“Just let me help.” Jacob was frustrated too, both with how his own cast made helping Linc hard and with all the red tape surrounding Linc’s discharge.
“Fine.” Linc was still too pale, bumps and bruises on his face stark, and giant black leg cast an imposing presence. It had been a long couple of days—first the observation for the concussion, then the ACL surgery, then recovery from the surgery. Jacob had stayed with him that first night, but the second Linc had chased him away, sending him back with McKenna and Kelley who’d come to visit Linc.
They hadn’t had much alone time at all, due to a steady stream of interruptions from nursing staff and doctors and endless visits from their concerned coworkers and families. His room had filled with balloons and flowers from well-wishers to the point that Linc had sent the balloons to the children’s floor and asked for the flowers to be given to geriatric patients in need of some cheer rather than try to haul them home.
And then they’d be alone where they could talk freely about the future at last. That future still felt a bit... nebulous, a low-hanging smoke cloud that defied efforts to predict its path. Oh, Linc said all the right things, especially after Jacob’s mom had left in a huff the other day. And Jacob did believe he’d changed. It was more that Jacob was still working on trusting those changes to stick around. He hated how off-kilter he felt, like a carabiner with nothing to hold. He was still off work until the following week when he’d be on light duty after the orthopedist cleared him. Not having work and being in this strange, new place with Linc was just weird.
By some unspoken agreement, they still hadn’t told anyone from work. Some people might have suspected something based on how Jacob had glued himself to Linc’s bedside, but that simply couldn’t be helped. He wasn’t going anywhere. And if Jacob’s mom had shared the news, it hadn’t filtered back to him. He’d had a few terse texts from her checking on how he was feeling and decidedly not mentioning Linc. But she ended each with love. So maybe not all hope was lost there. Like Linc said, they had to wait his family out. But, fuck, how he’d hoped all along that Linc would be wrong and that things would be easier.
“Do you want food on the way back?” he asked as he headed for the highway. Driving stick with his wrist cast was tricky but not impossible. Still, he was glad he’d had time earlier to figure out workarounds without an audience. The vibrations from the truck made his arm ache, but he figured he still had it pretty easy, considering.
“Nah. It was late enough when they finally cut me loose. I wanna get back.” Linc shifted in the seat, which he had all the way back and still not adequate room for the leg.
“I should have grabbed your truck. It’s bigger. You would have more room.”
“Yeah. Remind me to give you a key. Not like I’m going to be driving it anytime soon.”
“Yup.” Jacob liked Linc’s ready agreement even if it was likely rooted in practicality, not any relationship-milestone type sentiment. “Dogs are going to go nuts to see you.”
“I bet.” That got a bigger smile from Linc. Linc’s neighbors as well as Ray and his family had been taking care of the dogs. Jacob had checked in that morning himself, throwing the ball for them even as they kept searching around for Linc. It had felt damn weird, being there without Linc. Still, he’d taken the chance to get things ready for Linc’s homecoming and recuperation—managing to put on clean sheets even with his cast and setting up the grab bars and shower stool in the bathroom. He’d grabbed Linc a change of clothes and noted that the freezer was already full of casseroles from friends.
“And there’s cake. The lady you get your eggs from dropped off some carrot cake while I was there checking on the dogs.”
“You can help me eat it.” Linc groaned, flexing his leg again, pained tone doing nothing to settle Jacob’s mind.
“Hey, weren’t you supposed to take a pain pill for the leg?”
“I don’t like feeling stoned.”
“Well, you’re taking one as soon as we’re back at your place.”
“Yes, sir.” Linc managed a little laugh before they settled into a comfortable silence as the familiar countryside raced by. As they got closer to Linc’s house, he shifted in his seat again. “Hey, your phone just buzzed. Want me to check and see if it’s Garrick news?”
“Yeah.” Jacob tried to quiet the dread that raced up his spine. Garrick still wasn’t out of the woods, having survived surgery but still in the ICU in critical condition.