It sucks, man, and it threw me until Glenn set me straight. I know he’s a smartass, but listen to him on this. He’s older and uglier than all of us, and he can help.
I don’t know jack about what’s going on inside that belly of yours, but the head stuff? It will come right in the end. You just gotta give it some time.
My number is on the back of this (least, I think it’s mine). Call me if you ever head south. You know my mama’s always got a bed for you.
One love,
Luke
Day Eight
TAP,TAP,tap, tap.
It was like a lullaby.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Except Jed didn’t want to sleep anymore. Nah, he wanted to follow the sound, find the fingertips and the beautifully rough hands, scale the lean, muscled arms, and kiss the full lips he found at the summit.
He settled for opening his eyes.
Max leaped from his perch at the foot of the bed like a cat. Jed mourned the loss of warmth from his legs, but only for a moment. Then Max’s face was so close to his, and nothing else mattered. Jed reached out an IV-entangled hand, hooked it around Max’s neck and kissed him.
The kiss was warm and sweet. Max pulled away with a smile that felt like the sun to Jed’s weary mind. “Are you really awake? You’ve had me fooled a few times today.”
“I’m awake.”
Max kissed him once more. “Good. I missed you.”
“What time is it?”
“A little after five.” Max pushed a mug of tea into his hands. “I got here a while ago, but Vera said you’ve been asleep most of the day.”
“Vera?”
Max shot him an amused look. “Your personal nurse? The old dear who leads your fan club and takes care of you every day?”
Jed was mystified. Nurses came and went with such frequency, he rarely noticed them. He took a sip of the tea and set it down. Max narrowed his eyes infinitesimally. Jed raised his hands in a placating gesture. “Chill, I’m gonna drink it. Help me up?”
Max took his arm and helped him sit upright without the aid of the bed. Jed swung his legs over the edge. He’d been up and about for a day or two now, shuffling to the bathroom and back, but it still took him a moment to get going. He spied the paper bag Max had left on the chair by the door. “What else you got?”
“Sandwiches. Want one?”
“Can we eat them outside?”
Max blinked. Clearly, he’d expected a flat outno. “Outside? You mean, like,outsideoutside?
Jed glanced at the window. Dusk was fast drawing in, but it was dry. He detached his IVs, tossed the ever present oxygen tubes aside, and lowered his feet to the floor. “Yep.”
Max steadied him with an exasperated sigh. “You’re going to escape no matter what I say, aren’t you?”
“Probably.” Jed looked around for a sweatshirt. “And Dan is much easier to push around than you. I could probably get him to take me to Seattle and back.”
In answer, Max took his own jacket off and handed it over. Jed put it on while Max retrieved his sneakers from where they seemed to be stashed under the bed.
“You hid my shoes under the bed?”
Max rolled his eyes. “You’re not as spontaneous as you think. I figured you were bound to make a bid for freedom eventually.”