Carter groaned. “Fine. But don’t take me there. The one up the highway has an X-ray clinic attached, if you’re so determined to play nurse.”
Now there was a mental image. A little role-play could be sexy, definitely, but he had a sudden mental image of snapping on a latex glove and intoning,Just a little prick.
Fuck, he was going to laugh. That wasn’t the impression he wanted to give, but it was bubbling up inside him anyway, edged with hysteria. He clamped his lips together and fought down the impulse.
“Shut up,” Carter said grumpily, finally causing Jeff to lose the battle against the snicker. “What are you, twelve?”
“You’re lucky I didn’t tell you to bend over and cough.”
“Guess I left myself wide open for that, huh?”
Jeff could not have this conversation while driving on a twisty road where he might hit a deer. Or a tourist. “I hate you.”
“No, you don’t. Turn left here.”
It was forty minutes to the clinic, so Jeff called ahead to make sure they could accommodate Carter. A cheerful reception clerk informed him that yes, the X-ray machine was working and the tech was in, and scheduled an appointment.
“This is really unnecessary,” Carter tried again.
“Shut up.”
First they had to see a GP, which was mostly a formality. Dr. Rutledge asked Carter to rotate his ankle and flex his foot. She grimaced and wrote the order for the X-ray. “Just take this next door,” she advised. “Shouldn’t be too long.”
Carter managed to make his own way into the X-ray room, and for a few minutes, Jeff sat in the waiting room with his phone out, debating whether to call someone. Carter’s mother? It wasn’t really his place. Joe? He could, but what would he say?
Then the X-ray tech popped her head out into the waiting room. “Mr. Pine? He’s waiting for the video call from the radiologist at the hospital in exam room two. You can wait with him if you want.”
All right, then. He pocketed his phone and followed her inside.
“Sure I’m not violating your medical privacy?”
Carter gave him a flat look. He had his foot elevated on the chair across from him. “I figured you wouldn’t believe me if the doctor says I’m fine unless you heard it from their mouth,” he said tiredly.
Sometimes it was uncanny how well they knew each other. Jeff sat. “I should’ve brought a snack.”
As if on cue, Carter’s stomach rumbled.
Jeff looked at it accusingly. Carter’s shirt was only barely damp now, but it didn’t matter. Jeff would never forget the view, whether that was a blessing or a curse.
“Bricks,” Carter said. He had circles under his eyes, and the strain on his face was clear.
“We should’ve had Dr. Rutledge prescribe you something for the pain.” Why hadn’t he thought of that sooner?
“Better this way,” Carter said. “If I need surgery or something.”
Jeff startled. That was the first time he’d acknowledged this might be an issue worthy of medical attention. Carter really must be in pain. “Are you—”
The video monitor pinged with an incoming call, and the feed flipped immediately to a thirtyish man in a white coat, who was looking at another monitor off to his left. “Hello, I’m Dr. Lall,” he said without looking at the camera. Then he turned his head, sat down on a rolling stool, and moved closer to the camera. “So, which one of you has the broken foot?”
Jeff pulled up the notes app on his phone and dutifully recorded the doctor’s instructions—rest, ice, compression, and elevation for the first forty-eight hours; a cast with crutches or a plastic walking boot whenever Carter was mobile; and absolutely no driving for at least two weeks, until Carter’s simple fracture had healed enough that he could wear a stiff shoe if he absolutely had to drive.
Carter looked ready to argue until the doctor explained, “You could be charged with careless driving. That’s up to a two-year license suspension. Not worth it.”
Jeff could already tell it was going to be a fun two weeks.
“The more you keep off it, the faster you’ll recover,” Dr. Lall went on. “Do you have someone who can help you out at home?”
He was looking at Jeff when he said it.
