Vain: A Stepbrother Romance (10 page)

Chapter 17–Day 20 – 30 Shark in the Hospital - Mick

“Shark!
Shark!”

          Where the hell
am I? I need to get out of here. Where is that shark? What is going on? Why are
these people grabbing me, why am I feeling tired…?

***

         
I awake with a start, unsure of where I am. I gasp for breath. The last thing I
remember is the shark. I decide it’s better to take stock of my surroundings
before I start yelling again. I try to piece the information together again and
recall where I am and how I got here. I have some recollections of the attack,
but can’t remember much of anything after that.

         
Looking down, I see my leg is wrapped in an enormous bandage. I touch it and
feel it is more of a cast. I try to raise my leg, but I can’t—the pain shooting
through it is intense. I guess the good news is that I still have a leg.

         
I have all of my faculties, albeit I’m a little groggy. More good news: I’m
alive. I can’t get the image of that shark bearing down on me out of my head.
It is still surreal and seems like it never happened. My leg, however, is a
testament to the fact that it did.

         
There is a great deal of silence, with the exception of dinging machines. I
have no idea if it’s day or night, nor do I have any recollection of how long I
have been here. A nurse arrives at my bedside.

         
          “Mick, do you know where
you are?”

         
“Well, it looks like a hospital. So I assume that’s where I am.”

         
“What do you remember?”

         
“I remember the shark attack. I remember swimming for my life. I remember it
tearing into my leg and the searing pain of its jaws. Then I remember Sam,
sitting by my side. Holding my hand and crying. But how is that possible? Is my
leg okay? Will I ever walk again? Where is Sam? Where is my father?”

         
“Mick, there is a lot to go through. I need you to have a little patience.”

         
“No, I need to know. Please, give me the news!”

         
“It’s too early to tell, but after hours of surgery, we were able to attach
most of the nerve endings. You have definitely lost muscle, but the body is an
incredible machine—it has the ultimate capacity for healing. However, how hard
you are willing to work will ultimately determine your recovery. Your father is
here. Would you like me to let him in?”

         
“Yes! Of course!”

         
Moments later, my father walks around the divider. I cannot help by cry at the
sight of him. Man, is he ever a sight for sore eyes. He laughs and I laugh,
both of us with tears in our eyes, happy that I’m alive. He has never been a
man of many words, but the ones he says now are most certainly precious.

         
“Glad to have you here, son.”

         
That said it all. In his amazing way, he captured “I love you,” “Thank God
you’re not dead,” and “I couldn’t imagine my world without you” in those six
simple words.

         
“Someone else is here to see you.”

         
“If Delia has weaseled her way out of prison, I am not interested.”

         
“It’s a girl, but it is not Delia.”

         
To my shock and joy, it’s Sam. She smiles with a tear in her eye as she comes
into view. I don’t reach for her, but I don’t have to. She has already wrapped
herself around me.

         
“She has been here every day since they brought you in,” my father says.

         
I blink at him. “What do you mean, every day?”

         
My father frowns. He looks somber again. “You don’t know how long you have been
here, do you?”

         
“No.”

         
“Mick,” he says gently, “you have been here for almost two weeks.”

         
Good Lord! I have lost two weeks of my life, but thankfully, I didn’t lose my
life altogether. This sure brings a lot of things into perspective. I’m scared,
and I’m sure it’s written all over my face. Immediately, I decide on two
things. The first is that I will not be getting back into the water again, and
the second is that my love for Sam is true.

         
“Mick, I am going to let you two alone for a while to catch up, but I will
still be here.”

         
Dad always just seems to know what the moment requires.

          “One more thing, Mick,”
he says to me before he leaves. “Do yourself a favor and don’t let this one get
away.”

          I smile at my father. He
has commented on a lot of things. Never before, though, has he meddled in my
love life. He must see in Sam the same thing that I see in her. Sam pulls up a
chair right by my bedside and grabs onto my hand. She looks deep into my eyes,
we exchange small talk for a little while until her expression changes.

         
“Mick, don’t take this the wrong way, but… I think I’m…”

         
“You think you’re what?”

         
“I think I am…”

         
Sam seems unable to control herself and she stands up to run away. I sit there
alone, calling her name, but with no response. I don’t know if she’s telling me
goodbye, or if she’s confessing her love for me. Either way, I am exhausted. As
I lay my head back, I can see Sam walking back. I try to stay awake, but the
meds and the excitement of the day have gotten the better of me.

         
“Mick, are you awake? I wanted you to know that I…”

Chapter 18 - Of Love - Sam

I
come back to Mick’s bedside. He looks as tired as any one person could be. I
sit down again and grab his hand. I am so scared of losing him. He has to know.

“Mick, are you awake? I wanted you to know that I love
you.”

         
Mick isn’t awake, and maybe it’s for the best. This is a good test for me to
see if I can say the words. I said them and I meant them. When he wakes again,
I will tell him. I leave the room to let him sleep and go back into the waiting
room with Tobin. The nurse comes by to speak to us.

         
“Mick is almost ready to go home. His vitals are all normal and his wounds are
healing properly. It will now be a waiting game. We cannot know how much damage
has been done until all of the muscles and nerves properly heal. It could take
months, it could take years—it may never happen. One thing he is going to need
is a good support system. He will need ‘round the clock care for the next few
weeks. We can give you the name of a home service and you can make
arrangements.”

         
“I used to be a homecare worker. Could I do that job?” I chime in before
thinking about it.

         
“Do you know how to change bandages?”

         
“Yes.”

         
“From a medical perspective, that is the most important thing. We need to stave
off any infection. Keep in mind this is not an easy process and it can be very
emotional. If you feel you are able and up to the task, then go ahead.”

         
“I can do it. I want to do it.”

         
“Very well. He will be released to your care tomorrow. I recommend sending him
home in an ambulance and renting a hospital bed for the duration of his needs.”

         
“He will come to my house. I understand his house requires some work right
now.”

         
Tobin looks over at me, smiling softly. I think he’s both glad it’s something I
want to do for Mick, as well as grateful that he won’t have to be the one to
step up. We both know Mick will need support now more than ever. A pang of
reservation washes over me as I realize what I am committing too. I still won’t
be able to work, and Mick will be in my house. It’s a lot to ask, for sure, but
if not for love, then what would anyone do it for?

         
Tobin and I walk back into where Mick is situated, to talk to him about the
next steps. Mick, Tobin, and I speak at length about life, love, and the great
beyond. My procrastination about telling him he would be coming home with me
has gone on for as long as it can. The conversation needs to happen.

         
“Mick,” I say, “you are going to be released from the hospital tomorrow.”

         
“What? Am I able to go home now?”

         
“They say your recovery will go much better out of the hospital. You are going
to have to retrain your muscles if you ever want to get back into the water.”

         
“Well, I can’t very well go home. My place is destroyed. Never mind the fact
that everything is up a set of stairs or down a few.”

         
“I know that, son,” Tobin replies.

         
Mick eyes him. “And I can’t very well live with you in your trailer.”

         
“I know that, son.”

         
The feeling comes over me that Mick is going to realize I am his only option.
Granted, he’s rich and could probably afford to rent someplace, but to figure
all of that out now would be a nightmare.
Should I bring it up to him? Or
should I wait for him to bring it up to me?
As usual, my mouth opens first.

         
“Mick, why don’t you stay with me?”

         
He swings his head around to look in my direction. “Sam, that’s nice, but I’m
not sure I can ask you to do that.”

         
“I tell you what, why don’t you at least come stay with me only until you find
another place?”

         
Mick thinks for a while. “Okay, I will come and live with you, but I want to
contribute to the rent and the bills.”

         
I smile. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

         
“Should we get a nurse?”

         
“I was a homecare worker. If you feel you can trust me, I am happy to do it.”

          Mick smiles at the
prospect of me waiting hand and foot on him. I’m not entirely sure what I’ve
gotten myself into, but I did put it out there. Like it or not, it’s going to
happen.

         
“I’m okay with that,” he says.

         
“Great, so it’s settled. I will go home and make all the arrangements and see
you at my casa tomorrow.”

         
I turn to leave so I can clean up the house and prepare his room. I also need
to order a hospital bed. Before I reach the door, I hear Mick calling to me.

“Sam?”

         
“What is it, Mick?”

         
“Do you mind staying with me a while? I could really use the company.”

         
          My heart melts at the
prospect of Mick admitting he wants me by his side. Tobin looks at the both of
us, getting the hint.

         
“Well, I have to hit the road. Mick, call me if you need anything.”

         
“Will do, Dad. Thanks for being there for me.”

         
“Anytime, son. Anytime.”

         
          We watch as Tobin
leaves, pulling the drapes closed as he goes. I smile at Mick in an evil
fashion and he looks at me, knowing and wanting the same thing. I hop up onto
Mick’s bed and nestle in beside him. It’s nice to feel his body next to mine. I
have to be very careful not to injure him in any way. He doesn’t look like he’s
in pain—in fact, he looks happy I’m here.

         
We begin to kiss, and his lips are as succulent as I remember. I run my hand up
and down his muscular stomach. His body is still as magnificent as I remember.
Mick returns the favor, grabbing at my breasts with his strong hands. Lowering
my hand, I reach for his manhood. To my surprise, it’s hard. He’s always hard,
or so it seems. As I begin to stroke him, he moans at the pleasure. I unbutton
my blouse to give him a better view of my breasts. He strains in obvious
discomfort as he tries to get closer. I gently place my hand on his chest and
push him back down.

         
“Just enjoy, Mick. You don’t have to do anything but enjoy.”

I
continue stroking his cock. As I move the sheets back, I stop to stare at the
size of his dick. Mick smiles as he usually does, understanding how he is blessed.
I begin to suck his hard member and Mick moves his hips to the rhythm of my
sucking, stroking my hair. I can hear his heart monitor increasing in speed.
The gentle beeping has become more frantic. Then it occurs to me that this may
bring the nurses by. There’s no time to waste. I increase my speed to hurry him
up and not get caught.

Already, I can hear
footsteps. I sit up and begin again, kissing Mick while stroking his cock and
saying dirty things in his ear. I can feel he was close, and so is the nurse.
All at once, his body tenses up and he shoots his load high in the air, most of
it landing on my shirt the remainder on my hand. I clean up my hand as quickly
as I can just as the nurse draws back the curtains. The nurse looks at us, and
the look on her face tells me that she at least partially understands what she
just walked in on.

“Oh. Um, please get off of the gurney. It is not designed for two people.”

         
“My apologies.”

         
Mick smiles at me as I get off of his bed and I smile back. The nurse leaves
without another word, shrinking into the shadows of the halls.

         
“Mick, I know now may not be the best time, but I have to tell you something.”

         
“What is it?”

         
“I’m late.”

         
Mick raises a brow. “Late for what?”

         
“Late, Mick. Late!”

         
It takes him a moment, but finally, my stepbrother catches on. “…Oh!”