Authors: Leighton Rose
“Don’t joke about that,” Adam chastised him. “It’s not funny to see you in here like this. I hate hospitals.” Adam’s face was so serious that Dillon didn’t dare try to joke again.
His nurse came back in at that moment to save them both from a tense moment. “Okay, Dillon, I’ve got your brace here. Let’s get it on you. I’m not going to lie, it’s going to hurt to put it on, but you should start to feel some relief once it’s on there and begins to hold everything in place. Do you want a pair of scrub pants so that metal doesn’t dig into your leg?”
Dillon shook his head. “No, just show me how to put it on. I’ll put on a pair of sleep pants when I get back to the house.”
They spent the next twenty minutes getting Dillon into the brace as gingerly as possible. Dillon held on to Adam as much as he could, trying not to scream as his knee was repositioned in the brace. Then they signed the discharge papers, Nurse Jordan gave Dillon his crutches, and he was finally allowed to leave.
When Dillon was settled inside the car, Grams leaned down and squeezed him tight. “I’ll be over after Adam goes to work to check on you and make sure you get something good to eat tonight, okay dear?”
Dillon smiled, although it hurt. He had to admit that it felt kind of nice to be loved enough that someone wanted to take care of him. “Okay, Grams. Thank you for coming. It made me feel much better.”
“Oh, stop with that thank you crap. It’s what you do for family, sweetie,” she told him straight up. After a kiss on Dillon’s cheek, she turned to Adam. “Take care of him this afternoon. I’ll be over before you go to work to make sure I know what he needs, okay?”
“I’m not going to work, Grams. I’m staying home to take care of Dil,” Adam informed her.
“Nonsense!” Grams huffed. “You already took Wednesday off for that concert. You’ll go in because you have a business to run, and I’m perfectly capable of looking after Dillon for the night.”
Adam sighed. There was no use arguing with Grams. “Okay, my first appointment isn’t until three-thirty today. I’ll leave at three.”
“See you then, love.” She kissed his forehead and headed toward her car. End of discussion.
*****
Adam stopped by his pharmacy to drop off Dillon’s prescriptions and to grab a couple of ice packs because he didn’t have any back at home, before taking Dillon there to get situated.
As they lay in bed, Adam against the headboard and Dillon nestled perfectly into Adam’s right side so that all of his injuries were safe from being jostled, Adam couldn’t help the possessive feelings that were surfacing. He had his everything right there in his arms, and he realized that if he couldn’t trust Dillon the way Dillon deserved to be trusted, then he didn’t stand a chance of holding on to him.
“Tell me what happened when you got hurt?” Adam asked, stroking Dillon’s hair in a soothing manner.
Dillon told him the story which made Adam flinch. He despised hearing about Dillon’s pain but was still so grateful that Matt had been there. What were the odds?
“I’m sorry we argued this morning,” Dillon apologized. “I should’ve been more understanding to what you went through and how you were feeling. Instead I took it personally, and look where my selfishness landed me.” He gestured toward his injuries.
“No, it’s not your fault, Dillon,” Adam assured him with a kiss to the head. “I’m glad you didn’t try to bottle up your feelings, and I’m so sorry that I hurt you. It’s not that I don’t trust you, because I do, implicitly, but more so that I wasn’t sure I’d ever be ready to open myself up like that again. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I’ve been asking you to trust me and to open yourself up to me, and yet I haven’t been doing the same for you. I am going to try harder, and I’m sure that we will eventually get to a point where I’ll be ready to give myself to you, in that way. I want to overcome this fear.”
Being in their bed with Adam made Dillon feel safe. He was actually relaxing enough to get some rest, drifting off quickly, but he had to answer Adam first. “I know you trust me. I know you love me. That’s enough for now. I have faith in us.” His words were soft and slow. Adam could feel Dillon’s heartbeat against his side slow down and his breathing evened out. He was sleeping, and Adam was grateful to have the time just to lie there and hold him.
“Hmmmm?” Dillon immediately searched out Adam’s comfort to discover there was nothing but cold pillows piled next to him. He opened his eyes just a little but realized the room was mostly dark so he took the chance of opening them all the way. “Grams?” he asked when his eyes focused on her.
“Hey, sweetheart,” she replied, smiling at him. She had gone out to pick up his medication from the pharmacy since Adam had slept next to Dillon a little too long and didn’t have a chance. Then she’d come back to the house and watched some television in the living room, allowing Dillon plenty of time to sleep, before making him something to eat so he could take his meds. “I made you some dinner.”
“Not hungry,” he mumbled. “So sore.”
“I know you are, honey, but you need to eat so you can take your pills.” Grams had found a tray to carry the food on and gestured toward where she sat in on the bed. “Grilled cheese and tomato soup,” she informed him. Adam had told her that was one of Dillon’s favorite dinners, and she wanted him to feel comfortable and happy. She hadn’t had anyone to take care of like this in a long time, so it warmed her heart to feel like she was needed.
Dillon perked up a bit when he heard. “Will you turn on the lamp?” he asked as he tried to scoot up the bed. “OW!” The pain in his knee shot up his leg as he moved it wrong. “I need to get used to not moving it.”
Grams switched on the lamp, which lit the room but not overly so, and hurried around the bed to help Dillon. “Here, sweetie, let me help you.” She propped two of the pillows behind his back so he wouldn’t have to scoot too far back and re-situated the pillow that was keeping his leg elevated so that it was more comfortable for him. “How’s that?”
“Much better. Thanks, Grams.”
She put the tray on his lap, and they talked a bit while he ate. She asked about how he got hurt in the first place, so he retold the story, feeling like a complete klutz. Then, once he had finished eating, she took the dishes back into the kitchen and returned shortly with a bottle of water and his medication. He gladly accepted both and popped the pills quickly.
“Grams, can I ask you something?” Dillon wondered shyly, his eyes firmly locked on the top of his brace instead of looking Grams in the eye.
“You can ask me anything, Dillon. I hope you know that,” she replied sincerely.
He looked up at her. “How did you know Gramps was the perfect person for you?”
Grams laughed heartily. “I just knew. I mean, I’d dated several boys before I met William, but it never worked out with them for one reason or another. Usually something stupid, and, of course, I got my heart broken a few times.” Grams looked up with a smirk that looked so much like the one Adam always had on his face. “I also broke a few hearts.” She grinned and Dillon couldn’t help but smile as he thought about the poor boys that Grams had turned down. “But once I met William, everything felt different. I was always much happier when he was around than when he wasn’t, and it’s like everything finally clicked. I was sure I’d found my soul mate. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, though. We fought something fierce quite a bit, but in the end, we always worked it out. It took compromise on both of our parts, but I didn’t feel like I was my whole self when he wasn’t around. I think that’s how I knew. Here we are, forty-something years later and he’s still the best pain in my ass I could ask for.” Her face softened when she spoke about Gramps, and Dillon was moved by the affection in her voice.
Dillon cleared his throat and took a drink of the water before saying, “I’ve never dated anyone but Adam. I fooled around with a boy in high school, but that was nothing. There were never any feelings involved. My friend Cody and I were discussing fate the other night. Is it wrong to think that I’ve found my soul mate on the first try?”
"Absolutely not! Some people are lucky like that. Adam wasn't so lucky. He got hurt badly the first time he fell in love, and he hasn't trusted anyone this much in a long time. You have no idea how grateful we are that you came into his life. We were really starting to worry about him." Grams didn't realize she might be over-sharing but Dillon needed to know more.
"Why were you worried about him?" Dillon wondered.
Grams took a deep breath. "He went through a phase for quite a while after Blaze did what he did where it was a different guy all the time. He didn't stay with any of them for longer than a week or two. He definitely didn't introduce any of them to us. We knew you were different that first Sunday dinner you came to."
Dillon suddenly didn't feel so good again. The thought of Adam with so many different guys made his already queasy stomach feel worse. "Thank you for dinner, and the talk, Grams, but I'm really tired again. I think I'm going to turn in for the night."
Grams leaned over and kissed Dillon on the forehead. "Okay, sweetie. Get some rest." Grams turned off the lamp and walked toward the door.
"Hey, Grams?" Dillon called softly before she got all the way out the door.
She turned around, the light from the hallway illuminating her. "Yes, sweetheart?"
"Thank you for everything." He really meant it too. He hoped Grams could hear it in his voice.
"It's what you do for family, Dillon. You are family." The genuine tone of her voice had Dillon choking on emotion.
"I wouldn't know what family is about," Dillon answered sadly.
"You've got a family here, Dillon. We'll take care of you," Grams promised. "Get some sleep.” Dillon fell asleep feeling conflicted.
*****
Adam was worried about Dillon for the entirety of his shift at the shop. He’d tried to text Dillon but his texts went unanswered. He really hoped Dillon was resting, and knew he was in capable hands with Grams there, but that didn’t stop him from worrying. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t let go of the guilt that it was his fault that Dillon was hurt.
“Adam?”
He looked up to see Landon looking at him sheepishly. “Yeah?” Adam quickly looked around to see if anyone else was still there but it seemed that everyone else had already left, leaving them alone in the shop.
“Can we talk?” There was something vulnerable in Landon’s voice that made Adam actually consider it.
“Ugh… yeah, sure. What’s up?” he asked, sitting on his chair backward, leaning against the backrest with his chest. His arms were folded in a defensive position.
“Look, I wanted to apologize to you. I never should’ve gotten involved with Blaze after what he did to you. It was a really shitty thing for me to do, and I have no good excuses, but I was lonely. You’d been spending so much time away from us and that hit me harder than I thought. I guess I relied on you more that I realized. I’m glad to see you happy… even if it isn’t with me.” Landon kind of mumbled that last part.
“Wait, what?” Adam asked stunned, not sure he’d heard that last bit right. “Happy without you?”
Landon looked almost embarrassed. “Yeah… I’ve kinda been in love with you for years, but after Blaze pulled his stupid shit, you spiraled downhill. You were never with the same guy for long and they were always the polar opposites of what I look like. I knew then that I wasn’t your type and probably never stood a chance with you, so I was okay with just being friends. I wanted you in my life in one way or another.”
Adam’s entire demeanor softened. “Lan, why didn’t you tell me?”
Landon finally looked up. “I didn’t want to face being rejected. I know you would’ve rejected me as nicely as possible, but it still would have hurt me a lot and made things awkward between us. I couldn’t stand the thought of you being weird around me. Then you started hanging out with Dillon, and I could see something changing in you. You didn’t talk about him with the nonchalant I-don’t-give-a-real-damn attitude that you’d talked about the others with. Your eyes said it all, and the passion in your voice spoke volumes. I knew that Dillon was special to you, and I didn’t take it very well. I acted like a jackass, because I was jealous and angry. I’m sorry.”
Adam didn’t know what to say. He was pretty much speechless at hearing the confession from his friend, but one thing still didn’t add up. “If you cared about me so much, Lan, then why did you sleep with Blaze? You knew that would kill me if I ever found out.”
The shame in Landon’s eyes soothed a part of Adam that had been hurt by his friend’s actions. He could tell Landon was truly sorry and regretted what he did. “I was drunk at a party one night a couple weeks or so ago and Blaze was there. He started talking to me because apparently he found out I co-owned the shop with you. He’d been asking around about you from what I hear. When I told him you were seeing someone, he turned his charm on me. Like I said, I was drunk and lonely, so his advances made me feel special, and to tell you the truth, in my head I was thinking that being with him might be the closest I’d ever get to being with you. It’s stupid, but that’s the truth.”
Adam didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to stay mad at Landon, they’d been friends for too long, but he didn’t know how easily he could forgive him either so he told Landon that.
“I understand,” Landon responded. “You have every right to still be mad at me, but I was hoping we could start trying to move on from this whole thing. I want us to be friends again. I hate that the group is mad at me, although rightly so, and I’m pissed at myself for this, too.”
Adam stood up from his chair and walked over to Landon. “I can only say that I’ll try, Landon. Trust is not the easiest thing to rebuild, so it’s not going to happen overnight.”
“Does that mean you’ll really try?” Landon asked skeptically.
“Yeah, we can really try,” Adam confirmed. The smile that overtook Landon’s face was the first honest and genuine smile Adam had seen on his friend’s face in a while. “But you have to drop your attitude toward Dillon. He is innocent in all of this.”
“I will. Scout’s honor!” Landon held his three fingers up in the pledge.
They both laughed and went back to cleaning up for the night.
As they were leaving, Landon turned to Adam one last time. “I really am sorry for hurting you, Adam.”
“I know you are, Landon. I believe you.” Adam held his fist out and Landon bumped it with his. “Take care of yourself, okay?”
“Okay,” Landon agreed.
They got in their cars and left.
*****
Dillon woke up a few hours later to a note from Grams that she’d gone on home and that he was to call her if he needed anything before Adam got back. Dillon smiled because he could hear Grams’ stern tone as he read the last part. Although it scared him to death, he felt wanted and loved for the first time ever. He thought not only about how much he’d gained from being with Adam, but how much he stood to lose now that he felt like he had people he could count on to be there for him. His day spent in the hospital was a perfect indication of people who loved him.
His phone beeping brought him out of his thoughts. He extended his right arm carefully, trying not to bang the bandaged part on the edge of the nightstand as he grabbed his phone off the charger. There were several text messages from Adam, a couple from Cody, and a voicemail from Amy.
He listened to the voice mail first.
“Hey, Dillon, it’s Amy. I was just calling to check on you. I was at work when you got hurt and couldn’t get off to make it to the hospital, but I’m so glad you’re okay! I hope you’re resting now, but I wanted you to know I’m thinking about you. I’ll stop by tomorrow to visit. Let me know if I can do anything before then. I love you, sweetie. Take care! Bye!”
Dillon had never had siblings but he felt like he had one now. He thought it was the coolest thing. Then he read through his texts. Adam was just wondering how he was doing, and Cody was bored at work. He knew Adam would be coming home soon, so he sent a text to Cody, giving him the quick rundown on what had happened that day.
Ten minutes later, there was a knock on the bedroom door and then it opened slightly. “Dillon, are you in here?” he heard from the other side. It was Cody.