to say anything since my mouth had gone totally dry. I nodded. “Thanks,” I croaked out.
“While those heat up, there’s something else we wanted to show you,” Candy said.
“Somethin’ else?”
Mars grinned at me and patted me on the back. “Candy forgot to mention that while Raven and Miguel cleaned up the bathroom, they added something for ya.”
I furrowed my brow. Now I was really curious. “Okay.”
Candy turned on the microwave and then followed Mars and me as I wheeled down the hall, through my bedroom, and into the en suite bathroom. I saw it, the minute I rolled in. The tub’s glass enclosure was wide open and inside, I immediately noticed the grab bars someone had installed on the tile walls. Someone had put a sturdy plastic seat inside the tub so that I could position myself right below the shower spray. I shook my head and glanced back at my two friends who smiled from the doorway.
“Miguel and Raven did this?”
“Yeah. In case you’re alone in the house, you can take a shower,” Candy said, walking into the room. He scooted past me and pulled the newly installed handheld showerhead out of its cradle, handing it to me. It was one of those long ones with a flexible cord and a large rainfall showerhead. “Just turn on the taps and you don’t have to stand to use the shower.”
I marveled at the thoughtfulness as I leaned over and set the shower head back in the cradle, feeling my eyes blur with tears. I deliberately didn’t look either man in the eyes as I cleared my throat.
“That was real nice of the guys. I gotta call and thank ‘em.”
“There’s also a grab bar for the toilet,” Mars said, pointing out the bar which had been added to take the place of the tissue roll. The toilet paper was now sitting in a brand spanking new holder which sat on the floor within grabbing distance of the toilet. I could picture myself using the bar to help move from the wheelchair to the toilet seat.
“Wow, that’s amazin’.” I swallowed hard and looked at the guys, trying hard not to lose it entirely in front of them. I cleared my throat again. “Well, let’s see if them empanadas are hot.”
The three of us sat at the table and ate the most delicious food I’d probably ever had. I was silent throughout the meal and after all the dishes had been washed and put away, the two men headed for the front door. I buzzed along behind them, stopping when they did. Candy turned, glancing around the house before looking back at me. “It felt strange leaving you here to fend for yourself, so you’re gonna have company in an hour or so.”
“Company?”
Candy nodded. “Alain is going to be moving in for a few days, just until you feel confident in getting around on your own.”
I shook my head. “Candy, that ain’t necessary.”
He exchanged a look with Mars before glancing back. “The whole team made an executive decision about it, so there’ll be no arguments, Monroe. Oh, and you should know he’ll also be around to do errands whenever you need him during his off hours, once he moves out. You know his apartment is right around the corner.”
“That’s real nice, Candy, but where’s he gonna bunk? It’s a small house.”
He grinned. “I forgot to mention the guys cleaned out that spare bedroom you never use and made the bed up with fresh sheets.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out my phone, holding it out to me. “I almost forgot to leave this with you. I retrieved it with your other belongings in your hospital room closet. Someone must have found it on your person when they brought you to the ER. It’ll need a good, long charge. Keep it with you and don’t even hesitate to call Alain…or any of us if you need help.”
I was so damned humbled it wasn’t even funny. “Thanks, Candy. You guys goin’ back to the office?”
He nodded, looking at his watch. “Yeah, but you can expect Alain in about an hour, like I said. Oh, and I’ll be back with Raven and Judy this evening.”
I frowned. “What for?”
“To go over the raid we have planned for tomorrow night.”
“What?”
“I—ah—sorry, I forgot to tell you. We’re raiding the office building tomorrow night.” Before I could ask more questions, he patted me on the shoulder. “Full briefing at six p.m., okay?”
It’d been a day of pleasant surprises. “Yeah, thanks, guys, and please—” I cleared my throat again. “Tell the team what they done for me, was real nice.”
“You’d do the same for us, Rex,” Mars said.
