Loving Again

chapter Sixteen


Sam amazed his doctors with his rapid recovery. He attributed it to his fitness and good health. They thought it might have something to do with the constant attention he got from the women in his life. His partner dropped in when she could. Amanda was there all day, every day, of his short stay. And his sister came over from Eastern Oregon to see for herself that he was okay, providing stories about her baby brother’s childhood escapades that embarrassed him and delighted Amanda.

The other women who interacted with him on a regular basis, however, weren’t so impressed with Sam. Restless to be out from under every restriction the nurses tried to impose, he was not an easy patient. As she’d predicted she would have to do, Amanda brought bribes to the staff at every visit — candy, fruit, small glass ornaments, large containers of gourmet coffee — anything to try and mitigate for Sam’s grumpy resistance to the rules they attempted to enforce. When Amanda reminded him he once said he liked rules, he replied he only liked them when he was doing the enforcing.

The struggle between Sam and the medical staff came to a head the day the doctors told him he couldn’t be released from the hospital until he arranged assistance in his apartment for at least two to three weeks. No matter how much he argued, they wouldn’t budge. He was there until he made satisfactory plans for his home care. Or they’d do it for him.

When Amanda arrived that afternoon, her favorite nurse explained what the doctors had told him and warned her that Sam wasn’t happy about it. In fact, she suggested Amanda might want to go home and come back after he’d cooled down.

Amanda found him pacing the hall outside his room. “Hey, cowboy, rumor has it you’ve had a bad day.”

“Goddamn doctors. Why the hell do they think they know better than I do what I can or can’t do? I don’t need Nurse Ratched or some strange man — they said they would arrange a male nurse if I wanted one. Christ, that’s all I need.”

“If you’ll stop ranting and stand still, I’ll kiss you hello.”

“Sorry, baby.” He held her and she kissed him. “I can’t stand being here for another couple days until they make arrangements.”

“Not happy appears to be an understatement. But I’ve got an idea that might make you feel better. Let’s go back in your room and talk.”

They walked toward his room, his casted arm around her shoulders. “What, you have the name of someone who can come in and help me?”

“Not exactly.” She led him to the two chairs next to the window. “Suppose you had a place to go where there’d be help available twenty-four seven? Would that satisfy the doctors?”

“Some kind of nursing home? They said that, too. Absolutely not.”

“No, I’m thinking my house.” Ignoring the startled look on his face, she continued. “If you recuperated with me, I’d be able to help you. I could change your dressing and take you to your appointments. I can cook, help you with meals.”

The startled look was slowly being replaced with the wisp of a smile playing around his lips. “How about showering? Would you help me shower?”

“If you need help, of course.”

“Oh, I’m sure I’d need help.” The smile had taken control of his mouth and was moving up through his dimple to the crinkles around his eyes. “And where would I sleep?”

“Wherever you’d like. I have four bedrooms. Take your pick.”

“Suppose I pick yours? Would you be there, too?”

“That could be arranged, assuming it doesn’t interfere with your rest.”

“You sleeping beside me would never interfere with me. Of course, I can’t promise I won’t try to interfere with you.” A full-fledged grin appeared on his face. “This shitty day has suddenly gotten a helluva lot better.”

“I’m glad you like my idea.”

The grin faded as fast as it had appeared. He cocked his head, frowning. “Seriously, are you sure? You’re not doing this because you think you owe me something or you’re feeling guilty or responsible for what happened or bullshit like that, are you?” he asked. “I don’t need you to feel sorry for me.”

“I’m doing this because I want to. Because I thought it would solve your problem, and make you happy. Because … ” she paused.

“Because?” he prompted.

“Because this will probably be the only chance I’ll ever have to take care of you. Or, maybe more accurately, the only time you’ll ever let me take care of you. So, let me.”

The smile was back although a bit wary. “Okay, your house it is. But, just so you know, once I move in, you may have a helluva time getting me out.”

“We’ll worry about that later, if we have to.” She attempted to stand up but he held on to her. “If you’ll let me go, I’ll have the nurses page your doctor and see if this works for him. If he’ll agree to let you go tomorrow, I’ll take your keys and move things from your apartment to my house so it’s all ready for you.”

“I’ll move stuff to your house when I get out of here.”

“No, you won’t. There is a condition attached to this offer — you have to do exactly what the doctors tell you to do. If you don’t, I swear I’ll hire an eighty-year-old nurse in a bikini to shower you and take a photo of it for Danny to show around the precinct.”

“Christ, she’d love that. Okay, I’ll find out what the rules are.”

“I’ll find out what the rules are.”

“You don’t trust me?” His grin was sly now.

“I trust you about everything. Anything. Anything, that is, except an accurate recital of the restrictions the doctors will put on you. That I don’t trust you about.”

“You’re probably right.” He let go of her hand. “Okay, call the doc and see what he says. If he says no, tell him I can always sign myself out. See what he comes back with after that.”

“This isn’t a hostage negotiation, Sam.”

“Sure as hell feels like one to me.”

The surgeon agreed to her plan. After asking if she knew what she was getting into, he gave her a five-minute crash course in how to take care of a curmudgeonly patient with a cast on his arm and a fresh surgical incision, and said he’d leave discharge prescriptions at the nurses’ station in the morning when he made rounds.

He answered all her questions about Sam’s restrictions, which included no weight on his arms, no lifting anything heavy with his uncasted arm because of the incision, no driving, horseback riding, running or weight lifting. Wondering how willing and cooperative Sam would be when she got him home, Amanda went back down the hall to break the good news.