LONDON CALLING

"No, they're just consultants, Dear," he smiled. "And for people in my field, sometimes they're actually helpful. Sometimes not so much, but I know they're looking for specific things this time, and there are very few things i dislike, so whatever. They can do what they want. Oh, and, Ru, the furniture for our other two spare rooms should be in either tomorrow or the next day, so we'll actually have all our rooms with furniture. The furniture for the second and third spare room was delayed because it was all handcrafted in Arizona and New Mexico. Don't worry about unpacking it. There's no big hurry, unless you get bored. But Andrew might actually enjoy helping you with some of it."

She kissed him and suggested he rest, and it wasn't more than about two minutes after she left that he fell into a tired sleep.

Andrew was helping Michael with the dishes when Ruby came back down. When she asked if he was ready for the tour, he brightened.

"Of course. Could I take those books for you?" he asked.

"It's a really great place, and it can be very good for him, I think," Andrew said, He got out a scratch pad and a pen and started to make a written list so he wouldn't forget. "Here's the thing. Generally, if we don't have someone with mobility challenges, we make our houses to fit our activity levels. Mobility challenges make a lot of things difficult and force us to rethink how we do just about everything, so I do have some suggestions, especially since his magic is not going to be of any help to him. First, we'll have to get a ramp or two to help him get into and out of the house. One for the front door, and then, depending on how much he likes to go outside, we might want a second one for the garden door so he can go out into your back yard. And yes, we will have to modify the stairs. I will get his chair for him, but there is also an all terrain chair that will go much easier across the lawn and outdoors, if we want to rent one of those too, if he is an outdoors sort of guy. If not, then we'll skip that for now. The all terrain chair has bigger tires to navigate going across the yard. It can also actually go across sand, like at a beach. It can handle a lot of different sorts of terrains without any sort of difficulty, but because it is a bigger chair, it isn't practical for inside the house.

"We might need to do just a slight rearranging of the furniture in here. Some of the furniture arrangements are lovely but they're not far enough apart to allow his chair to get through. A good rule of thumb is that for any space you want him to be able to access, he's going to need a full 36 inches to get the chair through--and that can include doorways. Doorways can be a pain in the butt if they're not wide enough. We can change some of those doorways with a simple enchantment. And if he needs to turn the chair or turn around, he needs mroe space than that. Bathrooms need to be especially designed so he has room to pull the chair alongside the shower or the toilet so he can transfer from one to the other. But again, we can do some enchantments to alter the size of the space. Narrow spaces keep him from being able to access those areas. Right now, about half the living room would be cut off from him if we don't move things just a little bit. So, if we do a very slight shuffle with some of the furniture, he'll be able to access the whole room. I see you've got a good recliner in here. That's really good. I might shuffle that just a little so he can get to it easier. That will be a a good place for him to either sit or lie back and rest, and if I put it closer to those floor to ceiling windows, he'll be able to get a great view of the garden. And I'll leave a pillow and maybe a blanket for him beside the recliner in case he really just wants to sack out. I expect him to sleep quite a lot initially because this has been such a hard hit to his body.

"Room doors--I'll get some doorstops, and we'll prop them open, if you don't mind. He isn't going to be able to reach them from his chair, and even if he could, he isn't going to be able to open the door and back up his chair both. And he's not going to be able to cast any alohamoras to help himself So, let's leave the doors open unless there is a reason to close them.

"I'm going to get some non skid mats for the bathroom floors and for in the shower so that there is no accident there. We do not need any sort of a fall to cause even further damage. And I'll cast a sticking charm on all the rugs so they stick to the floor so that he doesn't either trip on the rugs or get his chair caught on them. You have no idea how frustrating that can be if the rug gets wadded up under the wheels of the chair and somebody gets stuck in their chair.

'And, I'd like to put perhaps some bottles of tea or lemonade or soda on the inside door of the fridge, so that if he's thirsty, he can reach something by himself. I think he'll be able to open the fridge, if it's easy for him to get what he's looking for. Maybe I could set out a glass and a cup for him within easy reach. Do you think I could use the desk and add a add a basket of snacks and fruit for him there where he can get into that if he wants? Maybe some things to do too, like a book, a newspaper or a magazine--something to keep his mind busy. We could turn that into sort of a station for him to access things or put things so that he can reach the things he uses the most. Anything we want him to reach will have to be within 8 or 10 inches from the edge of the tabletop or counter top because that's about all he's going to be able to reach from his chair. Countertops are generally not built to accommodate chairs. There's no ability to pull his knees up and under them, so he's not going to have much of a reach for anything that's very far back on any sort of flat surface. It's going to need to be pretty close to the front edge for him.

"We'll have to be aware of little things, like light switches. He's not going to be able to reach them, and he's not going to be able to use a lumos or nox spell either one. Also room temperature. He's not going to be able to change it if its too warm or too cold for him. He isn't going to reach the coffee pot if he wants more coffee, or the sink if he wants water. All kinds of things that you and I take for granted are going to be obstacles for him. We can certainly get things for him, and we should, but i think he has the personality of liking to do things for himself. So we should try to make things as easy as we can so he can feel independent.

"I'm sure they'll eventually get him into a routine, but probably not at first because I really think once he gets home and relaxes, he may go through a day or two where he just wants to laze around and just be home.

"My job is to help him with things that are physically too challenging for you to do with him--like moving him from his chair to bed or out of bed, into the shower, or some other things. It isn't to do things for him that either he can do for himself or that you would prefer to do for him. I can lift him. It isn't a problem. I'll stay with him when you work so you don't have to worry about whether he's safe, whether he's got everything he needs. You shouldn't have to worry about whether he's able to get himself a cup of coffee or a meal while you're working. I'll be happy to take care of that. When you get home, I'll take a bit of a break for a bit so the two of you can have some time to yourself, but I'll stay within earshot so you can get me if you need me. I know you have a lot of questions, but we'll just have to feel our way with some of it and see how it goes.

"It would help me to know what your daily routine is--yours and Angus's--so that I can adapt my schedule to fit your needs. I was chatting with Angus while we were doing his bath this morning, and it sounds like there is some sort of habit here--it sounds like a nice idea, actually--of the breakfast cooks sending coffee to up to those who aren't cooking so they can enjoy their first cup of coffee in the quiet and wake up and dress a bit more leisurely. Angus said this house is really new for you two, and it sounds like you aren't necessarily into a routine yet here. So what time do you both do things? Are you early risers? Late sleepers? And how can I help? I really can cook, so if I can get up and start coffee or breakfast, I'm happy to do that. If that's something you prefer to do, that's absolutely fine with me. I don't want to take over anything you want to do or like to do. You tell me what you want to do, and what your schedule is, and then I'll have a better idea of what Angus will need me for and when."

"Lowering the counter definitely helps, but..." he flicked his own wand and extended one section of counter out so that Angus could roll his wheelchair underneath, much like sitting at a desk. "For it to truly work, he has to be able to roll his chair underneath, so he has a place for his leg and his knees. The lift might work, unless it takes magic to operate it, since his magic isn't going to work. And you'll have to be able to accommodate not only the inside steps up to the next floor but also the outside steps in the front and the back getting into the house--so that will actually be three places where we need to alter things."

He listened to her describe her routine, and he nodded.

"Okay. That helps. I will try to see how soon I can get his chair here. That might be the only thing that might hold us up from getting him home. I'll get some things ordered and we'll see how quick they get here. Then I'll get some of these little things taken care of. I'll go back to the main house and get my bag and get to work."

He went back over to the main house and saw Michael was at work in the kitchen again.

"So what do you think, Andrew?" Michael asked.

"I think its a very workable space," Andrew replied. "I'm going to get some things ordered for him and then, when Lily gets his meal plan ordered, I'll make sure those groceries are at the house..."

"Andrew, why don't you let us send meals over from this kitchen at least for a few days?" Michael asked. "We're cooking for everybody else anyway. Sending over a couple meals is not a problem at all. If you want to cook, that's fine, of course, but since we're already fixing large quantities of food, we'd be happy to send some over or bring it over. I'm sure everybody will look for opportunities to see Angus anyway."

"That sounds fine to me, at least for now," Andrew said.

"Then its settled," Michael said.

"Thank you. I'm going to take my bag over and get my order placed for him for some initial supplies."

Andrew took is things over to the duplex and put his bag in the spare room and got out his folder of forms. He walked through the house again with the form and made a list as he went. When he got the order completed, he sent the form in. He gave some serious thought to the steps and then he cast a spell on the inside steps to create a step right on the floor, right at the bottom of the stairs. He enchanted this new flat space on the floor so that when he stepped on it and said "Up," much like levitating a broom, this bottom step moved up the steps, like an escalator, to the second floor. It would still need an enchantment to work, but Andrew didn't believe Angus would be on his own at a time when he would be going up or down the stairs anyway.

"I have his chair and his equipment ordered, and I think I have the inside steps settled, at least for now. We can change it if we need to," Andrew told Ruby. "It's kind of a combination of your idea and mine. I'm going to see if I can make the same spell work for the front steps outside and the back steps. If I can, then I can move on to the next things on my list."

"Thank you," he smiled. He put in on a lanyard and put the lanyard around his neck. The lanyard already had a pendant on it for the American Magical Council. Like the doubloons that the organization had, this pendant also had alarm features on it.

Things for Angus began to arrive in the main house kitchen within the hour. There were several cardboard boxes taped shut with shipping tape, and then two very large boxes. Brian figured the large boxes held at least one wheelchair, and he simply made himself at home and opened the boxes. The first box was the chair with the large fat tires. Brian recognized the all terrain wheels.

"Good. He's going to be able to get outside, right from day one," Brian told Michael. "Look. This is great. And it's not really all that heavy either." It had some simple assembly that was required, attaching armrests and foot rests. The second box held the main wheelchair, and it was about the same weight. It was called a featherweight chair and designed to be light and not difficult to carry. Andrew had ordered deep comfortable cushions for it, and some other accessories, like a cup holder for a drink that clamped onto the arm. It didn't take long for Brian to put that together either.

Andrew came over and helped to unbox the rest of the things and condense those things down to one or two boxes. Then Brian apparated those things over to the house. Andrew went upstairs and told Nigel that the wheelchairs and equipment was here. Nigel and Robert felt it was worth trying to move Angus home. They suggested that Andrew take everything over to the duplex and they would take the chance to stand up up long enough to apparate him home. Andrew went downstairs and found Ruby reading.

"Robert and Nigel are going to try to see if they can stand Angus up long enough to apparate him home. They don't know if he'll be strong enough, but they're going to try." Andrew told her. "I'm going over there to be ready to help them get him settled." Andrew went over to the duplex, while Robert and Nigel worked slowly and carefully to sit Angus up on the edge of the bed. Robert and Nigel both had mixed feelings about moving him quite yet, but they felt it would be better for his morale if they could get him home.

Andrew went upstairs and turned down the bed in the master bedroom, feeling that would be where they would take him. He was surprised, though, when they took him to the living room and settled him into the recliner with pillows and a blanket. The effort was completely exhausting for Angus, and they weren't surprised. Andrew got into one of the shipping boxes and got out a bottle of a sports drink that was loaded with electrolytes and poured the drink into a travel mug with ice and set it on the table near the recliner.

Robert and Nigel set about checking Angus's vitals to make sure the trip had not been too costly for him.

"You handled that better than I thought you might," Robert told Angus, who was completely spent from it. "Well done. You already know what I'm going to tell you, right?" Angus nodded. Robert was going to tell him to just rest, and Angus didn't believe he had any other choice. He was too tired to do much else anyway.

"Well done, indeed. From critically ill yesterday, and still serious today, but you're home. Andrew, keep a close eye on his vitals until at least bedtime. One of us will be over to check him at least once an hour for now." Angus had thought he would be finished with healers constantly with him, and Nigel caught the slight confusion on Angus's face. "Hoping you'd be done with us? Not yet, Lad. I'm afraid you're going to be stuck with us for at least a couple days yet, but hopefully it won't feel quite as intrusive as it has been. If you feel any differently, for any reason, you tell Andrew straight off, alright?" Angus nodded.

"He's alright," Robert told Andrew and Ruby, "but that tired him considerably. It really was perhaps a little soon, but we felt it was worth it to try to get him back in his own place."

"Abbey is never a problem," Angus told her. "Don't stop her from coming if that's what she wants."

"Well, she'll be glad to know you're getting better," Robert said, "but if she does come, she'll have to know it is just for a little bit. You're just not ready quite yet for more than that. Another couple days will make a huge difference for you, I think. And, I think you're going to like that Andrew has an all terrain chair for you. You're going to be able to go pretty much anywhere here on the grounds that you want--within reason." He cast Angus a smile of amusement, knowing that for every rule, Angus could find the exception. "For now, all I want you to do is to rest. You're not going to feel like doing much else anyway. Now, is there anything that you need or want right now?"

"I can't think of a thing," Angus said. Andrew went to the kitchen to put on a pot of tea and found a tin of tea on the counter. He opened it and found some almond tea inside. He had no idea Robert had blended it himself, but he made a pot anyway. Robert and Nigel excused themselves for now, leaving Ruby and Angus by themselves for the moment.

"I didn't think I would get home anywhere near this soon," he told Ruby. "Now, Ru, I don't want you to hover here. I know you have things you want to do and things you have to do. Don't put those things on hold for me. I don't want to be any sort of an anchor around you. I want you to do the things you like to do. And before i forget, Edward is going to want you to leave the door open between the two houses during the day, if you don't mind. He's not going to want it or expect it at night, but he wants to be able to help when you're not home--if you don't care, that is."