ELLIE
IF NIK WASN’T HOLDING ME up I’d probably be a puddle on the floor. Just getting to this moment was twenty minutes of pure torture. The most delicious kind of torture. How I kept from throwing that loofah down to rub every inch of his insanely beautiful body with my hands, I’ll never know. I was nearly shaking with the need to do so.
When I wrapped the towel around him I was hanging by a thread, then he said my name the way he did, a plea and a command all at once, spoken in that deep velvet voice of his. I had no choice but to go to him. My fears melted away all because of him, this beautiful, amazing man who’s holding me so tight, yet so gently, too.
My heart’s pounding in my ears and my stomach is convinced it’s taken the first plunge on the world’s tallest roller coaster. I’ve suddenly forgotten how to breathe. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more alive than I do right this second, because somewhere inside of me, I know that this moment is going to change my life forever.
Nik seems to be feeling the same things, because I can feel his heart hammering against his chest through mine, and his whole body shudders when I glide my tongue along the seam of his lips. His breath catches, but he doesn’t let it stop him. Slowly his tongue meets mine, then again and again. I have to fight back tears because he’s being so tender and gentle with me, like I’m the most precious thing he’s ever known.
My heart clenches painfully. I know if I don’t press for more, I’ll wind up falling to pieces, scaring him to death. I tighten my grip on the back of his neck, and sink my tongue into his mouth before sucking his deeply into mine. I can’t stop the moan that escapes me, and it causes Nik to growl in return.
Suddenly he goes from sweet and tender to hot and demanding, his hand gripping my hair, tilting me so he has easier access, his lips hard and insistent, taking instead of giving. I’m not going to fall to pieces, I’m going to go up in flames.
Brandon once told me a man’s kiss is his signature, if that’s the case, Nik’s would read ‘The Master’. If his kiss is even a hint of what sex would be like with him I’m not sure I’m strong enough to survive it. He’d be left to scoop me up off the floor when he was done with me.
I don’t know why I made us wait so long for this, I was a complete idiot. Now that I’ve tasted him, I don’t think I ever want to stop. From the way he’s kissing me, he doesn’t either. His hands are gripping me just the way I imagined them doing back at the hospital, driving me crazy. I can feel his need for me building with each squeeze they take. Not to mention his not so little friend is making its presence well known between us. He wants me every bit as much as I want him. Then it hits me, he’s using both hands.
“Nik, your shoulder,” I gasp, as he licks and nibbles his way from my jaw to my neck.
“Screw my shoulder,” he growls into my ear.
“You’re…gonna…hurt yourself,” I pant, as he finds that amazing spot between my neck and ear.
Sure enough, he does, only it’s his leg, not his shoulder. He’s so caught up in our kiss he forgets, and shifts all his weight over onto it. He roars in pain, jumping back from me, stumbling onto his good leg, both of his arms flying out on instinct to help him balance.
“Oh God! Nik! Here, lean on me!” I beg him, trying to keep him from hurting himself even worse. I hurry and gather him against me as best I can. “I’ve got you. Just breathe, sweetie. Breathe,” I try to soothe him, rubbing my hands over his head and back as he leans his forehead against one shoulder, his arm thrown over the other. The poor thing is heaving and groaning he’s in so much pain.
Please God don’t let it be broken even worse. Please!
I hold him up, still whispering to him to breathe through it, until his breathing gets somewhat more even, but with almost all his weight on me it’s a tough job. “Do you think you can stand with the crutch a second? I’ll run get the wheelchair for you?” I ask when I think he may be able to stand it.
He nods his head where it still rests on my shoulder, but stays silent other than his quick heavy breathing. That’s not good, it would be better if he was cussing a blue streak. It must be really bad if he’s this quiet.
I stretch my arm out as far as I can without moving him and manage to reach the crutch, then help him get it under his arm. He finally pulls away from me, but his head is still hanging and his breathing is getting erratic again. It breaks my heart seeing him like this. It’s my fault he’s hurting. I take his head in my hands and kiss his temple. “Hang on, I’ll be right back.”
I run out of the shower as fast as I can with wet feet down the hall to the foyer to get his chair. I’m sure I’m not even gone thirty seconds, but it feels like thirty minutes before I make it back to him. He’s still where I left him, but from the part of his face I can see he’s pale as a ghost.
Son of a bitch, this is bad!
I get the chair into the shower, but unfortunately, I can’t get it right behind him, there’s not enough room between him and the shower seat for it to fit. I get it as close as possible then set the brakes. Going up to his right side I lean over so I can see his face, it’s soaking wet. I know that not all of it is from the shower. He’s sweating bullets.
“Nik, honey, do I need to call an ambulance?” I ask. I’m starting to get really worried.
He shakes his head short and quick. I know he doesn’t want to go back there, but maybe I should call anyway.
Shit! I don’t know what to do. I’ll get him in bed first, and see how he’s doing, then call Dr. T. If he thinks we should go, then we’re going whether Nik wants to or not.
“All right, I got the chair. You think you can get in it, or do you need a few more minutes?” I whisper, brushing his wet hair off his forehead. I only get a slight shake of his head again for an answer. That’s when the smell hits me, and I look down to see he’s thrown up. He had to have done it right when I ran out the door.
Bless his heart. I can’t stand this! We are never kissing again unless his ass is glued to the bed or a chair!
I leave him there and go grab a couple of washcloths, wetting them with cold water. I hurry back to him and lay one around his neck, and use the other to wipe his face, hoping the coolness will help some.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers, as I wipe his mouth to make sure he’s cleaned up.
“Oh, no, sweetie, no. This is not your fault. I’m the one who’s sorry. I’m so, so sorry. If we can get you to the bed I have some morphine I can give you. Dr. T sent it with me for emergencies. You let me know when you’re ready,” I whisper, still wiping his face.
My voice is starting to shake and my eyes are blurry with tears, but I refuse to let them fall right now, it will only upset him more, and I’m not having that. Finally, he lifts his head and straightens his body some. I stay where I am, giving him time, but keep fanning him with the washcloth.
“I think I’m ready,” he whispers.
I throw the washcloth down, and glue myself to his right side to help him. “The chair is behind you, to the left. We need to turn about ninety degrees, then you can sit, okay?”
“Yeah,” he groans.
I help him twist around, and move back one or two steps then ease him into the chair. He’s still pale, sweaty, and keeping himself really stiff, but I see him relax a tiny bit when I get his leg into the leg rest. I moved it so slow it felt like it took twenty minutes to get it there. I had to stop three times so it didn’t get to be too much for him. Thank God, it doesn’t look bent or swollen from what I can see. There isn’t any redness either. All of those make me feel much better.
I slowly and gently roll him from the bathroom to his bedroom, right up to the side of his bed. As I set the brake he starts to groan.
“You feeling sick again?” I ask, keeping my voice soft.
He nods his head one time then leans forward. I grab up the trash can, and sit it between his legs.
Thank goodness it’s a decent sized one. He won’t have to work to hit it.
I run back to the bathroom for more wet washcloths, before hurrying back. I spread one out onto his back then fold the other one, and press it to his forehead. We stay like that for several minutes, him groaning, and me waving washcloths to keep them cool–bathing his face, neck, and back with them, too.
Thank God, the nausea eventually passes and his color begins to come back. When he sits up he leans his head over against my stomach, and lets out an exhausted sigh. I run one hand over his hair, and cup his cheek with the other one. My heart aches for him so much. As bad as things were in the hospital, he never once threw up, or had such bad nausea.
It has to be the pain pills. I’ll be on the phone the second I get him settled, I’m not having this.
“You want to try the morphine? Or do you want to get in bed?” I ask, still stroking his hair.
“Both.”
“Well, it’s a shot, and Dr. T said it had to go in your hip or thigh, and I have no idea how fast it’ll hit you so we better get you in bed first, okay?” He groans, and pulls off me to sit up. I kiss the top of his head. “Let me get the crutch real quick. We’re not doing this without it,” I tell him, and run to the bathroom. Once I’m back I move the trash can, then squat down and carefully move his leg out of the leg rest, before folding it out of the way. I look up at him, and he looks so pitiful I have to fight back the tears again. “You ready?”
“Yeah,” he nods, reaching his hand out to me.
I stand up, and take one step back so I can brace myself then grab his hand. He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, then pulls himself up. I quickly give him the crutch, even though all he has to do is turn sideways and sit down. I’m not taking any more chances, especially with how weak he is.
He stands still as I move the wheelchair out of the way, then I help him turn and sit down. I should probably try and get some clothes on him since he’s still in nothing but a damp towel, but I can’t stand the thought of putting him through it.
I do put his sling back on. I grabbed it when I got the crutch. At least I can get it on him without making him move. When we get that on, he scoots up the bed a bit while I hold his neck to help ease him all the way down onto the bed. I kiss his head again before going to get the morphine out of our ‘doctor bag’, as Miss Nettie called it.
I’ve never given anyone a shot in my life, and I’m not looking forward to it, but it’ll stop his pain which is what he needs most right now. But I worry if I’m doing the right thing.
What if he still has too much of the other meds in his system, and I can’t mix the two? God! I could OD him!
I go back over to him and stroke his hair. “I’m gonna call Dr. T. real quick, sweetie. I have to know if it’s okay to give this to you since you had the other pain killer. Can you hang on a few more minutes?” I hate like hell to make him wait, but I can’t make this worse. I have to call. He nods so I kiss his forehead, and lay the morphine on the nightstand before going to get the phone. I pace the hallway outside his room while I wait for someone to pick up.
Dr. T’s nurse answers after three rings. I quickly explain what’s going on. She tells me to hang on a minute, she’ll be right back. When the hold music clicks off it’s Dr. T on the line.
“Miss Cochran, can you tell me the situation please?” he asks, getting right to the point.
“Hi, Dr. T. Umm, Nik made the mistake of putting all his weight on his broken leg while we were getting him showered. He’s in terrible pain, and I need to know if I can give him the morphine you sent. He already had a hydro this morning with breakfast, but he threw up all of that when his pain got so bad. Is it safe to give him the morphine? Or do you think I should call an ambulance?” I rush out.
“How long ago did he take the hydro?” he asks calmly.
“Ummm, maybe an hour tops.”
“You may give him the morphine, but only give him half of what is in the syringe. I am going to send a nurse out to check on him within the next few hours. She will have a portable X-ray machine, and can make sure no further damage has been done. I doubt very seriously there has been. She will let me know her assessment, and we will go from there. You did well to call me first. Stay close to the phone, I’ll have the nurse call you for directions. Keep a careful eye on him as well, and call me back if you feel a need to,” he tells me.
“Okay, thank you so much,” I breathe out shakily.
“You’re welcome. I will speak with you soon.”
I lean up against the wall, and fight back my tears again. All of this for one kiss. It was the most amazing one I’ve ever had, but it still wasn’t worth him getting hurt over. I take another deep breath, centering myself, then go back to him.
He’s lying so still and quiet it looks like he’s asleep, but the tension in his beautiful face tells me he’s not. I brush my fingers over his cheek until he opens his eyes to look up at me.
“You can have some morphine. Dr. T. is sending a nurse out to check on you, too. Do you have a preference on where I do this?” I ask, not able to keep the shakiness out of my voice.
“My hip, I guess. Are you okay doing it? I don’t want you having to do it if you don’t want to. I can wait for the nurse,” he tells me, his voice strained.
“Nik, do you seriously think I’m going to let you lay here in pain when I can make it stop? Miss Nettie showed me how one day when you were sleeping, I’ll be fine,” I say with false bravado. “You’re gonna need to turn to the side so I can get to you though. Do you want some help?”
He nods, so I work to get him turned onto his right side propping him up with several pillows. His face stays a tense mask, and he hisses and groans throughout the whole process. Once I get him settled I get one of the washcloths and wipe the sweat from his face and neck down again, then lean over and kiss his cheek. “It’ll be better soon, hang on a few more minutes, sweetie.”
I stand up and gather my courage. I need to do this for him. All I have to do is pull the towel down his hip a little ways. I could pull it up, and get to where I need to be much easier, but…nope. His gorgeous body is part of the reason we’re in this mess as it is. I grab the syringe and hold it between my teeth then try to gently tug the towel down.
“Can you pull it loose and leave it laying over me? It’ll be easier for you, and it will stop hurting my hip bone where I’m laying on it, too,” he says looking over at me.
I freeze for a second, but then reach under him on either side of his slim waist, and slowly pull it loose. Being this close to his nearly naked body again is nerve wracking in a good way, but him being in pain overrides that big time. I make sure none of the towel is under him anymore, but keep him covered.
Okay, let’s try this again.
I expose his left hip and tear open the alcohol swab to rub over his skin, then toss it onto the nightstand. I take the syringe out of my mouth and pull the cap off the needle.
Thank God, it’s a tiny, thin one. I don’t know if I could stick a big one into him.
I hold it straight up and tap the air out like Miss Nettie showed me, then gently and slowly squeeze the plunger until a drop runs out and over the top. I look down at him, and he’s looking right back at me, his eyes bright with pain. “You ready?” I ask with as much calm as I can muster, even though I feel anything but.
He nods again, closing his eyes, and relaxing as much as he can into his pillow.
All right, here we go Ellie, you can do this.
I pinch some of his hip between the fingers of my left hand, there isn’t an ounce of fat on him. I have to pinch harder than I want to get enough. I lower the needle to just above his skin. “Deep breath,” I tell him, or maybe both of us, and quickly jab it in as gently as possible. He flinches, but stays quiet. “Sorry, sweetie.” I wince while slowly squeezing the plunger until I get half of it in, then quickly slide the needle out.
Thank God, that’s over.
I press another alcohol swab over it, and hold it there for a bit. There’s hardly any bleeding when I wipe it off, and pull the towel back over him. “All done,” I whisper to him, leaning over and kissing his temple. “Do you need anything else?” I ask, pulling the sheet up to his waist.
“Mouthwash,” he whispers back.
I get him a cap full and an empty cup for him to spit it into, then carefully get into the bed with him so he doesn’t have to turn over. I help him drink it, wiping away what dribbles out, then hold the cup up for him. He swishes for a while, then spits. I wipe his mouth one more time then leave the cap and cup on the other nightstand behind me.
“Better?”
“Yeah, thank you. Stay with me?” he asks weakly, reaching for my hand.
“I was going to, but I need to get out of this wet suit so I don’t ruin your bed. I’ll be right back, okay? I promise,” I tell him, reaching for his hand, and kissing his fingers once they’re laced with mine.
“Hurry,” he whispers.
“I will,” I promise with another kiss to his fingers, then let him go. I hurry to my room and peel off my cold wet suit, leaving it in a pile on the floor.
Aunt Maggie would beat me raw for it if she was here.
I get some panties and my bra on then throw on a T-shirt and some soft shorts. I need to be decent for when the nurse shows up. I stop by the bathroom and run a brush through my hair real quick, shake it out, then wrap it in a towel. Maybe it won’t look too wild when she gets here, not that I care much.
I walk quietly into Nik’s room in case he’s already asleep, but he opens his eyes as soon as he hears me walk around the bed. I pull the cover back, and slide in beside him, only letting my top half get close to him. I’m keeping far away from his leg for a while.
“Is the pain any better yet?” I ask, reaching over, and running my fingers through his hair. It makes him close his eyes and sigh.
“Maybe a little.” His eyes open again, and he tries to smile but it’s pitiful. “I’m sorry I screwed up our kiss.”
“Oh, Nik. You didn’t. It was the most amazing kiss I’ve ever had,” I tell him honestly, while stroking his cheek and hair.
“It was?” he asks, surprised.
“Yeah, it was. It breaks my heart you got hurt. I should’ve made sure you were stable or sitting down before I kissed you. It’s my fault, not yours. We’ll do better next time even though you probably don’t even want there to be a next time,” I joke with him.
“Yes, I do,” he says defensively, his brow drawn heavy over his eyes. Then his expression softens. “I could kiss you like that forever if you’d let me,” he whispers, making my heart clinch, and I’m ashamed to admit another part of my anatomy, too, one further south.
I brace myself on my elbow so I can be closer to him, then lean over and kiss his lips softly. “I very well may, but only if you’re sitting or lying down from now on,” I insist, giving him a stern look.
His smile is a little less pitiful this time. “Just until my leg is healed, then all bets are off.”
“Okay,” I agree with a smile, and start running my fingers through with his hair.
“Mmmmm, I love it when you do that. Please don’t stop,” he whispers.
“I won’t. Go to sleep.” I watch as his eyes get heavier and heavier until they close and his breathing becomes slow and deep. I lay down and stare at him. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to how beautiful he is, even more so when he’s sleeping peacefully.
A flood of emotion washes over me as I look at him, and if I was totally honest with myself I would admit what that emotion is, but I can’t yet. It’s there, waiting patiently for me to acknowledge it and I will.
I will.
I know I’ll have no choice. Between him and my heart, I don’t stand a chance. For now, tears seem to be all I can manage. Feeling so much after being numb or terrified for so long is overwhelming. Add our sexually charged, but disastrous morning on top of it, and I’m a mess.
“Shhhhh, Hummingbird. It’ll be okay,” he whispers sleepily.
I raise my head out of the pillow. His eyes aren’t even open, and his breathing is still deep and even, but his fingers are playing with some of my hair. I smile despite my watery eyes. Even asleep he’s breaking down my walls.
I don’t know how he’s doing it, but he’s unraveling all my knots like he said he would. I think it’s just him being Nik. He’s like my champion, always there for me no matter what, challenging me to fight for more, holding me when the fight becomes too much.
Now more than ever I believe Scott’s description of him. He is a peaceful, refreshing, gentle rain. Being close to him calms all my fears. He’s much louder than the shadows that haunt me. Even a smile from him makes them run and hide.
I’m still sad and afraid, but being with him…I feel happiness again. I’m both sad and happy instead of always sad. That’s a huge step forward from where I’ve been the past two years. The hope he’s sowing in me grows with each minute I spend with him, too. It’s like I’m coming back from the dead.
But I got a taste of his hidden side this morning. He can be a raging fire when he wants to be. I’m not sure which side I like better, the fire or the rain. Thankfully, I don’t have to choose. I think I very easily could have let his fire consume me earlier. I’ve never felt need that strongly before. It’ll be extremely hard to control myself around him from now on. It’s not just hope and happiness he’s stirring in me anymore.
I could let him love me forever if he wanted to. If I would let myself, I could love him back.
Both terrify me, but I’m not going to run anymore. Not where he’s concerned.
My decision made, I lace my fingers with his, and drift to sleep.
A loud repetitive noise wakes me up, and I scramble off the bed looking for the phone, but it’s not ringing, and there isn’t a missed call. This time I recognize the noise when it starts again. Someone is knocking on the front door.
I look over at Nik, he’s still sleeping hard. I pull the towel off my head, and shake my hair out as I head to the door. I look through the glass and see Cash standing there. I open it and try to smile up at him. “Hey, Cash. Come on in,” I say before turning and padding towards the kitchen.
I need coffee.
“Hey. I brought y’all some lunch from the Mexican place. Sorry, looks like I woke you up. Rough night?” he asks, setting the bags on the table.
“Rough morning, actually,” I answer, pouring myself a mug from the coffee pot. Thank God, I left it turned on. Maybe it isn’t too scorched. I turn towards Cash, and raise my eyebrows along with my mug, silently asking him if he wants some, but he shakes his head. I sit down heavily in the closest kitchen chair. “Thanks for the food. That was sweet of you.”
He nods then gives me time to take a few sips of my coffee. “What happened, and where’s your patient?”
“He’s sleeping off some morphine after his disastrous shower earlier,” I sigh.
“Uh oh, what happened? He didn’t fall, did he?” he asks, really worried.
I shake my head. “No, not that bad. He got distracted and wound up putting all his weight on his bad leg. It was the steps all over again, puke and all,” I sigh again.
Puke I should have cleaned up already. Ugh.
“Damn. The poor guy can’t catch a break, can he? What distracted him? I would think he would be super careful in the shower.”
I try to hide my blush behind my coffee cup as I shrug.
Damnit, he’s grinning.
“He wasn’t taking a shower by himself was he, Ellie?” he asks, his grin getting bigger.
“No, he has to have help, Cash. You know that,” I answer defensively.
“Y’all weren’t, you know…?” he asks, rolling his hand at me, that shit-eatin’ grin still firmly in place.
“Cash! No, we were not, you perv! For God sake, he’s got two broken bones. He’s kind of out of commission right now.”
He throws his hands up defensively. “Okay, okay. Something had to distract him though, and I can guess what that was.”
“We were kissing, you nosy jerk! I had on a bathing suit, and he had a towel wrapped around him. We were decent! It was just a kiss! Happy now?” I growl at him as I fight back tears.
God, I hate that I cry when I’m angry!
“Aw, Ellie. Don’t get upset. I’m sorry, okay. Please don’t cry. Nik will kick my ass if you do, as soon as he’s able to anyway. I’m sorry.”
I wipe at my eyes, and take a few deep breaths. “It’s my fault he got hurt. I kissed him first, even though I warned him to be careful. It’s just been a long day already. I’m worried about him, and exhausted, too. I’ll be fine once the nurse gets here and tells me he didn’t do any more damage,” I sniff.
“How’d you manage to get a nurse to come out here?”
“I called Dr. T. to let him know what happened, and to see if I could give Nik the morphine he sent with us. He’s sending one with a portable x-ray machine. Hopefully we won’t have to go back to the hospital.”
“Well, sounds like my idea is gonna come in handy then. Bringing a big machine up those stairs would be a bitch. I brought a couple of ramps from some old box trucks we have so Nik won’t have to deal with anymore stairs,” he says.
“Really? That’s awesome. Thank you. Now I won’t have to call you every time I need to take him somewhere,” I say with a smile.
“Yeah, but that’s not why I did it. I couldn’t stand thinking about making him go up and down those stairs again. It was awful seeing him in so much pain,” he sighs looking down at the table.
I reach out and pat his hand. “You’re a good friend, Cash.” My phone rings making me jump, but I quickly recover. It’s the nurse needing the address to put into her GPS. “She should be here in about twenty minutes. I’m gonna go check on him, then start cleaning the bathroom,” I tell him, getting up from the table.
“All right, I’ll get those ramps unloaded. Mind if I stick around to see what she says?”
“Of course not. You’re welcome anytime.” I pat his shoulder before turning towards the hall. “You know where to find us when you’re done.”
He waves then heads outside.
Nik’s still sleeping peacefully when I check on him. I lean over and kiss his cheek, and it makes him stir.
“Ellie,” he mumbles.
“Shhh, go back to sleep,” I whisper, stroking his hair. I stay with him a minute or two until I’m sure he’s going to stay asleep, then head to the bathroom to clean it up. I find a few old threadbare towels under the sink, and use them to clean up the shower floor where he threw up. Then throw them in a trash bag and tie it off tightly. Cleaning up puke two days in a row, while not my favorite activity, isn’t too horrible.
Thank goodness, I don’t have much of a gag reflex.
I turn the shower all the way on hot, and leave it running for a while to wash anything I missed down the drain. I’ll disinfect it later. I gather up all the wet towels we used, and our dirty clothes to start a load of laundry. I got a new washer dryer set for here while I was doing the kitchen and bath. I’m glad I did, because I think I may be doing quite a bit of laundry over the next few months.
I go back and peek at Nik, I can see him breathing peacefully. I decide to sit in the living room until the nurse shows. I stretch out, and lay my head back with my eyes closed trying to catch whatever rest I can. A few minutes later I hear Cash come in and sit down on the other sofa, I wave at him in acknowledgment. He huffs out a laugh in response, but stays quiet after that.
I don’t get much rest though, because there’s another knock at the front door a few minutes later. Cash offers to get it, but I wave him off and go answer it.
It’s the nurse as I expected. What I didn’t expect was how very short and old she would be. Her voice should have given her age away on the phone, but I guess I was too out of it to notice. Her tiny stature is another thing altogether. She looks like an extra from Lord of the Rings. Add pointy ears and big hairy feet, and she could live in the Shire.
“Helga Schultz. Is this the Jensen residence?” she asks, abruptly.
“Umm yes, sort of. Nik is here. I’m Ellie, please come in,” I invite her.
She walks a few steps then stops to stare up at Cash. “Well, you can’t be him since you’re upright. Where’s my patient?”
I grin over her head at Cash as I shut the front door. “This is Nik’s friend, Cash Griffin. Cash, this is Miss Schultz.”
“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Cash greets her.
She huffs at him. “You look like a lumberjack.”
I have to stifle a giggle as Cash smiles down at her. “Yes ma’am, I get that a lot. Do you need any help with the x-ray machine?” he asks.
“Nope, got it right here,” she says lifting up her big bag.
Cash and I look at her with surprise, but I quickly move on to her patient. “Nik’s this way, Miss Schultz,” I tell her as I point towards the hall.
“Dr. Schultz,” she says gruffly.
“Oh, excuse me, I’m so sorry. Dr. T. told me he was sending a nurse,” I apologize.
“You two were raised right. So many manners,” she says, nodding at each of us in turn, then looks up at me. “Lead the way, blondie.”
Oh boy, she is a hoot!
We all head to Nik’s room, but I stop at the door and wave her in before I follow. Cash brings up the rear, leaning against the door frame to stay out of the way. Nik’s sound asleep still, you can easily hear his heavy breathing. She sets her bag on the floor and pulls out what looks like a kid’s game. I’m assuming it’s the x-ray machine. It’s a big screen with two handles, one on each side. She holds it by one hand, and reaches for Nik’s covers with the other.
“He’s naked!” I squeak, a bit too late.
She grabbed the sheet and towel both and flung them off the bed, leaving us with a very eye-opening view.
“I’ve seen thousands of them, nothing new to me,” she grumbles.
I’m completely ashamed of myself, but I stand frozen in place not able to do anything but stare at Nik’s naked body. At least he’s turned away and I can’t see his not so little friend. But his ass is hard to miss. It may be my new favorite part of him. It’s that perfect. Award winning even.
“I can’t wait to tell him about this when he wakes up,” Cash whispers in my ear, making me jump.
I don’t need to see him to know that shit-eatin’ grin is on his face again. I can hear it in his voice. I turn around and scowl at him while jabbing my elbow into his stomach. He just laughs quietly.
Dickhead.
I go over and pull the towel out of the sheet she threw on the floor then cover Nik back up with it, saving his dignity and mine, too.
“Worried I’m gonna steal your man, blondie?” Dr. Schultz asks in a whisper as she holds the screen over Nik’s leg. “He’s even prettier than the lumberjack over there. You’re a lucky girl,” she smirks at me making her eyebrows jump.
From the sneak peek I got when I put the towel over him, I can’t help but agree with her. I don’t say it out loud though. I’m trying to pretend I’m not blushing.
“How does it look?” I ask. “Please tell me there’s no more damage. He’ll be so upset if he has to go back to the hospital.”
She ignores me, moving to look at Nik’s shoulder, lightly pressing on it, and then viewing it through the machine for a few minutes. When I look at the screen I can easily see the fractures in his shoulder blade, but they look better than the first x-rays I saw of it at the hospital.
She looks up at me. “Wake him up for me, girlie. He won’t startle if you do it. He needs to turn over, too. I can’t reach him like that,” she says then backs up.
I hate to wake him up, but it’s for the best. I lean over close to his ear and brush his hair. “Nik. You need to wake up, sweetie.”
“Mmmmm.”
“Wake up for a few minutes, okay? The doctor needs to talk to you,” I encourage him gently, rubbing his back.
“Who needs to talk to me?” he almost whines.
“Dr. Schultz. Dr. T. sent her out here to check on your leg. She needs you to wake up and turn over for her,” I explain.
He peels his eyes open, and looks over his shoulder at me. “Help me turn over?” he asks groggily. I make sure the towel is going to keep him covered, then help him move his good leg over the bad one. Cash jumps in to help him with his upper body. He doesn’t groan as much as he did before the morphine, so at least I know he’s in less pain.
Schultz shoos Cash and I away so she can stand next to Nik. To say he’s confused would be an understatement, bless his heart. His face is priceless when he sees her. With the morphine still in his system he must think he’s in some crazy dream. I have to turn away so I can hide my smile.
“All right, relax. I’m only checking your heart rate and breathing,” she says in a much nicer tone than she’s used with me and Cash. She must be satisfied with what she hears because she puts her stethoscope up then looks back at Nik. “You awake enough to pay attention, pretty boy?” she asks him. Poor Nik nods his head at her. “What about you, blondie. You listening?” she asks, looking over at me.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“All right, here’s what you’re gonna do.” She looks back at Nik. “No more walking around for the next three days. You either stay in this bed, in the wheelchair, or on the sofa. The only time you need to be upright is when you’re moving from one to the other.
“I don’t see any significant new damage in the leg or your shoulder. There is a good amount of inflammation though. The leg needs to be elevated ninety percent of the time, and I want this sling off your shoulder. The strap’s putting too much pressure on it. I have some wrap out in my car we can use to strap your upper arm to your chest.
“You’ll be able to use your lower arm that way as long as you go easy with it. I’ll come back and check on you Monday afternoon to see how you’re doing. Until then I’m going to suggest no PT till sometime next week. It’ll only irritate things more. I think that covers it. Any questions?” she asks, looking back and forth between us.
Nik just stares at her, so I jump in. “Is there a different pain killer he can take than the hydro? He’s thrown up twice since he started taking it. That’s way too hard on him with the amount of pain he’s already in, he needs something else.”
“Sure, I’ll write him out some scripts for a few different ones, and you can see what helps him the most. I’ll add in Zofran, too, just in case. Get him settled, and I’ll meet you in the kitchen. See you in a few days, pretty boy. Behave yourself,” she says to Nik, patting his thigh.
“I will,” he answers her, still sounding unsure.
I watch as Dr. Schultz pulls on Cash’s shirt to encourage him to follow her as she mutters something about love birds, and probably being back here before nightfall. Whatever she said must have been funny, because Cash’s laughter echoes in from the hallway.