Tj Klune updated his status: “Went home yesterday and working today and will do so again tomorrow. I will go back up to Richmond on Wednesday and stay there the rest of the week and make sure that I’m there when Eric is transported to the new respiratory hospital to begin the next phase in his recovery.

The house is empty without him there, and far too quiet. It’s funny, really. I’ve survived 30 years without him and now I find myself counting down the hours until I’m back at the hospital. The nurses all seem surprised when they find out we’ve only been together fifteen months. “I thought it was so much longer,” they all said. I don’t know what it is about me and him. We’ve always been in sync with each other in a way I’ve never been with anyone else. It might be clichéd and trite, but he makes me whole and without him by my side, part of me is missing.

Ah, but enough of the maudlin speak! Every day he gets just a little bit stronger. Every day is one day closer till he gets to come home again. And every day is one that I am grateful to have because every day I put on the engagement ring I gave him and tell myself that soon enough, he’ll be able to wear it again.”

Heh… no pun intended.

Purchase at Dreamspinner Press
(All ebook formats available here as well as paperback)

ARe to follow.

Amazon has paperback. Kindle coming soon.

ANNOUNCING
Dirty Deeds by Rhys Ford (Book 4 in the Cole McGinnis Series)
Coming March 28, 2014 from Dreamspinner Press

Sheila Pinelli needed to be taken out.

Former cop turned private investigator Cole McGinnis never considered committing murder. But six months ago, when Jae-Min’ s blood filled his hands and death came knocking at his lover’s door,  killing Sheila Pinelli became a definite possibility.

While Sheila lurks in some hidden corner of Los Angeles, Jae and Cole share a bed, a home, and most of all, happiness. They’d survived Jae’s traditional Korean family disowning him and plan on building a new life—preferably one without the threat of Sheila’s return hanging over them.

Thanks to the Santa Monica police mistakenly releasing Sheila following a loitering arrest, Cole finally gets a lead on Sheila’s whereabouts. That is, until the trail goes crazy and he’s thrown into a tangle of drugs, exotic women, and more death. Regardless of the case going sideways, Cole is determined to find the woman he once loved as a sister and get her out of their lives once and for all.

I teared up and not just because I got Vick’s VapoRub in my eye.

From Tj Klune
Eric’s post-surgical MRI results came in. The neuro was right: he was able to remove the entire hemangioma. This is huge. As long as there is no damage to his brain stem from the surgery, he might be able to return to how he was prior to this whole mess. It will take time, but time we’ve got.

TJ Posted:

Busy day. Eric had his MRI last night. We haven’t gotten the results from it yet, but the neuro doesn’t seem worried.

Since the surgery was on his brain stem, there is swelling there, which in effect has caused decreased sensation in his arms and legs. He can feel me touching his left arm but can’t move it. He won’t be able to until the swelling subsides.

He will be moved to a new hospital in Richmond next week to work on getting him off the ventilator. After that, he should be moved to a rehab location. We hope to find one at home.

While the surgery was a success, it was a single step in a much longer journey. He has his good days and his bad days. We both do. But I count every single day as a win because we have come this far already. And while we still have a ways to go, I know in my heart he is going to be just fine.

From TJ:
Eric is getting a new MRI to confirm that the hemangioma is gone from his brain stem. I am at home for the night, trying to rest up.

She hasn’t left my side since I got home. When I walked in the door, she was sleeping in his rocking chair.

TJ Posts:

Eric : Let’s have a cookie.

Me: You can’t.

Eric: Why?

Me: The nurse will kick me out if I tried to give you a cookie.

Eric: I won’t tell her.

Me: She’ll know.

Eric: Well, she’s mean and I don’t like her.

First day after surgery and he is already trying to get me in trouble.