Promises: Part I (Bounty Hunters Book 1) (12 page)

Vaughan nodded, but the mask was already being placed over his face. He wanted to follow exact directions because he couldn’t shake the sinking feeling that something would go wrong. Dr. Waynes looked over at a monitor near the head of Vaughan’s bed as he began to count in his head.
One hundred, ninety-nine, ninety-eight
. Dr. Chauncey’s eyes were staring down at him, his mouth and head completely covered. Dr. Chauncey was speaking to him but he barely was able to make it out while he counted. He had to follow directions.
Ninety-seven, ninety-six, ninety—

“Duke. Duke. Duke.”

Duke frowned. Someone was calling him from very far away. He tried to focus his attention on hearing what Quick was saying, because that’s who he’d been talking to earlier. He thought. No. This person’s voice was not as deep as his friend’s. Duke fought through the grogginess, clawing his way back to reality. As he came closer and closer to the surface, his body began to ache in various places.

“Don’t try to move, Duke. Open your eyes.”

Who the hell is that? Duke’s eyelids fluttered as memories floated back to his consciousness. Surgery. Kidney.

“That’s it, Duke. Open your eyes.”

Duke forced his eyelids to move. It was hard, or at least it felt hard. God. Why was he feeling like this? Like he had a boulder sitting on his stomach. He soon realized that not only was he sore as hell, he was scared, too. Did the surgery work? Was his body feeling like this because it was rejecting the kidney? He’d read about that. Damnit. He was still going to die.

“Duke. Are you awake?”

He felt hands, then something tugging at his hospital gown and then the obvious feel of a stethoscope pressing on his chest before a female voice began rattling off his vitals.

“Duke.”

“Shh. What?” Duke finally croaked, annoyed and damn if that didn’t hurt. His throat was a fiery mess. Burned and ached all at the same time.

A quiet chuckle reached him. “What… what, is that I want you to wake up so I can tell you how great the surgery went and you have one very good functioning kidney and the other is not in as bad a shape as it was. You’re going to be all right, Duke. And no I won’t ‘Shh.’ I like to brag after an operation.”

Duke realized that it was Dr. Chauncey talking and when he finally dragged his eyelids open and kept them that way, he felt a small smile grace his lips in spite of his pain. He was going to live. Oh, god. Vaughan. He was going to have a shot at the hottest guy on the planet. But first he had to get out of the bed. “Sore,” he managed on a harsh groan.

“You’re going to be for a while. But the laparoscopy went fine and I didn’t have any complications. Your throat will be fine in a couple days. It’s sore from the breathing tube. Although you still have some other injuries that need time to heal, I want you up and walking this evening.

“What the hell.” Duke grimaced. “I’m hurting all over, Doc.”

He watched Dr. Chauncey make some more notes in his folder while the nurse read off information from the monitors and typed in some of the doctor’s orders. Including a slow two- to five-minute walk after he was removed from the post-op wing and back up to a room.

“I want to go home. I’ll do all my exercises like I’m supposed to, Doc. I promise. And I have someone there to help me.” Every word tore at his sore throat, but Duke had to let them know he needed out of that place fast, before he lost his chance at something wonderful. Vaughan wouldn’t wait forever. But as Duke thought about it more, it became clear that he would. Actually, from the sound of it… Vaughan had waited for him. Waited for some time.

“A couple days, Duke. Give me a couple days to make sure everything is working properly and then you’re welcome to go home and recover.”

“Can I see my friend, please?” Duke asked.

“He’s still in the waiting room.” It was great that Dr. Chauncey knew who he was talking about. He was so lucky to get that doctor. He’d saved his life. Stopped at nothing to get Duke a kidney. How would he ever repay him? Or his donor? “Quick can come up after we get you back in your room, but he knows the surgery was a success.”

Duke thought he’d said okay and thank you, but he didn’t remember. He’d already begun feeling the effects of the pain medicine the nurse gave him. He was exhausted. Then he was asleep.

When he stirred again it was because strong hands were on his shoulders and his friend’s voice was stern and uncompromising in the small room. “He’s still resting. How the hell do you expect someone to take a stroll when he’s just had major surgery? This is absurd. Get the doctor in here, now.”

If Duke could’ve managed to smile, he would have. It appeared it was time for him to wake and walk, but his friend disagreed. Duke’s body actually did too, but his mind was stronger, and so was his will. If he wanted out of there soon he’d do anything they asked.

“You rang, Mr. Webb?”

Duke still hadn’t opened his eyes because he didn’t necessarily want to. They were actually pretty entertaining. Now Dr. Chauncey was in the room. His calm doctor-tone immediately bringing Quick’s rant to a screeching halt. He heard his friend clear his throat before speaking again. “This guy is trying to wake Duke up for a damn walk. Is this right? He’s not well enough to walk yet.”

“How do you know?” Dr. Chauncey said easily, sounding quite amused.

Quick stuttered. “B-because he… he… he just can’t. He’s tired. Look at him.”

Damn. How bad did he look? Thank goodness Vaughan was out of town. Hopefully he’d look better by the time he made it back, and most of all… he hoped he’d be at home.

“Quick. Standing and moving prevents a lot of post-op complications. The most critical is the pooling of secretions in the lungs while under anesthesia. Staying static and still is extremely dangerous. Lungs can develop bacterial growth if he doesn’t move around; change positions, breathe deeply. Then, of course, we want to prevent blood clots, upset intestines—I can go on if you’re not satisfied with my reasoning so far. Duke is strong, he’d appreciate it, trust me. So will his back. I’m just gonna do a dangle for now. Just let his legs hang over the side of the bed and maybe have him take a couple steps around the room first. He can rest and take some more pain meds right after. Then I want him back up again first thing in the morning.”

Duke had opened his eyes and was watching his friend. Quick didn’t know that Duke was awake since Quick was watching the doctor so intently. Although Quick was nodding his head in understanding, his gaze seemed to be focused on the doctor’s mouth. Duke frowned. His friend looked intrigued, as his large chest rose and fell rapidly, like he was out of breath. Then he saw it, the look of lust that crossed over Quick’s handsome face right before the doctor turned back to Duke. What the hell? Oh yes, Duke definitely had to get out of this damn hospital bed sooner rather than later. He and his friend had so much to discuss.

“I’m okay, Quick. I can do a… What did you say, Doc…? Dangle? Sure, I can dangle and manage a few steps,” Duke said, his voice still gravelly, even after his few sips of water. 

By the time Duke shuffled the few feet from his bed to his hospital door, he had a thick sheen of sweat on his forehead and plenty of moisture dripping down his sore back. His tender ribs protested with every step, but he pressed on. His casted arm was resting on his best friend’s muscular forearm, while the bulky male orderly had his good arm wrapped over his, keeping Duke steady. He’d only managed three steps, barely gotten out his door—not even making it to the nurse’s station—before he stopped. Winded and in pain, his stomach heaved with nauseous exertion. Shit, he was going to puke right in the middle of the hallway.

“Duke. Buddy, you okay?” Quick’s nervous tone made him want to reassure his friend, but he couldn’t at the moment. Opening his mouth would surely cause the water and broth he’d consumed to spray out in front of him. He gave a tight shake of his head and Quick hurriedly demanded that the orderly turn around and take him back to his room.

“This was good, Mr. Morgan. Some people don’t make it two steps away from the bed.” The big guy turned them slowly and got Duke back in his room. But damn if Duke didn’t want to cry as soon as he was back in the bed. It seemed that his mind must’ve been so focused on staying upright and not embarrassing the hell out of himself that he hadn’t registered the extent of his pain until he was lying back down. The orderly made sure to push his morphine drip before he made some notes—probably of Duke’s progress—on the computer. He shut everything down and told Duke that another guy would be there in the morning.

“Get some rest, buddy. I see Vaughan has called about ten times. Let me give him an update and I’ll come back tonight for a bit. I think Judge said he’d be in tomorrow, he’s busy as shit in the office trying to keep up with the new contracts.”

Duke liked the sound of that. His businesses was still thriving. Thank the lord he wouldn’t be in the poor house after all was said and done. “No problem,” Duke forced through gritted teeth. He thought about Vaughan, liking that he’d been calling and checking on him. He wanted to send a message but didn’t want to make Quick uncomfortable. So he used a generic, “Tell him I look forward to talking to him soon.”

“I will, man. Get some rest,” Quick said, and left him alone. Although it was only a little after five, Duke knew he was ready to go to sleep—probably for the night.

“Dad, how is he? Is he in a lot of pain? Did he ask about me?” Vaughan fired off the questions as soon as his father entered his room. Dr. Chauncey had already told him how everything went and that Duke was doing well after post-op. That was after Vaughan got his own glowing report. He had tenderness in his abdomen but nothing too terrible. He had hurt worse when he was bumped by a drunk cab driver in Paris. The driver hadn’t been going that fast, but Vaughan still was hit hard enough to roll up on the hood before crashing back down onto the asphalt, breaking his clavicle.

Quick put up his hands, stopping Vaughan’s string of questions. His father leaned down and pecked him on the forehead before asking, “How are you doing, son?”

“I’m fine. I just walked down the waiting room and back a little while ago. Dr. Chauncey said Duke was up too. How’d he do with his walk? I know his ribs had to be screaming.”

His father sighed and sat down in the one chair in the room. “Yeah, he was hurting, but you know Duke. He’s built Ford tough. He kept going until he looked pale as a ghost and about to pass out before I demanded that it was enough. He’s a stubborn jackass is what he is. He’d probably have walked home if it meant getting closer to you.”

Vaughan’s eyes widened. It was the first time his dad had referenced Duke’s feelings for him and he jumped on it. Sitting up a little too quickly had him wincing, but he wanted to know. “Did you and he talk about me? What did he say?”

Quick rolled his eyes, pulling out a folded newspaper from in his jacket, an amusing glint in his eye as he unfolded and started to read it, completely ignoring his son. Quick crossed his booted foot over his knee and whistled tunelessly, like he hadn’t a care.

“Dad, come on,” Vaughan practically whined. He knew he sounded like a moody child but he didn’t care. Duke had talked to his father about him and he wanted… no he needed to know… what he’d said.

“What?” Quick feigned ignorance.

“Oh, forget it. I’ll find out myself.” Vaughan eased back down to a comfortable position and picked up his cell phone, but a big hand stopped him from dialing.

“Okay, okay. Just hang up. Duke is asleep anyway.” Quick rubbed his temples and dropped his paper on the small table next to his chair. “He’s head over heels, son.”

Vaughan’s smile was bright enough to keep his room lit if the power went out. “Seriously,” he whispered.

“He’s been my friend for a long time. I know him. He’s in love, or maybe smitten to death.”

“Smitten?” Vaughan frowned.

Quick waved his hand. “You know what I mean. I don’t know what the term is these days when you’re hot for someone, okay.” He sighed, looking up at his son. “Duke had it bad for Judge, but the way he looks when he’s talking about you… I never saw it when he talked about Judge. I think he was looking for companionship with Judge, knowing he wouldn’t get the flower, dinners, and love thing from him. He was willing to accept that because he didn’t want to live a lonely life, ya know. Judge was there and was comfortable, but long-term he wasn’t able to give Duke what he wanted.”

“No. He could give it to some hot, young, Atlanta detective, though.” Vaughan seethed. He’d never understand how anyone could turn Duke away. Judge would always be on his shit list for that, no matter how stand up the guy’s friends believed him to be.

“Judge is a damn good man. He was always up front and honest with Duke. Judge found what he wanted in life and now, so has Duke. So fate worked its magic like always and you’ll all be with who you’re supposed to be with.”

“I guess,” Vaughan said tiredly, yawning widely. His earlier exercise was starting to catch up with him and he felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion right before he closed his eyes, still staring at his father. He later remembered thinking before he drifted to sleep, Who are you fated to be with, Dad?

Vaughan eased up the couple steps in front of his dad’s house and Quick carefully propped him against the wrought iron rail while he fumbled with his keys. Vaughan breathed a sigh of fresh air right before he went inside. It was great to be home. He’d been holed up in that hospital for three very long days. It would’ve only been two but he hadn’t been able to produce a bowel movement by the second day, so Dr. Chauncey, being the overly cautious doctor he was, insisted that Vaughan stay one more day, and made sure that he was at least passing gas. It was all so personal and nasty, but that was the medical profession. A little embarrassment was a small price to pay to have Duke in his arms for the rest of their lives.

Duke had gone home the day before since he was doing so well. Charlie and his daughter were helping care for Duke while Quick took care of Vaughan. Duke was under the impression that Quick was busy handling the office. Duke didn’t know Judge had taken a couple bounties and asked a couple of his guys from the PI office to come over and assist Quick, which made him more available to care for his very own post-op patient. Vaughan thanked the heavens that it was all going to be over very soon. As soon as Duke confessed his undying love for him, Vaughan would tell him the truth, and not a moment before.

“I’m gonna help you upstairs, then I can fix you a bowl of soup. I made some homemade chicken noodle. You used to love my soup when you were sick as a kid. Do you remember?” Quick smiled at him as he led him up the small flight of stairs to the second floor.

“Of course I do. I loved your soup whether I was sick or not. I think I even faked it a few times to get it.” Vaughan chuckled wearily. He was tired and sore, he’d willingly admit that much. He knew what to expect. He’d do his exercises and stay mobile so he’d heal properly. By his next checkup, Dr. Chauncey would be amazed. However, at the moment he needed a hot shower, food, and rest… after he talked to Duke.

They’d talked every day, a couple times a day, and always right before they went to bed. It was so strange talking to Duke like he was in another state, all while he was right down the hall. He’d come out of his hospital room on the second day for his evening walk on the ward and had almost run into Duke doing the same thing. Moving so abruptly and ducking behind the wall had caused Vaughan a little pain, but it was worth it to keep his secret until the right time. As if his father knew what Vaughan was thinking, he got a big bath sheet from the linen closet and placed it in the bathroom attached to the large guest room. He put Vaughan’s pills on the nightstand and his bag under the bed for the time being. Lastly, Quick retrieved Vaughan’s phone and placed it on the bed next to his pillow. With a quick smile, he left so his son could clean himself up. He’d needed help the first couple days, but he could manage alone for the most part.

He unbuttoned his shirt and eased it off his stiff shoulders. Damnit, hospital beds suck ass. He knew a lot of his back pain and the tightness in his shoulders would dissipate now that he had a comfortable bed to sleep in. He pushed at the slack waistband of his very low-slung sweats, careful not to touch the bandages that covered his incisions. Three small gauze pads were taped over the half-inch incisions where the laparoscopes were inserted and one medium-length bandage was over the slightly larger two-inch incision where his kidney had been removed from his body and placed in his lover’s. Vaughan lightly brushed his hand over the bandage. His head swam, and his heart beat with a strong, thumping pulse. He was so in love, he’d given away his kidney. A throb began behind his left eye anytime he thought that Duke would reject him. But that wasn’t possible. He banished those thoughts to the very back of his mind. There was no way. Vaughan could already feel how deeply Duke felt for him, just based on their conversations each night before bedtime. He hated the lies he had to tell in the beginning of their conversations, and any time Duke asked how his work assignment was going. Vaughan always quickly changed the subject. But each time the call came to end, there were words left floating out there, unsaid, before they each hung up. Even now, he ached to hear the man’s rough, deep voice… Oh god… To taste him again. Vaughan’s cock began to rise but he ignored it. His next orgasm would be given to Duke.

********

“How’s the case going?” Duke asked Vaughan as he lay in bed watching the football game on mute.

“Work, work, work. All day. So much that I don’t want to talk about it. I’d rather talk about you, babe,” Vaughan answered sensually.

Damn why did the man have to drip sex? Duke wanted to fly down to Miami and burst through Vaughan’s hotel room door and writhe all over him, bathing himself in that delicious scent that lingered on Vaughan’s smooth skin and close his eyes while Vaughan talked about everything and nothing, as long as he used that damn voice.

“Alright,” Duke said back. “No more work talk. How about… When are you coming home talk?” Duke had asked him the first day after his surgery but Vaughan didn’t know. Maybe he did now.

“Soon, sweetheart. Maybe a week and half, two at most.”

Fuck! Two long weeks. Well, maybe it was for the best because Duke needed to heal. Wasn’t like he could do anything anyway, but at least he and Vaughan could talk face-to-face if he was home. Eat together. Watch television, movies, fucking hell… Netflix. He didn’t care, as long as the man he was quickly falling for was close to him. Two damn weeks. Duke groaned before he could think better of it. There was a brief pause before he heard Vaughan let out a ragged breath.

“Don’t make that sound again, Duke,” Vaughan whispered seductively. “Next time I hear that sound from you, I want to be buried deep inside you. I want you to repeat that sound over and over again while I make love to you.”

“Oh, fuck,” Duke groaned, squeezing the base of his rock hard cock. It’d been that way ever since he’d picked up the receiver and heard Vaughan’s voice. His stomach muscles clenched involuntarily and the hiss that escaped him was far from sexy. His body was showing him that it wasn’t close to ready for that type of activity yet. Duke placed his hand over the small incision right above his pubic bone. The scratchy cast rubbing his sensitive skin as he did.

“Calm down. Don’t hurt yourself,” Vaughan said softly. “Due time, honey.”

“I can’t fuckin’ wait,” Duke murmured.

“You can and you will,” Vaughan scolded, asserting his dominance, and Duke wanted to moan his submission.

Yes, I will wait. Because you told me to.

Duke hadn’t felt like this in so long. His body vibrated all over from Vaughn’s words. He felt like he was back in college, learning his body; figuring out what it craved. He’d found out fast that he wanted a man to dominate him, control the sex, and ride him hard into submission. He wasn’t a masochist. He didn’t want to be flogged or whipped, but damn if he didn’t get off on a man that could make him leak with well-worded orders. Judge never found that appealing about him. He wanted another alpha in the bed with him, fighting him for control. That wasn’t Duke. He was strong, masculine, and all alpha… just not inside the bedroom. Duke might have moaned again at the thought of Vaughan finding that quality about him hot.

“Duke. You alright, son?” Charlie tapped on his door as he spoke through it.

Shit. How loud had Duke moaned? “I’m good, Charlie. Was just settling back down into bed,” he answered quickly, feeling slightly embarrassed, especially when Vaughan started to laugh teasingly in his ear. 

“Need some help?”

“No!” The thought of Charlie coming in and seeing Duke’s erection sticking straight up like a rocket was mortifying. Duke calmed down before Charlie, thinking Duke was upset, came in anyway. “No, I’m good. I’m gonna get some sleep. Night.”

“Good night. See you in the morning.”

“Night,” Duke said, and listened as his friend walked slowly down the hall to Duke’s second bedroom.

“He still staying with you?” Vaughan asked after a while.

“Yes.”

“That’s good.”

“I’m thinking of sending him home at the end of the week though.”

“I’d hate to think of you there alone, especially if you need help or something.”

“I’m getting stronger every day. I feel good. I’m moving more during the day. I’m pissing good—” Duke stopped, cringing with mortification that he’d just said that last part. That wasn’t attractive at all. It made him sound geriatric.

“That’s great, sweetheart. I can’t wait to get back home so I can see for myself that you’re okay.” Vaughan’s voice dropped a couple octaves. “Need to see you so bad.”

“Me too.” Duke’s shaking voice betraying his faked composure.