WHEN THEY arrived at the hospital the next morning, Grandpa was more lucid—and ornery. Reese breathed a sigh of relief to see him up with the walker, assisted by the physical therapist as he moved around the room and grumbled about the chill.
“The least you could do is give me the dignity of wearing my damn underwear. My balls are smacking me in the kneecaps. My ass is flapping in the wind. No dignity, I swear. I used to have a nice ass, a long time ago. Everyone told me so. Now it moves like laundry on the line. Oh, hey son, come in here. Do you see what they’re doing to me?”
Reese approached and hugged his grandfather, who seemed as strong as ever, if a little wobbly. “Damn, it’s good to see you up and around.”
“That’s because you’re facing my front. They won’t let me wear my underwear. And where’s your keyboard? I want to work on them songs.”
Reese was elated his grandfather was so with it. When he noticed Jude speaking softly with the physical therapist, he assumed they were talking about the kind of care Grandpa was getting, but then the guy put a hand on Jude’s arm and they laughed together. It gave Reese a sick feeling, and a slap-in-the-face reminder of what broke him and Jada up. He could see now why she would flip out over a simple laugh shared between two men. Reese would bet on the fact that Jude had slept with that guy before, and that was a bitter pill to swallow, especially after the night they’d just shared. But then Jude caught his eye and winked at him, which caused all of the air to leave Reese’s lungs, along with any anger or jealousy. God, he was in love with Jude, and that wink did plenty to reassure him.
“Jude, my boy. Maybe you can talk some sense into these people. I want my damn underwear.”
“Mr. Matheson,” Jude began with that musical voice Reese was so mesmerized by. “It’s hospital procedure. If I were working here, I’d have the same rules. Now, once you get to the rehab facility, you’ll be able to wear them. Maybe. I would think.”
Grandpa hmphed at Jude and kept walking his circle around the bed and toward the bathroom. “Well, at least I don’t have to pull them down to go sit on the crapper.” He left his walker outside the bathroom and shot them irritated looks as he closed the door.
“Make sure you use the handles, Mr. Matheson, and call for help if you need it,” the physical therapist called to the closed door. He approached Reese with his hand out.
“I’m Roberto Valdez. I’ve been working with your grandfather.”
Reese shook his hand and could certainly tell right away why Jude might have been attracted to the guy. He had killer hands—soft, strong, with a light dusting of dark hair on the backs. Very sexy. But Reese wanted Jude’s. He let go and reached out to grab Jude’s hand and squeezed it tightly. Jude smiled up at him, and Reese felt his heart thud wildly at the fact that he was letting him touch him in public and seemed just as happy about it.
“Thank you for taking such good care of him. I apologize for the litany of remarks you’ve had to tolerate about his balls, though.”
Roberto ran a hand over the back of his neck. “Yeah. Well, he’s certainly given me one less thing to look forward to about aging. Please let me know if you have any questions. I think he’ll be able to be transferred in a couple more days. He’s doing tremendously well. We’ll take X-rays again tomorrow and determine a plan of action.”
Reese smiled and thanked him as he left, and the air circulated a bit more freely through his lungs.
“I’m so glad to hear that,” Jude said quietly. He linked fingers with Reese and gave a tug. “You okay?”
Reese nodded. “Can I tell Grandpa? Can I tell him you’re mine? I’m really fighting the urge to tell every soul in this building, for starters. After that I might go stop traffic, break into a little song and dance.”
Jude chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Hmmm. I’d like to see the song and dance, but can we change the tune for a bit? I’m just afraid…. I care about him so much, and I know that he doesn’t particularly approve—”
“That’s right. I haven’t told you yet—”
The toilet flushed, and Grandpa shouted for assistance. Jude beat Reese to the door and opened it to find Grandpa shakily trying to pull himself up from the seat.
“That leg feels like it weighs about ninety pounds. Give me a hand, would ya?”
Jude supported him as he stood and kept an arm around his back and a hand supporting his arm as he reached for the walker. Reese loved watching them together, but he also felt helpless. He knew he was stronger than Jude, but he was nowhere near as graceful. The last time he’d really had to help Grandpa, he’d given the poor man bruises on his arms from his grip. He felt awful about it.
“Reese, will you give me a hand getting him into bed? I just need you to watch the other side.” Between the two of them, they got Grandpa in bed, and he immediately closed his eyes. He was breathing a little heavily, which concerned Reese, but Jude got him all tucked in and fixed his pillow.
“You boys are so good to me. Thanks for coming by. Hey Jude? Will you bring me some of that chicken you get from that Joy place? It tastes so good. Reese, you gotta try it. Them Filipinos sure know how to cook.”
Reese couldn’t help thinking of how good Jude tasted. He gave him a salacious smile that his grandfather missed because he’d started to doze off. Jude rolled his eyes at him, but he thought he noticed a little pink tinge to his cheeks. Maybe?
They stayed for a few more minutes, and then Reese gestured for Jude to join him. “Why don’t you take off for a bit? I know you probably have school stuff or other things to do.”
Jude smiled at him. “Thank you, Reese. You’re so thoughtful. I think I’ll go home and cook for Mr. Matheson, and maybe I’ll get a little studying in. I’ll be back soon,” he said. His eyes darted around, and then he placed a kiss on Reese’s bottom lip. Reese couldn’t help the satisfied moan that slipped out.
“Maybe you should take a nap, too,” Reese said in a low voice, and his lips split into a wicked grin.
Jude smirked. “I seem to recall you fell asleep first last night.” He looked Reese up and down, raised an eyebrow, and left the room with a wave.
God, Reese was in love.