Indigo Road (23 page)

I pushed the
thought away. “
’m
I?”

“
Florida
Hospital.” Davis examined my eyes, flashing a stupid penlight in
them, which sent another jolt of pain
into
my head.

“Ah, fuck. ’Lando?”

“Yes, Orlando. Tell me what you remember
about yesterday?”

Was it only yesterday?

I swallowed thickly. “I was driving. Alex
smiling. Truck. Red light.” I didn’t know if I made any sense as
the tears formed once more, making my eyes burn as much as my
throat.

“Good. That’s right. Eyewitnesses said a
truck ran a red light and struck the driver’s side of the van.”

“Throat. Sore.”

“Yes, it will be. You had to be intubated
when you came in. Nothing to worry about, though, the pain will
pass in a little while. Here.” I felt a small ice chip on my lips
and I took it gratefully.

How could
Davis be so distant, so… unemotional, when his
fianc
é’
s cousin
had died? Cal and Alex had been close, so Cal had to be here
somewhere. Probably in the hospital chapel.

I looked at
Mom still sitting next to me, holding my hand in hers. Her features
were
sad
but
happy at the same time. My father stood at the end of the bed, a
relieved look on his face. My anger flared, and despite the pain, I
forced the words out. “How can you… be so happy? How can you not
feel his absence like I do?” Speaking was hard work, but I needed
to know how my family could not feel the loss of someone they
considered an adopted son. “You loved him too. And now he’s…
gone.”

Mom’s eyes widened in confusion and Dad
looked to Davis as if he had the answers.

“What do you mean, darling?” Mom asked as she
stroked my forehead.

“Alex. He’s… gone.” I couldn’t stop the flood
of tears that came.

“Oh, honey. He’s not dead. He’s two rooms
down. He’s been here the whole time, holding your hand.”

“He’s not… dead?” It was a hard word to say
and I feared the answer, even though Mom had just told me he was
alive.

Mom frowned. “Whatever made you think
that?”

“You said so. I asked…” I swallowed and Mom
gave me another ice chip. “You said ‘I’m sorry, he’s gone.’”

“
Oh, darling.
I’m surprised you remember anything at all with a fractured skull.
I meant he’s gone back to his room, not he’s
gone
gone
. He’s not allowed to stay
here for long because of his ribs. He needs his rest as well, but
he sure puts up a fight.”

“He’s okay?” I wondered if I was hearing
things now and if what I heard before was real.

Davis rambled off a list of Alex’s injuries
as relief ran hot through my entire body. “He’s going to be okay,
though, right?” I asked, still not believing he wasn’t dead.

“
He’ll be
just fine, he’s got a sore head and some cracked ribs.” Davis’s
voice turned professional. “Your injuries are much worse. Your
skull fracture was the most concerning injury, as the
swelling
in
the
brain was substantial. The resident neurosurgeon here got it under
control before it had a chance to do any permanent damage to the
brain tissue. You’re a very lucky man. Your femoral shaft fracture
was pinned this morning, but it was a clean break and it’s expected
to heal nicely. You’ll need crutches to move around and a full leg
brace for some time and it won’t be completely healed for
approximately four to six months. I expect it to ache every now and
then, but you’ll be fine with some physical therapy.”

“Can I see Alex?” I yawned, feeling
exhaustion pulling at the edges once more. “I need to see him.”

“Not right now. He still needs his rest, but
it won’t take long before he makes Cal bring him back here when the
nurses aren’t watching.”

“What are you doing here?” I asked Davis.

“When your parents heard about the accident,
they asked me to come as someone they could trust to tell them what
was going on. We all got on the first flight out. I can’t do much
except be your liaison and let you know what I think. So far the
doctors have been excellent. I don’t believe either of you will
have any trouble recovering.”

I was tired and had trouble focusing on my
next question. “What about… your practice?”

“Cal and I had planned to take this week off
anyway. We were going to head to Chicago for a few days, but
Florida has nicer weather.” Davis smiled. Obviously Florida agreed
with him.

My eyelids
drooped
closed
but I forced them open again. Mom was smiling as she ran
her fingers gently over the part of my forehead that wasn’t
bandaged. That soothing mother’s touch. “Sleep now, darling. I’ll
go check on Alex a bit later for you. Is there anything you want me
to tell him?”

“Tell him I love him,” I managed to say
before letting sleep take me again, not bothered if I had just
outed myself or not.

“
GODDAMN FUCKING
piece
of shit,” I grumbled as Cal entered the room.

“You’re lucky it was me coming in and not
your mother,” he said, smiling. “You owe me two now.”

“
Two, how
come?” I asked, turning my attention back to the task of untangling
the IV line from around my
bedframe
. I was still hooked up
to a saline drip despite my insistence I was feeling better. I
think Davis saw through me and knew I was saying it only because I
wanted to see Alex. I was feeling better, but every time I
sat
up,
my head
would spin, not to mention my sore-as-fuck ribs. I couldn’t feel
my
leg,
but
that was because of the cast.

“
I rescued a
few
items of interest
from the van before your parents found them,”
Cal said, making air quotes as his smile turned wicked.

“Oh shit. I forgot about the toys. Do you
think you could hold on to them until we get home? Please?”

“Sure. Alex already asked me. What kind of a
cousin would I be otherwise?”

“Just don’t use them.”

Cal made a face. “Eww! Are you kidding? I’m
not touching anything that’s been near your…” He waved his hand at
my lower body still covered by the white hospital blankets.

“They’ve been cleaned, idiot.”

“I know, but still. It took a while for me to
work up the nerve to even touch them. Luckily for me, most of them
were already in the bag. Just the thought…”

“
All right,
all right. I get the picture. I wouldn’t want anything to do with
your and Davis’s
items
either.”

“You might. Being a doctor, Davis gets his
dirty hands on all kinds of things.” Calvin’s eyes sparkled as he
grinned. “I know your lover’s a kinky bastard.”

I shook my head slightly. I really didn’t
want to know.

“Help me out here,” I said, changing the
subject.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m not staying here. I want to see
Alex.”

Calvin raised
an eyebrow before looking around like he was involved in some kind
of conspiracy and was checking we weren’t overheard, despite being
the only ones in the room. “Hold tight. I’ll
acquire
a wheelchair.”
Did he actually believe me? There was no way I could get out of
bed. Before I could answer him, he dashed out of the room, looking
left and right before speed-walking down the corridor.

I sat up
gingerly. Before my head stopped spinning, Calvin was back
with
a wheelchair. And
Alex. He closed the door behind himself and pulled the blinds,
glancing around the room like James Bond before pushing the chair
over to the side of my bed.

“You’re an idiot.” I laughed.

“Shut up. I’m bored and you two are my only
source of entertainment. I can’t find Davis.”

I hadn’t seen
Alex since the accident three days ago, as the medication I was on
kept me either asleep or an incoherent mess for the most part. I
knew he’d been here, though, as he left me little Post-It notes
telling me to wake up so he could see me and always signed off
with
I love
you
. Even though Alex was a bit banged
up, he was still beautiful. My heart skipped a beat as I looked at
him and smiled.

His head
wasn’t bandaged like mine, but he sported a
good-sized
bruise on his cheek
that went up into his hairline. One large black and purple bruise
covered his right arm from shoulder to fingers, but Davis reassured
me it was only soft tissue damage, no major injury, but it would
hurt like hell for a while. Alex was only being kept in for
observation now and they expected to discharge him tomorrow or the
day after.

Alex didn’t talk to me at first, instead
raking his gaze over my body, probably assessing how I was feeling
without asking me. His glare landed on my mouth before asking Cal
to go to the gift shop and see if he could get some lip balm. God,
I hoped it was for me. Cal looked around the room once more before
he set off on his mission. I reached for the bed controls so I
could lower the bed down to Alex’s level, and he pulled his chair
as close as possible. He leaned forward and rested his head on the
uninjured side of my chest and took a deep breath.

Underlying the sterile, disinfectant smell of
the hospital, Alex’s scent was still there and it calmed me
immediately. I wasn’t going to let him leave this room if I could
help it and I briefly wondered how much Davis could authorize as a
visiting doctor.

“
Josh.”
Alex’s whisper was soothing to my soul as I put my good arm around
his shoulders gently. The movement made my ribs
ache,
but the pain soon dulled.
Alex’s good arm came up and I felt his fingers run tentatively over
my chest. “I love you.”

“I thought you were dead.” My voice was
muffled against his hair as I kissed his head, and my eyes burned
with new moisture.

Alex kissed my chest. “I’m sorry.”

“’S’not your fault.” I sniffed.

“
I’m sorry
anyway. I’ve missed
you
but they won’t let me visit you too much and the
drugs keep you asleep. I’m not supposed to be here now, but Cal
smuggled me out.”

“Stealthy about it, was he?”

“He thought so.”

“If he comes back with some balm, I’ll give
him a blowjob as payment. My lips really hurt.”

“
If you
weren’t so injured, I’d punch you.” I felt Alex’s lips turn
up
in
a smile
against my chest despite his threat of physical violence. “Where
are the parents?”

“Sorting out the insurance and repairs for
Maude. She’s fixable. The mechanic said if we were in a newer model
van, we’d both be dead. They don’t make ’em like they used to.” I
pressed my lips to his hair once more. “She saved our lives.”

“You two are so cute.” Cal stood in the
doorway, waving a tube of salve.

I lifted my head, groaned slightly, then
said, “I owe you a blowjob.”

“Do you now?” Cal raised an eyebrow at Alex.
“How many drugs is he on?”

“Ask your fiancé,” he mumbled. “If he doesn’t
quit it, Davis is going to have to prescribe more.”

I kissed Alex’s hair again, then murmured,
“You love me.”

He sighed and melted into me a little more,
despite his awkward angle. “I do.”

We talked for a little while. Some dozing
might or might not have happened. Cal mumbled something about going
to look for a blowjob and left us alone, presumably in search of
Davis.

I
didn’t
know how long
Alex stayed there, safe with me. His good arm remained wrapped
around me while his fingers trailed over my skin. He applied some
balm to my lips and he mentioned something about a fuckable mouth
and a hundred blowjobs as soon as I was able.

A nurse walked in, jolting us out of our
little bubble. “I’ve been looking for you,” she scolded Alex.

Alex mumbled something about being kidnapped
by a doctor’s fiancé and that he didn’t have much of a choice in
the matter. Just then my parents walked in. It took me a full
second to remember they didn’t know about Alex’s and my
relationship, and he tried to sit up.

“Shh, babe. It’s okay. You’re not going
anywhere.” I kissed his hair again and closed my eyes, gathering my
courage for what I needed to tell Mom and Dad. I opened my eyes as
the nurse left, probably to find a doctor to order Alex back to
bed.

Mom’s features were soft and her smile warm
as she stared at the two of us semi-entwined together. Alex was
still in the wheelchair, his body leaning over the bed with his
head on my chest, partly because I was holding it there and partly
because I sensed he didn’t want to use too much strength to break
my hold in case he hurt me.

Dad, however, was unreadable.

“Mom, Dad?” I spoke quietly, my speech a
little slurred. I was still pretty drugged. “I’d like you to meet
my boyfriend, Alex. When we get home, we’re going to live
together.” I kissed Alex’s head once more as he tensed. I closed my
eyes again. “He saved my life.” I wasn’t talking about the recent
accident, but only Alex would know that. No sense in stressing Mom
and Dad more. It wasn’t until Mom spoke that I opened my eyes.

“Oh.” She looked a little confused.

“Mom? I’m gay. Alex is my boyfriend and when
we get out of here, we are going to live together,” I clarified.
The confusion fled from her face and she smiled a little.