“They call it an Alaskan bed! We’ll all fit so nice, and we made that guest room into a dressing room. So fancy!” He’d never lived somewhere where men had a whole room to dress themselves.
“You did construction too? I’d forgotten we talked about all of this. This is a surprise.” Neil sighed. “Wow. I…missed so much.”
“Now, stop it. We were missing you bad, so we worked hard, no? We wanted to make your coming home amazing.” And they had. He knew it. “Now, you need to hit the john?”
They had bars around the toilet, in the shower, along with the chair, and something to hold onto next to the sink. They were ready.
“Yeah. Yeah, I guess I’d better.”
Alain rolled Neil in and did his part to help with pants and all, then left Neil to do his business. He’d holler when he was done.
It was quiet for a bit, but then he heard the water running, which had to mean Chou had gotten himself back in his chair. “Boy?” Chou’s voice was clear and firm, and when he went back in, Neil was grinning from his chair. “That felt good.Boy. I think I got these wiggled up all the way, you want to check? That hip is still…tricky.”
Not hurting, not stiff or weak or anything like that, no—just tricky.
“I’m on it.” He checked Chou’s pants and smoothed out the wrinkles. He’d learned that the skin there was delicate, and a wrinkle could cause a blister. Not yummy.
“Thank you. You’re good at that.” Neil took a breath. “I can’t believe I’m really here.”
“I can. I’ve been praying hard.” He kissed Neil’s temple. “I had faith.”
“You do. It’s one of my favorite things about you, Kitten.”
He hummed happily and rolled Chou back out past the big bed trying not to think too hard on how they’d all be sleeping there together in a few hours. “And my gumbo, you like that.”
“Come on, boys, your Master is hungry,” M’sieur called from the kitchen. “Ooh, cobbler.”
“That’s for after, M’sieur. There’s ice cream too. Cinnamon vanilla. For after.” On this front, he could be a little pushy.
“I know, I know. But it looks so good.” Isaac laughed, making his way over to Neil. “Where will you be most comfortable to eat, Smokey? In here at the table, I assume? Or do you want us to put your butt in your chair?”
“No. No, I want a normal meal. Please, y’all. I want something normal.”
“I’ll get the bowls, y’all.” He wasn’t going to stress this. Isaac had Chou, and he knew it.
“I hear you, boy. We all want some normal too.” Isaac rolled Neil’s chair right up to the table and then took a seat as well. “We reupholstered your recliner, though. I think you’re going to like it.”
“Of course I will. Y’all are good to me.” Neil hummed as he put a bowl down.
“I got corn bread, too.”
Neil scanned the kitchen, then smiled at both of them. “Hot gumbo right from the pot, corn bread, this is feeling pretty good to me.”
“Come sit, Alain.” M’sieur tapped the table.
“I got to get y’all drinks, and I will, Sir. Swear to god. Milk, Chou?”
“Please. Yes. In a glass.”
Iced tea for M’sieur, iced coffee for him, milk for Chou. He had this.
“He’s a good boy. He’s been fussing all day to make sure things were good for you to come home to.”
“Alain has, huh?”
“Sure, me.” Alain hooted. “How often you think M’sieur moved your big chair to make it right before he come to pick you up?”
“I’ll lean you over the table,boy.”