Page 74 of A Case of You
When he emerged from the bedroom again, he smelled dinner underway.
Grace and Emma both turned when he walked into the kitchen, staring at him.
“What?” he asked.
Grace wagged a finger at him before nudging her glasses up her nose. “We’ve got our eyes on you, mister. You’d better take it easy.”
“I appreciate the concern, but I’ll be okay. It’s super-easy. I sit on a stool, look stuff up on the computer, talk on the phone, and sometimes walk to get something. The parts aren’t heavy. If something is too heavy, I swear I’ll have someone get it for me. They know I have restrictions. It’s okay.”
Emma walked over and kissed his cheek. “Don’t overdo it. Remember how bad you were before Thanksgiving.”
“Yeah, and I admit that was my own fault, too. This is nothing.”
* * * *
Wednesday morning, after the alarm went off and Stuart and Brandon climbed out of bed, Jeff lay there for an extra minute.
Everything.
Fucking.
Hurt.
Not as badly as when he’d crashed himself before Thanksgiving, but definitely more than he’d expected.
I need to wear my old work boots.He’d worn sneakers yesterday, and they didn’t have the arch support his work boots did.
That’s the problem.
He waited for Brandon and Stuart to hit the shower before downing some ibuprofen and his morning meds. He wasn’t on as many as he had been, and it was easier on his stomach. He’d nuke a frozen breakfast sandwich and take it with him for the drive.
I just need to get used to my new routine is all.
* * * *
By Friday morning, Jeff’s pain levels hadn’t increased past what he’d awakened with on Wednesday morning.
They also hadn’t decreased, despite including extra stretching in the morning and in the afternoon, as well as spending time in the hot tub every afternoon after work. He suspected his pain would be a lot higher if he wasn’t taking those extra steps, but he didn’t want to test the theory.
His fatigue also increased. To the point that when Saturday morning rolled around, he opted to stay in bed despite their family plans to go out to breakfast and then attend an art festival in Venice.
Brandon sent Stuart out of the bedroom to go get in the car with the girls. Then he sat on the edge of the bed and nailed Jeff with the intense blue gaze he knew meant business.
“This isn’t good, buddy.”
“I’m okay, Bran. Seriously. I just need a few extra hours of sleep. That’s all. My body has to get used to being in a routine again. Iamtaking care of myself by not going today. When I get up, I’m going to take my meds, eat something, and climb in the hot tub for a while.”
Brandon didn’t look convinced. “If the job is that easy on you, why is it doing this to you?”
“I’m not crashing, I swear. I’m going to take it easy today and tomorrow and I’ll be fine on Monday.”
Brandon finally leaned in and kissed him, cupping his cheek and stroking it with his thumb. “Okay. I trust you to tell me the truth about how you’re doing.”
“I will. Absolutely.”
One more kiss, then Brandon headed out. Once Jeff was convinced he was alone, he forced himself to sit up in bed and it took every ounce of energy he had not to cry at how badly it hurt.
After a trip to the bathroom, he slowly made his way to the kitchen and took his meds, made a bowl of oatmeal, ate it, and carried his coffee out to the lanai. There, he sank into the hot tub and waited for it to work its magic. Thirty minutes later, he felt worlds better and settled on the couch to nap.
