Finding Eden(44)
“Okay.” Jason nodded, not looking nearly as hesitant as Danny thought he should. “I’m depending on you to keep him on his feet.”
Danny spread his feet and tightened his hold on Paul’s waist. Two-hundred-plus pounds was a lot to keep a hold of when he couldn’t touch his back. He was glad he’d widened his stance because the second Jason started disinfecting Paul’s back, he nearly slipped out of Danny’s arms.
“Fuck,” Paul rasped, his voice choked with shock.
“I concur,” Danny wheezed, still trying to keep Paul on his feet. “Stand on your feet. You’re too big to hold up.”
“Wha—”
“Damn it, Paul Guy, find your footing.”
“Don’t drop him,” Jason said, doing methodical work of cleaning and disinfecting Paul’s back. “This is going to take a while.”
“I gotta start working out,” Danny panted, feeling Paul start to slip out of his grasp. He dug his fingers into Paul’s hips, now slippery with whatever antiseptic Jason was using, hoping to make a point. “Man up, find your fucking footing before Jason sees you fall flat on your face!”
“I’m sorry.” Paul relieved some of the burn in Danny’s arms as he leaned more heavily into him, tightening his hold around Danny’s neck. He arched his hips forward, his hard cock sliding against Danny’s thigh in a way that made his opinion on the situation very clear. “I love you for this, Danny Boy,” he said, sounding genuine as he placed a soft kiss against Danny’s collarbone. “Thank you.”
Danny squeezed his eyes shut because he was catching glimpses of Jason’s work on Paul’s back and it was making his stomach lurch. More than what Jason was doing, the reality of Paul’s words hit home. Paul loved him because he was participating in this torture session. With the exception of Eve, the only way Paul knew how to give and receive love was if someone was hurting him. If Danny had eaten recently, he might have thrown up.
“I love you too,” Paul said to Jason, confirming Danny’s worst fears. “Really, this is awesome. Thank you.”
“Anytime,” Jason said with a grunt of amusement. “I can’t believe you’re on your feet. I’m genuinely impressed.”
“I wouldn’t give him that much credit.” Danny’s arms still burned as he battled with the heartache and the horror of the situation. “God, please just make this night over.”
*
God hadn’t heard his pleas. The night did end, but it was only when the first streaks of pink started stretching over the autumn sky. There was nothing quick or painless about any of it. Time stretched out like an eternity, burning the whole night into a place in Danny’s brain that wouldn’t be easy to forget or recover from.
For hours, Jason worked at meticulously stitching Paul’s back, slowly sewing the damaged flesh back together. Danny’s concern over scars had Jason taking extra care, making small stitches and using layers of sutures on many of the larger wounds. With nothing else to do, Danny sat and stroked Paul’s hair until Paul passed out from exhaustion and fever, sleeping peacefully despite Jason’s continued work on his back.
When Jason was done, he looked as exhausted as Danny felt and the two of them escaped the house, knowing Paul would likely sleep for several hours. Leaning against the porch railing, watching the sunrise, Danny and Jason smoked and tried to recover from the traumatic events of the previous evening. It was hard to fathom that twelve hours earlier they had been strangers and this morning Danny was standing next to a man he’d entrusted with Paul’s life.
Jason was full of surprises—a silent rebel with secrets Danny would have usually enjoyed uncovering if it weren’t for the horrific circumstances. Even still, Danny found himself studying Jason, who smoked his cigarette with an old-world charm that was endearing.
“He can’t stress the sutures. No sleeping on his back, and keep him from moving his arms too much. As for the fever, you still have to make sure he takes the antibiotics four times a day.” Jason turned to meet his eyes, giving him a stern look. “One shot’s not going to cover it. He has to take the pills.”
“Right, no moving and pills four times a day.” Danny leaned more heavily against the railing and stared out at the lake, forgetting how endearing the doctor was as reality came crashing back. He took a long drag off his own cigarette as he tried to concentrate past the anguish and exhaustion. “I don’t think you gave me enough for that.”
“I’ll bring you some more.” Jason rubbed a hand over tired eyes as he flicked ashes into the lake. “You can alternate Tylenol and Motrin every three or four hours to keep his fever down. I’m going to give you my cell number. Don’t make any stupid decisions. Call me instead.”