Dangerous Therapy: O'Connor Brothers (Volume 1) (7 page)

Stephanie stifled a giggle when Aaron crossed his arms over his chest and clamped his mouth shut. Mom had spoken. Stephanie showed them the weekly schedule. The only one that seemed to stand back was James. Cora had explained James had buried his wife the day of John’s accident. It had to be hard for him.

“My Cora told us ya were the one for Johnny, and she’s never wrong.” Nanny Betty spoke up. “Yar gonna make the lad happy again.” Nick, Mike, and Ian rolled their eyes. Keith just shook his head. Was she missing something?

“He’ll be back to his old self before you know it,” Stephanie said.

“With ya around he’ll be better.” Nanny Betty walked to the stove and began to stir something. The brothers turned their heads, seeming to bite back their laughter at Nanny Betty’s statement.

“Am I missing something?” Stephanie asked as Mike walked out of the kitchen.

“You really don’t want to know.” He snickered. There was some private family joke she definitely wasn’t getting. She glanced up at Cora.

“Mom just has a lot of faith in my opinions.” Cora squeezed her shoulder and busied herself with setting the table. Why did she feel like the only one not getting the punch line of a joke?

The chatter coming from the kitchen was both comforting and annoying. John lay on his bed trying to put things in perspective. She was here. It was dreams of her that got him through all his frustration in the hospital. Thinking of her always made him feel better. Like a dream come true, she was going to be with him every day until he was back on his feet. He scoffed. Like he’d ever be back to himself. Sure, all the broken bones were healed, but he was weak and useless. He cursed the day he made that drive. Anger was starting to bubble up inside. How could he be so damn careless? John grabbed the pillow under his head and as he was about to put it over his face to roar into it, she laughed. Like a weight lifting off of him, the anger subsided and he felt calmer.

“How the hell is she doing that?” John groaned and closed his eyes. He could picture her beautiful face like it was in front of him. Green eyes that sparkled with flecks of gold. She took his breath away. Was she going to be the one who saved him from himself? Could she make him feel like the man he used to be? His last thought before he drifted off to sleep was of Stephanie.

A light knock on his bedroom door jolted him out of his sleep. Pain shot through his body and for the life of him he couldn’t tell exactly where it was coming from. It seemed to be everywhere. His jaw clenched as he waited for the pain to subside. With slow deep breaths it, gradually went down to a tolerable level.

James walked into the room with a strained expression. He was different lately. Losing a spouse would make anyone different, but all the anger seemed to be directed at John.

“Supper’s ready.” James snapped.

“Okay, do you want to tell me what’s wrong or do I have to guess?” John winced as he sat up.

“Nothing’s wrong with me.” James supported John until he was in his chair.

“Bullshit!” John growled and fisted James shirt collar. James grabbed his hand and yanked away.

“Nothing’s wrong,” James grunted as he pulled away.

“Don’t fucking lie to me, James.” He gripped the arms of the chair and roared. James closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, they glistened with unshed tears.
Fuck
.

“You want to know what’s fucking bothering me.” James snapped. “I miss my fucking brother. The one who didn’t wallow in a heap of self-pity.” He spun on his heel and headed for the door.

“He died in that accident,” John shouted.

James stopped and turned back around, his face was red with anger.

“No John, he didn’t die, but he might as well have because the guy I see in that chair is not the brother I grew up with. You’re not the brother we all grew up with.” James shouted. “I buried my wife that day, and I thought I was going to bury my brother too.” A tear rolled down his cheek. “Do you know how that made me feel, John?”

Shit!
John opened his mouth to answer and then closed it again.

“I was never so scared. Sarah’s death was the worst thing I’ve ever dealt with in my life, but as hard as it was, the thought of losing my brother just about sent me over the edge.” James plowed his hand through his hair. “When they said you were going to make it, I fell to my knees and thanked god, but I thought I was getting my brother back. Where is he, John? Where in the fuck is he?” 

John dropped his head to hide the tears burning his eyes. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt his brother. Not after what he’d already been through.

“I want my brother back John. We all do, and I hope to God you let that beautiful lady out there bring him back because if you don’t, it’s not only going to kill me but it’s going to kill mom.” James walked out leaving John alone in the room.

There wasn’t any way that the rest of the family didn’t hear James. He didn’t want to leave his room with tears in his eyes. The last thing his mother needed was to see him crying. He brushed away a tear that escaped. He couldn’t face everyone now. As he turned back to his bed, movement from the doorway caught his eye. Stephanie. Without a word, she walked over to him and placed a box of tissues on his lap.

“It’s okay to be emotional, John,” She said.

“Not for me it’s not.” He groaned.

“I didn’t know you weren’t human.” She quipped.

“I’ve always been the strong one. The one there for everyone.” His voice cracked but he knew looking up at her would kill him right now. Of course, she wouldn’t let him get away with that. She put her finger under his chin and forced him to look at her.

“So now it’s their turn to be there for you. To be strong for you.” Her smile was so beautiful. Hell her whole face was beautiful. Something about her brought a sense of peace to him. She seemed to be able to reach into his soul and make him feel everything was going to be okay.

“James is pissed with me, and probably the rest of my brothers too.” He picked a piece of invisible lint off of his shirt. “I don’t like it.”

“Well then, I guess you better start doing something about that.” Stephanie knelt beside him and he grabbed her hand. It felt so good and he never wanted to let go.

“I’m terrified,” John admitted. “I’ve never been terrified like this in my life.” Why did he tell her that? He was pouring his heart out to a stranger, but he couldn’t tell his own family how scared he was.

“The first step is to admit it.” She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “It’s normal after everything you’ve been through. Your family is scared too.”

John felt like he was on autopilot as he reached with his other hand and touched her cheek. She tensed.

“You really are an angel aren’t you?” He smiled at her. “An angel sent to save me from myself.” Stephanie stood and stepped back from him.

“I’m no angel.” She laughed. “But I’m here to help.” She pulled her shirt over her hips. “Now, I was sent in here to tell you supper is on the table. So get your butt out in the kitchen, Mister.” John laughed and saluted her as she pushed him out of the room.

Kathleen and Nanny Betty were placing massive plates of food and the mouth-watering aroma of turkey had his stomach growling. Nothing like Jigs Dinner. Hospital food was from hell, and even when his family was allowed to bring him food, it wasn’t the same as having it at home. Stephanie pushed him up to the table and turned to leave. He felt the panic build but before he could stop her, Nanny Betty caught her by the arm.

“Yar eating with us, ducky.” She pointed to the open chair next to him.

As soon as she sat down he calmed again. The connection with her was so foreign to him. The attraction was evident the day he pulled her over, but the calming effect she had on him was confusing.

The food was like a piece of heaven. Around the table, everyone was talking, but James only spoke when someone spoke to him. When James was angry John felt it. Kathleen had told them many times John and James had a deeper connection because they were twins. Even though they weren’t identical, they were with each other from day one.

“Before your mother serves the wonderful dessert she made, I want to make a toast.” Sean stood and held his glass. “It does my heart good to see all my sons sitting at one table again.” He looked down at John. “It’s good to see you out of the hospital. We weren’t sure if we would ever do this again.” Sean’s voice cracked. “But someone up there was watching over you, and kept you from leaving us.”

He caught his mother wiping a tear from her cheek. John’s heart hurt.

Sean raised his glass and the rest of them followed his lead. “To family and all the people that helped us get through this terrible time.”

A baby crying grabbed John’s attention. James jumped up and left the kitchen. John hadn’t seen his nephew since the accident. Kathleen and Nanny Betty told him how much Mason was growing. When James walked back with the chubby little boy in his arms, John couldn’t believe it was the same kid. Mason giggled as James tickled him. His chubby cheeks were indented with the O’Connor dimples, and he definitely had the same blue eyes.

“Wow, he’s gotten so big,” John said.

“Yeah!” James sat down and put the giggling baby on his lap. “He eats like a horse.” For one short moment, John saw the brother he grew up with. It seemed like Mason was the only one who could make James smile. Was it because Mason looked so much like Sarah? Mason had the O’Connor traits, but he definitely favored his mother.

“He wouldn’t be an O’Connor if he didn’t.” Sean laughed.

“No! All of ye eat like horses.” Nanny Betty chuckled.

John glanced at Stephanie. She was smiling at the baby and then laughed. Mason spit food everywhere. Baby food dripped down the front of James shirt. Mason grabbed for the bowl and James tried to pull it away, but the youngster was faster and knocked it into James lap. The whole scene was hilarious and John burst into laughter. His ribs were still a little tender and he had to hold them.

“You think this is funny, bro.” James grabbed the cloth Nanny Betty gave him. “Next time he needs a diaper change, I’m bringing him to you.”

“No thanks.” John held up his hands in surrender.

“Well, it’s certainly good to hear that laugh.” His Uncle Kurt walked into the kitchen. His father’s brother was also his boss. He’d also been giving John shit every time he’d visit the hospital.

John really didn’t want or need another lecture from him. He shook his hand. “Being home makes me happier than the hospital.” John shook his hand.

“Maybe it’s the pretty lady sitting next to you.” Kurt extended his hand. “You must be Stephanie. I’m Sean’s brother, Kurt.”

She shook his hand. Her cheeks had turned a pretty pink. “It’s nice to meet you.” She smiled at Kurt and John’s heart jumped. These reactions to her were crazy.

“You’re late.” Nanny Betty snapped Kurt with the dish towel she was holding.

“Sorry, Mudder.” Kurt kissed her cheek. “Duty calls.”

John’s stomach dropped. Would he ever be able to make that statement again?
Fuck
. He wanted to leave the table, but his shoulder hurt too much.

“I want to go to the living room.” John nodded to Keith. Before Keith could move, Stephanie pulled him away from the table and pushed him to the living room. It was humiliating to have someone push him around. He could push himself, but he was in a little more pain than usual. Of course, refusing to take the pain medication wasn’t helping.

Nanny Betty, Kathleen, and Sean cleared the table while everyone else settled in around the living room. It was like old times. Arguments over which hockey teams were going to make the playoffs, or who was going to be traded next season. It was an ongoing feud between his dad’s family and his Uncle Kurt’s family. John was glad his cousins weren’t there because when Kristy, Jess, and Isabelle got going there was no stopping them. Kurt’s girls were die hard Montreal Canadian fans while he and his brothers cheered for Toronto Maple Leafs. When his brothers and cousins got into it over hockey, it got loud. The conversations seemed to fade into the background when John noticed Stephanie was gone. His stomach clenched with some sort of sense of loss. Jesus, he was pathetic.

“If you’re looking for that sexy therapist, she went over to her apartment.” Nick had that panty dropping grin on his face.

“I wasn’t looking for her.” John lied.

“Seriously, John, how are you going to concentrate on your therapy with a woman like her around?” Aaron wiggled his eyebrows up and down.

“Shut the fuck up, A.J,” John growled. Although Aaron was all grown up, everyone still called him by his childhood name. The story was, when Aaron was brought home from the hospital, Nick couldn’t say Aaron, and ended up calling him Aday. That got changed to A.J. The name stuck. He was only called Aaron when he was in trouble.

“Come on, bro, you can’t say you haven’t even looked.” Mike chuckled. “If you haven’t then I’m really worried.”

John shook his head. There was no way any of these horn dogs were ever going to settle down.

“Hey if you aren’t interested, I wouldn’t mind taking her out.” Nick teased.

“You stay the hell away from her,” John said a little louder than he meant to. His brothers all looked at him. Then roared with laughter.

“See, there’s my big brother.” Aaron gave him a thumbs up and John just wanted to punch him.

“Yeah, he needs to protect her against all you horny bastards.” James was changing Mason on his lap. Great. John wasn’t the only one attracted to his new physical therapist. He felt possessive over her. It wasn’t like she was his girlfriend, but the thought of her with anyone else made his stomach churn. Especially Mike, Nick, and Aaron. They had a reputation of bed hopping.

“Don’t worry John, I’m pretty sure she’s not interested in any of them.” Keith plopped down on the lounge chair next to him. Keith was the typical middle child, always the mediator between the three older brothers and the younger three.

“Besides she seems too smart for those three.” Ian dodged a punch from Mike. Did it really matter if she was interested in any of his brothers? He didn’t own her. She was here for one thing. To get him back on his feet. This was going to be complete torture.

It was a relief when everyone started to leave. The comments from his horny brothers had his whole body in knots. Nanny Betty was the last one to leave. With a kiss on the cheek, she gave John a stern warning to treat Stephanie with respect as she walked out the door. He didn’t plan on treating her badly. He didn’t want to treat anyone badly, but he wasn’t exactly pleasant to be around lately. If the truth be told, he was a proper asshole these days, but it wasn’t on purpose. He wasn’t used to being frustrated and terrified. It was humiliating to need help just to get in and out of bed. He’d been active his entire life.