Chapter Fourteen
Momma took him home and helped him up to the door. He didn’t wait to listen to her tell them all the lies he’d told her. The swelling was gone. He had some sight on the edges, enough to see light versus dark, to see some shapes, but that was all she wrote.
The fucking doctor’d offered him a cane.
A cane.
Him.
So he’d told Momma there was still a chance and had her bring his sorry ass home.
He locked his door behind him and found a bottle, taking a hard swig, letting the burn wear the edges off the hole that was left in him. Jason’d spent last night holding Bax and praying—praying hard. He just needed another chance, a chance to get out there and ride. A chance to cowboy up.
Didn’t look like he was fixin’ to get it, though. Goddamn it.
Didn’t look like Bax was wanting to go easy on him, neither, which didn’t make no sense. They’d put down a dog, a blind calf, and call it humane. Another shot of the bottle andhe set to wandering, pacing his room—six steps this way, four steps that and around the end of the bed to the window.
The pounding on his door started up not long after that, but it wasn’t Momma or Jack. It was Bax hollering. “Mini. Let me in.”
“You’re ‘sposed to be off that foot.”
Pushy cowboy.
“So let me in so I can sit down, fool man. Bad enough I couldn’t go with you—” Another thump sounded, then a yelp and a crash.
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
“Goddamn it, be careful, Bax!” He wrenched the door open, arms flailing, head turned as he tried his damnedest to see something.
“I’m all right. Down here.” Something tapped his ankle, maybe that damned crutch Bax wasn’t even supposed to be using yet. “Need some help, though. Take like, three steps to your right.”
It was kinda funny how Bax had just fallen right in to helping him, being his eyes. That part seemed to come easily. Weird, but it worked.
“I got you.” He headed over and reached down. “Lord, Bax. You’re gonna regret that in the morning.” Jason got his hands under Bax’s arms, pulled him up, sure and steady.
“I regret it now. What the fuck is with the morning?” He could hear that stupid grin, though, knew that sharp face would just be split with it. Bax’s good arm wrapped around his neck, and they did the dance of shuffle to the bedroom.
“You want the bed?” They managed okay, better than, maybe. Damn, Bax felt fine against him.
“I do.” Huffing a little, Bax plopped down on the bed, hand sliding down to tug at his wrist. “Okay. Tell me.”
He closed his eyes—it was harder, lying to Bax. “I got to just wait still.”
“Don’t you do that. Don’t you bullshit me, Jason. I know you better than anyone.” Bax’s fingers bit into his skin, Andy leaning close.
He gritted his teeth, took a deep, deep breath to calm himself down.Oh. Oh, damn. He could smell Bax. Christ, he’d know that scent anywhere—a weird mixture of leather and smell good and grass and horse.
That good arm wrapped around him, Bax’s short-short hair brushing his cheek. “Come on, Jason. I can help carry the damned load.”
“It’s over, Bax. All of it. I got just a little, on the edges. That’s all.”
He could feel the sharp, indrawn breath, could hear the little groan Bax tried to stifle. “Jesus, Mini. I… We’ll figure it. A little is better than nothing, and that means it might come back.”
“I didn’t tell Momma.” He stood up, walked away to the window, let the sun bake him a little. “You know I see just fine when I’m dreaming?”
“Well, honey, you’re hurt, not stupid.”
That tickled him, down deep, and he started laughing, just hooting with it. The sounds went on and on even if, in the end, there wasn’t any humor in it.
