Quinton E-Book

Mayer Dale

• Herausgeber: Valley Publishing Ltd.
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Quinton had been a patient at Hathaway House in its first year. When she finally healed enough to move on with her life, she went into law and plowed forward. However, plowing forward may not have been the best answer for her physical injuries. While visiting Stan at the center, she collapses on her way to her brother’s room, as he’s a patient here now. The collapse shows a long-term issue, now an acute problem. After talking to Dani and Shane, Quinton’s booked back into the center on a short-term basis.

Stan hurts for Quinton. She’s an old friend, and he’s watched her progress from his first year in business at Hathaway. He’d always had a crush on her but figured his window of opportunity had passed. Now with her once again as a patient, it feels like a second chance for a personal relationship, one he’s more than willing to take.

Between her brother—who’s not getting along at the center—and Quinton’s own struggles to get back on her feet, thankfully she also has Stan and other old friends around, as Quinton takes the steps necessary to put her life back on track … in all ways.

Leseprobe

Quinton

Hathaway House, Book 17

Dale Mayer

Books in This Series:

Aaron, Book 1

Brock, Book 2

Cole, Book 3

Denton, Book 4

Elliot, Book 5

Finn, Book 6

Gregory, Book 7

Heath, Book 8

Iain, Book 9

Jaden, Book 10

Keith, Book 11

Lance, Book 12

Melissa, Book 13

Nash, Book 14

Owen, Book 15

Percy, Book 16

Quinton, Book 17

Ryatt, Book 18

Spencer, Book 19

Hathaway House, Books 1–3

Hathaway House, Books 4–6

Hathaway House, Books 7–9

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

About This Book

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Epilogue

About Ryatt

Author’s Note

Complimentary Download

About the Author

Copyright Page

About This Book

Welcome to Hathaway House. Rehab Center. Safe Haven. Second chance at life and love.

Quinton had been a patient at Hathaway House in its first year. When she finally healed enough to move on with her life, she went into law and plowed forward. However, plowing forward may not have been the best answer for her physical injuries. While visiting Stan at the center, she collapses on her way to her brother’s room, as he’s a patient here now. The collapse shows a long-term issue, now an acute problem. After talking to Dani and Shane, Quinton’s booked back into the center on a short-term basis.

Stan hurts for Quinton. She’s an old friend, and he’s watched her progress from his first year in business at Hathaway. He’d always had a crush on her but figured his window of opportunity had passed. Now with her once again as a patient, it feels like a second chance for a personal relationship, one he’s more than willing to take.

Between her brother—who’s not getting along at the center—and Quinton’s own struggles to get back on her feet, thankfully she also has Stan and other old friends around, as Quinton takes the steps necessary to put her life back on track … in all ways.

Sign up to be notified of all Dale’s releaseshere!

Prologue

Quinton walked through the front door of the center, stopped, and looked around. When the receptionist looked up at her, Quinton replied, “I’m looking for Stan. And Shane.”

“Stan’s downstairs. Let me see where Shane is.” The receptionist began clicking her keyboard. “He’s booked up with rehab patients for the rest of the day. Unless you are one of his patients too?”

“I didn’t have an appointment, but I thought I’d ask while I was here. So I’ll just speak to Stan today.”

The receptionist nodded. “He’s downstairs.”

“Downstairs?”

“Are you … Did you bring an animal for him?”

“No. I’m a lawyer.”

“Uh-oh. Is he in trouble?”

Quinton laughed. “Interesting response but, no, he’s not in trouble. I am supposed to meet him here today. I am not exactly sure where to find him at this hour but his clinic will be the most likely.”

“I just saw him go downstairs,” she explained. “I’ll let him know you’re here.”

“Thanks.” Smiling, she headed downstairs, looking for Stan. She’d met him a couple times at her office. But this time, with the paperwork, it was easier to just run by, and she was in the neighborhood. This way she could see what kind of operation he was really running and also get his signatures in person. As she walked through the double doors, she found another reception area. Waiting for the woman to get the message to Stan, Quinton wandered around and looked at the place. It was clean. It was efficient. People were standing outside. People were laughing, joking. No surprise there.

A dog was in the waiting room. Poor thing looked like she was terrorized just being here. But the owner was trying to reassure her and to cuddle her and to make her feel better. By the time the connecting door opened, and the woman and her dog were led to another room, Quinton wondered how long she would have to wait. She got up, walked to the receptionist again.

Just then Stan walked out through the connecting door and saw her. “Quinton, how are you?” he asked. “Come on in. I just got your message. I’m sorry if you’ve been waiting long.”

She smiled. “It’s all right. I wanted to see the place, what you were running here anyway. I’ve been here quite a few times but there are always expansions, renovations and improvements to see. It always seems to be so much more than when I was here before.”

“It’s quite something now, isn’t it?” he asked. “Wouldn’t have been here without all the donors though. And Dani,” he added, with an eye roll. “She’s upstairs right now. Do you need to see her?” he asked, twisting to raise his eyebrows.

Quinton shook her head. “Nope, I don’t think so, at least not this time.”

“Good,” he noted. “Pinning her down is almost as bad as pinning me down.”

“I’ll make note of that,” Quinton teased. “This is beautiful here. You’ve done so much.”

“Well, we’ve still got a ways to go,” he added. “And you said you had paperwork for me?”

She nodded, realizing that he probably had a full schedule ahead of him. “Yep, I do.” She dug in her briefcase and gave him a folder.

“Okay I can go over these now. You didn’t have to come by. You could have just sent them over.”

“My brother’s up there.” She pointed upstairs. “And he’s not too happy about it.”

“Not too happy to be here or not too happy to be in this situation?”

“Not too happy to be in this situation,” she confirmed. “Matter of fact, he’s definitely not an easy person to be with.”

“Interesting,” he murmured. “Well, as you know, he’ll get the best care here.”

“I also wanted to talk to Shane, if I could get a moment with him, but the receptionist confirmed he’s booked all day,” she said. “As much as I’ve had some improvements, I’ve also had some setbacks, so I need Shane’s help. I know he’s here a lot.”

“Full-time.” Stan nodded. “I’m sure he’d want to talk to you. Particularly as you’re an old—previous—patient.”

“I am, indeed, old at least.” She rolled her eyes.

He burst out laughing. “You don’t look a day over thirty.”

“Well, it’s been many a day over thirty,” she admitted, “and nothing like injuries to age you faster than you would like.”

“True enough. And stress.” He pointed at his head. “I’m not old myself, but, man, this white hair—which is a family trait—certainly doesn’t help it.”

“It’s distinguished looking,” she replied graciously.

He burst out laughing. “Well, that’s one nice thing to call it.” He grinned. “I knew I liked you.”

At that, she smiled, then got back to business. “Paperwork?”

“Absolutely. Come on back to my office. Let’s take care of business first.” He led her to his office, where they both sat, while he read through the paperwork. Soon he nodded and signed the last page, initialing all the preceding pages. “Thank you, Quinton.”

And, with that done, she stood. “Now you can get back to your patients.”

“Ah, yes. I’ve got quite a roster coming up, but I’ve got a new vet coming along here pretty quickly,” he noted. “And I’m looking forward to getting the help.”

“Dani’s fiancé, right?”

“That’s correct,” he said, with a smile. Stan escorted her to the elevator. “Let me know when you think you’ll be in this area again, and I’ll check with Shane about his schedule.”

“I hate to even contact him,” she noted. “I know how busy this place is.”

“Let me talk to him and see when he’s got an opening and I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you,” she said. “Much appreciated.” She looked around and smiled. “It really is a beautiful job you’re doing here.”

“It’s a necessary one,” he replied, “and when you’re doing things for the right reasons …”

She nodded. “I agree with that wholeheartedly. Maybe I’ll go see my brother while I’m here.”

“What’s his name?”

“Ryatt,” she said. “He’s only been here a couple weeks. But he’s not making life easy for the others. I need to step in and maybe remind him that he doesn’t have to be here if he doesn’t want to and that he’s taking a spot from somebody who could use it.”

“Ouch, that would be some tough love,” Stan noted, “because really this is the best place for him to be.”

“I know it,” she stated, “and I’m the one who convinced him to try to get in. Makes me sad to know he’s wasting the opportunity he has here.” She sighed and shook her head. “But, hey, that’s not today’s issue. I’ll just stop in and say hey.”

“I’ll call you as soon as I talk to Shane,” he promised. And, with that, he watched as she left.

Quinton was a fine-looking woman. Even more, she and Stan had clicked right from the beginning. He’d kind of hoped that maybe he could persuade her to go out with him once or twice. But to have her come here, where he worked, whether to visit her brother or to stay as a returning patient, that’d be perfect. She’d get the best help possible, while Stan had guaranteed time to see her.

He rubbed his hands together. Maybe things would turn in his direction for once.

Chapter 1

Quinton Metzner headed outside to enjoy the fresh air and the beautiful surroundings, as she went to Dani’s office. Every time Quinton came to see her brother, Ryatt, she also stopped in to visit with Dani, if possible. It was nice to see the others from back then too, like Stan, even though it was a time of harsh physical healing, which was behind her now. Quinton had been one of the first patients at Hathaway some eight or so years ago. It had grown so much and done so well since then that it continuously amazed her. As she walked up the ramp to the front entrance and the office area, she felt her back and knee twinging again.

Her VA doctor had told her that he could do nothing more for her, and she’d gone to chiropractors and done physio in the intervening years for tune-ups, but her hip, shoulder, and spine were getting much worse. And this worried her greatly. First, she thought that her rehab and her prosthetic had taken care of all those issues years ago. Second, her job didn’t understand absences for any reason. Third, she didn’t deal well with weakness in anyone, especially herself.

At the main entrance to the center—for the human patients and their visitors—she took several deep breaths to calm her fears and then pulled open the door and stepped inside. The receptionist’s desk was empty. She looked around and heard voices coming from Dani’s office. She walked over and knocked gently on the door. When it was opened, the receptionist from the front desk stepped out, smiled at her, and ran back to her desk. Quinton glanced in to see Dani sitting there, her face buried in her hands. “Bad timing?” Quinton asked gently.

Dani looked up in surprise, and then her face lit up. “Quinton, how are you?” she asked. “Come on in.”

“If you’re busy, I can leave,” she said. “I came to see Ryatt. I understand he’s being difficult.”

At that, Dani winced.

“I’m sorry about that. My brother is not doing well mentally or emotionally. I was trying to help him by getting him in here, where I thought he would do so much better.”

“And that’s our wish,” Dani noted. “And there’s definitely an adjustment period. Plus some people take longer to acclimate.” She motioned at the chair in front of her. “Take a seat if you have time to visit.” Quinton stepped forward and then winced again, feeling the shudders ripple up her spine at the moment. “Actually I might be better off if I stop in at my brother’s and then head home.” She slowly rubbed her hip. “I have to admit that some of my injuries have been acting up quite badly lately.”

Dani immediately hopped up. “Hey, are you okay, or do you need help?”

“No, I should be fine.” Quinton gave her a reassuring look and a wave of her hand. “I’ll just say hi to my brother and then head out.” As she spun around, she cried out, the pains shooting up her hip and down again. And, without realizing how, she found herself on the ground, trembling.

Dani raced around her desk, flew to Quinton, and shouted down the hallway. Before long Quinton was surrounded by people.

Embarrassed, she tried to sit up. “I’m fine, honest,” she murmured.

Shane, however, stood at her feet, glaring at her. “You are not fine. Lie down,” he barked.

She glared right back at him, but she did lay down again.

“Have you had more trouble?”

She looked over at Dani, wincing and gasping.

Dani turned to Shane and explained, “She was just saying that she’s been having quite a bit of trouble with her old injuries,” she murmured. “I invited her to sit down for a visit, but it looked like pain was hitting her. So she wanted to say hi to Ryatt and leave afterward. Then she collapsed.”

“Well, at the moment, you’re not going anywhere,” Shane murmured, still staring at Quinton.

“I’m sure I can’t stay here,” Quinton noted on a hiccoughing laugh. “I was a patient for a very long time. Remember? But I’m not now.”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t get you a room and take a look at what’s going on,” Dani argued. “And you’re still a veteran, and you still get medical, and you still need care. Anybody who thinks otherwise is wrong. Sometimes these issues are lifelong.”

“And that’s pretty depressing,” Quinton murmured. “I wasn’t expecting to collapse here. I’m kind of embarrassed.”

“Of all the places to fall, this is your best option,” Dani stated. “And falling here is the last thing that should be on your mind.”

Shane nodded at someone behind Quinton, and a wheelchair was brought around. She immediately protested. Shane placed a hand on her shoulder. “Stop.”

She glared at him but subsided again. “I forgot what it was like to feel so helpless,” she murmured.

“And maybe you’ve also forgotten,” Shane added, “what it is to accept help.”

With his assistance, she was lifted up, until she sagged into the wheelchair. Then she was led to a room right around the corner.

There, Shane helped her get more vertical and out of the wheelchair. But she could hardly even straighten. He immediately scooped her up and laid her down gently on the hospital bed. “Now see if you can find a position that’s comfortable.”

It took some painful movements and some patience added in place before she managed to straighten out her body enough that she felt no pain. She whispered, “That doesn’t feel bad, as long as I don’t move.”

“And how long has this been going on?” Shane asked, staring at her, studying her body.

“Too long,” she admitted. “I did see a VA doctor, and I did see a VA physio, but nothing was really helping.”

“And we didn’t have an outpatient project back then,” he muttered.

“Back then?” she repeated, looking at him in surprise. “Do you now?”

He nodded. “Sometimes people have to return for tune-ups,” he stated gently. “Sometimes you forget the lessons that you were taught, and we have to remind you to do them again. Sometimes old injuries like to act up and cause new problems,” he explained. “Our outpatient project is still a pilot program, but we’ve been opening it up more and more.”

“So …” And she hesitated. “So now what?”

Just then a shout came from the hallway, and she winced. “That would be Stan, wanting to talk to you.”

Shane frowned. “And why is that?”

“He told me that he would mention to you that I’m having some trouble and wondered if there was any way I could have you take a look.”

At that, Stan Herzog came in through the door. “I just heard.” His gaze went from Quinton to Shane and to Dani, as she left them to handle Quinton. Stan walked to the bed and picked up her hand. “Are you okay?” he murmured gently.

She squeezed his fingers. “Well, outside of being embarrassed, a little bruised, and sore,” she shared, “I guess I’m technically back to what I really needed, which was maybe some time with Shane to give me a hand.”

Stan immediately looked at Shane and asked, “You can help her, can’t you?”

Shane shrugged. “I still don’t know what the problem is,” he noted, “but we helped her the last time, so, in theory, yes.”

“I didn’t realize,” she whispered to Stan, “that it was possible to get outpatient help here.”

Stan turned to Shane. “Is that true?”

Shane shrugged. “We haven’t had the program for very long, but it became something that we could see a great need for. So, yes, we’re doing it on a temporary basis, while we see how it works and can smooth out some of the wrinkles to provide the best service we can.”

“I think obviously it’s already something that’s needed”—Stan pointed at Quinton—“as you can see.”

“I know,” Shane confirmed. “And we’re seeing more and more of it.”

“Is that because the work’s not holding?” Stan asked.

Shane shook his head. “No, it isn’t. It’s just some of these cases are complex. And, when they go to other doctors, they tend to follow what that doctor says, but it’s not always what they need. And I’m not bashing the medical profession. Believe me. However, once you’ve been working with somebody for a long time, you know how their body reacts and how to do a proper tune-up. We should probably start running a few beds on an interim basis just for previous patients we have worked with, whose past symptoms we have knowledge of, and who need to come back after a few years.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Stan agreed, “because these problems, these injuries, can be all-consuming. So you take them to a certain point and then what?”

Shane turned to Quinton. “Do you have any reason you need to rush home? Like pets to look after or the like?”

She frowned at him. “I wasn’t planning on staying the night.”

“Maybe you should,” Shane stated. “Do you have a reason to rush home?”

She sighed and then shook her head. “Tonight, no, not really. But booking myself back in here wasn’t exactly something I was planning on. Nor do I have the time for it.”

“No, I can see how a surprise hospital stay can interrupt your life and your work,” Shane said. “And maybe you wouldn’t need to be here for long, but I obviously need some time to figure out what’s going on.”

“What? You can’t wave a magic wand,” she replied in a joking manner, “and just tell me exactly what ails me?”

“I can tell you some of it, but I can’t tell you all of it. Didn’t you have some shards of shrapnel still left inside?”

“Yes.” She winced. “The VA doctors all told me that they couldn’t remove it.”

“And what if those have moved?”

“Well, I did have X-rays done not too long ago,” she shared, “and there didn’t appear to be anything like that going on.”

“Okay,” Shane replied, “but we’ll take and examine our own.” At the look on her face, he added, “I don’t know if you’re covered, if that’s a financial problem for you, “but it’s definitely something I need to see firsthand and a current view.”

“Fine,” she murmured. “I have insurance. Besides, as Dani just reminded me, I’m a veteran with medical coverage.”

“Good enough,” Shane replied. “I’ll order these now for first thing in the morning.”

“Can we do them tonight?” she asked.

“No, sure can’t,” Shane countered. “The earliest I can get them done is tomorrow morning.”

She stared at him and asked, “Can I go home and come back?”

“I don’t know,” he replied, with a knowing smirk, stepping back and looking at her. “Can you?” And that’s where it hung in the air.

Stan looked at her and added, “I know you don’t want to stay, but seriously is that what you want to do, to go home only to come back here within hours? Can you drive? I mean, safely?” Stan stared at her but got no response, then turned to Shane.

“I think she can best answer that question.”

“Probably not a good idea,” she replied. “Yet …”

“This way you can visit with your brother overnight,” Stan suggested.

“That’ll make him happy,” she murmured in a snide tone.

“You two can have dinner together and get caught up,” Stan added.

“I don’t know that I can move at all,” she finally admitted.

“Well then, guess what?” Stan told her. “I’m bringing dinner here to you tonight.”

“Wow. I mean, not to sound ungrateful or anything”—she looked from Stan to Shane and back—“and I really do need the help but …” Then she stopped because it wasn’t in her to not show appreciation when they’d gone over and above.