"It works. Doesn't hurt anymore." Barret tried to move his arm, but the doctor held it in place and shook his head.
"Let's not move it and cause any more damage. I was just telling your friends—" Doctor Walter's started.
"Oh. Hey, Vance." Barret grinned at his partner.
"Let the doctor talk, Barret." Becky glared at him. "I want to know what the plan is."
"They're gonna fix my elbow." Barret smiled. "Right, Doc?"
"Right, and I will know more once I get a good look at it. I'm hoping the joint wasn't damaged badly enough to need a full replacement, but it's possible. Once I get the other scans back, I'll know more. The surgery will take around two to three hours, and we can get it done today. If everything goes well, he could go home as soon as tomorrow, but he will be out of work for at least six weeks." Doctor Walters spoke to Becky since Barret's eyes were drifting shut off and on.
"Six weeks?" Barret shook his head. "Too much time sitting around."
"We'll find stuff to keep you busy so you don't get bored." Adam rested his gloved hand on Barret's blanket covered foot.
They talked to the doctor a bit longer. When he left, Vance moved to stand beside Barret. "You scared me, partner."
"Yeah, scared me too. My fault. Should have pulled my arm back faster." Barret grinned.
"Don't ever do that again. I thought he'd shot you again when you went down." Vance closed his eyes.
"Hey, it was my fault. I caused it. Reached out with my injured arm. Pain was too much." Barret lifted his left hand to his lip. "Am I drooling?"
"No." Becky laughed. "But you are messed up. No more pain meds for you. You can suffer through it."
"Hey." Barret's eyes went wide.
Adam laughed, relieved that everything was going to be okay. He wanted to hug Barret and let him know he was glad he was alive. They had a lot to experience together, and Adam was looking forward to all of it.
He sat back and let the others talk as he watched a very intoxicated Barret try to keep up with the conversation. The good news was that Trina's killers were dead, and now Barret could take the time to heal. He'd be by Barret's side through it all, no matter how long it took, because Barret did one thing for Adam that no one else ever had, he let him see everything, and that meant everything to Adam.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Barret stared out his back window, wishing that everything he thought about doing didn't involve both arms being needed. And of course, he had to go and hurt his right arm. He used his right hand for everything, and as of now, he could barely hold something in his hand, let alone use his arm in any way.
He was going to go nuts for six weeks with nothing to do. He was only three days into recovery, and already he was going stir crazy. He'd managed to do a few loads of laundry, but folding the clothes after had been nearly impossible. He'd sat on the bed using one hand and it had taken nearly an hour to do what he could normally do in five minutes.
He glanced up when he heard his doorbell. Probably another neighbor bringing him another casserole. To his surprise, they weren't only given to those who had had a death in the family, but to those injured as well. He had seven casseroles already in his freezer. He didn't need another. As grateful as he was for the community helping him out, he was only one person and could only eat so much. At this rate, he'd need to throw a party to help him get through all the food everyone had dropped off.
He pushed up out of the chair and made his way to the front door. To his surprise, it wasn't another well-wisher, but it was Adam. Barret smiled and stepped back. "What are you doing here? It's the middle of the day. Don't you have a job?"
"I'm on lunch. Besides, I own the place. I can skip out whenever I want." Adam stepped inside. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm going stir crazy. If I have to do this for six weeks, I'm going to lose my ever-lovin' mind." Barret led him into the kitchen. "Help yourself to a drink or whatever else you find inthere. Mrs. Adam's brought over some cobbler, or there's a ton of casseroles to choose from if you are looking for something more substantial."
Adam laughed. "You must have made the church's list of people in need."
"I made the casserole list, that's for sure. The freezer is full and they're still bringing stuff over."
"People like you and want you to take it easy while you heal. You're the talk of the town this week. How you got injured bringing Trina's killers to justice is all anyone is talking about." Adam took a seat.
"Yeah, I did such a bang-up job that I not only got shot, but I doubled down and made the damage even worse when I fell on my elbow after. Seriously, if they need a hero, it's Officer Murphy who managed to take Stevenson down. That was the game changer."
"Oh, I'm sure the police station is just as packed with care packages as your fridge is. Last I heard, they're getting cakes and pies."
"And I get green bean casserole?" Barret sighed. "Take me to the station. I'll be happier there. I can work at my desk."
"You heard the doctor. You can move to desk duty in about three weeks if you're healing well."
