by Stacy Eaton
“What are you doing?” I asked loudly enough that I must have startled Tucker because he opened his eyes.
“I was going to take his vitals,” she snipped back at me.
I climbed out of my seat quickly. “He’s my responsibility. I’ll do it.”
She huffed, rolled her eyes, and stormed toward her seat closer to the front of the plane while I reclaimed the one beside Tucker.
“What was that about?” he asked softly.
I glanced at him, embarrassed that he had witnessed it. “Nothing you need to worry about.”
“I’m not worried, but you look upset.”
I put the stethoscope around my neck and pulled down the blood pressure cuff, wrapping it around his right arm. “I’m fine.”
Tucker examined me closely as I pumped up the cuff and listened for the thumping sound to stop. I released the valve and the air hissed out while I continued to listen, completely aware that he was still staring at me. His pressure was a little high, but he had been startled awake, and we were up in the air. I wasn’t worried about it. I tucked the cuff back into its holder and leaned across him to listen to his heart.
I was six inches from his face when I glanced up at his words. “What happened?”
For a few seconds, the two of us gazed at one another. I had never been this close to him before, and I could see the darker green striations in his eyes. His heart was thudding strongly into my ears through the stethoscope, and I could have sworn it sped up just the tiniest amount.
“She was making comments about you that I didn’t approve of, and I told her so.”
His gaze flashed to my lips causing me to involuntarily moisten them. “What was she saying?”
“Nothing that matters, Tuck.” I started to pull away and Tucker grabbed my bicep, holding me in place.
“If it upset you, it matters. What did she say?” His thumb rubbed over the material of my shirt, sending tingles up my arm and straight to my chest.
“She made a comment about how you might not walk again and wanted to know if other parts of you still worked.” I swallowed, and my cheeks began to flame—because I’d personally wondered the same thing.
Tucker slid his hand down my arm and took my wrist. Before I knew what he was planning to do, he shifted my hand to his lap, where I could feel his erection under the thin cover. I inhaled sharply. “Yeah, it works,” he said huskily, “but only when certain people are around.”
Holy shit! Every nerve in my body immediately burned. That was probably the hottest thing a man had ever done to me.
I pulled my hand back carefully. “Glad to hear that,” I commented as professionally as I could and removed the stethoscope from my neck.
He laughed quietly. “Sorry, didn’t mean to shock you.”
A nervous laugh danced from my lips, “You didn’t shock me, just surprised me.”
“Yeah, well, because you’re my nurse, I thought you should know. That started yesterday.”
“And you can feel it?” I was back to my clinical self.
“Not completely. It tingles, feels warm, I could feel the weight of your hand, but not necessarily your hand, like the sensation of it. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, perfectly.” My cheeks flooded with color. “Okay, well, let me know if that changes. That’s a good sign.”
“That’s an awesome sign,” Tucker grinned. “I’m not sure what I would have done in life if I couldn’t at least get it up.”
I unconsciously glanced at his lap. “Good to know you can get it up.”
“We should test it to see if it works in other ways,” he proposed casually.
I choked on the saliva I was swallowing. “Excuse me?”
He leaned his head back and laughed, “I was kidding, Josey. Man, I love to see you flustered.”
“You’re a pain in the ass, you know that?” I joked back with him, but inside I was dying to climb on his lap and see if there was more there than an involuntary erection.
“How much longer?” he asked.
“I think about an hour.”
“Could you possibly ask the doc to come back here?”
I immediately gave him my full attention, “Why? Is something wrong?”
“No, I need to drain the lizard, and I’d prefer a man help me while we are on the plane. Not sure I want that nurse to be seeing my privates, and well, you, I’d rather wait for that part.”
“What part?” I asked half out of my seat. His request made sense until the end.
“I know you’re my nurse, and there will be certain things that you are going to have to assist me with at home, like bathing and such, but I’d prefer you not have to help me use the bathroom if I can do it myself.”
“Okay.” That didn’t exactly explain what he’d said, but I wasn’t sure I could keep professional if he gave it more of an explanation right now. I didn’t say anything further and went to get Phil so he could help Tucker.
When they were done, I returned to Tucker’s side. “Thanks.”
“Sure, anytime.”
“I guess we need to discuss a few things, huh?” he began.
“Like what?”
“Like the fact that you are going to have to bathe me. Did you think about that?”
Oh, how I wished that my cheeks had not turned pink. “Yes, I have thought about that. Tucker, in case you have forgotten, I’m a nurse. I have seen thousands of people naked, and I can be quite professional when they are wearing their birthday suits.”
“Any of them ever get turned on when you bathed them?”
I averted my gaze. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t pay attention.”
“So you’re going to be able to help me bathe and not notice that you turn me on.”
My eyes landed back on his in record time. “Do I?”
“Turn me on?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, hell yes, Josey. Ever since I first laid eyes on you at that party at Jasmine’s house, I’ve been fantasizing about you.”
My voice came out in a squeak, “You have?”
“Yeah, I have.” He waited a few seconds, “What about you? You ever think about me?”
Oh, geez-us! How was I supposed to answer that? I was his nurse, I sure as hell shouldn’t be telling him that I have thought more than once about him in a sexual sense.
“Of course I have thought about you, Tucker, I’m your nurse. I’ve spent the last week thinking about you quite a bit.”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
I winked at him, “But that’s all you’re going to get from me.”
Chapter 16
Tucker
There was no doubt that my body responded to Josey. It had since the first time I’d met her. When she had leaned over to listen to my heart, I felt tingling in areas that had been quiet for most of the last week, and thank the lord for that!
I’d been worried since the incident that not only would I not be able to walk, but that I’d never be able to enjoy sex again. At least that side of things was looking up—or popping up as the case may be.
I couldn’t care less that the nurse had made those comments, but I did care that she had upset Josey. On the other hand, knowing that Josey was bothered by that gave me some gratification. Was I finally reaching her? Was she beginning to understand that there was more to her coming to Texas with me than to be my nurse? I sure as hell hoped so. I wanted to get to know Josey; it just felt right to be with her.
For the rest of the flight, we made small talk about where we were going. I tried to shed some light on my parents’ home without making it seem daunting. I had no doubt she would be surprised when she saw the ranch. I called it a little ranch, but in reality, it was slightly over seven hundred acres.
When the plane touched down, the doctor and nurse put me back on the god-awful backboard and, with the help of another two ambulance guys, they got me situated into another ambulance. I would be so damned happy when I could travel like every other human
being, sitting up in a car.
The ride home took about thirty minutes, and my anxiety increased as we grew closer. Josey must have been a little tense, too, as she sat quietly and looked out the rear ambulance window. I couldn’t reach her hand from where I was, but I could put my hand on her knee, which I did.
Josey looked at it for a few seconds before she rested her hand on mine without saying anything else. It was a casual touch, but I was grateful for anything from her.
When the ambulance pulled up in front of my parents’ home, I finally spoke, “You ready for this?”
She laughed. “I think the better question is: Are you ready for this?”
“If you’re here with me, I can do it,”
She pursed her lips. “You can do this whether I’m here or not, Tucker. This isn’t about me, this is about you getting better.”
“You make me better.”
She opened her mouth to say something else, but the back of the ambulance opened and she scooted past me and climbed down.
“Wow,” I heard her say as she looked around, “this is amazing.”
“Josey!” My mother called and pulled her into a hug. “I’m so glad you all are here. How was the flight?”
“The flight was fine. Thank you for such wonderful transportation. Everything went smoothly, no problems with your son at all.”
My mother finally turned to me as they pulled me from the ambulance. “It’s good to have you home, son.” She kissed my forehead and then told the ambulance crew to follow her.
Josey was staring open-mouthed at the house. I tried to look at it from her point of view. I guess after being in the city for years, this did look kind of huge for a single family. The house had over ten thousand square feet of living space, and that did not include the thousand-square-foot in-law suite that we would be sharing off the back of the house.
“You like it?” I asked her as I winced at the jarring of the stretcher over the bumpy sidewalk. The pain meds I’d been given at the start of my flight were wearing off, and I was feeling every little crack in the ground below me.
“Yeah, it’s amazing.” She barely took her eyes off the house to answer me. “You could have told me how big it was.” I laughed which caused more pain and turned into a small moan. “You alright?” She immediately gave me her attention.
“Pain meds have worn off,” I said through gritted teeth.
“You’re almost in. I’ll get you more medication once we get you settled in your room.”
My mother’s clipped heels on the hardwood floor of the entrance echoed through the foyer, and I tried not to tense too much as I waited for the big bump as they pulled me over the threshold. By the time we got to where I was going to be living for a while, I was sweating from the pain.
There was a hospital bed in the room I would be using, and I was so grateful to stop moving once they had me on the bed. Pain was shooting through my stomach and up from my hips. At that moment, I was thankful that I didn’t have much feeling in my legs because I could just imagine how badly my leg was hurting after all that movement.
Josey thanked the men before she came back to my side and put her hand on my shoulder. “Give me two minutes and I’ll get you a shot for the pain.”
“I can take the pills,” I gritted out.
“I think you need a faster dose. Hold on a minute. I need to go wash my hands.” Josey disappeared through the door to the bathroom, and I heard water running. I opened my eyes, expecting to see my mother, but the room was empty.
Josey was back a few seconds later.
“Where’s my mother? I figured she’d be hovering already.”
“She had to take a call,” Josey answered and dug through a medical bag she’d had with her, pulling out a syringe. “This will give you a chance to relax and rest.”
“Bring it on,” I growled as the pain threatened to make me sick.
I felt the stick in my arm and the heat of the medication as it went into my bloodstream. A few seconds later, I felt myself fading. “I’m glad you’re here with me, Josey. I wouldn’t want anyone else.” I never heard her reply as I slipped away.
I woke to a darkened room but there was a small amount of light on the other side of the room. Josey was curled in the recliner there, fast asleep. She looked so sweet sitting there, her legs tucked under her, her head leaning against the plush pillow backing. I hated to wake her up, but I really needed to use the bathroom.
I shifted in the bed and cleared my throat, and Josey was instantly awake.
“Hey, how do you feel?” she asked as she uncurled herself slowly.
“Better.” I stretched my arms carefully, “I needed that. All that movement at the end nearly killed me. How long was I sleeping?”
She checked her watch. “About three hours.”
“Wow, I didn’t expect to sleep that long. What have you been doing?”
Josey handed me a glass with a straw in it and shifted the bed so I was sitting up further.
She shot me a hot smile. “I was investigating this amazing in-law suite. Holy cow, it’s bigger than my apartment!”
I laughed at her excitement and sipped the water which was colder than I had anticipated. She must have put it there just a few minutes ago, expecting me to wake soon.
“Did you get a nap?” I asked.
“No, I was resting my eyes. I’ll probably crash big time later.”
“Did you find everything that you needed? If you didn’t, just let my mom know or Marge, the housekeeper.”
“Are you kidding? This place has everything I could dream of already. There is even bubble bath for my swimming pool in my bathroom.”
“It is a big tub, isn’t it?” I loved that she was so excited about the little things.
“Big? It’s huge! I can’t wait to slip into that and relax.” Visions of her lying in the warm water with scented bubbles all around her brought on a hunger that had nothing to do with my growling stomach. I decided it would probably be better not to mention where my thoughts had gone.
“Did you eat? I’m starving.”
“No, I was waiting for you to get up.” She picked up the phone and hit a number, “Hi, Marge, it’s Josey. Tucker’s awake now. Could you bring dinner by when you have a chance? Or if you’re busy, I can come get it. At least, I think I might be able to find the kitchen again.” Josey laughed as Marge replied and then thanked her and hung up.
“She’s bringing it over in a couple of minutes. You know this suite has a full kitchen, I could cook our meals so that doesn’t cause more trouble for Marge.”
“Are you kidding me? Marge loves to cook, and she would probably be offended if you tried to cook more than toast or coffee in here.”
“Good to know. I don’t want to offend anyone.”
“So, before she comes with dinner, I need a little help with using the bathroom.”
She winked at me. “Give me a second.” Josey disappeared out of the room and returned a few moments later with a kick-ass wheelchair. “Do you remember how you learned it at the hospital?”
“Yeah, I think so. I should be able to do most of it on my own.” I used the controls on the bed to lower it as far down as it would go.
It took a few extra moments and Josey’s help, but I managed to get into the chair without too much trouble. Josey pushed me into the bathroom and near the toilet. “You think you can take care of this?”
“I’ve been using the toilet for a long time now, Josey. I do think I know how to use it.”
She rolled her eyes, “Okay, I’m going to give you privacy, but if you need me for anything,” she gave me a no-nonsense look, “anything, you call out to me. I’ll be right outside the door. Do not attempt to move yourself too much, okay?”
“Yes, Nurse Bossy,” I returned.
She shook her head and left the room, pulling the door almost all the way closed behind her.
I stared at the toilet, then at the handrails, and then at my legs before I returned my attentio
n to the toilet. “Josey!”
She popped her head back into the room. “Yes?”
“Can I just use a bedpan tonight?”
Josey snorted, “No, you need to learn to do this, Tucker. I’ll let you use the urine catch at night if you have to go, but you need to learn to do this.” Josey came over to me and stood in front of me, giving me a wink, “Time to trust me.”
“I do,” I said as I stared up into her face. I don’t think I would have trusted anyone, including Camille, more than I did her at that moment.
“Okay, let’s do this.” Josey wrapped her arms around me, telling me to put my arms around her shoulders and she pulled me up to stand on my right leg. My left leg hung down, and I might have been putting pressure on it, but I had no feeling whatsoever. Josey turned me slowly, keeping her eyes on the ground around our feet.
“Okay, you need to stay still and hold on to me. I’m going to take one arm off of you so I can pull your pants down.”
“You know, this is not how I pictured us getting naked together.”
Josey giggled, “We aren’t getting naked together; I’m taking your pants off.”
“And like that doesn’t make this all worse,” I joked, trying to keep the conversation light.
“Okay, time to sit down.” She lowered me to the toilet slowly, and I had to give it to her. She was able to handle my dead weight very easily.
“Hey, you did it,” I said once I was seated, more to cover the embarrassment that she’d had to help in the first place than for any other reason.
She laughed, “And now you have to do it. I’ll be outside. Call me when you’re done.”
A few minutes later, I’d finished my business and called out to her. She returned and remained all business while she stood me up, pulled my boxers and sweatpants back up, and got me back into my chair.
“Well, that was easy,” I tried to be nonchalant as she wheeled me back into the bedroom.
“Glad you thought so,” she replied.
“So, now that we managed that, when do you get to give me a sponge bath?” I gave her my sweetest grin, and she bit her bottom lip and groaned.