“Come in.” Jax lifted the head of the bed so he could see better.
Scottie pushed the curtain out of the way. He was dressed in jeans and a flannel and carrying a black bag. “Hi. How’s it going?”
“I’m fine. You?” He’d been coming by every day that week, but usually he came after lunch.
“My headache isn’t so bad, but I had a dizzy spell last night. How about you?”
“Burns are better”—Jax waggled his fingers, showing off the lighter bandages—“but my knee’s going to take a while longer to heal.”
Scottie’s cheeks flushed a dusky pink. “I’m really sorry about that.”
Jax shrugged. “I should’ve said it already, but my getting hurt wasn’t actually your fault. Or, at least, you didn’t do it on purpose. I shouldn’t have blamed you before. I was….”
“Pissed off,” Scottie said succinctly.
“You’re not pulling any punches”—Jax made a face, hating to admit it—“but you’re right. I’m never going to hear the end of this next season.”
Scottie sank down in the chair next to the bed, propping his bag against his stomach. “You got hurt saving a person’s life, and that’s something you’ll get made fun of for? That’s messed up.”
“We all give each other shit, but I’m damn good at my job. Getting caught in my own fire is a rookie mistake.”
“Sounds like macho bullshit to me.”
“You’re not wrong.” Jax shifted in the bed, wincing when pain shot through his knee.
Leaning forward, Scottie said, “Can I help you?”
Jax waved a hand at the tray full of disgusting food on his table. “Not unless you can magic this away and wish up a decent breakfast. Simon’s late.”
“A decent breakfast… would blueberry muffins count?”
“You have muffins?”
Scottie opened his bag and pulled out a small box. “Yep. Minimuffins, fresh from the café downstairs.”
“The ones with the frosting?”
“Those very ones. Simon asked me to pick some up since he couldn’t come this morning.” Scottie handed over the goodies, which was a good thing because if Jax’s hands weren’t so sore, he would’ve already snatched them away. He put the box on his lap, glad it was light.
“How come Simon isn’t coming?”
“He went to go visit the other guy in the burn unit at Emanuel. I forget his name.”
“Dave.”
Scottie nodded. “That’s it. He said he’d be back tomorrow. You guys are sure close.”
“Crews spend all their time together. It’s a lot like being in a really tight family. You love each other, you hate each other… but when something goes wrong, you have each other’s backs.” Jax opened the top of the box, taking a deep breath. “Oh man, that smells so good. I have no idea how a coffee kiosk can have such good drinks and food, yet the cafeteria here sucks so bad.” Jax spoke around a muffin he’d already popped in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed, immediately scarfing down another one.
“Megan, the coffee-cart girl, bakes them at home and brings them in herself.”
“Mmm, she’s a good cook.”
Scottie snorted. “Baker.”
“What’s the difference?” Jax asked. “You can bake dinner food in the oven too.”
“Sweets versus salty? I don’t know.” Scottie stood up and took the lid off the cup of juice on his tray, popping a straw into it and putting it on the edge of the table so Jax could get a drink. His mouth was getting dry. “So are you ready to watch some more shows on Prime? Or did you want to set up the Hulu today?”
“Is there anything good on it?”
“Depends on what you like, but you have the card already. Might as well try it.”
“Good point.” Jax took a drink and then leaned back against his pillows. He watched as Scottie navigated his computer with ease, more than a little envious. “You really are a computer geek, aren’t you?”
“Guilty. They make sense. I can be creative and still work within a formula. I just don’t fit the look of the traditional tech geek.”
Jax studied Scottie. If anything, the boy-next-door description fit him the best. He definitely looked a lot younger than he was too. He had the kind of open face and attitude that people couldn’t help but let in. Simon really liked him, and look what he found out in one conversation with a person he bought muffins from. And the nurses would probably inject something really nasty into Jax’s IV if he did anything to upset Scottie.
“Okay, guide me through your e-mail stuff again so we can set up a log-in for you. The gift card I got you is for plus, so you don’t have to watch commercials.” Scottie zipped through registering him, typing really fast. “Anything you feel like watching? There are all different categories for TV shows and movies.”
“What do you want to watch?” Jax backpedaled when Scottie opened his mouth but didn’t say anything. “I mean, if you’re going to stick around. If you have stuff to do, I understand.” He looked away, then shot a quick glance at Scottie.
Scottie’s cheeks were pink, and Jax liked it. “No, I can stay. Let’s pick something out we’ll both like.” They went through the options, picking an action flick. Scottie settled the laptop on the rolling table, and Jax finally thought to offer him some of the last few muffins.
Scottie laughed. “Don’t worry, Simon warned me you might take my hand off if I asked you to share. I got another box.” He pulled it out of his bag.
Their movie was almost over when Brandon, Jax’s nurse, came in to get him up and out of bed. He couldn’t move around much, but the nurses could help him use the urinal, and that was a whole hell of lot less embarrassing than trying to pee lying down or having a catheter. Plus, he enjoyed getting out of the damn bed—the mattress was not comfortable long-term, hell, not even short-term.
“Should I go?” Scottie asked. He slung his backpack over his shoulder, the boxes safely hidden away.
“We’ll need about ten minutes,” Brandon said.
“The movie isn’t over yet.” Jax liked Scottie, and it really didn’t hurt that he was cute and had a great ass. Okay, so sometimes he had to bunch the blankets over his lap when Scottie visited, but he was in the hospital! He had no privacy to get any relief, and the strain was starting to wear on him.
He was horny, and Scottie made great eye candy. So sue him. The pain of swinging his leg to the edge of the bed and then over it was more than enough to douse any arousal he was feeling. Brandon had everything ready to go, though, and it only took a few minutes before Jax was sitting in the recliner with a pillow under his leg and a blanket tucked against his sides so the damn gown wouldn’t ride up and show off too much skin.
Would it really be that much harder for them to let him wear boxers? His hands couldn’t get better fast enough, at least enough so he could handle some crutches and get around his place on his own. He’d bug the doctor the next time he came in for an idea of when Jax might be ready to get the hell out of the hospital. He’d miss Scottie’s visits, though.
JAX HAD a few visitors after they finished the movie. Scottie stuck around for a while, but he didn’t look impressed at the razzing Jax got, so he left before dinner. Jax was alone in his room when the doctor came by on his rounds late in the evening.
“How are you feeling today, Mr. Quintero? I see you spent a good portion of the day in the chair.”
“Yeah, until dinnertime.” Jax grimaced when he remembered the dry chicken breast, obviously dehydrated potatoes, and mushy peas and carrots that had been on his tray.
“Not much of an appetite?” The doctor raised an eyebrow. “You’re not eating much according to your charts. A man your size is probably used to eating a lot more.”
“And a lot better. My friends might be, ahh, bringing me in some better-tasting food. Sorry, Doc.”
He chuckled. “You didn’t really think you were fooling the nurses, did you?”
“Maybe…?”
“It’s fine, a
s long as you’re not eating a ton of junk food. Good nutrition is an important component to the healing process.”
Jax shrugged. “It’s not all lean protein and fresh food, but I figure until I get home, it’s still better than the cardboard passed off as chicken I had for dinner.”
“You’re probably right. There’s a reason why there are so many jokes about hospital food, even here.”
“Don’t worry, this is the Pacific Northwest. There’s an organic market about a mile from my house, and I live within fifteen minutes of two farms where I get fresh eggs and produce. I like to know what I’m eating for the most part, though when I’m on a fire it’s a lot of packaged food we can keep in the rigs. If I don’t stay in shape I put myself at risk, and even worse, my crew at risk too.” Jax had always worked out, but when he switched over to the diet filled with organic meat and fresh food that Franklin kept pushing, he’d noticed positive changes.
“Well an apple a day won’t keep the doctor away in these circumstances, but it’ll help. Good thing we live in Washington.”
“Speaking of keeping you away, Doc, do you have an idea of when I can get out of here?”
“Let’s take a look at your hands.” The doctor put down Jax’s chart and picked up the pink tub of bandage supplies. He pulled out the blunt-tipped scissors, snipping away at the gauze and tape on the side of Jax’s hands.
Jax grit his teeth when he peeled the bandages back, but it wasn’t too bad. In the past six days, the skin had gone from blistered, to raw, to now pink-edged new skin that was healing.
“Oh, that actually looks pretty good.” Most of the blisters were on the backs of his hands and fingers, but his left where he’d had to hold down Scottie and push down on the fire shelter handles had a wide blister that ran down his wrist and onto his palm. “Can you flex your wrists for me? Spread your fingers and then make a fist.”
The skin pulled tight, and it was painful but not nearly as bad as it was. “So, can I use crutches yet?”
“Eh, not quite yet.” The doc continued manipulating his hands, checking every burn and blister for infection.
“Damn it.” Frustration boiled up and over. “I’m going to go fucking crazy in this bed and room.” Jax wanted to jump up, to run, hit something… and he couldn’t do anything.
“There’s no reason why you have to stay in here. Keep your hand up like this.” The doctor started wrapping the bandage around his forearm toward his hand, securing the gauze. “You’re not on an IV, so as long as your pain level isn’t too high, you can go downstairs to the Healing Garden or have a meal in the cafeteria. Or not,” he said when he saw Jax’s grimace. “We have a café downstairs too.”
“Really?”
“Sure. It’s all about what you’re comfortable doing. Make sure you don’t overdo it, and you need to stay hydrated while you’re outside your room. Your body needs fluids to heal. You’re young and healthy, though, and I think your hands will probably have healed enough to start using crutches in a week or so.”
He wasn’t getting to leave the hospital, but the chance to get out of his room was better than nothing. “Thanks, Doc.” He fell asleep in a much better mood. The next morning, Jax batted his eyelashes at Franklin when he came by.
“What do you want now?” he asked. Franklin had already handed over the breakfast sandwiches he picked up. Jax would have to do something nice for his crew. They’d all rallied around him and Dave, making sure they were comfortable while they were on leave.
“Doc said I could leave the room in a wheelchair. Feel like taking me out for lunch?”
Franklin snorted, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “I already brought you breakfast. Doesn’t that count?”
“The ambiance could be better. Look how nice it is outside, and I’m stuck in here.” He was desperate for some fresh air.
“Why don’t you ask Scottie? Simon says he’s been by every day this week. He even took over breakfast duty yesterday. I’m sure he’d love to go on a date with you, even if it is just to the cafeteria.”
Jax scoffed. “He’s just helping with my computer, so I won’t be bored. It’s his way of saying thanks for saving his life.”
“We were all there hauling him off that mountain, and yet you’re the one he’s spending hours with every day. Sounds like more than gratitude.” Franklin sat back in the chair, a Cheshire Cat grin on his face, ignoring Jax’s stumbling objections. “My wife wants me to go to some school thing of Sara’s, so I can’t come by at lunch anyway.”
“Great. Well, can you do me a different favor, then? I need some damn shorts.”
Franklin laughed. “You don’t want to go rolling around the hospital bare-assed?”
“I’m sure it’d give the staff a thrill, but no, I’d rather not. The nurse offered to put a second gown on backwards and didn’t appreciate my rather crude refusal. ‘Oh hell no’ might have popped out of my mouth.” Jax scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “My wallet’s in the cabinet over there. I don’t care if you get the ones with the hospital name on them or whatever, just as long as it’s not this stupid gown.”
Chapter Eight
“KNOCK, KNOCK.” Scottie walked right into Jax’s room. “You’re dressed!” Jax looked different in a T-shirt and shorts. The shirt strained around his biceps. Scottie flushed when he realized he was eyeballing Jax and not being discreet about it at all.
“Hey, Scottie. Yeah, the doctor said I could get out of the room in a wheelchair. What do you say to lunch downstairs? You push, I pay?”
“Sounds good.” Scottie grinned at Jax. “You look excited.”
“You have no idea. I’m so sick of being in this room. I spend most of the summer fighting fires or training to fight fires. Being stuck indoors is the fucking worst.”
“I’m probably not going to be hungry for a bit. You want to watch a show or take a spin around the hospital before we have lunch?”
“Now’s as good a time as any to head out of here. I just finished an episode of Queer as Folk anyway. Have you seen that show?” Jax was looking right into his eyes.
Scottie felt his cheeks heat up. Jax was watching what?
“You okay?”
“What? Uh. Yeah. I’ve seen a few episodes.”
“I’ve never had the time to watch much TV, but I think I like it. Maybe we can watch a few episodes after lunch?”
“Sure.” Scottie gripped the strap of his bag, fiddling with the free end.
“I’ll call the nurse.”
“Why? Are you hurting? Do you need something?”
“No.” Jax pressed the button. “But I need help to get into the wheelchair.”
He was acting like an idiot. “Oh, right. I’ll just wait outside.”
Brandon, the same nurse from the day before, walked into the room. “Ready to get up?”
“Yep. I’m being sprung, for at least a few hours.” Jax pushed the side table away from the bed.
“Great. That’ll give us a chance to change your bedding and do some housekeeping. Plus, if you don’t get some sun, you’re going to lose that tan.”
“I’m gonna be out here.” Scottie took a few steps back and then turned, getting caught in the privacy curtain. “Shit.” He fought with the fabric, finally finding the edge and getting out. His face was on fire when he leaned against the wall outside Jax’s room.
Jax was gay. Or he just watched gay shows.
No. Straight guys didn’t watch Queer as Folk. Did they? Jax had to be gay. Scottie didn’t know what to think. He tapped the toe of his foot on the floor, trying to think of a way to ask that wouldn’t come out wrong.
“You can come back in.” Brandon pushed back the curtain.
Scottie stepped in the room. Jax was sitting in a wheelchair with his braced leg extended straight and cushioned on a pillow. “You’re gay?” Scottie blurted out the question, then snapped his mouth shut, mortified as both Jax and Brandon stared at him. He pushed his palm against his forehead, squeezing his eyes shut. “S
orry.”
Jax chuckled. “It’s okay.”
“I think I’ll step out while you guys talk.” Brandon passed Scottie, shutting the door quietly behind him.
“I can’t believe I just did that,” Scottie mumbled.
“Well, I did sort of set you up.” Jax was grinning at him. “But I didn’t expect you to just come out and ask like that in front of the nurse.”
“You set me up? What?” Ever since he showed up, he’d been confused. Maybe it was part of the concussion side effects, but Scottie felt like he was two steps behind in the conversation and couldn’t catch up.
“I didn’t mention the show on accident. The guys seemed to think you’ve been coming by because you’re gay and you like me, not just because you’re grateful I saved your life.”
“They what?” Was he really that obvious? The anger he’d felt when Jax was acting like an ass had morphed into attraction that kept growing the more time they spent together. It didn’t hurt Jax was built and very handsome, even in the ugly hospital gown. They got along and had a lot in common, at least enough that they never ran out of stuff to talk about.
Did that mean Jax had been lying? To make him admit that he was gay? That he had a silly crush? Scottie’s eyes burned. “Maybe I should go.”
“Wait!” Jax said. “I am.”
Scottie stopped, not looking back. “You are what?”
“I’m gay.” Jax made a frustrated noise when Scottie didn’t turn around. “I’m not doing this right. My plan so you could figure it out wasn’t supposed to end this way. I’m usually a lot smoother.”
Scottie slowly turned, his arms crossed over his chest. “This has to be the most awkward coming-out scene I’ve ever been part of, and my parents found out when I was fifteen after my mom looked at my computer history.” He grimaced. The initial panic had faded into horrified embarrassment that still made him squirm when he thought about it.
Jax leaned back in the wheelchair. “Well I don’t normally have this problem. It’s usually easy for me to tell if someone’s gay and into me. Maybe you just suck at flirting.”
On Fire Page 6