Page 21 of The Grizzly Situation

“Thank you for your patience, Uly.”

“It’s not a problem, Mr. Lockhart.”

With the work day winding down, I figured I had some time before heading home to be with the kids. I could now give my attention to our newest team member. “Tell me, Uly. If you could choose your dream job, what would it be?”

I settled back into my chair, propped my feet up on the edge of the desk, and got ready to hear the litany of reasons why Ulysses James McNamara thought he wasn’t good enough for a job in our company.

I couldn’t wait to prove him wrong.

Chapter Six

ULY

“As long asyou follow the directions, I think the medication will help,” Dr. Ross said as he handed me the scrip. “It’s worked wonders on adults with ADHD, and I am confident you’ll respond well to it.”

ADHD. Four letters for a problem that long made me think I was broken. A chemical imbalance in my brain. It went a long way toward explaining why I was like I was, but with the clarity also came confusion.

“So tell me the truth. How messed up am I?”

The doctor, an older man with salt and pepper hair and a cheesy porn mustache, smiled at me. “You’re not messed up, Uly, I assure you. You’d be surprised how often this occurs. I’ll admit, I wish you had been able to be diagnosed before. We don’t know how many people have the problem. Like you, they were told they were forgetful, clumsy, stupid, slow. All manner of things we now know wasn’t at all their fault. Growing up must have been so difficult for you.”

Like he wouldn’t believe.

“I have to stress, though. This will help, but it’s not a cure. There currently isn’t one, but research has given us some amazing tools to mitigate the problems. Keep in mind, however, even on the medication, you might still have days when your mind wanders, but it shouldn’t be as evident as it had been. Also, we have to get the dosages right, so that will take time and patience.”

And for a chance at a normal life, I was more than happy to wait. I’d been patient for twenty five years. What was another one?

“Thank you, Dr. Ross.”

He smiled. “I’ll tell you something. Helping people who have suffered for years with a problem makes this job so very worthwhile.” He put a hand on my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “We’re going to make this better.”

And for the first time in forever, I had hope.

With the doctor’s words bouncing around inside my brain, I left his office. As soon as I hit the street, I called Jamie. When he answered, I rushed out.

“I need Deb too!”

“Okay, one sec.” He fumbled for a moment. “We’re here on speaker. What’s up? Are you okay?”

“The doctor says he thinks the medications will help, at least once they figure out the dosage.”

“Oh, Uly! That’s awesome,” Deb gushed. “How’d you get in so fast?”

I didn’t want to tell them, but since they asked. “Mr. Lockhart pulled some strings. He got me in to see the doctor who takes care of most of the employees of Ursine in Milwaukee.”

I left out the part about how many people he had on staff, and how quickly everything went. Was it normal? Not that I’d ever seen, where it could take months to get an appointment, andeven longer for testing. Mr. Lockhart was able to bypass all those roadblocks, and I was grateful.

“It is,” Jamie echoed. “I’m glad you went.”

“So am I,” I admitted.

They were quiet for a few moments, and I knew what they were waiting on.

“You were right, and I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.”

“You should be. Your big brother knows all, so it’s in your best interest to listen to him.”

I wanted to laugh, to mock him, but he wasn’t wrong. I should have listened. “I’m sorry.”