Club X-Dare (Siren Publishing Allure) (18 page)

“Leave it to Benny. Is he coming up?”

“He was already here. He said you were out cold.”

Condor sighed. “I got a nice little nap after they cleaned my ass and put on a new diaper. It gave a whole new meaning to the word pain.”

“That doesn’t sound too pleasant.”

“It wasn’t.”

Aino heard the humor fade from his voice and adjusted her body to turn toward him. He watched as her face contorted with pain and then softened as she got more comfortable. “Do you want me to buzz the nurse?”

“No, it eases up quick. It is just really bad cramps. How’s the JellO?”

“It could use some fruit in it. Some whipped cream on top would be nice, too.”

“I imagine they are going to keep you on a relatively low-calorie diet so you don’t gain too much weight while you are inactive.”

“Maybe. I am dying for one of your homemade brownies. The real thick ones with the white chocolate and pecans. Make me some when you get home?”

“I think I can manage that. I will have to go online and go shopping for the stuff to make them with. They can deliver it to the house.”

“I didn’t think of that. Are you going to be able to manage in the wheelchair?”

“I can walk. The problem is that to move my knees puts a lot of strain on the stitches, and it hurts. They will come out in a few days, and then it won’t be so hard.”

“I wish I could say the same thing.”

An aide set a tray down in front of Aino. “Do you want another ginger ale?”

“No, I would love a cup of coffee.”

“I will see if you can have one. How are you making out, Condor?”

“Fine.”

Dr. Athens strolled in, giving Aino a grin. “Nice to see you back. I am sorry, but we are taking Condor from you after lunch. I want to run some tests and see how he is healing. If everything looks good, then when you go home in two days you can take him with you. Your insurance is excellent, and they actually prefer to pay private nurses for around-the-clock than to pay the hospital. Your file has been turned over to a case manager, and he is setting everything up for you to go home. As long as you have trained care, I see no reason you have to stay here. You can lie in a hospital bed at home just as well as you can lie here.”

“Really? I can go home in two days?”

“I don’t see why not unless there is a problem with the tests we are going to run.”

“Can I bring the morphine pump home?”

“No, but you will be on oral pain meds by then anyway. If you have any questions or concerns, I will be back up later to let you know how everything is going. Aino,” he said with a nod of his head as he walked from the room.

“You don’t look happy, Condor,” she said.

“I am just a little surprised that they are sending me home. I was figuring on being here for a few weeks.”

“You will be more comfortable at home. We can set your bed up in the living room, and you can see everything. You can watch TV or use the computer.”

“I guess,” he replied, turning his attention back to the Jell-O.

Aino was released early on Friday morning so she could go home and prepare for Condor. Anthony helped her inside and rearranged the living-room furniture to accommodate the bed that was being brought in. Aino made him a cup of coffee and set it on the divider between the kitchen and living room. “Would you mind hanging out for a few minutes so I can go wash up?”

“Of course not. Do you want me to shift the computer over so it will be easier for Condor to see it?”

“Yeah, that would be great. I will be out in a few minutes. I’m dying to take a shower, but I can’t until these stupid stitches come out. I’m still trying to figure out how to wash my hair.”

“Go wash up, and if you want, I can do your hair in the sink. At least it will be clean.”

“Oh, Anthony, you are the best.”

“I owe Condor a lot. I can’t imagine where my life would be without the help he has given me over the years. Now scoot, I can’t hang out here all day.”

Aino smiled and hobbled across the house, heading into the back bathroom. She lowered herself to the edge of the tub and threw a towel over her legs so she could wash without getting them wet. When she came out, Anthony had arranged the room so that Condor had easy access to everything from the central space where the bed would go. She set the shampoo and the towel on the edge of the sink and poured herself a cup of coffee. “What you have done is perfect. Thank you, so much.”

“You’re welcome. Let’s get your hair washed. Is it going to hurt to bend over?”

“I don’t know. I’m still coming to terms with what hurts and what doesn’t. I will endure a little pain if means my hair will look better. It looks horrid.”

He smiled and turned on the water, adjusting the temperature so it wasn’t too hot. Aino leaned slightly, spreading her feet rather than bend her knees. She leaned heavily on her elbows to support herself as Anthony quickly washed her hair. As he began to rinse it, the doorbell rang. “Are you gonna be okay for a minute while I get that? I can see that you are dying trying to hold yourself up.”

“Yeah, go ahead. It might be the bed.”

He ran to the door and opened it. “Come on in, I am in the middle of something.” He hurried back over to Aino, using the spray jet to rinse her hair. The moment he had all the shampoo out, he wrapped her head in a towel. “Up!” he said, supporting her by her ribs as she slowly straightened out. Anthony helped her step back to the chair and gently lowered her into it. “Are you okay?”

“I am fine. Who was at the door?”

“You look like a ghost. That really hurt, didn’t it?”

“It’s just cramps,” she replied, looking up and seeing a middle-aged man. “Hi, are you Jeffrey?”

“Yes, I am. You must be Samantha?”

“Please call me Aino. It is a nickname, but I prefer it. You are a little early, Condor isn’t here yet.”

“I know. I like to arrive early on the day the patient comes home. Sometimes the extra help is needed to get him from the gurney to the bed. Dr. Athens said he was in stable condition but in a lot of pain.”

“He is. He’s better than he was in the beginning, but he is far from healed. Did the doctor give you instructions?”

“Yes, I have them in my briefcase. I have a full list of foods Condor is supposed to eat and a complete chart on his medication. From what I understand, you aren’t supposed to be doing anything for at least two weeks, correct?”

“Well, it just killed me to get my hair washed. I imagine that will improve once I get the stitches out.”

“Hello?” a voice called from the open door.

Anthony looked around the corner. “Come on in. I was beginning to wonder if Condor was going to get here before the bed. I cleared a section in the living room that should be wide enough.”

“Great.” The man disappeared and returned a few moments later with two other men, carrying the bed. They deposited it in the middle of the living room, plugging it in to make sure it was still working properly. “We also brought over a removable ramp. Do you want us to install it now?” the first man asked.

“Yes, of course,” Aino replied.

He stuck his head inside a few moments later. “All done. Good luck.”

Jeffrey headed out to his car, coming back with his briefcase and a large box. He set the box on the kitchen table, taking out a plastic sheet and a light cloth one that could be easily washed. “I was warned that you didn’t have any supplies, and I brought some. This should hold us for the day, and I can pick up more tomorrow.” Anthony made quick work of the bed and set a box of diapers on the table. “We will let his body adjust slightly and then try the bathroom. You must have some real pull with someone. From what I was told he is coming home with the top of the line in electric wheelchairs. It has a lift to get him into a standing position and is ultra thin and light to maneuver easily.”

“That will be great. Do you really see him standing in the near future?”

“Why not? He can’t go anywhere, but to get himself in and out of bed the lift is great. His ribs are pinned and won’t move. His leg is almost healed enough to put him into a support cast that he can put weight on. His hip is solid because of the pin, and he is lucky that he didn’t need to have a replacement put in instead. Things could be much worse.”

“I suppose. I’m just glad he is coming home. He is getting really fidgety in the hospital.”

“I’m not fidgety,” Condor yelled from the doorway. “I am bored shitless.”

Aino giggled and got up to go to him. She stepped aside as he rolled himself up the ramp and into the house. “We have a house full, and I am dying to get horizontal.”

Jeffrey immediately stepped into view. “Good afternoon. I am your private keeper for the day shift. The name is Jeffrey, and let’s see what we can do about getting you into that bed. Do you have to urinate first?”

“No, they made me go before I left the hospital. What a fiasco that was.”

Jeffrey extended his palm in the direction of the bed. “Wheel your chariot over. Have they showed you how to use it?”

“Yeah. I almost fell on my face, so you might want to hang close.”

Jeffrey laughed and walked with Condor as he steered himself into the living room. He glanced around and whistled. “Someone has been busy.”

“That would be me,” replied Anthony. “Aino is a slave driver, and she intends to make me earn my paycheck.”

“Hey, wait a minute, I didn’t make you move everything. You volunteered,” Aino retorted.

Condor stopped the chair, gesturing to her with his free hand. “I am being a shit. You had all this done for me, and I haven’t even said hello to you. Come here and kiss me.”

She hobbled over to him and leaned on the back of the chair to bend down. Her kiss was warm and inviting, and Condor couldn’t help but come away from it with a smile. “I am so glad not to have IV lines in our way anymore. How are you feeling? You washed your hair.”

“Actually, Anthony washed my hair in the kitchen sink. I can’t bend over and keep my balance, and I can’t take a shower until the stitches come out. It feels a lot better though. How did you handle the trip over here? Every bump in the road must have been agony.”

“I’m pretty doped up. They gave me a hot shot of pain killers before they put me in the van.”

“Let’s get you into bed,” Jeffrey instructed. “That shot is not going to last forever, and you need to give your body time to relax.

Condor used the remote under his palm to turn the chair around and back it up beside the bed. He flipped a switch, and the seat rose up, slowly tilting to make it easier to stand. Jeffrey hovered over him as Condor put pressure on his uninjured leg and then slowly turned himself to sit down on the bed. It seems to take forever as he wiggled himself back into a semi-sitting position, and then Jeffrey hit the button to raise the bed back up. “Not bad for a first try. You will get the hang of it.”

“I hope so, because that really hurt,” said Condor. “I think I could use a good nap. I’m so tired just from that small amount of effort. How long am I going to feel this way?”

“I don’t know. You will get stronger with each passing day, but depending on your outlook, it might seem like forever. Your body got a big shock when you were in that accident. All your energy is going into healing the broken bones and damage to your lungs. Do you want a sleeping pill?”

“No, I want Aino to come over and lie with me.”

She strolled over, seeing that there was just enough room for her beside him if she didn’t move too much. She sat on the edge of the bed, lifting her legs and lying next to him. “What’s up, babe?”

“I’m sorry that I put you through hell in the hospital. I just keep thinking that I’m not going to be good enough for you anymore. I see everything that you have done for me, and I know that I am being a shit.”

“You could say that,” she replied with a grin to let him know she was teasing. “I didn’t do all that much. Everyone else has been doing everything. I just wanted you home. I figured that you would be better off here. I love you, and we will work things out.”

“I know,” he replied in a sleepy tone. The feel of her drawing tiny designs on his chest was the only drug he needed to send him into a restful sleep. Aino stayed with him for a little while, her movements slowing as she used less pressure on him. Once she was certain that he was completely gone, she slipped off the bed.

Jeffrey smiled. “Impressive.”

“Thanks. I tend to have a relaxing effect on him. These stitches are really pulling. How much longer do they have to stay in?”

“You had them done last Friday, so if you want, I can take them out on Monday. You should leave them in for a full ten days because they are on a joint that moves. Sit down, and I will take a look at them.”

Aino dropped onto the sofa, allowing him access to remove the multitude of bandages that now covered the different sets of stitches. “They look good. I read your file, but I can’t imagine anyone kneeling in glass and not knowing it.”

“I can’t either. I kind of heard the sound of crackling in a distant place in my mind, but my body just didn’t register the pain. What they picked out afterwards were those cute little chunks of safety glass that shatter into nice neat pieces. I must have shifted or maybe slid forward for them to slice as they did. If you want the honest truth, the only thought in my mind was that he was dead. If you had seen the car or the accident, you never would have thought him alive. I watched the Vette flip up into the air and come down, rolling and landing on its side as the truck repeatedly crushed into him. I see it in my dreams, only when I lean to look in through the front window, he is lying with his eyes open in death.”

The doorbell chimed, and all three people jumped from the unexpected sound. Anthony groaned and then went to answer the door. “Aino, did you order some groceries?”

“Yeah, I forgot all about them. Can you put them on the kitchen table? Everything is already paid for, but I need my purse for a tip.”

“Yes, mistress,” he replied, leaning over the partition to hand her purse to her.

Aino giggled. “I could arrange that. Be careful what you say, Ant.”

Anthony laughed. “I stuck my foot in that one. No thanks, I prefer fantasy.”