AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Ah, a method actor," Julie said.
A touch of gratitude crossed Elaine's expression as Julie pulled her out of the shadows. "Yes. That's exactly how she was. She loved to pretend to be someone else."
Sal appeared at the door and five sets of eyes immediately snapped to him. "They're in recovery now," he said. "Dr. Pindar said he'd come here to see all of you once he cleans up, but the surgical nurse told me everything went exactly as planned. No problems for either of them."
"Thank God," Elaine said, as Betty echoed the same sentiment. Rory stroked his mother's arm and Marcus's grip on Julie's hand increased, a silent message of hope and reassurance. She'd hold onto that, and use it however she needed for Des.
As she looked around at Betty and Thomas's family, including Marcus, she knew neither she nor Des would have to stand alone in that. She'd teased Des about family culture shock, but there was nothing better in the world to have when you really needed it.
Especially when the family in question had hearts as big as these.
Chapter Twenty-One
Des moved in and out of a post-operative haze. Only vaguely aware when they moved him back to his room, he was nevertheless pleased to feel Julie's hand on his arm and her lips briefly on his face. He could smell her scent, so as he drifted in and out, he knew she was in the guest chair recliner. Betty came and went, her and the new shift nurse, an attractive black woman who smelled like lemon, checking all his vitals and making him do the spirometer to improve his breathing when he was conscious.
He knew he was starting to wake up for real when he was aware enough to register the catheter that would help the transplanted kidney's communication with the rest of his plumbing. The newest member of his organ team had better get up to speed soon, because he wasn't going to tolerate having his cock stuffed with a tube any longer than necessary.
He had the pressure cuffs on both his legs to prevent blood clots, and an IV in his arm and neck. They made him feel tied down, antsy, but he pushed that away. Another temporary condition only.
A glance at the clock, the light through the blinds, and a somewhat muzzy recalculation of the passage of time told him it was close to daybreak. He guessed it was early morning rounds, based on the sounds of rolling carts, beeps and murmurs, and the movement of nurses up and down the hall in their squishy shoes.
The recliner was empty, but the blanket wasn't yet folded, also confirming the early morning hour. At the sound of a door opening, he turned his head and saw Julie coming out of the bathroom.
She was a welcome sight, and a charming one, in pajama bottoms with kittens printed all over them. Her soft, stretched vee-neck T-shirt made him want to touch her generously wobbling breasts. Since getting erect with an installed catheter was not a good plan, he forced his thoughts elsewhere.
He lifted a hand, drawing her attention. "Hey there." His voice was thick, unused, and he cleared it as she beamed like the sun.
She immediately came to his side and closed both her hands about one of his. "Welcome back."
Before the surgery, there'd been some fear and tension in her expression, despite her best efforts to conceal it. She didn't have much of a poker face, his love. But he was glad for it, because the range of emotions he read now were heartening. She was more relaxed, and very happy to see him.
He knew the surgery had gone well, because he remembered Dr. Pindar discussing it with him in post-op. However, typical for anesthesia, things that had seemed clear then had turned into a dreamlike haze. He'd have to ask Julie or Betty for a recap. But he'd retained the most important thing. Step One was a success.
Maybe they all knew it was the easiest step against what might be ahead, but he'd take it as a good sign. He was going to let Julie's optimism bolster him. Though he'd possessed a will of iron and enough self-discipline to direct an army battalion his entire life, he hadn't always been optimistic. Just stubborn. For her, he wanted to be optimistic.
"So..." She gave him an mischievous look, drawing a chair close to the bed. "Since you have a gay man's kidney, are you having any urges to fulfill a couple of my guy-on-guy fantasies?"
He chuckled, and winced. Her eyes darkened and she placed her hands on his torso as if she could soothe away the pain. "That could backfire," he advised her. "What if having a gay man's kidney makes me want to be gay?"
"Based on how you were looking at my breasts just now, I think I'm safe."
"Caught that, did you?"
"I think you'll be ogling my breasts when you're ninety. And did I thank you for that?"
He lifted her hand to his lips, kissed it with decent accuracy. "I feel like I have fur in my mouth. Can I have something to drink?"
"The nurse said not at first. We can use these wet swabs on your lips and inside your mouth if it feels dry, but not even ice chips until the doctor gives the okay."
"Nazis."
"I know, right? They say it's for your own good, but I think the Inquisitors said the same thing when they were racking heretics."
He smiled, despite the discomfort of dry lips. "I missed you, love."
"I was here the whole time." Her fingers tightened on his, but her eyes shone with care and love. It was a good feeling to be basking in that light. "Oh, here, let's do the spirometer thing and get it over with. She told me to push it on you like a drug dealer coaxing six-year-olds to do crack as soon as you surfaced."
He remembered the nurse walking him through it, but he let Julie show him again, because it meant she curled her fingers around his hands and caressed his face as he brought the mouthpiece to his lips. When he sat the device down, he laid his head back on the pillow, feeling lightheaded.
