Page 29 of Slam Dunk
“I am in so much ridiculous fucking pain right now, butawww.”
Fuck. He was a hilarious mess. “How long have you been awake?”
“You woke me up talking.” Jathan’s eyes opened. He tried to stretch and gasped. Then he went right back to not breathing.
Quince grabbed the oxygen mask the nurses had left nearby just for this purpose. Another reason for Quince not to sleep. He needed to watch Jathan breathe.
“Let’s get this on.” He slipped it over Jathan’s head and tightened it into place. “Just take slow, steady breaths. Look at me.”
Jathan focused on him. He held Quince’s stare without blinking.
Quince worked to keep him calm. He smiled, hoping Jathan relaxed. “You must be the luckiest person alive simply from the timing of the people you surround yourself with. The doctor had just gotten here to check on me when you collapsed. It seems you’re too tall to be having panic attacks with broken ribs. Which, by the way, is much worse than you told me, so I’m not happy about that. Your lung collapsed.”
“Fantastic.”
Quince fought a laugh at the droll response. “They inserted a needle between your ribs. That’s probably why you’re in so much pain. They’ve got pain meds for you whenever you’re ready.”
“You’re not supposed to be taking care of me. You’re not healed yet.”
Quince sighed. “Sometimes, you really piss me off, Jathan Wesley Dexter.”
“Full government name. Wow. Discipline me, Daddy.”
Quince dropped his head on Jathan’s chest and fought not to laugh. Jathan was so awkwardly unserious. That line had been delivered with zero finesse. Jathan was just so the opposite of that joke that it was hilarious. “Fuck. You’ve really brightened every corner of my life and you don’t even know it.” He settled in, snuggling even closer. “This is forever, you know? That means we take care of each other. Even if we have to kick back,half dead together. That’s the key word. We’re in it together.” He stroked Jathan’s stomach. “We can take turns crying from the pain, if you’d like. You can go first. I’ve already had my meds for the night.”
A wheezed laugh escaped Jathan. “You’ve heard me drunk. Give me pain meds and I might do or say anything.”
Quince couldn’t stop smiling. “I don’t know. When you were drunk that one night, you acted like you might start talking dirty at any moment, asking what I was wearing. Maybe I want to see how far you’ll go.”
“Bring on the pain meds, then. I’m game.”
“Be right back.” Quince rolled from the bed and shakily transferred into the wheelchair. He wasn’t helpless. Quince was just weak. He wouldn’t get stronger if he didn’t work at it. It didn’t take him long to get a nurse. They were constantly rotating, but always ready to jump in. It took longer for Quince to maneuver the wheelchair than anything. By the time he pulled himself back into bed, Jathan had already gotten a shot.
“I asked for pills and she told me no.”
The nurse laughed at Jathan’s petulant tone. “One ounce of water every hour for twenty-four hours. Nothing else by mouth. By then, we’ll know if this is something that’ll require surgery.”
Jathan groaned. “It’s the off season. This is supposed to be the boring half of my year.”
Quince snuggled close again as the nurse left them alone. “Are you complaining about being stuck in bed with me?”
“Only because this isn’t for a fun reason.”
“I think you’re fun.”
At his confession, Jathan took his hand and gently squeezed. He didn’t let go. “I think we should live at the ranch.”
Quince hated how much hope struck him. Maybe he had ended up in the middle of nowhere from running away, but he loved the quiet. “We can always build on to my place so you don’t lose your pottery studio. I mean, we need a garage for all your cars anyhow.”
“This place doesn’t feel the same.” The softly spoken confession broke Quince’s heart. Jathan needed to talk to him, though. He couldn’t keep everything bottled inside. “It’ll be worth the two-hour drive for games.”
“Fuck. I didn’t think about that. We could rent a place closer to the stadium during the season.”
Silence dragged on for much longer than Quince liked. For a minute, he wondered if Jathan had fallen asleep. “I could retire.”
Quince’s immediate knee-jerk reaction was to say absolutely not. Jathan would not give up his dreams for this bullshit. Except this wasn’t his decision, and he didn’t know what went on insideJathan’s head. He chose a different approach. “I wish you’d wait on that decision until we’re both on our feet.”
“And I’m not high as a kite.”
