Chris woke slowly, his body stiff, and unyielding as he tried to move. Pain seemed to be a predominant feeling with him lately, but it was his hip giving him the most trouble this morning. He couldn’t move very much, and for that he was grateful as each movement sent knifing pains through the injured joint. He tried to reach for the troublesome spot, but his body just would not allow such movement. His left arm was laden down with two IVs and made it impossible to reach across his body to reach the source of the pain. A soft moan left his throat as he struggled to full awareness and turned to the man standing beside the bed.
“Good morning, Chris. How are you feeling?” Barrett asked.
Chris knew the others were not there yet or one of them would’ve been sitting in the room with him. The Dialysis machine was no longer beside his bed and he was grateful not to have to look at the reminder of what he still had to go through. He knew he was feeling sorry for himself and winced as he again tried to move.
“Chris, try not to move around too much.”
“Can’t s...stay like this a...anymore. My b...back and b...butt can’t h...andle it,” he muttered.
“Hurting?”
“Yeah, and numb.”
“We can turn you a little onto your left side. Anne, could you grab some blankets or soft pillows to prop him with?”
“Yes, Doctor Barrett,” Anne answered and left to get something they could use as a wedge. She returned a minute later with a soft triangular sponge approximately two feet long, covered in a clean white pillowcase. When she entered the room an orderly was standing with Barrett and the doctor was instructing them on what he wanted to do.
“Are you ready, Chris?” Barrett asked.
“Think so,” Larabee answered.
“All right, just relax and don’t try to help us. Greg and I are going to ease you up slightly and Anne is going to place a wedge behind your back.”
“Okay,” Larabee kept his eyes closed and soon felt hands touching his body. He gritted his teeth and held his breath as they eased him up. He bit his bottom lip as the right side of his body was lifted slightly. He could hear Anne speaking softly to him, but her words didn’t register in his mind. White-hot pain erupted in his right hip as she positioned the wedge and the two men eased him back down. He coughed into the mask and cried out, wondering if the move had been a wise one after all. Again he heard Anne’s voice as she talked to him and replaced the oxygen mask over his head. He knew they’d added the Bronchodilators to the nebulizer as he sucked in the medication. His breathing eased after a few minutes and he opened watery eyes. “S...sorry,” he apologized.
“You’ve got nothing to apologize for, Chris,” Barrett assured him. “Just relax and breathe in the medication.”
“O...kay.” The patient sank back into his pillows and breathed easy as the morphine entered his system and the pain eased. He felt great being off his back and he knew it wouldn’t be long before he fell asleep again.
“Are you comfortable like this or would you rather we put you on your back again?” the doctor asked.
“Fe...feels better, Doc. Not so tender.”
“That’s good. Now you let us know when this gets uncomfortable.”
“I will.”
“Anne, any problems, just have me paged.”
“I will, Doctor Barrett.” Anne assured him. She watched him leave and turned back to her patient. This was the last day of her rotation and she wondered if it would be advisable for her to drop in to see how he was doing. She knew it was ill advised to become personally involved with her patients, yet something about this man made her want to know more about him. She looked down to see two deep green pools looking at her and gasped as she realized she did have feelings for this man. She couldn’t deny the flush she felt in her cheeks as she looked at him.
“Anne, you okay?” Larabee asked.
“I’m fine, Chris. I’m going to get things ready to give you a bath...”
“I...I...”he stammered.
She saw the slight flush of color on his cheeks in spite of the fading bruises. “It’s okay, Chris, I’ve seen it all before...”
“Not with me...”
“Actually, with you. I’ve been helping look after you for a week now. Surely you don’t think I kept my eyes closed while caring for you.” She laughed softly at the chagrined look on his face.
Chris heard the laughter, yet there was nothing mocking in her tone. He knew she was trying to lighten his own sensitivities. What she offered was beginning to sound great. Chris had no idea how long it had been since his last bath and right now he felt like it had been a lifetime ago.
“Well, Chris?”
“A bath sounds good, but....”
“But you’d rather do it yourself.” She saw it on his face and knew she was right. “I tell you what we’ll do. Right now it’s impossible for you to do it yourself with the IVs in your left hand and your right arm immobilized. I’ll do this one and as soon as the IVs are gone you can do it yourself. Deal?”
“Guess so,” Larabee answered softly as he closed his eyes. He heard Anne closing the door and the drapes and opened his eyes to watch her. She was at the small sink and he heard the water running and was surprised to find he was actually looking forward to feeling clean again. He remembered an earlier bath at her hands, but it seemed like a lifetime ago. She walked towards him, the basin in one hand and a towel flung over her shoulder. The smile she wore sent a shiver of warmth through his body and he watched as she finished preparing things. He felt her hands lift the mask from his face and soon felt the warm soapy cloth being washed over his face and neck. He relaxed as her soft hands cleaned the sweat from his upper body. She didn’t speak and for that he was grateful. He felt the blanket eased off his waist and the cloth was eased around his intimate area, gently avoiding the catheter and the tubing leading from it. He held his breath as she cleaned the area and sucked in a deep breath as she finished. He felt her place a towel over his waist and hips before she continued to clean his thighs, knees, and calves. He felt himself drifting as her gentle touch eased away the tension and pain in his body. Her hands never made contact with his skin, but he knew they were behind the soft cloth she ran over his skin.
“Chris?”
“Hmm.”
“I only have your feet left. Are you ticklish?”
“Sarah a...always t...tickled me. Said my feet were the only part of me she didn’t know in intimate detail.”
Anne heard the wistful tone of his voice and wondered who Sarah was. She knew whoever it was Chris Larabee loved her deeply. “So I should be careful?”
“Yeah. Sarah was the only one who even got near them.”
Again his voice held a thoughtful tone and she knew he was falling asleep. “I’ll try not to tickle you.”
“Okay,” Larabee said as he felt himself losing the battle to stay awake. “Sarah’s gone now. Died...her and Adam....loved them so...but couldn’t save ‘em. Heaven...now waiting for me...”
She knew he was asleep as she finished cleaning his feet. She had a feeling Sarah and Adam meant more to this man than life itself and wondered if he would ever be able to love that deeply again. She covered his body with the thin sheet, aware that he was still running a fever and they needed to keep it from going any higher. She emptied the water and opened the drapes and door, knowing it wouldn’t be long before Chris Larabee’s friends would be storming back in.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Vin, maybe you should stay in bed until that headache...”
“I’m goin’, Nathan. Told Chris I’d be there today and I aim to be,” Tanner winced as he sat on the edge of the bed. The stiffness he’d felt the day before had intensified and he felt like an old man as he tried to stand.
“Vin, Chris’ll understand...”
“I know he will, Nate, but...”
“But you feel like you’re letting him down if you don’t go visit him?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“If he sees you like that it’ll just make him worry...”
“Not as much as it would if I don’t show up today.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t go see him, Vin. You and I could stay here and let the others visit him this morning. If you’re up to it this afternoon I’ll take you there myself.”
“Nathan...” Tanner hissed as he stood on shaky legs, pain knifing through his skull. He swayed and would’ve fallen if not for the medic’s quick reflexes.
Jackson eased him back in the bed and hurried to grab a glass of water and his pain medication. He opened the bottle and dumped two pills into his hands and hurried back to the bed. The sharpshooter was on his left side with his knees drawn up and his left hand shielding his eyes from the light. “Vin, take these,” he ordered. It was a testament to how badly the younger man was feeling as he accepted the pills and water without question.
“Thanks,” Tanner whispered.
Jackson covered the near naked man with the blankets and patted his back gently. “You sleep, Vin. I’ll let the others know to go on without us.”
Tanner lifted his head and peered through hooded eyes at the medic. “O...kay. Tell them....tell Chris...be in la...ter.”
“I will. Now close them eyes and get that head down and go to sleep.”
“Feel like shit, Nate.”
“I bet you do, Vin, but it really will get better,” Jackson said as the blue eyes finally closed. “For both of you.” He walked out of the bedroom and into the large main room. The others were already up and dressed and looked at him expectantly.
“How is he?” Sanchez asked.
“Not good, Josiah. He’s got one of those damned headaches again. I got him to take a couple of the pills Dr. Milano prescribed and he’s sleeping. You boys go visit Chris and if Vin’s feeling up to it we’ll come in when he wakes up.”
“He’s gonna be okay isn’t he?” Dunne asked.
“He’ll be fine, JD, if he remembers he’s only human and not some superhero with quick healing powers.”
“Him and Chris both,” Wilmington supplied.
“Our esteemed colleagues do tend to think of themselves as indestructible. Mr. Jackson, if you wish to visit with Mr. Larabee I will stay and care for Mr. Tanner,” Standish told them.
“No, it’s okay, Ez. I want to keep an eye on him and make sure he gets the rest he needs.”
“As you wish, Mr. Jackson,” the conman said. He knew the others saw through the use of formality on his part, but could not break the age old habit instilled in him by his formidable mother. He smiled as he realized some habits had been broken in spite of her teaching. He’d grown to care for these men and they were the brothers he’d never known in his early life. A life where he’d grown up without the benefit of the loving atmosphere most children had. Maude Standish was a woman who lived the high life and did not have time to be tied down with a child. He’d been shuffled from relative to relative, and although they’d been good to him, they weren’t his mother. They were not the one he needed. He sighed as he looked at the four men in the room with him and wished the two missing men were there as well.
“Hey, Ez, you coming?” the ladies man asked from the door.
Standish shook himself out of the past and answered. “Why of course, Mr. Wilmington.”
Nathan sank into one of the high backed chairs and watched the others leave. He turned on the TV and scanned the channels for something to watch. He settled on an old Bugs Bunny cartoon, glad Vin was sleeping and unaware that he secretly enjoyed the old cartoons.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris watched through the open curtains as four men walked towards his room. He frowned as he noted the two that were missing and prayed there was nothing wrong with his ‘brother’. Buck and JD came into the room while Josiah and Ezra moved towards the waiting room. He smiled as the ladies man stood next to he bed and took a comb from his pocket.
“Morning, Chris. Anne.”
“Morning, Buck, JD,” Larabee greeted the two men.
Wilmington began running the comb through Larabee’s tangled blond hair. “Hell, Chris, we gotta do something about this do of yours. Ya really need to get it cut. I mean it’s a shame to keep the ladies from seeing that handsome face of yours. They see you like this and you’ll never get one of them to take you up on the offer of a date. Here, now that looks better, not much, but it’ll do until you get a haircut.”
Larabee smiled at his long time friend as he finished combing the tangled strands of blond hair. “Thanks, Buck.”
Wilmington could see Chris was thanking him for more than fixing his hair and he gently squeezed Larabee’s uninjured shoulder. He noticed the blond was turned a little on his side and seemed to be in a little less pain. He leaned in closer and caught the distinct odor of soap. He smiled evilly at his friend and turned to the nurse.
“Someone’s been real busy this morning,” the smile grew broader as Anne’s cheeks took on a slightly pink tinge.
“Shut up, Buck,” Larabee hissed as he saw the look in the ladies’ man’s eyes.
“Ah, hell, Stud, maybe I shouldn’t have fixed your hair. If the lovely ladies are willing to give you baths...Oh, hell, sponge baths at that...”
“Buck...”
“JD, think maybe we could get us one of them sponge baths?”
“I don’t know, Buck. Maybe if we were to ask...”
Chris closed his eyes and groaned at the two men. “Where the hell’s my gun when I need it?”
Anne could see a change in her patient and was glad to see a real smile on his face. It easily took away from the fading bruises and once more she was struck by thoughts of what he would look like once the bruises were totally gone.
Buck leaned closer to Larabee’s ear and whispered softly. “Got a feeling Anne enjoyed giving the bath as much as you enjoyed having it, Stud.”
Larabee almost choked as he heard the teasing note in Wilmington’s words. He shook his head and looked into the dancing, mischievous blue eyes above him. “You always could make me smile, Buck,” he said and knew the ladies man understood what he was saying.
“Anytime, Chris,” Wilmington vowed.
“Is Vin okay?”
“He’s just got a headache, Chris,” Dunne answered automatically.
Wilmington turned a silent glare on the younger man before turning his attention back to Larabee. The light banter from earlier was gone and worry shone in the sea-green eyes. “He’s okay, Chris. Nathan’s staying with him and they’ll come in later this afternoon.”
“Tell him to stay home and rest.”
“Ain’t gonna happen, Chris. Nathan was lucky he agreed to stay home this morning.”
“Stubborn!”
“You’re one to talk. If Vin was the one in that bed, wild horses couldn’t keep you away,” Wilmington insisted.
“Yeah, Chris, you’d be the same as Vin,” Dunne agreed.
“Proba...bly,” Larabee wheezed. His chest was hurting again and the tightness had returned as he spoke to his friends.
“Chris, I’m going to get your medication ready. Just relax for a minute, okay?”
Larabee simply nodded as the effort to speak seemed to be too much for him. He tried to get enough air to enter his lungs, but knew that wouldn’t happen until the new mask covered his face. ‘Shit!’ he thought as he realized his friends would be able to see his discomfort. He could hear Buck and JD talking, but couldn’t quite pick out what they were saying, yet it was easy to hear the fear in their voices.
“I’m o...kay,” he whispered, trying, but failing to ease their worry. He felt the new mask placed over his mouth and nose and breathed as deeply as his injured ribs would allow. He waited for the medication to take affect and finally opened his eyes once more. Wilmington and Dunne had been replaced by Standish and Sanchez. The two men watched him worriedly and he tried to smile reassuringly, but realized they couldn’t see it because of the mask.
Josiah smiled as Larabee’s breathing seemed to ease and the wheezing note they’d heard disappeared. “Feel better?”
“Yeah,” Larabee answered softly.
“I am indeed glad to hear that, Mr. Larabee. I do believe our resident rogue was a little worried when he and Mr. Dunne left.”
“Tell him...it’s okay, Ez.”
“I shall do just that,” Standish assured him.
Chris shifted slightly and felt the morphine enter his system. He was grateful for the medication and knew it wouldn’t be long before he was sleeping. He felt a cloth washed over his face and opened his eyes slightly. “Thanks, Ez,” he said gratefully as he sank towards sleep.
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