FOURTEEN
The next couple of days were trying for everyone, especially the nursing staff. Vin was always irritable when in the hospital. The side effects of the medication only made it worse. He was snapping at everyone. The guys knew it was the medication, but it was hard remembering that when Vin was in one of his moods. Just the other night, the nurses had kicked Buck out. Vin was regaining his strength, and they had almost come to blows. Chris was pretty sure the nurses were happy to see this day. Dr. Allen said he could be released, and Chris was coming to pick him up. He parked the Ram and walked into the hospital. He knew something was bothering Vin, but he couldn't get him to talk. When Chris told him that he was coming back to the ranch to recuperate, he thought Vin would put up a fight. Vin just grunted and said, "whatever". Chris walked towards Vin's room and stopped at the nurses station."Morning, Philip, how's he doing today?" Chris asked.
"You're in for a treat," he smirked. "He's Mr. Independent today and pushing everyone away. We decided to just leave him alone."
"Why? What's he up too?"
"He insisted he could get dressed himself," Philip smiled. "So we let him. Last time I looked, he was trying to figure out how to zip up his pants."
"Well, I guess if he wants to get out of here, he'll let me help."
"Better your head than mine," Philip laughed. "Good Luck. I'll keep my ears open for any flying furniture."
Chris sighed and headed for Vin's room. So it was going to be one of those days, Chris thought. As he went to open Vin's door, he could hear him cursing up a storm. Chris opened it and walked in.
"I told you I don't need any help!" Vin yelled.
"I think you do," Chris said calmly.
Vin was sitting on the bed with his pants up, but unzipped. His shirt was only on his right arm since the left was in a sling. He had managed to get his sneakers on, but they were untied. Overall, he looked like a disheveled scarecrow. Chris walked over towards the bed, and Vin sighed in defeat. He helped Vin into the shirt and buttoned it around the arm in the sling. Chris then helped him stand so he could tuck in the shirt and zip up his pants. He had to steady Vin as a wave of dizziness hit and he almost fell over. Once Chris was sure he was standing on his own, he tucked in the tail of his shirt and zipped up the pants. When he was done, he made Vin sit back down on the bed while he tied his shoes. He was just finishing with the sneakers when Dr. Allen walked in.
"So, I see you finally let someone help you," she commented.
"Yeah, so?" he asked angrily.
"Vin!" Chris said in a warning tone.
"It's alright, Chris. He's been biting everyone's heads off all morning," she smiled. "Are you going to be able to handle him? You're still recovering yourself."
"I can handle him," Chris said. "Besides, I can always shoot him."
"At least you can carry a gun," Vin mumbled to himself.
"What was that Vin?" Chris asked.
"Nothing!" he answered angrily.
"OK, Chris, here's his meds. He gets three Phenobarbitals a day. He's to take two of them with meals and one before he goes to bed. This Demerol in case he's in any pain."
"You know, I didn't have brain surgery. You can tell me how to take the pills," Vin said in irritation.
"Alright, Vin, that's enough," Chris growled. "I know the medication is making you irritable, but now you've gone too far. You've been copping an attitude for the past couple of days, and it better stop now."
Vin narrowed his eyes and glared at Chris. Chris ignored him and took Dr. Allen to the other side of the room. He finished signing the papers, and she walked back over to Vin. She came over and kissed him on the cheek.
"That's for luck," she smiled. "Please try not to kill each other. I'll send Philip in with a wheelchair, and then you can go."
Chris came over and helped him on with his coat. Vin wouldn't look him in the eyes and sat staring at the wall. Chris counted to ten, very slowly, and waited for Philip. There was a knock a short time later, and he walked in with the wheelchair.
"OK, are we ready to go?" he asked.
"Yeah," Vin said.
They helped him into the chair and wheeled him out of the room. Philip was wheeling him towards the elevator when someone called to them. Chris turned and saw Kathy from ICU coming down the hall.
"Didn't think you could get away without my saying good-bye, did you?"
She bent down and gave Vin a hug. Chris was surprised when he hugged her back. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and told him to behave. Vin smiled and said he'd try. Kathy laughed, then turned to Chris. She hugged him and gave him a kiss and warned them that she didn't want to see either of them again. She wished them luck and headed back down to ICU. They continued to the elevator and got on. Philip wheeled Vin to the door and waited while Chris got the truck. They loaded him inside, and Chris buckled him in, then shut the door. He turned to Philip and shook his hand.
"Tell everyone thanks," Chris said.
"I will, and good luck," he smiled. "You're going to need it."
"Don't I know it," Chris said and headed for the driver's side.
He climbed in and closed the door. He glanced over at Vin and saw he had his head back and his eyes closed. Chris wasn't sure if he was really asleep or just pretending. Maybe I should have taken Josiah up on his offer to take Vin, Chris thought, then mentally kicked himself for it. If their relationship couldn't survive this little test, then Chris knew they were doomed.
The ride home was a silent one. Vin had kept his eyes closed the whole time until Chris pulled in the driveway. He opened them and looked out the window at the horses. Chris parked the truck and got out to help Vin. As he came around, he saw Vin climbing out by himself. Chris moved in when he saw he wasn't steady on his feet.
"I can do it myself!" Vin said angrily and pulled out of his grasp.
Vin used the truck to steady himself as he walked to the door. Chris walked close by, but didn't interfere. He made it to the door, and Chris opened it for him.
"Why don't you have a seat on the couch? I'll make some lunch." Chris suggested.
"I ain't hungry," Vin said as he gingerly sat on the couch.
"You have to eat something," Chris said. "You need to take a pill."
"Fine," he said as he leaned back and got comfortable.
Chris headed for the kitchen and made lunch. Dr. Allen had warned him that Vin should eat only plain foods for a couple of days. and so he made grilled cheese sandwiches. He came into the living room with the food and found Vin channel surfing. Chris could see Vin was squinting at the screen as he placed the food on the table. He noticed Vin's hand was shaking as he handed him his pill. Vin popped it in his mouth, and Chris handed him the ginger ale. He washed the pill down then put the soda between his legs as Chris handed him his plate.
"Thanks," he mumbled.
They ate their lunch and watched an inane talk show. When Vin was finished, Chris took the dishes back to the kitchen. When he came out, Vin was again channel surfing. Chris decided this could get annoying since he had a satellite dish and over 150 channels to chose from. Vin finally settled on the western channel since they were showing Silverado. As he got closer to the couch, he could see Vin trying to get comfortable.
"Why don't you sit in the recliner?" Chris suggested.
"I'm fine here," Vin said.
"Suit yourself," Chris said finally out of patience. "I've got some work to do. I'll be on the computer."
"Fine," Vin said.
Chris angrily walked over to the computer. He punched up the program he wanted and took his anger out on the keyboard. He decided Vin better tell him what was wrong soon, or he was going to beat it out of him. Chris had been typing for a few hours when he saw Vin get up and stumble into the bathroom. He had been in there for a few minutes when Chris decided he'd better check on him. He walked over to the bathroom and could see that Vin hadn't closed the door. Chris found him sitting on the floor next to the toilet bowl.
"Are you OK?" Chris asked as he helped him up.
"I'm alright," he said as he grabbed some mouthwash.
"Yeah, you look it," Chris said sarcastically.
"You look in a mirror lately?" Vin shot back after spitting out the mouthwash.
"God damn it, Tanner, you are the orneriest son of a bitch I've ever met."
"You're no winner yourself, Larabee."
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked bewildered.
"You're always keeping secrets," Vin accused. "When did you plan on telling me?"
"Telling you what?"
"You know what, damn it!" Vin said pushing Chris in the chest.
"No, I don't, so why don't you just enlighten me."
"When were you going to tell me I was out of a job?" he demanded.
"What?" Chris asked in total confusion.
"Don't give me that shit!" Vin cursed. "There's no way they're going to hold my job for six weeks while I'm on this God damned drug!"
"Is that what all this is about?" Chris asked stunned. "For the past couple of days, you've been a bastard because of that?"
"Damn straight!" Vin yelled.
"I can't believe this," Chris said and started laughing.
Vin was so angry, he took a swing at Chris. He easily evaded the punch and caught Vin so he wouldn't fall over.
"Let go of me!" Vin demanded. He tried to struggle, but cried out in pain.
"Vin! Vin, listen to me," Chris said "Just calm down. You're not out of a job. Travis put in the paperwork for leave donation."
"What?" Vin asked, confused.
Chris turned Vin to look at him. He could see the confusion and hurt running through his expressive blue yes.
"It's a program that lets people donate their extra leave to others who need it," Chris explained. "Did you really think you'd loose your job for something that wasn't your fault?"
"I didn't know," Vin said as he sagged against Chris.
"Come on, have a seat," Chris said and led him over to the couch. They sat down. "When did you decide you were going to loose your job?"
"When Dr. Allen told me I wouldn't be able to carry my gun for six weeks, I thought for sure they'd get rid of me."
"Even if they had tried, I wouldn't have let them," Chris reassured him.
"Oh, God, I'm such an idiot!" Vin cried. "I've been such an ass. The guys must hate me."
"No, they don't hate you," Chris said as he pushed the hair from Vin's eyes. "At least I don't"
Chris leaned over and kissed Vin on the lips. He went very gently until he felt Vin respond. He didn't want to do anything to hurt him. He slowly pushed his tongue inside and sighed in pleasure. He had missed this. Chris gently pulled Vin into an embrace. Vin grunted in pain when Chris hit his shoulder. Chris tried to back out of the kiss, but Vin wouldn't let him. Chris explored the inside of his mouth with his tongue. He could feel Vin trembling, but realized it wasn't from his kiss. Chris pulled back and looked at Vin.
"I'm sorry, Chris, but it hurts," Vin apologized.
"Damn it, Vin, you don't have to apologize," he said. "God, I can't believe I did that."
"It's alright," Vin said. "I've missed it too."
Vin leaned his head on Chris's shoulder and tried to get comfortable. Once Vin found a position that didn't hurt, Chris began to stroke his hair.
"You're sure I still have a job?" Vin asked
"I'm sure," he said.
"Good," Vin smiled. "I didn't want to find another job that took me away from you."
Chris laughed and kissed the top of his head. They sat on the couch watching westerns until dinner. Chris got up to start the grill to cook the chicken. He waited a few minutes before putting them on. When it was hot enough, he took them out and put them on the grill. Vin asked if he could help, and Chris said no. An hour later, they were eating dinner while watching JAG. The show was almost over when Chris noticed Vin was starting to doze off. He didn't want him to fall asleep on the couch only to be awakened later to be put into bed.
"Come on, Vin, let's get you to bed," Chris said.
"Not tired," he said.
"Right, let's go," Chris ordered.
Chris helped him to his feet and down the hall. Vin was walking like he was drunk. He got him to the bedroom and sat him on the bed. He took off his sneakers and threw them in the corner. Next, he unbuttoned his shirt and gently removed it. Vin winced in pain as he moved his left shoulder. Chris stood him up again as he undid his jeans. He sat Vin down as he pulled them off leaving him in his boxers.
"Have to brush my teeth," Vin said as he got up and swayed. Chris went to follow him and Vin stopped him. "Have to do something else too, cowboy. I can handle it myself."
"Alright, I'll go get your pill," Chris said.
He grabbed the plates off the table as he headed for the kitchen. He dropped them in the sink and got Vin's pills. On his way back to the bedroom, he locked the front door and turned off the lights. He went back into the bedroom and found Vin trying to get comfortable on the bed. Chris went to get a glass of water. He came out and handed the pills and water to Vin. He put the pill in his mouth and took a swig of water. He handed the glass back to Chris who returned it to the bathroom. Chris stripped and brushed his teeth. When he was done, he came out to join Vin in the bed.
"You don't have to go to sleep this early," Vin said.
"I can watch TV in here just as easily," Chris said. "Besides, I want to."
Chris turned on the TV with the remote and found something to watch. Vin kept shifting, but couldn't get comfortable.
"It's no use!" he said as he sat up. "I can't sleep on my back."
"I have an idea," Chris said.
He piled the pillows against the headboard and leaned back on them. He spread his legs and told Vin to climb in between them.
"You really missed me," Vin snickered when he saw his erection.
"Shut up, Tanner, and get over here before I change my mind."
Vin did as he was told and leaned back against Chris's chest. He snuggled in under his chin and relaxed. Chris pulled the covers up and got comfortable. He wrapped his left arm around Vin and caressed his abdomen below the bandages for his cracked ribs. A short while later, Chris could tell that Vin was asleep from his deep, even breathing. He lowered the sound on the TV, then kissed Vin on the right temple.
"Welcome home, Vin."
THE END