Something Like Winter (7 page)

When a nurse finally called
his name, Ben wheeled Tim into another room… where they waited some
more. But first she and Ben helped Tim onto the examination table.
He was getting sick of being so helpless. The nurse took his vital
signs and promised the doctor wouldn’t be long.

Tim sighed and glared at
his ankle. “Can’t you do that thing where you twist it real fast, I
scream, and then I’m miraculously better?”

“
That’s only for dislocated
bones,” Ben said, “but I can give it a try anyway.”

“
Nah. Better not. So what
did that big medical book of yours say? Think I’ll need a
cast?”

“
Honestly, they’ll probably
just amputate.”

“
What?”

Ben exhaled. “I’m afraid
there’s no other option, but just think how cool your new peg leg
will be. I hear the pirate look is all the rage in Europe right
now. A frilly shirt and an eye patch, and you’ll be the most
popular guy in school.”

Tim considered the idea.
“Do I get a parrot?”

“
Of course.”

“
Then you’ve got a
deal.”

Ben’s expression grew
serious. “Seriously, though. You’re going to be okay.”

“
Thanks, Doogie Howser,”
Tim retorted. “I’m not really scared for my life, you
know.”

“
Sorry. I just feel so
guilty.”

“
Don’t start that again!”
Tim shifted, the paper beneath his butt crinkling. Ben had really
loosened up on the drive over, and kept flashing smiles that caught
Tim’s eye. Those teeth were perfect, lined up like little soldiers
that saluted him every time he tried to be funny. Something about
that smile made Tim want to be wittier than he’d even been before,
and oddly, that pressure made finding the right words so much
harder.

They were quiet for a
moment. Then Ben nodded at the exam table. “Why do they always put
paper down? It’s so weird.”

“
No kidding. I figure it’s
for sanitary reasons, but how many naked people show up at the
ER?”

Ben laughed.
“Huh?”

“
You know. Most people sit
here in their clothes, so I don’t see how they could get the table
messy.”

“
Unless a lot of people wet
themselves.” Ben suggested thoughtfully. “Or worse.”

“
Yuck!”

“
Who knows how many years
of fecal matter have soaked through the paper to stain the exam
table?” Ben’s grin was wicked. “I dare you to pull the paper back
and lick the spot where you’re sitting.”

“
Dude! Shut up!” Tim
laughed, even though he was repulsed. “You’re crazy,
Benjamin!”

“
It’s Ben.”

“
Yeah,” Tim said, wiping
tears from his eyes, “but Benjamin is better.”

“
Better?”

Tim shrugged. “It’s a nice
name.”

Ben didn’t respond, an
awkward silence trying to ruin their fun. Tim didn’t want their
banter to end. Talking to Ben felt good, maybe because if Tim
screwed up, it wouldn’t count against him like it would with his
friends. He wasn’t sure how to jumpstart their conversation again,
but thankfully a distraction walked in the door and introduced
himself as Dr. Baker. The doctor barely needed to look at the ankle
to see what was wrong. Ben’s diagnosis seemed to be right. Most
likely they were looking at a class three sprain. Tim would need
X-rays and probably a cast so it would heal right. He could live
with all of that. The words Tim really dreaded came
next.

“
I’ll need to inform your
parents about this, of course.”

“
They’re in Switzerland.”
Right now it was probably late there. Tim could imagine them being
awakened in the middle of the night and told they needed to come
back home.

“
Any other family in the
area?” the doctor asked.

“
Nope.”

Ben piped up. “My family
can take care of him until they’re back.”

Tim raised his head. Was he
serious? If Tim could avoid ruining his parents’ trip, he would get
a lot less grief.

Dr. Baker was less enthused
by the idea. With no family to look out for him, Tim would have to
stay in the hospital overnight. It was getting pretty late anyway,
so that wasn’t a big deal.

“
I have to get home,” Ben
said. “Can I pick him up tomorrow?”

“
I suppose,” Dr. Baker
replied. “Could you please bring the phone number of his parents’
hotel with you? Or better yet, phone it in tonight?”

“
Absolutely.”

What was Ben playing at? He
didn’t have access to their number—unless he used the keys still in
his pocket. “Wait, you’re taking my car?”

“
It’s not like you can use
it,” Ben said cheerfully. “See you tomorrow, tiger.”

“
You know,” Tim said to the
doctor after Ben had left, “I’m starting to think he did this to me
on purpose.”

“
Must be a nice car to go
through all this trouble,” Dr. Baker said, helping Tim back into
the wheelchair.

“
It is,” Tim murmured, “but
it might not be in the best shape when I get it back.”

Chapter Five

Tim’s night in the hospital
passed in a welcome haze of painkillers. He got his X-rays, then
his cast, and flirted with every nurse who came in the
room—reveling in the giggles of the younger girls, and the
barely-suppressed smiles of the older ladies. As much fun as he was
having, he dreaded the next morning. Ben would bring the phone
number of his parents’ hotel, and from there, history would repeat
itself.

Tim was thirteen when his
parents cancelled a trip to Japan because he had come down with the
flu. At first he was glad they decided to stay home, still young
enough that it bugged him when they took trips alone. Instead of
fawning over him at his bedside and catering to his every need, his
parents treated him as an inconvenience, remaining bitter until
they were able to reschedule their trip.

He understood now that the
vacations his parents took together were a way of recapturing the
childless life they had once planned. As far as Tim was concerned,
he was a mistake. His parents never talked of having another child.
They still loved him, when they found the time, but he had learned
long ago not to ask for too much or get in the way.

As the morning progressed,
he tried to imagine what their reaction to his accident would be.
Even worse, what if Ben called them to explain? This was the first
question out of his mouth when Ben showed up at the
hospital.

“
Did you call my
parents?”

“
No,” Ben started to say,
but when Dr. Baker came in the room, he changed his answer. “Yes.
They don’t think they can change their flight, but they’ve arranged
for a nurse to take care of you and everything.”

That didn’t sound so bad,
if it was true. The doctor asked Ben for their number, which he had
rather conveniently forgotten to bring along. Dr. Baker seemed to
share this suspicion, but he checked his watch and gave Ben a quick
earful about everything Tim would need. After being presented with
crutches and making a quick trip to the hospital pharmacy for
pills, Tim let Ben wheel him outside to the car. He insisted they
do a loop around the Mitsubishi before they got in so he could
check for damages. Amazingly, he didn’t find a scratch.

Once behind the wheel, Ben
was pensive. With Tim starting to feel his most recent dose of pain
medication, they didn’t talk much on the way home. When they
arrived, Tim made use of the crutches, swinging up the driveway so
fast that Ben had to rush to keep up.

“
I feel like Tarzan,” Tim
said.

“
Or his chimp,” Ben
retorted. “Wait up. I’ll get the door for you.”

“
Thanks.” Tim watched him
fumble with the keys. Ben shot him a nervous look, as if concerned
about messing up such a simple task. Not that Ben didn’t steal
little glances at him at other times. Tim was used to girls finding
him attractive, but now he wondered what other guys thought. Gay
guys, obviously. Corey had expressed interest, but that whole
situation had been weird. Of course, so had Ben’s knowledge of
where Tim lived.

As soon as Tim was inside
and seated on the peach-colored couch, Ben stood in front him
nervously. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

For a moment, Tim thought
Ben was about to confess his feelings. The idea made him both
uncomfortable and excited.

“
It seemed kind of
pointless to worry your parents for nothing,” Ben said instead. “Or
mine. It’s just a sprained ankle, right? A nurse seemed overboard
too. I mean, we can call one now if you really want. Or I can just
take care of you.”

Tim stared at him. “So, no
nurse?”

“
No nurse.”

“
And you never called my
parents? They have no idea I was in the hospital
overnight?”

Now Ben looked guilty.
“They have no idea.”

Tim relaxed. He would have
thanked him, if this whole mess wasn’t Ben’s fault in the first
place. Ben was more than willing to make up for it. He promised to
swing by every day to cook and clean. So Tim
would
have a nurse. One who would
destroy his reputation at school if anyone found out, but for now
he was so relieved his parents weren’t involved that he didn’t
care.

But if they were going to
do this, they were going to do it right. Tim stood with a little
wobbling and crutched his way to his father’s den in the back of
the house. Maybe the room couldn’t compete with the set-up Darryl’s
father had, but it was still nice. Everything was dark wood, brown
leather, and most of all, comfortable.

“
I figure this is a good
place to make camp,” Tim said, settling down on the couch. He
nodded at the wet bar. “There’s even a fridge to keep drinks
in.”

“
So what all do we need?”
Ben glanced around. “Blankets and pillows obviously…
Um…”

“
In one of the hall
closets,” Tim said. “I want my pillow from upstairs. And some real
clothes. Throw something in the oven too, will ya?”

“
Right.”

Tim turned on the TV,
allowing himself a chuckle once Ben left the room. He would cut Ben
loose after today. Tim figured he was trying to make amends or
searching for an excuse to be around. Either way, Tim could take
care of himself. But for now, he only wanted to kick back and
relax. He flipped through the channels, settling on music
videos.

Soon the smell of pizza
filled the house. When Ben came into the room with two plates
loaded with slices, Tim was nearly drooling in anticipation. They
watched videos together, poking fun at all the bad ones and
flipping between VH1 and MTV to avoid commercials. When they had
finished eating, Ben took the plates to the kitchen, then hurried
back and plopped on the couch. Tim was about to change back to MTV
when Ben made him stop.

“
Wait! I love this
song!”

Tim had heard it plenty of
times already. The radio stations were going crazy playing The
Fugees’
Killing Me Softly,
but the song had never caught his ear before. Nor
had the silky male voice that came in halfway through.

Tim looked to his left, jaw
dropping. Ben was singing, but not how other people crooned along
with real music. Ben’s voice was studio sweet, sounding so perfect
that Tim wanted to snap at Lauryn Hill to be quiet so he could hear
better.

Instead Tim covertly turned
down the TV’s volume, which wasn’t hard since Ben’s eyes were
locked on his. Gone was any sign of passive interest or furtive
glances. Ben’s full attention was on Tim now as he sang. And it was
beautiful. Scratch that,
Ben
was beautiful. Forget Darryl’s money, Stacy’s
cunning, or Bryce’s muscles. Ben had the voice, and that should
have made him the most popular guy in school because it was so damn
hot! Girls should be heartbroken over him, and guys should be doing
everything to be more like him.

Then the song ended and Ben
looked away, his cheeks a little red. Tim stared dumbfounded for a
couple more seconds before he clapped and cheered, happy to make an
ass of himself.

“
You can sing!”

“
Yeah,” Ben said with a
nervous chuckle. “I do all right.”

“
Why don’t you do that all
the time? I mean, if I had a voice like yours, I would sing
everything instead of talking like normal people do.”

Ben laughed. “That might
get ooooold after a whiiiile!” he sang opera style.

Okay, so maybe that sounded
dumb, but Tim wanted to hear Ben belt out a real song again. “Do
this one!” he said, turning the volume up a little.

“
It’s the Beastie Boys,”
Ben said. “They aren’t singing, they’re rapping. Or whining. Wait
until a song like the last one comes on. Hey, have you ever heard
the original
Killing Me
Softly
?”

Tim shook his
head.

“
Roberta Flack! She’s a
goddess. I’ll play that version for you sometime. Then you won’t
think I have a good voice. I get goose bumps every time I hear
it.”