Project Detour (Castle View Book 3) (3 page)

“Easy for you to say, you’re not the one stuck in this bed. Why don’t you put things on the table in front of me? That way I don’t have to move around so much.” He turned his head back to the television.

“Because you need to move around some. When you’re watching TV, make sure you recline back flat.” Destiny had the same tone in her voice as the doctor.

He felt her adjusting his comforter and then listened to her footsteps as she left the room.

“How’d your first day go?” Jonny asked. Destiny had called her friend after cleaning up the kitchen from what had been a disastrous dinner. 

She played with the tea bag in her cup, steeping the tea in the hot water. She felt sorry for the tea bag—after a day like today, she knew exactly how it felt. “Awful. He was itching for a fight from the moment he got here.”

“Please tell me you didn’t tell him off.” Jonny knew her too well. When they’d been out for drinks once, a guy hadn’t taken the hint and then when Destiny told him she wasn’t looking for a hook up, he’d called her a dyke. She’d gone off on the jerk, telling him again, she wasn’t interested, and finishing up with she’d rather switch teams than ever, ever date him.

“I bit my tongue. I need this job. Besides, you should see my room. I could put up with helping the devil just so I could stay here.” Destiny sipped her tea. “And the kitchen is a girl’s dream.”

“Or would be if you knew how to cook.”

She leaned back looking at stainless appliances and the gas range. She
could
boil water, she’d figured that out a few minutes ago, even though it had taken longer than she’d expected. But there was no way she’d admit that to her friend.  “Apparently that’s not a job duty so I guess we’re safe. What are you doing tonight?”

Destiny listened while Jonny talked about the friends she was meeting later in Spokane. Since the clinic wasn’t taking any new clients, Jonny wouldn’t go into the office until afternoon. Which meant she could go out on a weeknight without worrying about the hangover the next morning. She’d just asked her about who was going with her when she heard the crash.

“I’ve got to go.” She hung up and put the cell in her pocket. If Brad was hurt, she’d need it to call for an ambulance. Or maybe she should drive him into town herself. No, she corrected herself. She’d have to wait for an ambulance so she didn’t aggravate his back injury. She ran into the room where she saw Brad reaching for a pair of sweats that were on the floor.

“Don’t move.” Destiny went to his side. “You aren’t supposed to be up unless you’re going to the bathroom. What were you thinking?”

He allowed her to move him back to the bed. Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead and Destiny realized what an effort the activity had been for him. “I was thinking I needed to get out of this robe and into some real clothes.”

She looked down and realized Brad was naked. The hospital gown he’d worn home was balled up on the other side of the room where he’d apparently thrown it. She covered his privates up with the sheet. He blushed as she did but he didn’t say anything.

“All you had to do was ask and I would have helped. That’s kind of my job.” She picked up the sweats and t-shirt from the floor. “Let’s go with shorts instead of long pants for a few days. Where did you find these?”

He pointed to the chest that she’d thought was part of the office décor. “Third drawer.”

“Did you even listen to the doctor when he gave you discharge instructions? Your spine is bruised. They don’t want you to be up and about until it heals. You aren’t just dealing with a broken leg and a broken ankle.” She flipped through the pile of clothes until she found a set of basketball shorts. “Briefs or boxers?”

“Excuse me?”

She didn’t turn around; instead she opened another drawer. She’d guessed right and a pile of silk boxers were stacked next to socks.  “Good, boxers. You would have had to go commando if you were a briefs guy.”

“Really?” The humor in his voice made her face heat.

“This is just a job, just a patient,” she muttered under her breath.

She took the clothes over to the bed and with his help, eased the boxers and shorts over the braces on his legs. She kept her gaze on his face noting the pain level he wouldn’t talk about but she could witness. “You don’t have to be dressed all the time. I know this can’t be comfortable.”

“I don’t want to be exposed.” He didn’t add
with you in the house
, but Destiny heard the words anyway.

After he was dressed and she’d given him his night medications, she looked around the room, making sure he had water and snacks. “Anything else I can do?”

He opened his mouth, then closed it, shaking his head.

“Come on. Make me earn this crazy amount of money I’m charging your family.” She smiled, trying to look like she really did want to be there.

He tapped the book. “I can’t get into these right now. Can you grab
The Lord of the Rings
off the third shelf?”

Fantasy? And not just fantasy, cult classic Tolkien. Color her shocked. “Sure.” She went to the shelves and found a well-worn copy of one of her favorite books. She took it down and went back to the bed. Before she could sit it down, he put up a hand.

“One more favor.”

She paused, waiting.

“Could you read it aloud?” This time, he actually smiled. “I can’t seem to focus.”

“Probably the pain meds.” She pulled a chair closer. “Okay, but I haven’t read aloud since grade school. And don’t expect me to pronounce all the elven names correctly. The hobbits are easier, less fancy.”

“You’ll be fine.” He took a sip of water then settled into his pillow. As she read, she noticed his breathing slowing and becoming more regular. After the first chapter, she paused. “Brad?”

“Hmmm?” His voice was as slow as dark molasses.

“Just checking if you’re awake.” She turned the page. “You want me to keep reading?”

“Please.”

By the time she’d finished chapter two she didn’t need to ask if he was awake or not. His gentle snoring told the story. She sat the book on his table and turned off the lights except for a small desk lamp within his reach. She didn’t want him jerking awake and not knowing where he was at. Besides, if she had to return to take him to the bathroom, or pick him up off the floor when he was too stubborn and proud to call her for help, at least she’d have some light.

Before climbing the stairs to her own room, she walked around the house, locking doors and turning off lights. It really was a lovely home.

***

Brad stretched and rubbed his eyes. For the first time since he’d woken up in the hospital, he’d slept the entire night. Being home had helped cure his insomnia or at least for one night. Maybe he had been worn out from the transport from Spokane. And Destiny hadn’t woken him three times a night to take his vitals.

She’d left the book on his table, slip of paper marking where she’d stopped reading. He didn’t remember how many times in high school he’d read
The Lord of the Rings
. At least once or twice a year. Sometimes, he’d finish and start again the same night.

The story gave him hope that there was order in the world. That there were unwritten but sacred laws that everyone had to follow or karma would bounce back on them. He truly believed in good and evil, even if most of his employees thought he was a cold, heartless boss. Maybe he’d turned into Saruman the White, doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. All he knew right now was he needed to use the bathroom. He reached for his phone. Hopefully Miss Destiny was awake.

“Good morning. I thought I’d have to wake you to take your meds.” Destiny walked into the room, a tray with coffee and a plate of Maggie’s muffins. “Let me set this down and I’ll help you into the wheelchair.”

“You left the book here.” He groaned inwardly. Who was he? Captain Obvious? “I mean, thank you for reading last night. For some reason, Tolkien eases my mind. It always has.”

“I love the books. I was afraid the movies might ruin the story, but they did okay.” She eased his legs over the side of the bed and held out her hands. “Lean on me, let me turn you, then we’ll ease you backwards into the chair. Don’t jerk.”

He followed her instructions, smelling the floral shampoo she must have used earlier. “I don’t want to squish you.”

She laughed. He liked the way it sounded. Not delicate like some women laugh, but a full-throated sound. “Believe me, I’m stronger than I look.”

When he got seated, she unlocked the wheels and started to push the chair. “Let me. He growled. He went into the bathroom to find the place had been turned into a handicapped equipped mecca. His toothbrush and paste were on a table just near the sink where he could reach. And a hand-held urinal sat on the toilet seat. He thought about just knocking it over and standing up like a guy to pee, but he didn’t have the energy.

Ten minutes later, clean from the washcloth bath he’d given himself, and in a cheerier mood, he opened the door and wheeled himself back into the make-shift bedroom. Destiny sat on the recliner, the first Wheel of Time book in her hands. She held it up and smiled. “I haven’t read these forever. Do you mind?”

“Of course not.” He motioned to the shelves. “I’ve got an excellent selection of fantasy, lots of mystery and horror, and a passible number of thrillers. No romance. If you want that, you’ll have to talk to Maggie. I think both of us have quite a library collection. Books were the one thing that Mom would let us buy, no questions asked.”

She rose from the chair and as he positioned himself near the bed, she adjusted the chair and put on the parking brakes. “Now, we’ll do the same thing in reverse. Let me lift you, we’ll pivot and then back to bed. I’ll help you swing your legs upward.”

After he got settled, she handed him the tray, pouring his coffee. She set a small dish with his morning pills on the tray as well. “You want some juice? Your sister stocked the fridge so we have orange, grape, tomato, apple, and even cranberry.”

“Orange will be fine.” He grinned and flipped her hair back from her face. “You’re pretty fit. Maybe after I’m out of the cast we could do some other types of therapy.”

She pulled away from him. “You are my patient, not my boyfriend. Got it? We are going to be seeing way too much of each other to muddy the water.”

Brad saw the fire in her eyes. He’d hit a nerve. He held up the pill container. “I apologize. The comment was out of line and inappropriate. I would never consider hitting on you. Can I blame these things?”

“Drugs do have a way of making you say the wrong thing.” She looked a bit put out by his answer. “I’ll be right back with your juice so you can take those.”

He looked into the container, at the pills. “I’m not in a lot of pain now. Maybe I don’t need these.”

“You need them.” She nodded. “A few of them are vitamins, but there’s a delayed reaction pain killer in there that you’ll be on for a few weeks. Then we’ll wean you off of it. Right now, the doctor wants you comfortable but not high. It’s considered pain therapy. The meds will keep your muscles relaxed and healing. Pain makes them seize up.”

“Okay, but I’m warning you, you’re going to have to read again. Once I take these, I may not be able to hold up the book.” He threw the pills in his mouth and then took a long sip of water. Then he broke open a muffin. “Aren’t you hungry?”

“I ate earlier.” She looked at her watch. “I was up at six. It’s almost nine.”

“Seriously, it’s that late?” He glanced at the digital clock on the desk in the corner. “I better call the winery.”

“Why?”

He turned toward Destiny. “I always call in the morning. I need to know what’s going on.”

“You are out on medical leave,” she responded, moving his phone out of reach. “If you want to go back in six weeks like we’ve planned, you need to focus on getting stronger, not running your winery.”

“I can do both.” He held his hand out for the phone.

She just shook her head. “I have the rule from your family. No business. You can read, watch television, or sleep. I even play a mean game of gin, but no business. Besides, we’re going to start working your arms out today. I don’t think you’ll be able to pick up your phone when we’re done.”

“Now, that’s a strong claim.” He let his arm drop. Let her think she won. He’d call later when she was out of the room. Except she didn’t leave for long. She took the breakfast tray back to the kitchen, then immediately returned with two resistance bands. He couldn’t believe how difficult he found the simple movements. When he was about to drop, she stopped the workout and then read until he fell asleep. When he woke up, lunch waited for him.

By the time he had a minute alone where he could call the winery, it was after five and the phones would have been shut off. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he’d call.

But the next day went as fast as this one had. The resistance band workout didn’t wear him out quite as quickly, but when she sat down to read, he found himself watching her rather than getting lost in the story. Soon, his eyelids drooped and he lost the war against sleep.

It was Wednesday before he heard from Jose, his manager. The phone rang waking him from his morning nap. He glanced around. No Destiny. He figured she took advantage of his naps to get a few things done since she seemed to be in his face and his room every time he woke. “What’s going on?”

“The order for the Spokane wine fest? They called yesterday to confirm that we’re participating since they haven’t received your confirmation and list. You didn’t finish the amounts. Do you want me to send two of each of the whites and reds?”

Brad thought about the list he’d been agonizing over before the accident. His plan had been to finish the list and send it off the next morning. Of course, the next morning never came.  Or to be more precise, he never made it to the winery that morning. “No. List off what I have. I want us to only take our best to the tasting. A lot of local critics will be attending.” He looked at his shorts-clad body and then at the wheelchair. The Wine Fest was in four weeks. There was no way he’d be able to represent Castle View Winery that day. Not looking like a cripple.