Chapter Ten
Matt got Jasper set up at the table with his laptop, a spare cell phone, and a notepad and pen.
“To find a GED program. I’ll help you make a list, based on how close they are, then you can ring them and find out if they have places available.”
They spent half an hour creating a list, and it gave Matt enough time to work out that Jasper’s reading wasn’t as bad as all that, he was just slow at it.
“Okay, so you start calling the ones on the list. I have to get ready for work.”
He showered and dressed before packing his bag.
“I’ll be back this evening. You know where the food is. I’ll bring home dinner, okay?”
He hadn’t planned for company and his stock of prepped food had dwindled.
“Yeah. Thanks, Matt.”
“See you tonight.”
The emergency department was quiet for once.
“I think all the elderly have finally got the message and are staying off their feet,” someone joked.
“Or maybe they’ve all frozen in the cold,” Taylor replied. “Let’s hope we avoid another power cut like last year.”
That was no joke. The previous year’s had lasted almost four days, right when the coldest of the weather happened. People had died.
A bout of food poisoning at a day center sent a dozen people their way just after three p.m.
“Just keep hydrated, it’ll pass,” he said to one woman.
“I wish it would pass now,” she replied. “I just got over the stomach flu.”
He knew the feeling of being sick of being sick so it was something he could sympathize with.
During his break, he searched the local newspaper for job adverts, to see if there were any that might suit Jasper. From what he could tell, Jasper only had limited retail experience and not even a high school education. That was going to limit his options.
“Oh, Lord. Tell me you’re not leaving us.” He was jerked back to awareness by Jesse standing over him. “I do not want to have to search out another doctor over Christmas. This is last year all over again.”
He put the paper down as she sat on the couch next to him, setting her cup of coffee on the table.
“I’m not going anywhere. Just looking for a friend who needs a helping hand.”
“Is he a people person, this friend?”
“He has nice manners. Friendly enough.”
“Does he know his left from his right?”
“I’m pretty sure he does.” Matt wasn’t sure where she was going with this.
“Tell him to send his résumé to HR. They’re deathly short of porters for the holidays, they’d take him on.”
“He doesn’t have a high school diploma.”
“Can he read and write?”
“Yeah.”
“They’re desperate. I’ll put a good word in for him if you like.”
“You’ve never met him.”
“If you like him, that’s good enough for me. I want a full house for Christmas. I want all my nurses, all my doctors, and every porter we can possibly be allocated. This will be the best run, most efficient ED come Christmas Day, and that’s a promise.”
“I have every faith in you,” he said, trying not to laugh.
“Oh, believe me, as God is my witness, we’ll get this done.”
He cut his break short to check the hospital website and root out the application form. It looked straightforward enough, and they weren’t asking for a lot when it came to qualifications though probably more than Jasper had. Still, it was worth a go. Thinking quickly, he also took a copy of the hospital map and a list of all the wards and departments.
The smell of the pizza he was carrying was making his mouth water. He really hoped Jasper liked pizza though he had the sense Jasper was the opposite of a picky eater. Jogging up the stairs to his apartment, he fished the keys out of his pocket and opened the door. Jasper was sitting on the sofa, a book in his lap. He gave Matt a look that was part embarrassment, part guilt as he shut the book and stood.
“Hey,” he offered.
“Hey. I brought pizza.” Matt set the box down on the table and pulled off his coat, hat, and scarf. “Any luck finding a course?”
“Yeah, actually.” When he looked round from hanging up his coat, Jasper was smiling. “I found one a twenty-minute bus ride from here. They have places and I can start in January. It’s part online so I can work around the schedule as long as I have access to a computer.”
“That’s great news, Jas.” He reached into his bag and pulled out the application form. “I also have good news, a lead on a possible job. The hospital is looking for porters to cover the holidays. You might not quite meet their skillset, but apparently they’re really struggling to get anyone so it would be worth your while applying.”
“Porter? That’s…”
“Someone who brings patients from place to place around the hospital. They’ll train you in on how to move people and you’ll mostly work with someone else. It’s usually two to a trolley, though you’d be solo with wheelchairs. I brought home an application, and a list of the wards and a map. I thought I could help you apply and, if you get an interview, we can do some prep work.”
“Prep work?”
“Learning the names of the departments and where they are. It would give you a leg up if you were familiar with the hospital’s layout.”
Jasper beamed at him. “Do you think I have a chance?”
Matt couldn’t help but smile back. “Yeah, I think you do. Now, who’s for pizza?”
While Matt went in search of plates, Jasper disappeared into the bathroom to wash up.
“Would anyone from the church shop be willing to give you a reference?” Matt asked when Jasper returned, grabbing some paper towels and glasses for the table.
“Betty would. And George.”
“Great. It might be a good idea for you to ask them now that way you can use them for anywhere you apply.” He wasn’t sure how much Jasper knew about job applications, résumés, and just how these things worked. “And we should do some mock interviews.”
“I’ve done those,” Jasper chimed in. “Not here, but back at St. Nathan’s, in the community center.”
“Good, so you have an idea how an interview goes. It wouldn’t do any harm to get a bit more practice.”
Jasper nodded and then paused, looking stricken.
Matt, a slice of pizza halfway to his mouth, asked, “What is it?”
“I don’t have anything to wear.”
At the confused look Matt leveled at him, he added, “Most of my better clothes were stolen from the shelter.”
“That’s okay. You can borrow some of mine,” Matt said, then looking from him to Jasper and noting their difference in stature, he amended that to, “I’ll talk to my friend Drew. He’s close to your size, I’m sure he has something you can borrow. If you get the job, you’ll be given scrubs to wear so you won’t need to worry about work clothes.”
Jasper’s worry morphed into another smile, this one going right to his eyes and melting Matt’s heart just a little.
“I’m not sure you’re supposed to be this nice to me,” Jasper said, reaching for a slice of pizza at last. Matt, tucking into his own, chewed and swallowed before replying. “Come again?”
“Aren’t you supposed to ‘treat ‘em mean, keep ‘em keen?’”
Matt laughed. “If you’re already a certified bastard, then yeah, I’m sure that rule works for you. For the rest of us, no. Besides, I’m not that nice. I’ve made you cook, clean, find a job, get an education. I’m no sugar Daddy.”
Jasper started to laugh, then choked and coughed. Matt leaned over to pat him on the back. “Okay, sorry. I’ll try not to joke while your mouth is full.”
They gave themselves over to eating for a few minutes, Jasper matching him slice for slice, enough that it made him wonder if he’d eaten at all during the day. Finally, once they were both full, they retired to the couch and watched some TV.
“Thanks for looking out for me, with the porter’s job.”
“What are friends for?” Matt asked.
“Are we friends?” Jasper asked, seeming almost disappointed.
“Why?” Matt asked, bemused. “Don’t you want to be?”
“I thought we were going somewhere different,” Jasper said, drawing his legs up under him and turning to face Matt.
“Oh, and where’s that?”
Jasper’s eyes very deliberately flicked down to Matt’s lips then back up again, as his tongue snaked out, licking his own.
“Hey, we talked about this. Study, job, and then we…”
The lights flickered and turned off, plunging them into darkness and it was silly but Matt reached for Jasper in the twilight, hands finding his shoulders and drawing him closer before he cupped Jasper’s chin and dragged his thumb across Jasper’s soft lips.
“Oh, to hell with it,” he said and leaned forward. Jasper pushed closer, guided by Matt’s hand, and their lips met, slow and soft. The second time was more certain, Jasper’s hand reaching behind his head, his fingers tangling in Matt’s hair. His lips parted, and Matt’s tongue explored, tasting pizza and something that was all Jasper. They broke the kiss and Jasper pushed closer still, wrapping arms around him and holding him tightly. Too much or not enough? He gently tipped Jasper’s head to the side, stretching out the long line of his neck and started by pressing a kiss behind his ear. Jasper whimpered, his body squirming closer to Matt, arching his head and neck to give him better access.
“Like that, do you?” he asked, his breath brushing across Jasper’s skin as Jasper nodded against him. He kissed lower and lower, feeling Jasper’s Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard. He kissed the groove just above Jasper’s collar bone, tugging his sweater out of the way as he worked his way along, until he reached Jasper’s shoulder. He cupped it in his hands, feeling Jasper shudder under him. He had a thing about Matt’s hands on his shoulders and Matt would take full advantage.
With a flicker, the lights came back on. It seemed to jolt them both back to awareness and Matt placed one last, solitary kiss on Jasper’s shoulder before letting go, tugging his sweater back into place.
“I’m sorry, Jas. I shouldn’t have done that, not after us agreeing…” He looked away, embarrassed and ashamed to have lost control of himself.
He was surprised when a firm hand found his cheek and directed his gaze up to meet Jasper’s.
“Don’t be. It was nice. But I understand why we made the agreement, and why we should stick to it.” He sighed forlornly, his eyes watching Matt’s lips with longing.
“But on the bright side,” Matt replied, “having to keep some distance lends a bit of excitement, heightens the anticipation.”
Keeping his hands off Jasper would be a challenge with them in such close quarters, but maybe that could be a good thing.