Page 11 of The Road Home
CHAPTER SIX
Jared stepped out of the clinic, glad the night was over. It had been busy, but he could hardly say no when Cameron's mother had had a heart attack and he had to rush back to Kansas. It was just a few hours, and now that it was over, it really hadn't been that bad.
He pulled his car keys from his pants pocket, trying to decide on what he could grab for a late dinner on the way home. The usual fast food didn't sound appetizing. He never was one for greasy burgers and fries. What he wanted was a home cooked meal like the ones he had in Montana growing up. It was getting harder and harder to find a place that served food like that. Everyone was looking for cheap and easy meals. That wasn't him. If he had any energy left, he'd go home and cook, but there was no point this late at night.
As he turned the corner to get to the small parking lot where he'd left his car, a young man passing by caught his attention. "Orson?" He paused as he called out to the man.
Orson tensed before turning around, a nervous look on his face.
"Hey, remember me? Jared… I mean Dr. Gains, but you can call me Jared." He smiled, wishing that Orson didn't look so scared at just a simple greeting.
Orson took a breath and nodded. "Yeah, sorry. It took me a second. How are you?"
"I'm good. How's your arm?" Jared nodded to the cast.
"No problems. I think it's about time to get it removed." Orson ran his fingers over the cast.
Thinking back to how long ago he'd put the cast on, Jared shook his head. "It's been three weeks. Give it another week or two at least to be safe. You can come back into the clinic and we can make sure it's healing."
"Nah, I'm good. I'm used to it now. I can give it a few more weeks." Orson glanced around them nervously.
"And your chin?" He started to reach out, but dropped his hand when Orson stepped back. "It looks okay."
"Yeah, the stitches came loose after about a week. I figured unless it gave me more problems it was okay, so I took them out." Orson took a step forward. "You can look at it." He arched his head back, allowing Jared to see his chin.
Jared moved slowly, sensing Orson's unease as he brought his hand up and ran it over the small red line. The skin had healed, but his gut told him there was still infection. It was slightly warm to the touch, and he didn't like how red the small scar was. "Any pain still?"
Orson shrugged. "A bit when I touch it."
"How's the rest of your injuries?"
"Everything is okay. They all healed." He pressed a hand to his ribcage. "It took a few days."
"Did you take all the antibiotics?" Jared was still looking at his chin.
"I think I have some left."
Jared shook his head. "I don't know why people never take all of them like they are supposed to. I think it's still infected, so take them, okay?"
"Yeah, I will." Orson shifted, glancing down the street.
"Everything okay?"
"Yeah, I missed dinner at the shelter, and was there longer than I wanted. I just want to get off the streets before dark." Orson's cheeks heated. "I guess I've been nervous since…" He shook his head. "Well, you know."
Jared nodded. It had to be hard to be in such a vulnerable position. Again, he thought about how easily he could have been in the same position had he come out to his parents and been kicked out. "Can I give you a ride somewhere? In fact, I was just about to go grab dinner somewhere. How about you join me for dinner, then I can drop you off wherever you need to be?" The offer caught Jared by surprise. It hadn't even been a conscious thought to invite Orson to eat with him.
Orson's eyes widened. "You don't want to eat with me."
Jared laughed. "Why? Do you have horrible table manners? Refuse to use silverware or something?"
Orson blushed again. "No, nothing like that. I just mean being seen with me."
That was the last excuse Jared expected. "Or maybe you don't want to be seen with me?" Jared turned it back around on him. "Seriously, I'm hungry and don't want to eat alone. Come grab a meal with me."
"You don't even know me."
"Well, this will give me a chance to get to know you." Jared figured he had to be hungry. If it was possible, Orson looked thinner now than he had when he'd come to the clinic. "It's just a meal. If you really don't want to, the offer for a ride still stands."
