Chapter 24
brEAKING NEWS: DJ DVLN injured, suffers concussion.
Earlier today, electronic dance music superstar DJ DVLN suffered an injury while rehearsing for an upcoming show.
During the rehearsal, DVLN slipped and fell, hitting his head on the stage.
Doctors confirm he has a moderate concussion, which caused DVLN to cancel three shows.
DVLN took to his social media to apologize to his fans for the cancellations: “You all mean the world to me, and I’m deeply sorry that I must cancel these shows.
But a head injury is no joke, and I need adequate time to heal and recover.
I promise, I will make it up to all of you.
” DVLN’s fans, who call themselves “Little Devils”, quickly flooded DVLN’s social media with thoughts and well wishes.
DVLN was released from the hospital this afternoon, and is recovering at his home in San Francisco.
Colton
The weight room at the practice facility was immense, with every type of exercise apparatus imaginable.
It was separated into sections; high-tech cutting-edge machinery in one section; a wide array of cardio equipment in another section; recovery, relaxation, and injury prevention pieces in another area; and plate-loaded strength training equipment and dumbbells in the rear.
Colton preferred the basics, a good old barbell and some weight plates tucked in the corner of the facility.
It was leg day, which was not Colton’s favorite, but since power and speed were paramount for a running back, he couldn’t skip it.
He was working on his second set of squats when Bryce walked over and draped an arm over the rack. “Did you hear the news?”
“What news?” Colton asked with a grunt, as he re-racked the barbell.
“Dean was injured today during his rehearsal.”
Colton started to gasp, but his throat closed. He couldn’t breathe.
“What?! Is he okay?” he asked after finally finding the ability to breathe again.
“He has a concussion,” Bryce said, fiddling with his phone. He showed Colton the video of the fall that someone had posted online.
Colton watched intently as Dean clearly lost his balance, began flailing his arms, and fell backwards, landing hard oh the stage.
“Jesus, that looked bad!” He said, his throat still tight and his pulse still racing. “I need to call him.” Colton reached for his phone, but the call went straight to voice mail.
There was no way he could continue his work out, not when he didn't know how badly Dean was hurt. So, Colton quickly cleaned up his training equipment and hurried to Dean’s loft. He must have broken about six different traffic laws in his rush to get to there.
He flew into the parking garage on two wheels and took the first parking space he found. He rushed past security in the lobby, giving a quick wave and acknowledgement to Wilfred at the security desk. He knocked quietly on the door of the loft and Jordan answered after a short time.
“Oh, hi, Mr. Merrick.”
“Where’s Dean?” Colton pushed past Jordan and into the loft. “Is he okay?”
“Yes, he’s in bed.” Jordan ushered Colton toward the bedroom. As they walked, Jordan leaned in and whispered, “He’s still a little groggy from the pain killers.”
Colton nodded.
Dean sat in bed, his back propped against a pillow on the headboard, his head slumped to the side, his eyes half closed. There was a gauze bandage wrapped around his head, with extra padding in the back where the impact had occurred.
He looks awful, Colton thought, swallowing hard and trying to control his emotions, fighting the urge to run to his side and hold him tight. Before he could catch himself, he quietly muttered with an emotional quiver, “Dean?”
Dean sleepily looked up. “Heeeey, Colton. What are you doing here?”
When Colton dropped onto the bed next to Dean, he couldn’t stop the tears forming in his eyes. “I heard about the accident. I wanted to check on you.”
Dean’s head lolled sluggishly to the side and he squeezed Colton’s hand. “Aww, that’s sho nice.” He smiled weakly, his words slurring.
“Dean, I’ve got a few more things I need to handle for the cancellations,” Jordan interrupted. “But don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything.”
Colton turned to Jordan. “I’ll stay with him. You go.”
Jordan placed his hand on Colton’s shoulder. “Thank you, Mr. Merrick.”
“Please, Jordan, call me Colton.” Jordan nodded and gave Colton a knowing look of approval before heading out with his phone to his ear.
Colton turned his attention back to Dean. Without thinking, he held Dean’s hand and rubbed his forearm with his free hand.
“So, what happened?”
Dean sighed. “Well, we were rehearsing, using this hydraulic lift that brings you up from underneath the stage,” he began sleepily, his eyes droopy.
“Apparently, at the top of the lift, the hydraulics released slightly, so the lift wasn’t flush with the stage, and I stepped back…
” He gestured with his hand to indicate his foot placement.
“Lost my footing, fell backward and hit my head”
Colton cringed. “Yeah, I saw the video online. It looked bad”
Dean groaned and leaned back, hitting the back of his head on the headboard. “Ow! Fuck!”
“Careful!” Colton reached around and held the back of his head. “You’ll make it worse.”
Colton could barely contain himself. His hands were shaking, his breath was shallow, and his heart pounded in his chest. His emotions were beginning to spiral out of control, which was a brand-new sensation for him.
Colton was normally handled, catered to, coddled.
He’d always been a star athlete, even early on.
And he’d always been treated like a star, the center of the universe.
He’d never once had the urge to care for someone else.
But with Dean, the script had flipped. The only thought in his mind right then was caring for, attending to, and catering to his every need.
He felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility. He had to take care of Dean.
“Look, I’ve had several of these. So don’t worry. I got you.” Colton gently reached up and cupped Dean’s cheek.
“Oh, that’s right. People get paid to beat you up,” Dean joked with a groggy giggle, leaning into Colton’s touch.
Dean placed his hand on Colton’s knee. “Thank you for checking on me.” His voice shook and his bottom lip trembled. “I really appreciate it.”
“Would you like me to stay with you?” Colton asked quietly, barely above a whisper.
Dean pushed out his bottom lip, still trembling, and nodded.
“If it’s not too much trouble. I really don’t want to be alone right now.”
And with that admission, Dean’s tears began to flow.
Colton, feeling his own emotions beginning to bubble over, reached out and pulled him into his chest. “It’s okay, Dean, I’m here. Everything’s going to be ok.”
“It was so fucking scary,” Dean whimpered. “I couldn’t see for about ten seconds.”
“Oh, that’s nothing.” Colton gently chuckled, rubbing small circles on his back. “One time I couldn’t see for almost a minute.”
“Okay, you win.”
Colton held him close, his nose grazing Dean’s earlobe, sending shivers up and down his spine.
He slowly placed Dean back into position on the bed. “Okay, I’m gonna get us some drinks and snacks, then you're gonna rest.” Dean nodded and burrowed deeper into his pillows.
Colton headed to the kitchen. At this point, he fully knew his way around the loft. He loaded up a tray of food and drinks and took it back to Dean. For the rest of the night, they ate, talked and took light walks around the loft.
Colton squinted his eyes, wincing from the bright morning sun as he woke. As his world came into focus, he found Dean sleeping next to him, on his side, face to face.
His stomach fluttered.
Waking up next to Dean had him…feeling things.
Dean was sleeping peacefully. Colton could see some stubble on his normally clean-shaven jaw and chin. He thought it was a good look for Dean, very sexy.
He reached over and brushed his hair away from his forehead and the bandages.
Dean stirred and slowly woke with a breathy “Hi.”
“Hi.” Colton smiled, resisting the urge to hug him tightly and comfort him some more.
“Did you sleep here?”
Colton contorted his body in a lazy stretch. “Yeah, I must have fallen asleep while watching TV. Your bed is super comfortable.”
Dean smiled and rolled onto his back with a groan, “God my head is fucking throbbing!”
“Yeah, you’re gonna have a nasty headache for at least one more day.” Colton gently rubbed the top of his head.
Dean turned to Colton. “How many of these have you had?”
Colton tilted his head in thought. “In my career I’ve had three…so far.”
“Even with the helmets?”
“The helmets are padded inside, so they definitely help, but when you’re thrown to the ground with such force, sometimes even the helmet can’t protect you. That’s why the league has made all those rule changes around tackling, to minimize the chances of concussions.”
“Well, I never want another one of these. Fuck, this sucks!” Dean grumbled, holding his head.
He rolled toward the side of the bed. “I gotta pee.”
“Slowly!” Colton commanded. “Or you’ll get dizzy.”
Dean slowed his movement and cautiously moved off the bed toward the bathroom as Colton made his way to the kitchen to make coffee.
Dean finished in the bathroom and slowly made his way to a stool at the kitchen counter, where Colton poured him a cup of coffee. He wrapped his hands around the steaming mug with a smile.
“Wait. Shouldn’t you be at practice? It’s nearly nine o’clock.”
Colton poured himself a cup and leaned against the island, facing Dean. “Well, Coach heard about your accident and I told him I was taking care of you. He said I could come in late for a half-practice.”
Dean smiled and sipped his coffee. “That’s nice of him. Thank him for me.”