The good news from the vascular surgeon is I still have good blood flow in my leg. The less good news is the orthopedic surgeon still has me on a walker (which is needed I agree) but maybe for another 6 weeks. Sigh. I should be editing this novel but I am having trouble motivating.

Picking up These Haunted Hills where I left off with Brendan freshly returned from Columbus waiting on Josh who’s been out in the woods near his cabin.

He eventually lost himself in the haunted world he was creating, not even hearing Josh’s approach until he was shockingly close. Josh waved, a bashful expression on his face as if he were sorry he’d startled Brendan. He wore jeans with the knees torn out and a T-shirt with a dragon sitting on a hoard of books with the words ‘book wyrm’ on it. He had twigs in his blond hair and a smudge of dirt across the bridge of his nose.

“Hey. You’re back. I almost didn’t recognize you.” Josh scrubbed a hand over his chin, leaving behind more dirt.

Prepping to go back to Columbus for a battery of vascular and orthopedic tests. They start so early in the morning i have to go down the day before but I’m hoping for good news.

I’m picking up this snippet (longer than lines) from when Brendan has come back from Columbus (ironically) and has decided to try and move past his son’s death. For reference, Josh is out in the woods fixing his trail cameras and doesn’t know Brendan is back and the pendant in question is the one made of his son’s ashes. These Haunted Hills

Leaving his drink on the table, he took off his pendant and tucked it reverently away inside his suitcase. There, he’d given himself permission to go that far. Brendan opened up his lap top as he settled down to write and wait on Josh. He assumed Josh would come knock on the door when he saw Brendan’s car. He hoped. No, maybe I should go outside.

Relocating his computer and his drink outside to the porch, Brendan tried to work. He rubbed his chin, feeling bare skin for the first time in a long time. After meeting with Heather, he’d gone home and saved. He swore years came off with that beard. He hadn’t realized how much his beard aged him. He hoped Josh didn’t mind. Truthfully, he was glad to be rid of it. He’d grown it because most days he’d been too mentally exhausted to care about grooming. His beard itched him. He could handle a goatee but the full beard somehow made him itch.

This week showed me a medical office working the way it should. I told my vascular surgeon’s office that I’m coming from 3 hours away and could they move the testing to my orthopedic surgeon’s day (3 days later) so I didn’t have to spend a week in a hotel or could they send the tests to Pittsburgh. They worked for days to get ALL my visits on one day. I still have a 3 hour trip and one day in a hotel (as the day begins at 7 AM) but I’m having all four visits at once and that’s pretty fantastic.

Have a little bit more of These Haunted Hills. I’m skipping a head a bit. Brendan is done meeting his ex in Columbus and has headed back to his cabin in the woods feeling a little more sure of himself.

Brendan drove up to the cabin, surprised to see Josh’s truck parked there. He hadn’t told Josh when he was going to be back. There had been a text alert when he was driving and he refused to look at those when he was behind the wheel. When he checked he saw a cryptic message. In the woods. Damn trash pandas.

From that Brendan assumed the cameras had gotten knocked aside again and Josh was out there somewhere fixing them. As tempting as it was to go play grizzly Adams with Josh, Brendan went inside and mixed up another dark and stormy heavy on the rich rum. He might need it because he wanted to pick up where he left off. He didn’t want to be drunk but Brendan needed to file the edge off.

I know it’s been a while since I’ve played along and even longer since I snippeted from These Haunted Hills. Leave it as I’m hope with my parents from the nursing home but I’m still barely able to walk with a walker and have a lot of recovery to do.

Here’s a snippet with Brendan talking to his ex wife about the thoughts of moving on with new loves and dealing with the death of their son.

I do occasionally still feel guilty about being happy again. You know there were days when I wanted to go be with Connor in the next life just as I know you have to. Hell, I was terrified that was what you were going to do when you told me you rented a cabin in the middle of the damn woods.”

He dropped his gaze again. “I know. It’s why I was fine with calling you because I didn’t want you to worry. I don’t want to hurt you ever. But I did think about it, just briefly when I first got there, then I met Josh. It wasn’t anything instant, like one fantastic smile from him and everything was better. But as the days went by, I felt like he could really be the one to help me out of the darkness. He’s a good man. I just wish it wouldn’t feel like I’m digging my heart out with a rusty spoon when I think about being with him.”