Chapter 7 #2
“I want a hot Puerto Rican chick. Glossy DSLs. Fat ass and thick thighs. Has a hot nickname for me. That’s who I want as my home nurse.”
I basically describe my angel. She merely smiles when Helga the Horrible glances at her. Mas ignores me. Too busy staring at her. Ugh, it’s always like this with them.
Sweat rolls from every pore.
The crutches hurt my underarms, no matter how many towels they tape to the rubber thing.
The dressing fucking kills me from where she ripped my guts out.
Everything yanks on everything else. It’s a fucking domino of pain that has black fucking dots dancing in my vision.
But I clear the door to my room like a fucking champ. Just like I have the last few days.
“Looking good, Em.”
I stop and flip Mas off. They walk ahead of us with my nurse behind me.
Her hand plasters to my sweaty back after she ties up my gown.
I’m hobbling, and they’re about to leave.
It’s the same fucking shit. Day after day.
But I’d be a bastard if I didn’t notice how happy Mas looks.
Less worried, and the swollen red eyes he had for days are gone.
“Why does this hurt even more today than yesterday?” I grumble to Helga, even if her name tag says Brandy.
She ignores me like Mas does when I complain. Each step with the crutches is another complaint. The rhythm of using them is the same every damn time. Crutches creak. Foot shuffles. Cuss and groan.
“I fucking hate this place.”
Creak
“I fucking hate my brother.”
Shuffle
“I fucking hate his new girlfriend.”
Groan.
“I’m ready to go home.”
Creak.
“Sit on my ass.”
Shuffle.
“Play video games and watch porn.”
I let out a string of curse words because Helga the Horrible pushes too hard on my back when I said porn.
As if intentionally throwing me off balance and forcing me to use those damn stabilizing muscles they first told me about.
It pulls everywhere. Hurts everywhere. I throw her a dirty ass look over my shoulder.
She gives me a fucking sweet smile. Not guilty.
“I fucking hate nurses.”
She doesn’t say anything.
Only keeps that pressure steady on my back.
I fucking hate that too. We’re getting close to the end of the hall.
About to loop back around to my room, when I see the most beautiful sight, walking in with a bag from McDonald’s.
I’m not gay, but I’ll fuck the shit out of that guy if he’s bringing me a couple of Big Macs.
He hasn’t noticed me yet. His limp catches my attention more than it ever has.
Will I have a badass one like him? I don’t know why, but his half-shaved head, all-black ensemble, and natural tanned skin make him look like a straight-up villain.
Not the size of a Marvel hero like Mas and me. More like Loki, except hotter.
Diego can get the chicks if he wants. But he’s pussy whipped by his professor. A thing that’s gone on for a while now. Mas tells me he’s super fucking happy with her, even if he’s stressed about school.
“Kokami! Look at you, dude.”
A bright smile breaks his face.
It makes me smile too. I love this guy. He’s a good dude, even if he prefers Darko Dommy’s bad attitude over mine. He blocks the hallway. I couldn’t be happier. The smell of McDonald’s runs straight up my nose. I fucking love him more if that’s for me.
“Tell me that’s for me.” I gaze down at the bag crumpled in his hand. His helmet is tucked under his elbow.
“No outside food allowed for patients,” Helga the Horrible scolds over my shoulder. Diego’s eyes move from me to her and back.
“Good thing it’s for me,” he replies, stealing my hopes and dreams away. Back to fucking jello. “It’s great seeing you up and around, man.”
“Yeah, Helga here makes me do it three times a day, and then I have to go to PT downstairs. It’s all bullshit. The second I get home, my ass is sitting in front of the big screen and doing nothing. All damn day.”
I throw that last part at Helga. She can control me like a little bitch in here. But at home, I’m the king of that fucking castle.
“Don’t let me stop ya. I’ll wait for you in your room.”
He raises the bag slightly. Barely noticeable. It’s for me. I’m going to plant the biggest, fattest, and sloppiest kiss on his ass for being my savior. Another angel from above, smelling of leather, cologne, and McDonald’s.
“Don’t slack off. PT’s the only thing between you and a limp for life.”
If anyone would know, it’s him. He’s fucked up his back. The videos were gnarly. Coming back from that is legendary. I wanna be like him when I grow up.
“Limps are badass,” I argue, dragging one crutch forward and hissing when my ribs bite down hard. “Give me some fries, and I’ll crutch to PT myself. Fast as hell. You’ll see flames on the linoleum.”
Helga pushes against my back for us to continue. Diego jumps out of the way. I scowl at her. Worst nurse ever.
“Get moving. I have other patients to see,” she grumbles like I do.
We both need a break from each other.
Diego’s eyebrows raise, but he walks off.
Probably to eat some of my fries. I certainly would if the situation were reversed.
With Helga waiting and McDonald’s as my prize, I put my ass in high gear.
Working through the pain, the crutch digging into my road rash and hurting like a fucking bitch, I shove it all aside.
Fantasize about drowning my burger in ketchup. He didn’t bring me a milkshake. What I wouldn’t give for one of those. First thing I’m having tomorrow when I get home. Food delivery services are going to get sick of my ass.
By the time we make it back to my room, I’m sweating everywhere.
The bag is gone, and Diego’s playing some shit game on his phone.
He sits straighter when I collapse on the bed.
My dick and balls are all tossed under my gown while trying to get into bed.
Helga isn’t any nicer when she shoves me over to raise the bed railing back up and walks out.
“Where’s the food? Bro, I need it. The shit they feed me in here. Mas doesn’t care. He’s too busy jacking off in my room or making out with a hot nurse.”
Diego’s eyebrows raise again, but he stands. Plops the bag on the rolley table that goes over my bed. My mouth waters. I might even cry.
“Massi jerks off in here? With you?” His face squeezes together in confusion.
“Yeah, dude. All the fucking time.”
“That’s weird as fuck.”
“Nah, I’m used to it.”
He shakes his head, goes back to sitting in the chair that is Mas’s throne. I tear into the bag, stuffing fries into my pie hole as fast as I can. The grease melts onto my tongue. It’s the shot of medicine I’ve been needing this whole time. I’m two bites into my Big Mac when Diego starts talking.
“I know you might think this is all bullshit and stuff, but I’ve been waiting for the right time to tell you this.”
I have a ball of food shoved into both pockets of my mouth. Probably looks like a squirrel hiding nuts in winter. Yeah, I’m that desperate.
“What’s up, D?”
Shit sounds serious. I should stop eating. But it’s fucking Mickey D’s. How can I stop? He doesn’t care. I keep eating. My eyes are glued to his.
“With everything that’s happened to you, it’s brought up some old stuff from the past. My accident. My recovery and what I still live with today.”
Diego’s the sensitive one.
Always, in his feelings. But with my leg mangled and half my skin left on that road, I get it.
Not that I haven’t had some thoughts of my own about how messed up this is.
How different things could have been if I hadn’t driven drunk.
If I wasn’t shit faced in the first place.
Meh, I only live once. I don’t want to be a pussy that’s scared of life.
“Yeah? Tell me about it.”
He doesn’t care that I keep chowing down like the starving dude I am.
Damn, Jello cups and the nasty crap they try to pass off as food in this place make me grumpy and half-starved.
All shit I’m adding to my Yelp review of this place.
I’m blasting their ass. All except my sweet angel Sofia.
She’s getting all the stars on the review.
“Em, you bullshit a lot, but this is different. This is going to be hard work and lots of recovery. I heard you giving your nurse a hard time about walking the halls. That’s not even PT. That’s just fucking walking, man.”
Another lecture.
My angel gives them to me a lot, every time she’s off her shift.
I just stare at her DSLs, wishing I could touch them, almost reaching out, until she slaps my hand away.
Her words, along with my brother’s, go in one ear and out the other.
More fries get dipped and stuffed into my face as he takes another big breath.
His helmet sits on his lap, with his forearm resting on top of it.
“When I wrecked, I thought it was just pain, and then it would be gone. It’s not gone.
It never leaves, Em. You learn to live with it.
Every morning, every night. Some days are good.
Some days, I can barely tie my shoes. And I didn’t even break what you did.
Your ribs alone will keep stabbing you for months. ”
I nod like I’m listening, only I’m not. I’ve got burger grease running down my wrist, and I’m licking it off before it hits the sheet. He looks at me like I’m supposed to feel bad, but I don’t. I just want fries.
“Pain, months, got it.”
“Em, I’m serious.” His tone hardens. My eyes fly up from the ketchup packet I’m opening to look at him. “This isn’t about being tough. Or having a cool story to tell chicks at parties. This is about whether you’ll walk without a cane by the time you’re twenty-five.”
“Canes can be badass too,” I mumble around a mouthful of bread and meat. “Chicks dig scars. Chicks dig limps. Look at yours. Your chick likes it. We could be matching pirates from the movies. Get me an eye patch, and it’s game over. Sofia would never stand a chance.”
Diego scrubs a hand over his face. Exhaling like he’s had this conversation before with Mas. Maybe he has. I heard them talking on the phone while my brother thought I was asleep.
“You’re not listening. If you fuck around and half-ass this recovery, you’ll feel it for the rest of your life. Every time you climb stairs. Every time you laugh too hard. Every time you try to ride again.”
That last part makes me pause mid-bite. Burger halfway in, halfway out.
“I’ll ride again. I’m a Dimas. We don’t quit.”
I shove the burger back in and chew loudly enough for both of us to hear.
Diego points at me with one big, calloused finger. “That attitude will get you fucked up for good.”
I grin, dragging fries through my ketchup pile. “Nah, it’ll get me laid. And with a hot nurse with a fat ass.”
He just shakes his head, staring at me like I’m already a lost cause.
“Keep laughing now. But when the pain doesn’t fade, remember I warned you.”
I salute him with the fry before jamming it in my mouth. “Aye aye, captain.”
Diego doesn’t move.
Just looks sad and lost in his past. He just sits there. Eyes staring at nothing. Jaw clenched. Sitting while I inhale the best meal of my fucking life right now, like I didn’t almost die two weeks ago. I know he means well, but whatever. I’m young, hot, and I work out all the time.
How hard could this really be?