Chapter 14
Roper walked out of the osteo guy’s office with his tennies on.
He sent a picture to Mama, Daddy, and his brothers of his feet, and Ryder immediately texted him back.
Ryder
All healed
Roper
Yeah. Yay
It was as healed as it was going to be. It wasn’t ever going to be right, but it was going to be what it was.
Ryder
Yay! I’m tickled. Can I call?
No. He didn’t want to chat, so he lied.
Roper
Heading down into the subway. Later?
Ryder
Sure. Be careful. I love you.
He chuckled.
Roper
Love you more
He walked home, gritting his teeth against the growing ache, happy as fuck to get to their building.
Toby was in the kitchen making something. His work bag was sitting by the couch and there was rock playing at a decent volume on the speakers in the living room.
“Hey, Professor.” He headed straight for the bathroom to sit and wash his face, pant a little bit.
“How did it go?” Toby hurried out of the kitchen to follow him. “What did the doc say? You’re limping.”
“He said it’s healed.” As much as it could.
He started running icy cold water to wash his face.
“Wait. How can it be healed if it still hurts?” Toby stepped in behind him and rested gentle hands on his waist.
“Well, healed don’t mean healthy. I haven’t had it in a shoe for a long time.” And he’d hoofed it home. “It’s just sore.”
“You should get off your feet. Lean on me, and we’ll go sit.”
He dried his face and nodded. He could handle that. It would be better to take off his shoes sitting down anyway.
“You’re pale as a ghost, Roper. Jesus.” Toby’s tone was part fussing and part scolding.
He made a little noise that could be read as anything—an agreement, a question, whatever. It saved him from any sort of lie at all.
Toby let him lean and got him to the couch. “Shoes off?”
“Yeah…” He stared down at his feet, pondering how he was going to manage this. “How was your day?”
“Fair. It was an exam day.” Toby crouched and helped him with his shoes, good foot first.
“Oh, that’s good.” That one was easy. He needed to just get the other one off. It’d be great. Perfect.
Okay, maybe he wouldn’t die.
Toby worked carefully, unlacing his sneaker, then slipping it off, loosening the heel first.
“Is it blistered bad?” He’d bet good money the bottom of his foot was tore up.
“Yes, it’s…” Toby sighed. “How far did you walk on it? Didn’t you take a cab home from the appointment? This might need medical attention.”
“I’ll just wash it. I took it slow.” He’d just been walking.
“I wish you’d taken a cab as we’d discussed.” Toby nodded. “My aftercare cabinet should have everything we need.”
Hailing a cab seemed fucking complicated. Hell, stepping off a curb seemed pretty complicated right now. “I’m not in a boot. Yay.”
Toby raised an eyebrow. “Good news. You still didn’t do as we discussed. Add two to your count for today. Your foot may be blistered, but your ass isn’t. Yet.”
“I didn’t not follow an order. You suggested. I didn’t do it.” He didn’t really mind adding a couple of swats really, but he had to tease.
“Double negatives aren’t going to save you, kitten.” Toby’s grin was evil. Maybe even smug.
“They might. You never know. No and Hell No might knock on the door, burst in, and cocoon me in bubble wrap.”
Toby snorted, still grinning. “Did that doctor give you the good meds? Add two more, if you can count that high.”
“Oh, I can see my toes. I’m solid.” He tried his best to wink, and he absolutely did not wince.
“Rest it for a minute and then we’ll clean it up, brat.” Toby rested his foot on the coffee table. “Water?”
“Please. I’m a little touchy in my belly.” He swallowed hard. “Not bad, just going from hot to cool.”
“You just breathe a minute.” Toby leaned over the couch and kissed him softly. Just a random, unexpected kiss followed by a gentle smile. “I’ll be right back.”
“Thanks.” He really ought to know better than to let someone take care of him. It was ridiculous. He was a grown-up. But really, he did want a glass of water something awful.
Toby returned quickly with water and handed him the glass. “Do I have to make every reasonable suggestion an order from now on?”
“Thank you, and no. I didn’t think it would be so far. It didn’t feel far on the way down, you know?” He didn’t need a babysitter, and by the time he knew things were going pear-shaped, he was almost back to the apartment.
“All right.” Toby nodded. “I just want you to heal. I’m…concerned.” The Dom’s expression was worry more than concern.
“God, Professor. Me too. I mean—” He wasn’t going to be able to ride, the doctor thought, but that was his secret.
Toby slid a hand through his hair. “I know. You’ve been injured a long while.”
“Yeah, I so have.” And he needed to have thinky thoughts about his future—immediate and long term.
Toby joined him on the couch, sitting close. “So what—actually—did the doctor say?”
Oh, no fair. That was cheating. He didn’t want to lie.
He gave the Professor the stink eye. “He said it was time to come out of the boot.”
“Mhm. Good. And are you supposed to do PT?”
Fuck. “Prob—I mean, yeah. He said, it was a good idea…”
“Okay, good. Did he give you a name?” Toby looked over at him. “Or do we need to find someone?”
“There was a bunch of paperwork. I’m sure he said in there somewhere. It was a big old sheaf of stuff.” And he hadn’t just thrown it away. He’d thrown it in his backpack where his extra shoe had been.
“Oh, great. May I take a look? Where is it?”
“I shoved it in my backpack.” What were the chances that Dr. Anatomy wasn’t going to know what it all meant?
Still, the X-rays with all the pins and plates were right there for all the world to see.
“Shoved it, hm?” Toby got up and brought his bag to him. “Spoken like a man who didn’t really want to hear the doctor’s orders.”
“I was just ready to get the hell out of Dodge, you know? I wanted to clear the cobwebs out.” It was as good an excuse as any.
“Cobwebs.” Toby gave him a curious glance. “This is about your health, your career…there are no cobwebs there.”
He shook his head. No, there was an old attic worth of them. “You know that’s not true. There’s a ton of shit to clear out to get to a decision.”
“Ah. I misunderstood, apologies. I was thinking cobwebs, as in dusty things you never look at. You’re right. There is a minefield’s worth of things to consider.”
“Yeah. It’s a lot. Too much, maybe, I don’t know.” It gave him a headache.
“We’ll work through it.” Toby took his hand and kissed the back of it.
They would, huh? He would have argued—he would have—but Toby was being easy, and he was hurting a little, so he’d be soft about it. Trust a second.
He could bark and bitch and bite later.
“I’ll look over the doctor’s paperwork if that’s okay with you. We can talk after I’m up to speed.” Toby turned to face him on the couch. “You know I’m going to understand everything in these reports, right?”
“You, Professor?” He went wide-eyed. “No…”
Toby snorted. “I was looking out for your privacy, boy. A simple thank you will do. Add one to your count.” Toby pulled out the partially folded and crinkled stack of paper and smoothed them out on the coffee table.
“Some Doms just don’t appreciate the fine art of sarcasm.” He didn’t mind adding swats. This was fun.
“Oh-ho! What I do appreciate is being able to punish you for being a brat, brat.” Toby grinned and rested the pages in his lap. “Now, hush while I learn all the things you didn’t want to tell me.”
He leaned his head back and let himself float. It one of the best parts about the Professor. He trusted the man.
Toby wasn’t going to hurt him.
They may not agree, but the simple fact was he liked Toby. They were friends.
And he could just lay here with his eyes closed, still awake, and relax without trying to worry about anything except for—
Whiskey hit him like a ton of bricks, landing right in the center of his chest, and his eyes popped open.
“Well, hello, girlfriend, how are you?”
Her answer was an unhappy yowl.
“Oh, honey, I’m sorry. Did I not get you first before I talked to anybody else? You have my apologies. How are you?” He started petting, soft, slow strokes down along her back as she told him all about it.
“She is quite the Mistress. She takes after her daddy.” Toby didn’t even crack a smile.
“Oh, she so owns you too.” He didn’t hide his grin. He loved this fuzzy little queen.
“She is, and ever will be, my queen.” Toby bowed playfully, then chuckled. “The brat.”
“Listen to him bad-mouth you, angel girl. You’re not a brat.” That was his job.
“Oh, she is though. You should see her sulk.” Toby flipped a piece of paper over and back again. “PT three times a week for eight weeks. I’m sure you didn’t miss that.”
“I’ll have to ponder the cost, Professor. That’s a lot.” And a lot of time, and he’d have to find someone, and he’d just look it up online.
“Do you not have insurance?”
“I—I mean, I just used the rider relief fund as a rule.” Insurance costs a fortune, and he’d rather save his pennies.
“Hm.” Toby looked thoughtful for a moment. “I might know a way. I’ll make some calls.”
“All right, but don’t stress it. I have YouTube. There should be videos.”
“True, but it’s not the same. And the club has resources. I’ll see what they can do.” Toby put the papers down. “You have a lot of hardware in there.”
“I do. It’s—” Terrifying as fuck. “—impressive, huh?”
“That’s one word for it.” Toby sighed. “Do you really have a decision to make, or are you putting off the one you already know you have to?”
He didn’t know where to look, but he felt like his cheeks were on fire. “Do you think… I mean, fuck.”
“I’m not a doctor. I’m not going to pretend I know anything for sure. But I know what I’m looking at in those films, and I can’t imagine what landing on that foot would be like. Or what the consequences might be.”
“It’d hurt like a bitch, that’s for sure.” Did they make fake ankles? He knew riders with new knees, new shoulders, new hips, but no new ankles.
Toby nodded. “We’ll see how things go, hm?”
“I knew he wasn’t going to say everything was great, but…” He shook his head. He wasn’t a whiner. “I am out of the boot!”
Toby chuckled and put the papers down on the coffee table. “You’re right. You’re out of the stupid boot. How would you like to celebrate?”
Oh, the ideas he had…
“What’s your position on beer?”
“I’m a beer snob. You?”
“I like beer.” He was intrigued. “So…does that mean you don’t drink Coors Light or what?”
“Yes, that’s what it means. I like a craft IPA or something like that. But, at the end of the day, if I really want a beer, I’ll drink whatever you hand me. Let’s go to the club. I have a tab there.”
“Okay. Let me clean up and find my other boot. It’s probably still in my duffel.” He hadn’t needed it until now.
Toby snorted. “It’s going to be newer and in better shape than the other one. And you get to ditch the sneakers.”
“Yeah, yeah. Boots hold in lymph fluid way better.” He stood up, refusing to let himself show the hurt. He wanted to celebrate. He wanted a beer.
Toby didn’t make a remark, so he hoped that meant he’d hidden it well.
“I’m calling us an Uber. I don’t feel like dealing with the subway tonight. It’s been a day.”
“Oh?” Thank God. “That sounds amazing. Thank you, Sir.”
He didn’t know if he was a good actor or if the Professor was protecting his pride, but he was grateful, nonetheless.
“I’m going to change real quick.” Toby followed him down the hall and ducked into his bedroom. The bedroom door closed, leaving Roper to find his boot on his own.
He found a decent pair of jeans and a pair of clean, white socks. He doctored his foot, put on his socks, then stared at his boot.
He didn’t know if he could get his boot on.
He was going to have to go back into the running shoes. He didn’t think he could force his ankle into…oh.
Oh.
He had his work boots, and they laced up. They were wrecked, but incredibly comfortable.
He headed back across the hall to find those. He managed to get them on—one was way tighter than the other, but they fit.
By the time his shirt was on, he was needing a drink.
“Okay. Did you find your boot?” Toby came out of his bedroom wearing jeans and a tight black T-shirt that showed off shoulders that were broader and stronger than they appeared in Toby’s teaching clothes. “Oh.” Toby frowned. “We needed to clean up that foot, boy. Are you okay?”
“I washed it. My boot wouldn’t fit, and…” He decided on honesty. “I didn’t want to force it. I couldn’t.”
Toby nodded. “Are you comfortable enough?”
“I’m sore, but not so sore that I don’t want to celebrate with you.” He liked hanging out with Toby. It felt…intentional, right.
“I’m looking forward to taking you to the club.” Toby caught him by the hips and leaned in. “Show you off a little, kitten?”
“Meow?” He leaned back, though, smiled. “I’d like that, Professor.”
“Come on, then. The car will be here in a minute. We need to get downstairs.”
“Let’s do this. I want to try one of your fancy beers.”