“I know, but I’m hoping he can call Dr. Johnson sometime tomorrow with the results of his exam. Maybe she’ll call me and give me good news.” He shook his head and held up his hand when she started to say something. “Don’t worry, I’ll still follow directions, I know how to take orders. I just want to ditch thelarger brace while I’m working. If that can happen, I will wait for two weeks until my regular appointment.”
Faith nodded and went back to watching her videos while Shay tinkered in the kitchen. After being alone for so long she had been hesitant to move in with Shay when he’d first brought it up, but now that they’d been together for a week, she enjoyed having him around. This was something she could get used to and planned to enjoy it every single day.
CHAPTER 18
Bright and early thenext day, Shay parked his truck in front of Caleb’s office building, and as he exited, he waved when Caleb pulled in. “Morning,” he called out, grabbing his cup of coffee and saw that Caleb had his own. He waited outside until Caleb unlocked the door and turned off the alarm, then he entered when he was invited inside.
“Let me get the coffee started, then we can go back to the exam room,” Caleb said, and Shay took a seat in one of the chairs and waited patiently. When Caleb turned to him, he stood and paused when Caleb studied him.
“What?”
“First, were you supposed to drive here?”
Shay had to smirk at the expression of outrage on Caleb’s face. “No, but Faith had to get to work, and it’s the first time I’ve driven since the day it happened.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, as much as it killed me, Faith drove the entire trip to and from Kentucky. She’s been driving us both to work since we returned.” With another smirk, he shook his head. “I’ve been a good boy about following directions. I just don’t wear this brace when I get home from work.”
“Okay, and how was it today? The driving?”
“Fine, no twinges, no pain.”
“Take your brace off and let me see you walk.” Caleb pointed to it with a shake of his head. “I can understand why Dr. Johnson gave you one like that, but between you and me, it must be a bitch to try to do any work with it on.”
“It is. That’s why I don’t wear it once I’m in for the night.”
Shay sat back down and removed the brace, and because he had worn the sweat pants with the snaps up the legs, he unsnapped them and actually removed the pants altogether. He had running shorts on beneath. He looked at Caleb as he stood, and when the other man didn’t look at him, he started forward, and ended up going all the way down the hall to the exam room.
“Okay, I didn’t see you limp, or hesitate, or list to the side as you walked. I also didn’t see you favoring it. Hop up on the table so I can take a look at it.”
Shay followed his instructions and when Caleb came toward him with what Shay thought was a protractor he snickered but didn’t say anything. He soon learned what that device was used for. Caleb poked, prodded, and moved Shay’s leg for the next twenty minutes, and when he stepped back he finally looked Shay in the eye.
“I don’t see anything wrong. I didn’t feel any grinding, or even popping. I think you’re healed, but then again, I’m not an orthopedic doctor.” He had sat on a rolling stool, and he pushed himself across the room, opened a lower cabinet, and came back with a box. “This is a knee brace, you just slip it on over your foot and pull it up. What do you say, extra-large?”
Shay shrugged as he took it, and put it on. He stood, walked around, and only had to adjust it once. As he leaned his hips against the exam table, he nodded. “Yeah, extra-large. What now?”
“Is that comfortable?”
“Yes, it’s not tight, but I can feel it’s giving me support.”
“Good, then it’s doing its job. I’m going to reach out to Dr. Johnson today, I’ll send her an e-mail with my findings this morning. There’s nothing we can compare it to, because the last time you were here we couldn’t even touch you, let alone measure your movement.”
Shay grinned and shook his head with a chuckle. “Yeah, back then I was going to beat the shit out of anyone who touched me. I know you’re not an orthopedic doctor, but can I ask what you’re going to recommend?”
“I’m going to tell her all of my findings from today’s exam, tell her that I gave you a different brace to wear, that you’re not wearing it after work, and haven’t been for over a week, that you’re driving, and working. I wouldn’t recommend you drive to Kentucky and back, but you should be fine from here to New Double, and maybe even into Fool’s Gold. If you experience any pain, any twinges, stop doing what caused it, and call me immediately. Tell me what you did, and how it felt. We can go from there. In my personal opinion, you are healed, and you did it nicely. You were also correct in not being able to see the horseshoe mark any longer.”
“Okay.” Shay nodded, then walked over to where he’d laid his sweat pants when he entered the room. He withdrew something from his pocket, and with it clasped in his hand, he turned back to Caleb.
“I have a favor to ask you.”
“What’s that?”
“Dr. Johnson gave me these pills. Fourteen Oxycodone, she wanted me to take one a day for fourteen days.”
“Okay, standard prescription. Are you telling me you want me to ask her for another prescription for you? I can’t do that.”
“No,” Shay said as he walked over to him and handed him the bottle. “I want you to destroy these. I don’t know what to do with them.”
