Just The Way You Like It - Under Construction

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Two

Alice had managed to make it through her first meal with Dr. Hansen, but her nerves were so bad that she had also managed to make herself look like a pig. The food was so good though, and she couldn't help herself. Blake was so kind to her, letting Alice order whatever she wanted, and pushing and pulling her along through the snow. She couldn't wait until she was able to walk again, she felt so dependent on Dr. Hansen, and she didn't like it. In Alice's head, she promised herself that she would double her efforts in therapy, and hopefully would start walking soon.

After leaving the restaurant, Alice's nerves were almost at a breaking point. She tried to imagine what Dr. Hansen's house was going to look like. Even worse, she couldn't help but imagine Holly inside waiting for their arrival. Her focus jolted as Dr. Hansen's car came to a sudden stop. Turning her head, Alice came face to face with the most beautiful house she had ever seen. Alice later learned the style of the house was called Tudor. It's peaked roofs and sloped doorways looked very inviting. There was a porch that looked as if it wrapped all the way around the house, and a swing was hanging from the ceiling by the front door. Little window boxes that would hold flowers in the spring and summer, now were of course barren. But, in Alice's mind she could easily envision them filled to the brim with cascading vines and flowers.

The whole scene took her breath away. Alice had never been to a place as nice as this before, at least not that she could remember. Knowing that this was going to be her new home, was making her want to cry. She continued to stare at the handsome architecture as Dr. Hansen once again placed her back into her wheelchair and got her up onto the front porch. Upon entering the house, Alice could tell that it had the same style and design as the outside. The only difference being that the inside was a lot less clean that the outside. Not that it was really dirty or messy, it just looked uncared for, whereas the outside was pristine. It made Alice think that maybe nobody really lived in this house at all. White sheets covered most of the furniture and the sun shining in the windows made the dust motes shimmer all around her.

Once inside, Alice took a hold of her wheels, and started pushing herself around. She had gotten pretty good at maneuvering her chair around, even though she still needed help when she was outside. The snow on the ground always made it difficult for Alice, and her arms were not quite strong enough to do it on her own. Dr. Hansen walked next to Alice as she wheeled herself around. The house seemed very handicap accessible, and Dr. Hansen explained to Alice that his dad had been in a wheelchair for the last few years of his life, and so most of the house had been renovated to suit his needs.

There were two bedrooms on the first floor, along with the kitchen, living-room, Dr. Hansen's office, and a mud room. The kitchen was the room Alice liked best; it was very large with an island in the middle. It looked like the kind of kitchen that would work well for entertaining. Thoughts of Holly crept back into Alice's head, and she wondered if Holly liked the kitchen as much as she did. It was pretty obvious to her that Holly wasn't home, and she sent up a mental 'thank you' to who ever had given her that gift.

Dr. Hansen told Alice that her room was on the first floor with easy access to just about anything she would need. After showing her around, he set to the task of getting her few belongings moved in. It only took five or so minutes to set everything up. Everything Alice had with her had been donated by St. Micheal's, everything except the bracelet Dr. Hansen had given to her. Alice never took it off, and caught herself looking at it almost constantly, especially when she was deep in thought. It was by far the nicest thing anyone had ever given to her, and Alice cherished it with her whole heart.

After unloading Alice's things, Dr. Hansen and she ended up in the living-room. All of the furniture was covered by white sheets, making the place look a little spooky. “Are you moving?” Alice asked.