Page 155 of Captivated
Delicious aches that served as a reminder all the following day.
The joy of sharing his bed with a younger man.
His throat tightened.What I wouldn’t give to wake up in that bed, to discover this has all been nothing but a nightmare.
“Teague says they’ve put plates on his ribs.”
Robert nodded, his gaze fixed on Toby. “To stabilize them. So he spends less time in here.”
He wanted Toby in a bed where he could sit with him. Touch him. Hear him breathe.
I want him home.
His conversation with Dr. Ramirez that morning had been replaying over and over again in his head.
“It’s going to take a while before he can leave the hospital. He’s had surgery and has a serious chest injury with risk of clotting, so he’ll be in ICU for a day or two. If we deem hiscondition stable, he’ll be transferred to a surgical ward where we’ll work on getting him up and moving slowly. His bruising and rib fractures will hamper this, however.”
Robert’s chest constricted. “‘Clotting’?”
Dr. Ramirez nodded. “The impact of multiple rib fractures produces a higher risk of a pneumothorax—a punctured lung. He hasn’t sustained this, so we have to be careful of any movement.”
“Boss?”
Robert blinked. “Sorry. I guess I zoned out for a second.”
“You got nothing to apologize for. I only asked if you wanted some coffee.”
He gave Butch a grateful smile. “Thanks. I could use some.”
Butch patted his back. “Now all we have to do is hope it’s drinkable.” He walked up the hallway.
Robert placed his palms flat to the glass.
Toby Merrow, you’re going to pull through this, you hear me?
You’re coming home. Where you belong.
He’d already lost one lover. Losing Toby would end him.
Not going to give that thought room in my head.
Robert was going to keep an image of Toby locked into his mind: Toby laughing, smiling, his eyes focused on Robert’s face as they made love…
Toby, alive and vital.
Anything else was unacceptable.
Chapter Forty-Two
August 15, 2024
“I wish everyone’d quit fussin’over me like a bunch of mother hens,” Zeeb groused from his seat on the couch. Lunch had just finished by the time they’d arrived back on the ranch, and the hands had all been in the bunkhouse to greet Zeeb with a lot of enthusiasm. As soon as they’d left to head back to whatever it was they were doing, Zeeb had let out a long sigh.
Nate gave him a hard stare. “They’re fussing because they care about you.”
“But I’ve only been home five minutes an’ already they’re drivin’ me nuts. Askin’ if I’m okay. If I want anything.” He scowled. “Butch asked if I wanted him to cut my food up and feed it to me.” He gestured to the band around his neck, supporting his wrist. “This is gonna bug the hell outta me.”
“It’s there to do a job. You have to keep the arm immobile. At least you can take it off. And remember what Nurse Paton said.It might only be a minor crack in the bone, but bones take a minimum of four weeks to heal.”
