Taking Care of You [Taking Care 1] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove)

by Dani Gray

  “Accident,” Shane gasped out. “Lower back, L2 and L3 were damaged. I don’t have anything else, but I don’t know what the guys kicking me did.”

  What Shane refused to say was what kind of accident it had been. That was something he didn’t talk to anyone about.

  “Well,” the doctor said, “it seems that you hurt that same area again, but you are feeling some of it, as well as above in the L1. We need to send you for a CT scan and maybe an MRI. Something is going on, and we need to check it out.”

  “Please, can Michael stay with me?” Shane asked. For some reason, having Michael’s large form next to him, made him feel more secure than he had in a very long time.

  “Of course,” the doctor replied.

  After Dr. Adams left to make the arrangements, a nurse came in. “Okay, you can have something for the pain. On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the worst pain you ever felt, how bad is it right now?”

  “I was fine till the doctor hit a sore spot on my back, but I don’t want any medication for now. I need to have my wits about me.”

  “Are you sure, Shane?” Michael asked. “Maybe take a bit of medication so when they move you for the tests you aren’t going to be hurting as bad. Please.”

  Shane looked into Michael’s hazel eyes, which were showing him nothing but concern, not a sign of pity. “Okay,” Shane sighed.

  After the nurse put something into the IV that the paramedics had started, the world became a floaty place and soon Shane was feeling so much better. “Wow,” Shane said. “You have such pretty eyes. Where did you get them from?”

  Michael just grinned. “Probably from my dad, since Mom says I’m just like him. Big hands, big feet, and an even bigger heart.”

  Shane snickered, and his eyes started to water. “Not what I thought you were going to end that sentence with.”

  Michael gaped at him. “Shane!”

  An orderly came in while Shane was lying there, giggling like a schoolgirl over her first crush. As Michael got up from the chair, Shane held out his hand. He made sure he had as firm a grip on Michael as he could, given the medication he was currently floating on.

  When they went to take Shane into the CT scan room, the orderly told Michael to sit in the waiting area. Shane was a bit agitated at the separation, but knew that he couldn’t have Michael in there with him.

  He wasn’t sure where this need to have the big guy next to him came from, but things were so much better with Michael there. Once the test had been done and Shane was being transferred back to the bed, he felt something shift in his back, causing him to again scream in pain.

  Michael burst into the room, rushing over to Shane’s side. “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know, but when they moved me back to the bed something happened to my back. Oh god, Michael, it hurts so much.” Shane clutched at Michael’s hand. “Please, make it stop.”

  As Shane was rushed back to the emergency department, he watched as Michael glowered at the orderly.

  “Have the doctor on hand when we get back to the room,” Michael demanded. “This should not be happening.”

  Chapter Two

  Michael was going to freak the fuck out. What could be causing Shane to be in so much pain? It must be bad because Shane kept a tight hold on his hand while they were taking him back to the emergency department, almost to the point Michael began to lose the feeling in his fingers.

  Dr. Adams was waiting for them in the room when they got back. He immediately started examining Shane. “What happened here?”

  “I don’t know what happened, doctor,” the orderly replied. “We were only moving Mr. Turner back to the bed when he suddenly screamed out in pain.”

  The doctor turned to Shane, quietly and calmly asking him, “Shane, can you tell me what happened?”

  “I don’t know,” Shane cried out. “Please, help me. It hurts so much.”

  Michael was ready to start throwing things—or people—if someone didn’t help Shane. He’d start with the doctor and orderly. “Shane was fine going into the room for the CT scan, but when I heard him scream in pain, I ran in.” Michael clenched his free hand when the need to strangle the orderly rode him hard. “He was partially on the bed and the table when I found him.”

  “What do you mean partially on the bed and the table?” the doctor asked. “He never should have been on both at the same time.” When Dr. Adams turned to the orderly, he snapped, “How were you moving the patient?’

  When the orderly just stood there, the doctor waved a hand at him. “You know what, forget it. I will question you later after I have looked after Mr. Turner. Do not leave this building until after I talk to you. Go tell them we need Dr. Evans here ASAP.”

  The orderly left the exam room as though his pants were on fire. Dr. Adams turned back to Shane. “Dr. Evans is new here, but he is working on some new procedures that are groundbreaking. I think he can help you.”

  Shane gasped out, “Talk to Michael.” Shane then looked at Michael. “Please, help me, make the pain stop.”

  Michael had no idea what to do. He was worried about Shane’s level of pain, but he felt helpless to do anything. He wasn’t a doctor. “Of course, hun, I will look after you.”

  Michael glanced at the doctor when Shane’s eyes drifted closed. “Tell me what I need to do to help Shane, what you need to do, then we have to do it.”

  “You will need to help Shane sign some papers. We need to get Shane admitted and then find out what Dr. Evans suggests.” The doctor grabbed Shane’s chart. “Do you have signing authority for Shane?”

  “Yes,” Shane groaned. “He’s my fiancé.”

  Michael tried to hide his shock as he nodded his agreement with Shane’s statement. He would question Shane later—when he wasn’t on the happy drugs—to find out just what in the hell he was thinking.

  Things started to move quickly after that. The nurse came in and gave Shane some more medication, and he started to settle down. When Michael asked what she was giving Shane, he was told it was only for the pain while they waited on Dr. Evans.

  After what seemed like hours, but was truly only about thirty minutes or so, another man in a white coat arrived.

  “Hi there, I’m Dr. Jerrod Evans.” The young blond man shook Michael’s hand, but after that he went right to Shane. “I’ve had a chance to look at your scans, and I think I can help you. I have been working with a new procedure that I believe will allow you to have feeling again. I doubt you will be able to walk, but at least you will have feeling and a bit more function than you currently have.”

  “What do you mean, in English please?” Michael asked. He felt practically brain dead when they started talking all that medical crap. “I don’t have much information about what is wrong with Shane, and I need to understand better what you want to do to him.”

  “Basically,” replied the doctor, “I think I can fix his back with some pins and plates that will correct some of the placement of the bones in the spine and take some of the pressure off his nerves, which I believe will give him back some feeling below the waist. While the damage that was done previously was severe, and since it happened at such a young age, some of the nerves have been trying to find a way to repair themselves. I also believe that with getting back some of the feeling, some of the other parts of Shane’s body should start to fully function again.”

  “That’s all fine to say, but what are the risks?” Michael demanded to know. “I will not allow Shane to get his hopes up, just to be hurt when it doesn’t work. I also refuse to authorize this surgery to happen if the risks are too much.”

  “Michael,” Shane called to him, “if I can get some feeling and function again, I would drag myself over broken glass to get there. I want to be able to feel you, and I want to be able to piss on my own without someone needing to shove a catheter into my dick.”

  Michael wasn’t too impressed with Shane at that moment, but he could understand what he meant. It must have been hard to have tha
t all taken away from him when he was younger. Michael really wanted to know what had happened to Shane, how he’d become paralyzed in the first place. He knew now was not the time to ask, especially if he was pretending to be the man’s fiancé.

  “Okay, Shane,” Michael said. “But first we get all the information and talk about it.” Michael turned to the doctor. “How soon do you need to have our answer?”

  “Right away. The sooner, the better,” the doctor replied. “I have to get my surgical team together.”

  “Okay, but before I sign anything, what are you going to do and what are the risks?” Michael asked while looking the doctor right in the eyes. He needed the man to know just how serious he was.

  “Basically, it’s like I already said,” the doctor replied. “I will be going in and attaching some screws and plates to the spine, moving it back into a better place in order to let the nerves work again. Right now they are being compressed, so this isn’t allowing the information to move from the brain to the body properly. Once they are no longer blocked, the brain will be able to know what is happening to the lower part of Shane’s body, giving him back feeling and function.”

  “Sounds simple enough,” Michael said. “But you didn’t say anything about complications.”

  “The biggest risk will be infections, just like with any surgery. Since Shane is already paralyzed, we have to monitor him more carefully. He is unable to tell us if something is wrong, so a closer eye will need to be kept on him. I’ve also done this surgery before, and no one had any negative effects.”

  “Can you give us fifteen minutes here?” Michael asked. “We need to discuss this.”

  “Yes,” the doctor said before heading for the door. He paused in the entry to glance back. “If he starts having pain again, tell the nurse to page me.”

  And then he was gone.

  Wow, that was abrupt, Michael thought as he turned to Shane and grabbed the hand that was held out to him.

  “Are you sure you want this, Shane?” Michael asked.

  “Honestly, yes. But I’m also scared. I’ve wanted something like this for so long, that I’m scared this is all a dream. I meant what I said about not wanting to ever have to use a catheter again. Do you know how embarrassing it is to wet your pants and not even be aware of it? I can live in the chair the rest of my life, but I want to be able to feel again. I want to be able to make love and feel it.”

  All of this was said with tears running from Shane’s eyes.

  When it was put out there like that, Michael knew he couldn’t stop this, and he finally was beginning to understand the toll that not having feeling below the waist was taking on Shane.

  “All right, Shane,” Michael said. “Let’s get this all sorted out. Do you still want me to be the person they talk to about this? Don’t you have any family?”

  “No.” Shane shook his head, not meeting Michael’s eyes. Michael had to wonder about that. “Not anymore, but that can be a conversation for a later time. I promise to tell you about it, but not right now, please.”

  Somehow, Michael knew this wasn’t going to be a good story, but he would still do everything he could to help Shane. Someone needed to be in the man’s corner. He wanted it to be him.

  “Okay,” Michael said, and he went to move to the door. “Let me go and get the paperwork all sorted out.”

  Michael went to get the doctor to let him know that Shane would have the surgery and find out what was needed to get him registered. As he came up to the desk, there was a clerk there with a stack of papers.

  Ugh, Michael thought, I hope I don’t have to help Shane sign every page.

  “Please, I’ll sign what you need, but can we go back into the room?” Michael requested. “I don’t want to leave Shane alone while we are waiting. I don’t want him to worry or be afraid.”

  “Of course.”

  Michael’s eyes widened when the perky young lady bounced toward the room.

  When did I start to feel so old? Michael shook his head as he followed her. I’m only twenty-four.

  Once back in the room, Michael went right to Shane’s side. “Hey, hun, I’m here. How are you? Is there anything you need?”

  Shane was lying there with his eyes closed. He just slowly shook his head. He didn’t look like he was in any pain, but he didn’t look comfortable either.

  Finding out that he wasn’t allowed to sign the paperwork, Michael helped Shane sign it all. Afterward, Michael grabbed Shane’s hand, gently massaging it to get rid of the cramping. Michael was able to finally take a good look at him, and was enthralled with how handsome Shane was. Shane’s dark hair matched his chocolate colored eyes. Michael loved sweets, and knew that once he started making love with Shane, that he was never going to stop, and he planned on licking as much of Shane’s body as he could. He would become addicted to the flavor that was uniquely Shane. The fact that Shane’s face reminded Michael of a fey character in one of his favorite video games didn’t hurt either.

  “Is there anyone you want me to call for you, Shane?”

  “Yes, please,” Shane said as he turned his head so he could look at Michael. “Can you get my phone? I need to call my therapist to cancel my appointments for now, and let my housekeeper and driver know that I’m going to be here for a bit.”

  “Therapist, why do you have a therapist?” Michael asked as he started to search through Shane’s clothing to find his phone.

  “I need one to keep my joints and muscles healthy. Even though I’m in a chair that still doesn’t mean that my body stopped needing to be looked after. I need to exercise my lower half just as you do. You get daily exercise by simply walking, allowing blood to flow freely and keep your muscles healthy. I need therapy for that.”

  “Oh, makes sense. I guess I never thought of it like that. How often do you need to do this?” Michael questioned as he brought over the phone to Shane.

  “I only need it three times a week, but tomorrow is one of the days. I have to let Les know I won’t be home,” Shane answered as he reached for the phone.

  Once Shane had the phone, he unlocked the screen, began to go through his contacts, and pressed the button to call Les. “Hey, Les, sorry to be calling you so late, but I have a problem and need to cancel our appointments for the next little while.”

  “Why?” Michael heard a voice ask.

  “Les, I’m going to pass the phone to my friend Michael. He can explain it all to you.” Shane handed the phone back to Michael. “Can you please talk to him? I guess they gave me the good stuff, and I’m feeling kinda woozy and tired.”

  “Sure, Shane,” Michael said as he reached for the phone, putting it up to his ear. “Hi, Les, I’m Michael. I’m afraid that there was an incident today and Shane was attacked. He’s okay for now, but his back was hurt, and he will be going into surgery in a bit to get it looked after. I’m not sure of the specific details, just that a Dr. Jerrod Evans will be doing the surgery. We are waiting for him to finish putting together his team.”

  “Oh no, is Shane going to be okay?” a frantic-sounding Les asked. “Shane is one of the nicest guys I know. Who would do this? Why? What can I do to help?”

  “Right now, I don’t know.” Michael sighed into the phone. “Maybe come to the hospital tomorrow and talk to the doctor? Find out what Shane will need. They are saying that they might be able to help Shane get back some feeling, but for now, I don’t totally understand it all. I’ll ask the doctor to speak with you so you will know what Shane will need when he’s ready to resume therapy.”

  “Absolutely, call me anytime. I will be there tomorrow morning around nine,” Les said. “This would be a good thing for Shane if it can give him some feeling. I know that he doesn’t complain, but I can see that sometimes, he just…I don’t know, seems depressed, I guess would be the closest word I can think of right now. He doesn’t rant about what he’s lost, but I think he feels like he has sometimes missed out on stuff.”

  Michael let out another sigh. “Yeah, I can
understand that feeling.”

  Michael was thinking of how this affected Shane, the same way Michael’s issues affected him and how he lived his life. He knew that he and Shane were going to need to talk about quite a lot of things.

  A worried-sounding Les asked, “Michael, are you there? Is everything ok?”

  “Sorry about that. I was just thinking about stuff,” Michael quietly said. “I just have some things that I need to get straight in my head. It’s been a busy few hours.”

  Michael could hear a quiet sigh.

  “I could imagine. I’ll let you go for now, but please, call me if you need to talk, or even just vent. I know staying up at the hospital with someone can be pretty hard.”

  “Thank you, Les,” Michael said. “Thank you for everything.” Michael quietly pressed the end button on the phone, looking over to Shane.

  While Shane rested quietly, Michael was happy to see that he didn’t seem to be in as much pain as he before.

  The sudden ringing of Michael’s phone made him jump. When he looked at the screen, Michael let out a groan. He’d forgotten to call his parents to let him know he was going to be late, and now his mom was calling him.

  This was going to be fun.

  “Hi, Mom.” Michael winced as he tried to cheerfully answer the phone. “How are you?”

  All Michael heard was the angry voice. “Oh, I’m fine. But I seem to have been waiting here for a certain son to meet to take home. Imagine my surprise when no one showed up. Oh, and let’s not forget the phone call that I seem to have missed.”

  “I’m sorry,” Michael whined into the phone. “But I found someone getting beaten up by three guys. And the guy they were beating up is in a wheelchair. I couldn’t let them do that and not help. You know that, Mom.”

  His mom gasped. “Are you okay? How is the other person? Are they okay? Where are you? Do you need me to come? Did you call the police? What did they say? Did they catch the guys?”

  Just as Michael’s mom was taking a breath to probably ask more questions, Michael cut in. “I’m fine. Shane will be okay, but will need surgery on his back as they kicked him where he was paralyzed. We are in Saint Helen’s emergency while waiting. His name is Shane Turner, so if you call for an update you can find us. I’ll let them know you’re family so they can talk to you.”