Chapter 21 #2
Quinn absolutely hated having to ask anyone else for help, but he knew his brother wouldn’t mind, especially since he felt responsible for Quinn getting hurt on his property.
Quinn sat up and reached for the dreaded crutches that he hated with a fiery passion.
More than anything, he hated that he needed them and glared at the prosthetic leg and foot sitting next to Mallory’s closet, almost mocking him with what he couldn’t have today.
Because he didn’t want to have to explain about his leg to everyone he encountered today, he would strap on the prosthetic after a shower, keeping it loosely affixed to his sore leg while he continued to use the crutches.
It wouldn’t feel great against the bruised stump, but it was better than having to deal with questions about his missing leg.
With Brutus following close behind him, he hobbled to the bathroom, where he broke open the toothbrush Mallory had left for him and put it to use.
Next he headed for the kitchen, poured coffee into the mug she’d set out for him and filled it with the cream she’d placed on the counter to make it easier for him.
She was a gem. He’d known that before he got hurt, and she’d only confirmed it for him with the way she’d come running to him last night and offered him a place to stay while he recovered.
Brutus sat on the floor looking up at him, his adorable face scrunched inquisitively, as if to say, What’s going on, Dad? Why do you need those sticks to walk? Brutus had come into his life after he had the prosthetic, so he’d never seen Quinn on crutches before.
“Temporary setback, buddy,” he said. “We’ll be back to normal in a few days.
At least I hope so.” Because he couldn’t manage the crutches and the coffee, he stood in the kitchen and drank his coffee, looking out the kitchen window to the backyard and the ocean in the distance.
After he finished his coffee, he took a closer look at her home.
This really was an adorable little house that Mallory had rented from her sister, and in a very short amount of time, she’d put her unique stamp on the place with eye-catching art on the walls and bookshelves full of mysteries, thrillers, romances and nursing references.
On the mantel, she’d placed photos of her with a woman who was probably her mom, a group shot with her siblings and cousins from Laura’s wedding last year and another with her and her dad.
There were other framed photos of groups of women he didn’t recognize.
He’d have to ask her about them. He wanted to know the details, and that alone made her different from any woman he’d been with in a long time.
When he’d been on active duty, most of his “relationships,” such as they were, had been about sex.
His relationship with Mallory was about so much more than that.
They hadn’t even had sex yet, and he was already more committed to her than he’d been to any woman.
He had no idea how long he stood there, looking at her pictures and thinking about her, before a knock on the door had him pivoting on the crutches toward the door to admit Jared. “That was quick.”
Brutus greeted Uncle Jared with unbridled enthusiasm.
Jared squatted to give Brutus some attention. “Kara took me out and waited for me while I packed up a bag. Hope I got everything you needed.”
“If you got clean clothes, I’m good.”
Standing upright, Jared carried the bag into the house and put it in the bedroom. “At least now I know why you don’t own a pair of shorts.”
“I have shorts. I just don’t wear them anymore.”
“Because you didn’t want anyone to know.”
Quinn shrugged. “Something like that.”
“Why does it matter? It’s not like you lost your leg doing something stupid. You lost it serving your country.”
“I don’t know why it matters.”
“Where the hell did you get all those muscles?” Jared asked, gesturing to Quinn’s bare chest and arms.
“In the gym after I lost my leg. Upper-body strength was key to my recovery.”
Sighing, Jared sat on one of the two barstools that had been tucked under the counter. “I wish you’d told me.”
“Why? So you could swoop in and throw money at the situation and try to fix everything for me?”
“I wouldn’t have done that.”
Quinn raised a brow in disbelief.
“Okay, maybe I would’ve, but at least you wouldn’t have been alone.”
“I was okay.”
“Lizzie told me I’m not allowed to be pissed with you, that this was your situation to handle as you saw fit.”
“I really, really like your wife. She’s probably way too good for you.”
“She definitely is, because, left to my own devices, I’d probably say some things that couldn’t be unsaid or unheard.”
Quinn held his brother’s gaze. “Thank goodness for Lizzie, then.”
“Yeah, thank goodness for her.” Jared looked down and then back up at Quinn. “I know you prefer to go it alone, but I hope you know you've got me, and you can count on me.”
“I do know that, and I appreciate it. You and Lizzie have given me a whole new purpose by hiring me. You’ve already done more than you know.”
“I guess that’s something.”
“It’s everything, Jared. I’m going to grab a shower, and then we can head out to the site, okay?”
“Sure, whatever you want.”
“Have some coffee while you wait.”
“Don’t mind if I do. You don’t… Do you need help in there?”
“Thanks, but I’ve got it.”
Quinn went into Mallory’s bathroom, giving thanks for the tiny house that required very little effort to get around. He was used to showering on one leg, so that wasn’t a problem either.
He moved slowly and carefully, because the last thing he needed was to fall again.
With a towel wrapped around his waist, he went into the bedroom, sat on the bed, put on the sock he wore over the stump and wrangled the prosthetic into position, wincing when the padding made contact with his bruised and swollen stump.
He secured it using the loosest possible setting and then got dressed, still sitting, the way he’d been taught to do in rehab.
Everything was such a major production when one of your limbs was missing.
Balance and coordination were nonexistent, and the simplest things became a struggle.
It took fifteen minutes to put on boxers, khakis and a button-down shirt that he left untucked because that was easier than standing and tucking it in while balancing on one leg and two crutches. He made his way into the living room, where Jared watched CNBC as he drank his coffee.
“You can take the boy out of Wall Street,” Quinn said.
“But you can’t make him ignore his portfolio,” Jared concluded.
They shared a laugh that went a long way toward putting things back on track between them.
“Ready?” Jared asked.
“Yep.” Quinn grabbed his keys and cell phone from the counter where Mallory had left them the night before and put both items in his pocket. “Hey, Jared?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m sorry if you were hurt by what happened last night. I never meant for that to happen.”
Jared stared at him, incredulous. “You’re sorry? Dude, I feel like shit because I knew that hole was there and never did anything about it. I’m the one who should be apologizing to you.”
“Don’t sweat it. Better me than someone who would sue Daddy Warbucks.”
“Ha! That’s true. It’s getting fixed today. I called Alex to take care of it.”
“Are you really so far gone that you can’t fix a hole in your own lawn by yourself?”
“Nah, I just have better things to do today.”
“Such as?”
“Drive my big brother around and make sure he’s got everything he needs, such as breakfast. Did you eat yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Let’s hit the diner on the way to the office.”
Realizing Jared intended to spend the day with him, Quinn made his way to the door, grateful for the time with his brother even if he hated the reason for it. “That sounds good. Thanks, Jared.”
“Sure thing.”