Page 69 of Darn Knit All
Meg raised one shoulder in a half shrug. “Does it though?”
Theo snorted, a slight smile touching his cheek as we arrived at our floor. “Have a good night.”
I slipped an arm around Theo’s waist, helping him shuffle down the hall to our room. I swiped the pass on our door, as I helped Theo limp over to the bed. He groaned as he flopped onto the mattress, his hand dropping to his leg.
I sank to my knees beside the bed, still fuming as I automatically reached for Theo’s shoe. He stared down at me as I undid his laces, still fuming.
“We have to beat those smug assholes.” I tugged at his shoe, wrangling it off his foot as he began the process of removing hisprosthetic. “I wanna wipe the floor with their stupid smirking faces.”
“So bloodthirsty. This is a side I’ve never seen of you before. I like it.”
I grunted, pulling his sock off and tucking it into his shoe. “I’m not normally provoked.”
I placed Theo’s shoe by the door, then took off my own, slipping into my room slippers with a sigh.
Theo popped some pills out of a blister packet and took a swig of the glass of water he’d left on the bedside table.
“How can I help?” I asked, watching him shift restlessly on the mattress.
“You know any acupuncturists who do house calls?”
I shook my head but held up my hands. “No, but I do know how to dig fingers in and rub.”
He sighed, shuffling until he lay against the cacophony of pillows and cushions at the head of the bed. “I wouldn’t normally say yes but….”
“Yes?” I asked, ensuring I had his permission before I touched him.
“Yes,” he admitted softly. “Fuck, I hate days like these.”
I crawled up the bed to settle beside his thigh. Gently, I rolled up the leg of his pants, pushing the fabric as high as I could get it without drawing it tight against his skin.
I’d seen Theo’s scarring a few times but this felt different. Here he lay vulnerable and hurting as I placed hands on his skin and prayed I could help him.
The muscles felt like lumps of iron under my hands, thick and knotted as they pulsed with cramps.
“Let me get a hot towel.” I moved to the bathroom, running one of the hand towels under hot water then wringing it out. I swiped up my moisturizer before returning to the bed.
He lay flat on his back, his pants removed and dressed only in his boxers and shirt.
“I can put them back on,” he said, gesturing at his jeans.
“No, this is good. It gives me more access.”
I handed him the damp towel, wincing at his gritted hiss.
I applied moisturizer to my hands, then lifted the cloth and tossed it on the side table.
“Don’t judge me,” he murmured as I began to gently knead his muscles. “I’m not Superman.”
“I wouldn’t want you to be.” I bit the inside of my cheek as I found a particularly sensitive spot, causing Theo to grunt in pain.
“No?” he asked through gritted teeth. “Why not?”
I adjusted the pressure and angle, watching his face closely for signs of relief or pain.
“Superman is cool and all, but he’d never be around for birthdays or anniversaries. Saving the world is great, but every day? No thanks.”
Theo tilted his head back, his fingers clenching in the bedsheets as the muscles under my fingers continued to cramp.
