Shift Happens (Providence Family Ties 2)

We’d bought it on a whim when we’d gone to pick up some ice. It was a small pool for six adults, but it had a transparent base, and we’d thought it’d be fun to float around in the sea, looking through the bottom at the fish.

So far, we’d seen some fish, a lot of seaweed, and not much else, but we’d taken the oars Elijah had for some canoes he kept in a shed, so we could row around and keep looking once we were in the mood for it.

Right now, we wanted to relax and enjoy the sun and calm sea.

I didn’t lift my head to look back at hers and Elijah’s house, where everyone else was gathered, knowing immediately what she was referencing.

Today was Ryan’s first proper outing since the shooting. He was still pale, weak, and got tired quickly, but he was laid out like a king on a well-padded lounger today, and everyone was running after him.

It hurt to see him looking like he was in comparison to how he’d always looked, but it was also a beautiful sight because he was alive and here to join in on the barbecue today.

“He’s getting there. The doctors all said it’d take a while, but Ryan’s determined to get back to ‘normal’ ASAP.”

“If there’s anyone who’d be able to do it, it’s any one of those men running around my yard right now.”

I snickered because she was right.

“They’re definitely one of a kind.”

“Has Ryan forgiven you for his gifts yet?”

That made me laugh a little bit harder. “Kind of.”

We’d found a store that sold the same kind of things Jackson had bought for me in Arizona, and when we’d explained my dad’s issues, the guy who’d been serving us had come up with a whole host of aids that’d help him. Some of them were like the ones I had, and some were different.

The day Sam had finally been released, I’d proudly showed him everything, almost like I was the presenter on a television show, sweeping my arms out and showing him his prizes.

“What the hell do I need a raised toilet seat for?”

“It’s on a frame so you can move it when you’re better, but it comes with a step that pops out at the bottom to help you not only get onto it but to poop better, too.”

“But why do I need it?” he’d hissed. “There’s nothing wrong with my ass hole. It was my kidney that got hit, not my ass, and it’s doubtful that missing half of my arm will affect my ability to shit, either.”

Shrugging, I’d tapped the closed lid with my hand. “You never know how it’ll affect you, so this stays until we’re sure.”

Grinding his teeth together, he’d looked away, immediately noticing what we’d put in the shower cubicle and the separate bathtub. “Why do I need a chair in the shower?”

Sweeping past him dramatically, I opened the glass door so I could point it all out to him.

“It’s not just a chair. Oh, nay, nay, nay, alas t’is not. You also have the Shower Bar 5000, the Gucci of shower bars, to hold onto. Secured by no less than twelve screws into the wall for your convenience.”

I was lying out of my ass about the name of it, it was just called a shower bar, but I was enjoying this too much to not add shit like that into it.

“You also have a shower head holder that can be moved around the space to wherever is easiest for you. Don’t want it here?” I pointed at where we’d stuck it. “Then move it over here.” I pointed at a spot below it.

“And this chair isn’t just a shower chair. It’s the cumulonimbus of shower chairs.” I winced internally, hoping he forgot the program we’d watched on weather systems and types of clouds all those years ago.

“The legs can be adjusted to whatever height you wish, and the larger poles and rubber feet on the bottom of it mean you have extra stability and security whenever you need it and on whatever surface you put it on.”

Squeezing his eyes shut, he growled, “Please tell me that’s where this shit ends?”

Spoiler alert: it wasn’t. We’d installed things in every room and had even had Wyatt help us put a hook in the ceiling for a pulley to be attached so Dad could hold onto it to get out of bed.

I was just explaining it to him when he’d turned to Sam, who was watching all of this and laughing his ass off.

“That hook and pulley will come in handy one night, hey, baby? And that seat in the shower’s giving me all kinds of ideas.”

The last word had only just left his mouth when I slapped my hands over my ears and ran out the room screaming, leaving both of my dads and Jackson roaring with laughter.