Cross Country Chaos Page 9

  Kelly groaned, but the boys laughed.

  They worked their way south to the LowerFalls. Kelly and Sharon walked down to the lower observation platform to take pictures and video while Paulie stayed with Denny.

  “This is great!” Sharon said, filming everything.

  Kelly nodded, trying to catch her breath. “It’s beautiful.”

  The boys were amazed by the sound of the falls and the canyon’s depth. Paulie helped Denny navigate the rougher sections and made sure Denny could read all the signs.

  Denny was fascinated by the falls. “It’s so loud!”

  Kelly nodded. “It’s big.”

  “Can you swim in the river?”

  “You shouldn’t,” Kelly said.

  “I wouldn’t mind shoving David over the falls without a barrel,” Sharon muttered.

  “Mom!” Kelly scolded her, hoping the boys didn’t hear.

  After they’d loaded and left the main parking area, Kelly slowed to let another car pull out ahead of them, then slammed on the brakes. Still gasping from her exertion, it was all she could do to scream and point to the woods just feet from the passenger side.

  “What? Is it a bear?” her mom exclaimed, panicked.

  “Bison!” Kelly finally managed. Everyone looked to see the large animal, laying no more than ten feet away, flicking his tail in the dirt.

  It was their first bison of the day. Sharon rolled down her window to take video. When the car behind them realized what they were looking at, the driver walked in front of them to get his own close-up pictures.

  “Mom, should he be doing that?” Denny asked.

  Kelly shook her head, glad they were in the Element and not a small car. The huge animal was nearly as large as the SUV. “No, honey, he shouldn’t.”

  “Unless it’s David—”

  “Mother!”

  Sharon smiled. Kelly shook her head and laughed.

  But the bison didn’t move, and after a couple of minutes they continued.

  They stopped for lunch at FishingBridge, finally seeing a lot of bison along the way. They spent over an hour at WestThumbGeyserBasin, and the vast size of YellowstoneLake impressed both boys. Glad for her digital camera, Kelly took pictures of everything, idly wishing Mart was there to share it with them.

  West Thumb was one of Denny’s favorite stops. And because of the boardwalks, he could see nearly all the features without obstruction.

  “This is so cool, Mom,” Denny said as they followed the boardwalk.

  Sharon looked at Kelly and smiled. “You’re a cool mom,” she whispered. Kelly laughed.

  They drove west to Old Faithful, stopping for pictures at both Continental Divide signs. It was nearly dark when they checked into their tiny and totally non-accessible cabin.

  “Well, Denny, you’ll have to improvise,” Kelly said.

  She steadied his chair while he climbed onto the top step and into the cabin. They left his chair outside until they were unpacked, and then she brought it in and parked it behind the door. There was barely enough room in the cabin to turn around, much less for him to wheel around. The bathroom was so tiny, Denny had to draw his legs up practically to his ears to shut the door behind him.

  Paulie laughed. “Good thing you’re a pretzel, huh, Squirt!”

  “Yeah,” he shouted from behind the door. “And don’t call me Squirt!”

  With their bodies still on Florida time, there were few tourists around early the next morning when they left the cabin to see Old Faithful. The bulletin board in the lodge lobby predicted the next eruption in approximately fifteen minutes.

  “Mom,” Paulie said, pointing, “there’s the web cam.” He ran ahead and stood on the boardwalk, pointing at a tree where Kelly saw a box mounted about twenty-five feet up.

  “Can I call Dad?”

  It was the first time either boy asked to call David during the whole trip. Kelly nodded, handing him her BlackBerry. “Go ahead.”

  Sharon caught up. “What’s going on?”

  “Hey, Dad? It’s Paulie. Get on your computer. You can watch us at Old Faithful.” Denny watched Paulie and flapped with excitement.

  Paulie’s smile disintegrated. Kelly knew the boys’ bubble was burst again. “No, Dad, I meant—”

  Kelly reached for the phone but her mom grabbed her arm. “No hon,” she whispered. “They have to do this.”

  Paulie’s eyes dropped. “Yeah, Dad…Okay…Sorry we bothered you.” He angrily punched end and handed the phone to Kelly. “He’s busy, Squirt,” he said, turning away.

  Denny looked at Kelly. “Can we call Mart?”

  “Of course you can,” Sharon said. She took the phone from Kelly and handed it to Denny before Kelly could respond.

  Denny dialed Mart’s cell number from memory while Paulie turned to watch. Kelly wanted to reach out and comfort him. She knew learning the reality of his relationship with his father stung.

  “It’s ringing,” Denny bounced. “Mart, can you hear me?” Denny screamed into the phone.

  “He’s in Florida, not on the moon,” Paulie growled.

  “Mart, we’re at Old Faithful! Do you have your computer on? You can watch us on the webcam…Hold on.” He turned to Paulie. “What’s the website?”

  Paulie gave Mart the address and handed the phone back to his little brother.

  “Yeah? Okay.” Denny grinned. “Turn around and wave.” They all turned and waved at the box. “You can? He sees us!”

  Kelly took the phone before Denny flapped it into a geyser, unable to conceal her smile. “Hi, Mart, I’m sorry we’re bothering you.”

  He laughed. “You’re not bothering me. I’m waving back even though you can’t see. Denny’s in front, and it looks like he’s wearing a yellow shirt.”

  “Yep, that’s us.” She turned from the boys, who were both enthusiastically waving now. “Mart, you have no idea how much this means to me, taking the time to put up with us.”

  “Kelly, it’s okay. I wish I could have gone out there with you. I’d love to see Yellowstone.”

  Her heart tripped. The way she wanted to take his comment could make her look like an idiot if it wasn’t the way he meant it. “I wish you could be here, too.” Well, so much for waiting.

  There was silence, and she thought the call dropped when he said, “Would you mind going out to dinner with me when you get to Spokane? I mean, just the two of us?”

  She was prepared for a lot of things, but not that. He misunderstood her hesitation.

  “Not that I don’t want to have dinner with the kids,” he added, “but I’m sure you’ll be ready for a break. My treat. And I’ll take everyone out a different night.”

  “Yes. I’d love it.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really.”

  “Okay. Great.”

  Kelly smiled and waved at the webcam, holding the pose so he could see her the next time it cycled. “Thank you. I’m looking forward to it.”

  They heard a noise behind them and turned. Denny bounced, in full flap. “It’s going off! It’s erupting!” He grabbed for the phone. Kelly handed it to him while Paulie started filming. “Mart, do you see it?” Denny screeched, “It’s going off!”

  Kelly couldn’t hide her smile. Sharon noticed. “Yes?”

  Kelly kept her voice down so the boys wouldn’t hear. “He asked me to dinner when we get to Spokane.”

  “Alone?”

  “Yes. He wants to take all of us out on a different night.”

  Sharon smiled. “I did a little research. There’s one of those IMAX theaters there. I can take the kids.” She kept her voice low. “I have a feeling I’m going to like Mart a lot more than I liked David.”

  “You hate David.”

  “Yeah, well, he set the bar pretty low.”

  “It’s only dinner, Mom. Don’t you dare embarrass me in front of him.”

  “You haven’t said that to me since high school.”

  “Mom—”

  “Relax, ho
ney. You’re an adult. Of course I’ll take the boys out, give you some time alone.”

  Kelly knew that wasn’t the end of it. Sure enough, a few minutes later, her mom leaned over. “The boys really like him.”

  “Mom!”

  “I’m just saying.” Sharon smiled.

  * * * *

  Because of Denny’s wheelchair, there were places they couldn’t see due to the terrain, like NorrisGeyserBasin. But they spent plenty of time at other features, like MidwayGeyserBasin, where the boys were amazed by Grand Prismatic Spring.

  They worked their way north to Gardiner, outside the north park entrance, and had lunch at a small cafe on the main street.

  “Buffalo burgers. Can we have that, Mom?” Denny flapped.

  “Sure. Sounds good.”

  It was the best hamburger she’d ever had. They spent about an hour in town before hitting the road again.

  “Load and unload,” Sharon chanted. “Load and unload.” Her words took on a sing-song quality.

  If she broke out into “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” Kelly knew she’d scream. Exhaustion threatened, the combined miles and hours and stress taking its toll on Kelly’s body. Her hands were developing calluses from the steering wheel, and her neck and shoulders hurt like hell. Not to mention her left arm was about four shades darker than her right from being in the sun all the time.

  Denny took a few final pictures of the Yellowstone stone arch before they left town. “That was really cool, Mom. Dad’s never taken us anywhere like that,” he said.

  “Yeah,” Paulie echoed. “This is fun. Thanks, Mom.”

  Some of Kelly’s exhaustion evaporated. She looked at her mom, who smiled.

  “Thanks, boys,” Kelly said.

  “I wish our family trips had been this fun,” Sharon whispered.

  Kelly patted her hand. “It was fine, Mom. Dad was…intense, like you said.”

  Sharon shrugged and looked out the window, lost in her thoughts. Kelly gripped the wheel and set her sights on the road.

  Next stop, Spokane.

  Chapter Thirteen

  While Kelly originally intended to push through to Spokane, her body rebelled, demanding sleep. After consulting the map, she calculated the remaining miles and decided to find a hotel room.

  They spent the night in western Montana and arrived at the host hotel in Spokane before lunch Friday. Kelly had never seen so many kids and adults in wheelchairs in one place in her life. Everywhere. Denny’s jaw dropped, and she knew he’d make new friends before the week was out.

  One cluster of teenagers in the far corner of the lobby ignored their front wheels. They were all, except one, doing stationary wheelies, reclining on their rear wheels as if they were leaning against a wall. Except they were balancing on air.

  Kelly supposed their parents were over the heart-stopping worry they’d tip backwards. She knew this was good for Denny, but it was another nerve-wracking set of benchmarks for her as he made leaps and bounds in his independence.

  She checked in while Denny and Paulie wandered the lobby. She was gathering room key cards and paperwork when she heard Denny’s excited squeal.

  “Mart!”

  Kelly’s heart jumped. She turned and saw Mart wheel toward them, his grin nearly as broad as Denny’s. As her heart pounded she realized how much she’d missed him now that he was in front of her again.

  Denny flew to him, hugging him. “I wish you’d been at Yellowstone with us. It was so cool!”

  Mart hugged him and tousled his hair. “Wish I could have been there, too. Hi, Paulie.” Paulie smiled and stuck out his hand, and they shook.

  Mart turned to Kelly, and the butterflies took flight in her stomach. “Hi, Kelly.”

  She smiled. “Hi.” She leaned in for a hug and enjoyed the feel of his arms around her. “Thank you for playing along with the boys in Yellowstone,” she whispered in his ear.

  He squeezed her a little tighter and whispered, “I enjoyed it. I took a few screenshots for you.”

  “Thanks.”

  She straightened, and their eyes met. Was she imagining the spark? Did he feel it too? She was too mentally and physically drained from the drive to think about it.

  “Did you just get here?” he asked.

  “A few minutes ago. I need to unload and find out where to park. I don’t want to leave everything in the trailer.”

  He looked around. “Where’s your mom? You didn’t…”

  “Bathroom. No, I didn’t ‘accidentally’ lose her between Yellowstone and here.”

  He grinned. “You read my mind.” He winked. “Registration’s in the conference room. Once you’re settled, get with me and I’ll walk you through everything. What room are you in?”

  “720.”

  His face lit up. “I’m down the hall from you, 728. If I’m not in my room when you’re ready, call my cell and I’ll come find you.”

  It took Kelly and her mom three trips with two carts and a bellhop assisting them. The whole time, Sharon muttered, “Load and unload,” under her breath. An hour later they were unloaded, and Kelly found a suitable spot in the hotel’s large parking garage.

  Kelly sent Denny and Paulie to lunch with her mom, collapsed on the bed, and breathed in the blessed silence.

  Could any lack of noise ever sound so sweet?

  She used the hotel phone to dial Mart’s room. He answered on the second ring.

  “You may need security to get me out of this room,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m alone for the first time in a week and loving every second of it.”

  “Dare I disturb you?”

  “I’m already disturbed, but come on over.”

  He laughed. “What’s the password, or is there a secret knock?”

  “Tell ’em Joe sent you.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  Sure enough, she had time to roll over and hang up the phone when she heard a door slam closed down the hall. Seconds later, a soft knock.

  Shave and a haircut, two bits.

  She walked over and opened the door. “Close enough.”

  Mart returned her grin. “You can always hide out in my room.”

  “Watch out or I’ll trade you. Your room for my mom and kids.”

  Mart took her to registration, introduced her to several people, and helped her round up Denny’s packet and bib numbers. He looked over Denny’s paperwork and signed off on it as his coach.

  “Look here.” He showed her the forms. “This is where you have to be careful. Make sure his classifications are always correct, that he’s entered in all his events, and that they have his qualifying stats right.”

  “Is it right?”

  He nodded. “Yep.” He handed her copies of the schedule, including the coaches’ meetings. “They’re every night, for changes, concerns, complaints, all that.”

  Exhausted and overwhelmed, she couldn’t make sense of the schedule. “I have to go to those, too?”

  He sensed her anxiety. “No, don’t worry, I’ll be at all the meetings, so I’ll take care of it and let you know if there are any changes.”

  “Did I look that freaked?”

  “Deer in the headlights.”

  “I’ll be honest with you.” She sat at an empty table, and he pulled close. “I’m so worn out, I don’t know anything at this point. You may have to break out crayons and draw me pictures to get me where I need to be.”

  He laughed. “Classification this afternoon. Then nothing until Sunday evening, the opening ceremonies. Tomorrow there’s open track and field practice in the morning, and open swim practice in the afternoon. Denny should get to those. After opening ceremonies they run the 5k, and that’s fun to watch because it’s the older racers and they’re pretty intense.”

  “Will you be there?”

  “I have to. I’m an official.”

  She laughed. “Can’t play hooky?”

  “Not this time.”

  “It would be fun t
o see that.”

  “Why don’t we go over tomorrow after breakfast? I have a rental car. You can follow me, and I’ll show you where all the venues are set up. It’s about twenty minutes from here. I’ll have time to work with Denny.”

  “Rental?”

  “Portable hand controls. Not as nice as custom, but I’m not stuck bumming rides all week.”

  “Tomorrow’s great.” She was going to ask about their dinner date when an official had a question for him about the registration computers. Mart put everything in the envelope and handed it to her.

  “Sorry, gotta run. I’ll catch up with you later this afternoon at classification.”

  She watched him wheel away, then returned to her room. She had nearly an hour to herself before the boys and her mom returned, shattering the quiet.

  Ah, so much for blissful peace.

  * * * *

  They made it to classification with plenty of time to spare. Kelly looked for Mart, didn’t see him, and tried to contain her nerves. What if they re-classified Denny? What if none of his results would count because of a huge screw-up, and he couldn’t compete?

  She tried to calm down. Mart knew what he was doing, had been competing for years, and wouldn’t make that kind of mistake. He was thorough.

  Mart still wasn’t there when it was Denny’s turn, and Kelly nervously waited while Sharon took Paulie to the pool. Fortunately, the classifiers agreed with Terrie’s assessment. All of Denny’s qualifying results counted. The classifier was going over the paperwork with Kelly when Mart wheeled in, flustered.

  “Sorry I’m late,” he apologized. “What’s going on?”

  The classifier, Melissa, smiled at Mart. Kelly fought a surprising bout of jealousy.

  What right did she have to be jealous? She wasn’t his girlfriend.

  “Mart, everything’s fine,” Melissa reassured him. “Denny’s all done.”

  Mart took the paperwork and looked through it. “Oh, good.” He winked at Kelly. Her heart fluttered. “Our boy is all set then, it looks like.”

  She liked the way he’d said that. Our boy.

  Horse, there’s your cart, about three miles up the road ahead of you…

  Denny wheeled up. “Can I go to the pool now, Mom?”

  “Yes, go ahead.”

  When Denny left, Mart looked at Kelly and started to say something when a woman stuck her head in the classification room. “Mart, it’s down again. Can you help?”