Chapter 23
Twenty-Three
Caleb hadn’t wanted to leave Idaho Springs to go back to Denver to have physical therapy. He had hoped he and Lucas could meet in the Springs instead of going back to the city, but it hadn’t worked out due to a change in Lucas’s schedule.
So they were on their way back to Denver so he could do his evaluation and his specialized session. He wished they were back in Hawk’s big bed in the Idaho Springs house already. Caleb had all these ideas about what to do with the barn.
And he really hadn’t even gotten to see the upstairs.
“We’ll go back, babe,” Hawk murmured as if reading his mind.
“I know. I’m not going to let that gem of a house get away from me.” He winked broadly when Hawk glanced at him, but his heart raced a little bit at the idea that he and Hawk were planning something long-term.
Crazy, maybe, but he wanted that really bad.
And Hawk didn’t seem to mind the idea either. He reached over and grabbed Caleb’s hand and squeezed it.
By the time they got to Lucas’s office, he felt better because Hawk just kept being the most amazing, supportive, sweet guy ever. And he had promised gyros for dinner, which Caleb absolutely adored.
They were teasing each other about whether they should get fast food gyros or go to an actual sit-down restaurant as he clumped into Lucas’ office, his crutches making this whacking noise on the floor.
“But if we go to that one place that has the fast-food gyros, they have that Mediterranean feta slaw,” Caleb was saying when he stopped dead in the lobby of the therapist’s office, almost tipping over. The pair of middle-aged people sitting there waiting made him stagger back against Hawk.
“Babe, are you okay?” Hawk caught him, holding him up, which was good because honest to God he could have dropped dead seeing his mom and dad sitting there in the uncomfortable doctor’s office chairs.
“What are you doing here?” He stared at them, unable to believe they were actually there.
His mom gave him a smug little smile and stood. “We’ve been waiting for you, of course.”
“How on earth did you know I had physio today, Mom?” There’s no way anyone in Lucas’s office had told her. Even if the folks there were willing to do a HIPAA violation, Lucas would never let somebody leak that. He worked with Olympic athletes.
“We went to your condo, and the nice lady in the office said we could call your coach.”
“Mom, I don’t have a coach anymore.” If his ex-coach had told his mom what was going on in his life, he was gonna kick the man’s ass, especially once his foot got healed up.
“Well, he certainly still seems to be worried about you. I told him we just wanted to help.”
He clamped down with his teeth, knowing that his jaw was ticking like a time bomb, but his parents could be incredibly persuasive and charming. It just wasn’t true, not any of it.
“I don’t need you to help. I’m just fine. I’m sorry you came all this way, but I have to go to therapy.”
“We can wait, sweetie. We want to take you out to dinner.”
He looked at his dad, but his father wouldn’t even meet his eyes. There was not going to be any help there.
Hawk had stiffened up behind him, hands on his arms, supporting him still, and finally Hawk cleared his throat.
“Why don’t you go on in and meet with Lucas, baby, and I’ll talk to your folks about dinner, okay?”
He searched Hawk’s gaze to see what the best course of action would be, and all he got back was a steady stare and a nod. Hawk was going to go to bat for him because he knew how Caleb felt about his parents.
“Thanks, yeah. Let me do that. I don’t want to be late.” He rounded his shoulder to keep it away from his mom when she would have reached out to grab him and went to the receptionist, Angel, who gave him a bright smile and said, “Come on. I’ll take you right back.”
Thank God. That was very kind of her because he knew he probably could have sat and waited for another ten to twenty minutes, waiting on Lucas to finish up with whatever client he was in there with, but he could start warming up on the recumbent stair stepper using one leg to push the plate.
Lucas stood in the workout area, finishing up with what looked to be a football player maybe. The guy was enormous, and he had that bulk that spoke to a defensive back. Caleb didn’t recognize him, but then he wasn’t up on everybody who played football in the area, so it made sense.
Lucas raised an eyebrow at him. “Hey, man, why don’t you start warming up and let me finish up here with Tyrell, okay?”
“Sure, sorry.” He set his jaw and his mouth in a tight line and set aside his crutches so he could get on the bike. He was getting better at just hopping around on one foot. It was kind of awesome how muscle memory started to take over and make things easier.
Watching Lucas manipulate Tyrell’s right arm and shoulder, Caleb had a moment where he could see himself doing something like this.
Maybe not as in-depth as what Lucas did, but working with guys who needed basic physio during the recovery, like maybe a trainer or somebody.
He could totally do that. He would look into it, see what Hawk thought.
Once Tyrell was off to the hot tub and out of earshot, Lucas came over to stand next to his machine. “You okay? You’re looking a little green around the gills.”
“My parents are out there. They got your information from coach and somehow found out I had an appointment today.”
Lucas’s eyebrows flew up. “Oh shit,” he said. “Do I need to go kick them out?”
“No, Hawk’s doing that I think. He’s out there slogging through it for me.”
Lucas’s face cleared, and he smiled. “Now that’s a good man. You should keep him.”
“I think I will.” He really did actually. He wasn’t sure how this was all going to play out, but he was serious, at least about trying to make something with Hawk. Hell, he’d been pining after the man for eight years.
“Well, let’s get to work, and then if they’re still out there when you’re ready to leave, I’ll call security.”
“Sounds good, man. I’m ready to be able to put some weight on my foot.”
“I bet, but it looks like you’re doing all right with the crutches. Is the knee scooter not working out so great?”
They got talking about his recovery, and Lucas started running him through a series of exercises. He knew Lucas had access to his last X-rays and scans and everything, and his doctors sent notes over so he knew exactly where Caleb was in healing.
He let himself sink into physical stuff, letting his parents go; that was the only way to deal with it.
If he thought about it too much, it would just make him sick to his stomach and crazy with rage.
How dare they show up as if they had a right to him after all these years?
Thank God for Hawk running interference.
Caleb would make it up to him in the best way later.
“I think you should probably leave,” Hawk told Caleb's parents.
He honestly couldn't believe they had shown up after Caleb had asked them not to.
Caleb had opened up to him quite a bit over the last couple of weeks about his relationship with his family and how they had pretty much sent him off to compete in the snowboarding world at the age of fifteen without any support at all and without any care for what was going on with his body.
“Caleb needs us,” Mrs. Lancaster said, with the conviction of somebody who was completely delusional.
“Does he, though?” Hawk spread his hands, trying not to loom because using his size against people like Caleb’s parents was not exactly a socially acceptable thing to do. “Looks to me like he didn’t want you here.”
She firmed her lips and her eyes flashed with something ugly. “Caleb doesn’t know what he wants. He’s been doing that sports thing since he was so young, and now it’s time for him to come back and have a life. Meet a nice girl. Settle down.”
A bark of laughter flew from his mouth, and it sounded kind of like a duck quacking.
Hawk winced because that was an awful sound, but he couldn’t help it.
“I think that bird had probably flown out the window at this point, ma’am.
He has a nice boy though. My name is Hawk Montineau.
I’m a sports guy too, so maybe you won’t approve, but I don’t think Caleb really cares.
I certainly don’t. I’m going to have to ask you to leave. ”
Her face pinched into a sour expression, and she opened her mouth as if she was going to lay into him, but Caleb’s dad stepped up and put a hand around her upper arm. “I think it’s time we go home, Lori.”
Caleb’s mom whipped around to look at her husband. “What?”
“I said, let’s go home. Caleb doesn’t want us here, and he’s obviously in good hands.” The man looked Hawk up and down. “I appreciate you taking care of him. Come on now, Lori, let’s go.”
She protested but he tugged her along, eventually leaving the office. Hawk heard her protesting most of the way down the hall, but as soon as the door closed behind them, his shoulders relaxed.
“Wow.” Angel, the receptionist, arched a dark eyebrow at him, her expression shocked, “It’s hard to believe those two are related to Caleb.”
“Yeah, it totally is, but it went better than I expected. I didn’t think his dad would step in like that.”
“Yeah, that was a relief. You don’t think they’re going to be lying in wait for you when he gets out, do you?”
“I’ll go check here in a few minutes to make sure they’ve left.” He wasn’t going to make Caleb walk out into the hall or even the parking lot and face his parents again.
“Good deal. Do you want a cup of coffee or something? We even have some doughnuts back in the break room. Some caffeine and sugar would probably do you some good.”
Hawk blew out of breath and smiled at her. “I think that sounds great. I would love a doughnut.”
“How do you take your coffee?”
He raised an eyebrow. “How bad is it?”
“Eh, it’s marginal.”
“Some cream or creamer then would be great.” He paced around the office to get rid of some of his nervous energy, but he felt good.
He had helped Caleb out with his folks and defended him in the only way he could.
It felt like it was real, like that was actually his job, and that he and Caleb were a unit together, which was new and kind of wonderful.
And when Caleb got out of physical therapy, Hawk would take him home and spend a bunch of time making sure he knew Hawk was there for him, and that he never had to deal with his parents again if he didn’t want to.
Right now he would have a bad cup of doctor’s office coffee and maybe call his mom. He needed a dose of the right kind of parenting, stat.