baby. Dude, I swear, this better not get her into some kind of baby fever or anything like that.”
His words make me remember something. “Hey, can you do something for me?”
He must hear the seriousness in my tone, because he sits up and looks straight at me. “What’s up?”
“I, uh, I bought a ton of baby shit. Can you go get it? Set it up at Cara’s for her? It’s at that little shop near Speedy’s.”
“The gas station?”
I nod my head.
Easton wrinkles his nose and he tries to think. “Oh, yeah.” He snaps his fingers. “I remember seeing that place before. Yeah, I’ll go do that.” Then he freezes, looking over at me. “Wait, you picked up baby shit? I thought you guys were putting it up for adoption.”
I avert my gaze from his heavy stare. “Yeah, but you know how I felt. I was just holding out hope… shit. Doesn’t matter now, does it?”
I can hear the chair screech back as Easton stands up and comes to stand over me. “It’ll be all right, man. We’ll figure it out, either way. Just keep your head up.” I look over and see his hand on my arm, something we never do. We handshake, that’s it. Nothing even close to affection, just our usual bro shake. The sad thing is, now that I don’t flinch away from touch, it’s because I can’t even feel it.
“I’m going to go to that store and get the shit before Rose buys a duplicate of everything. I’ll stop by later this evening, all right?”
I shake my head. “Don’t worry about it.”
Easton narrows his eyes. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Okay. But just so you know, I’d flick your ass off right now if I could.”
Easton smirks, lifting his hand and flicking me off with both fingers. “I’ll do two to help you out.”
“Fuck off.” I chuckle, and almost frown with how foreign it feels in my chest. It feels weird, to do something that you haven’t done in so long. It’s not second nature anymore, but almost a forced action you have to force yourself to do.
It felt good, for the moment.
“What’s so funny, here?” Comes a deep voice, and Easton turns around in the doorway and comes face to face with my doctor, who I haven’t even learned the first name of.
The feel-good moment? Yeah, instantly gone.
Easton steps aside, letting the doctor walk past. He glances at Easton with a cautious smile, averting his eyes seconds after making eye contact.
Pussy.
The doctor looks over at me, getting an at least somewhat more genuine smile on his face as he walks over to the bed. "Did I hear someone talking?"
I look at him blankly.
He clears his throat. "All right, then. Well, I have some good news, and some bad news."
Easton walks away from the door and back into the room. "Any news is better than nothing. We've been sitting here for days without a word." The edge to Easton's tone gives away his aggravation. I've been out of it so much the last few days it all feels like a blur. One day floats into the next.
One long, never ending nightmare.
The doctor wipes his eyebrow, walking over to the computer and logging into my chart. "Well, yes. I understand it's been a stressful time. We didn't want to give any update until we knew what was really going on. We brought some of the best specialists in to review his case and are helping with his care." He looks over at me. "We'll do everything we can."
Well, that's another word for you're never walking again.
"Get on with it." Easton barks.
The doctor twitches.
I'd smirk if the pit of my stomach wasn't bubbling with the hot acid of dread. I feel like I'm already prepared to hear the words that I'll have tubes and wires and constant hassles for the rest of my life. But to actually hear it's true, I just don't know if I'll be able to live like this.
"Let me take a look at you, and then we'll go over everything, okay?"
I blink at him, and he gives me a nervous look as he removes his stethoscope from around his neck to listen to my heart. He checks my eyes, asks me to squeeze his fingers—nope.
Next, he does a poking test down my leg. "Feel this? Or this?" He looks hopeful, and my blank stare gives away my answer.
I feel nothing.
He frowns, walking back over to his computer and typing in notes on what I'm