Chapter 5
Chapter Five
JP was going crazy. He’d been to see the doctor.
They were happy with his progress, and he had a few exercises to do to keep his muscles moving, to keep things from becoming stiff.
He had to use the walker to walk around the ground floor for ten minutes twice a day, and he had a couple of gentle exercises with the elastic band.
But it all hurt, leaving him grumpy when he was done.
He kept telling himself that was what happened when one of his legs was made of a little bit of bone and a lot of metal and pins, but it wasn’t much comfort.
He was basically stuck in bed. He did have the kids for company for at least a couple hours most days, and Mike showed up every day to help him out some, but he was used to being on the ice every day, to working out, running, keeping fit and physically busy.
He felt useless as a result. And he could see Ian was working his ass off looking after the house, the kids, and him. He didn’t ever not look tired.
One of those at least he could do something about. “Hey, can I talk to you?” he called out as Ian got the kids playing outside in the little backyard sandbox.
“Of course. What do you need?” Ian had dark bruises under his eyes.
“I’m getting a house cleaner in. Do you want her two or three times a week?”
“I—I’m sorry?” Ian looked utterly confused. “Am I doing a bad job?”
“Not at all, but you’re running yourself ragged trying to keep up with everything.
I’m extra work and not any help, so the least I can do is pay someone to come in and lighten your load some.
” It wasn’t like he didn’t have the money.
He’d hardly spent any of what he didn’t put into Ian’s account over the years, so he had a decent nest egg, and his agent swore he was going to get a big payday soon because of what had happened.
“Oh. I—that’s so kind. Really.” Ian stared at him, wide-eyed.
He looked just like Peter.
“I know it’s a lot of extra work, having me here. And I can’t do dick all to actually help at the moment. So how many days do you want someone in for?”
“Just a couple. Just so we can get to the rink and the pool and the gym. They’re go babies.”
“You sure that’s enough?” He didn’t want cleaning to be on Ian’s plate at all.
It would make his life easier and hopefully he’d stop looking like the walking dead.
“And what about meals? We could get one of those chefs who do home prep for a few suppers every week. Not that there’s anything wrong with your food – I’m impressed every day.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a break. ”
“No. No…honestly.” Ian shook his head. “I’d rather order a pizza every now and again. Or a curry.”
“Okay, that works.” He just needed to make up for the extra strain he was putting on Ian. The man hadn’t asked for this, but he’d taken JP in without question when he’d had nowhere else to turn.
“Thank you. Seriously. You’ve been great with the twins, but they’re starting to demand their exercise and classes.”
“Yeah, I don’t want to disrupt their routine. I mean, I know I have, but let’s mitigate it, eh?”
“Thank you.” Ian looked so worried, but he hid it by going to the window and checking on the kids.
JP frowned. He didn’t know what Ian was worried about, but he had a hunch it was something to do with him, so he called Ian back.
“Come here again and tell me what’s wrong.
” Clearly it was more than just the cooking and cleaning.
He remembered what that pretty face looked like when Ian was happy and carefree.
“I don’t know. I’m just stressed out.” He was chewing on his bottom lip. “I know you have to be so bored.”
“Out of my fucking mind.”
“Do you want to play cards? Or checkers?”
“Oh, I would totally play cards with you. Even cribbage if you wanted.”
Ian was a whiz at the game. Him, not so much.
“How about rummy? You used to like that.”
That was so dear. Seriously. So fucking nice.
“Yeah, I still do.” They played a lot of games when they were on road games. A couple guys would bring their Switches and stuff, and they’d play cards, Yahtzee, anything to pass the time.
“Cool. I’ll peek at the kids and grab the cards and some paper.”
“Sounds great.” He was actually going to get to do something other than lie there like a lump, and with another human being who wasn’t younger than five, too. Score.
Not only that, but Ian had smiled at him.
Honestly smiled.
It wasn’t a lot, but it was something. Maybe he’d get another one while they played cards.
“They are pretending to be…kangaroos, I think.” Ian chuckled.
“They’ve got amazing imaginations. They’re great kids,” he added. They might be his, but he knew damn well he had nothing to do with how they were turning out. That was all Ian.
“They are. They’re both so different, so amazing.”
“I wish I could skate with them,” he said softly. Skating was… had been pure joy. The doctors had told him if he was patient, if he did everything right, he’d probably be able to do it again, just not as well. And certainly not at the level he’d need to be at to play hockey.
“She’s excited to skate with you. So much. She will be wild when you heal enough,”
“Does Peter not skate at all?”
“He’s scared of the ice.” Ian rolled his eyes.
JP frowned. “Scared of the ice? Not of skating, but of the ice?” How did you get scared of ice?
“He’s scared of chickens. He’s scared of brooms. He’s scared of tater tots and pickles and the ocean.”
JP didn’t understand. How could someone be scared of pickles? “You mean he doesn’t like them?”
“I mean he cries and shakes and acts like he’s terrified.” Ian shrugged.
He shook his head. Nope, he didn’t get it. Like at all. But he wasn’t sure what he could do about. If there was anything to be done. If Ian gave two shits what he thought about it.
“I tried to push, but…” Ian shrugged. “She’s so much braver.”
“She’s fierce.” It was one his favorite things about Tori. Decisive, unafraid. She was a force of nature from what he’d seen.
“She is. I worry that this is my fault, you know? because I was so scared when you left.”
“That the kids are the way they are, you mean? Wouldn’t that make it my fault because I left?” He was willing to share the blame. He hadn’t been here. It had all been left to Ian.
“I just…” Ian shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
He didn’t need to talk about it. “So deal already, and we’ll play rummy.”
“Right on. I’ve been waiting to kick your ass for weeks.”
“Yeah, yeah. Put your money where your mouth is.” He hit the button on his bed remote, pushing it higher so he was sitting more upright.
Ian’s laughter rang out, the cards shuffled and dealt. “You do remember how to play this, right?”
“Nope. You’re definitely going to win, so bet big,” he teased.
“All right. I should ask for something amazing…”
“Name it. I remember how to play, though.” Just in case Ian had thought he was serious about the not remembering.
“Damn, so I can’t cheat?”
Like Ian ever cheated.
“You don’t know how to cheat.”
“I—” Ian’s lips opened and closed, over and over. “Maybe I learned.”
He tilted his head. “Not knowing how to cheat isn’t a bad thing, Chou.”
Ian’s cheeks went bright red. “No. No, you’re right. I’m honest with you.”
“Come on, let’s play,” he said softly. He hadn’t wanted to make Ian feel bad in any way.
Ian nodded, and then there it was again.
That smile.
He stared, fascinated. He remembered that smile. He’d fallen in love with that smile.
Ian nodded to him, then dealt. “You can go first.”
“Okay. I guess I really do need to remember how to play now, eh?” He gathered his cards in his hand and sorted them.
It took them a couple of hands for him to get it, to find the groove again, and then they were playing, both of them laughing.
They played a number of hands, the score pretty even.
The sky went dark, and Ian glanced up. “I need to get the kids in.”
“Yeah, that came up quick, eh?”
“It did.”
He wanted to tell Ian to stop worrying. The kids could get wet without real damage.
“Do they like playing in the rain?” He remembered doing it as a kid, getting so muddy.
“I don’t know…”
He smiled at Ian. “Let them play, Chou.” They weren’t going to melt away. “Deal us another hand.”
“I—Okay…” Ian dealt the cards, and the rain started, the kids squealing and laughing out there.
He smiled. “That’s a good sound, eh?”
“It is. They’re so happy.”
They were. Ian was doing a great job raising them.
Ian just needed help and another dad to help out. He just hoped Ian would let him be that dad once he was healed up and actually could help.