by Pandora Pine
"You sure did, Princess." Rem's eyes closed again as if keeping them open was too big an effort.
"You sleep, babe. I'll be here waiting for you when you wake back up. I promise."
Rem reached for Dec who grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze.
"I can't believe it," Ben looked shocked. "It really worked. You woke Rem up with your love."
"Of course we did, Doctor Ben! Love's the best medicine of all."
Dec couldn't have said it any better himself.
22
After the excitement of Rem waking up died down, Ben had taken Gemma down to the cafeteria for some celebratory chocolate pudding. Soon after that, the doctor had come in to check on Rem and give Declan an update on his condition.
Dec had used the quiet time to pull himself together and thank God for answering his prayers. He'd never been much of a praying man before Rem's accident.
Now that Rem was out of the woods and expected to make a full recovery, Declan turned his thoughts toward the things that needed to happen next. With Rem's permission, he was going to move back into what used to be their house.
Doctor Cassiday thought Rem would be in the hospital for another week and someone would need to take Gemma to school. It would be too great a hardship to ask Peg or Nash and Bronson to take care of Gemma like that, so the easiest solution was for him to move in and let Gemma and Blackie sleep in their own bed.
With his leg in a cast for the next six weeks, Rem wasn't going to be able to drive, which was another solid reason for Declan to move back in. Someone was going to need to drive Rem to work. His stubborn man wasn't the kind of person to lie in bed when there was work to do. Knowing Rem, he'd be back to school on Monday if it were possible.
By the time Rem was out of the cast it would be summer vacation. Dec worked with a few kids during the summer, but didn’t have nearly the same caseload as when school was in session. He knew Nash and Bronson had been kicking around the idea of renting a beach house up in Wells, Maine and Dec wanted to be in on that trip with Rem and Gemma. He wanted them to be a family, plain and simple.
His heart had soared when Rem said that he loved Dec too, but he knew his lover was in a lot of pain and coming off some heavy duty drugs. He might not have meant what he said.
“Dec?” Rem’s voice sounded weak.
“I’m right here, babe.”
“Water?”
Dec grabbed the pitcher on the wheeled table next to the bed and poured him a cup. He brought the cup to Rem and held the straw while he took a few sips. When he was done, he patted the empty spot on the bed next to him.
“Was I dreaming or did you tell me you loved me?”
“Yes.” Declan grinned at him.
“Which was it?”
“Both.” Declan picked up his hand and pressed the bruised flesh to his lips. “You were dreaming and I told you I loved you. Several times, in fact.”
“What happened to me?”
Declan wondered when Rem would ask that question. “What do you remember?”
“I got Gemma up for school. She was all excited because…” Rem looked confused.
“It’s okay if you don’t remember.” Ben and Doctor Cassiday had mentioned Rem might have some short-term memory issues.
“No, it’s not that. I remember I was going to tell you that I loved you and that I wanted us to get back together. Did I do that, Dec?”
“I’ll tell you in a minute. What else do you remember?” Both Ben and the doctor suggested letting Rem figure out what he remembered on his own before filling in the blanks for him.
Rem frowned. “I got Gemma in the car. We were singing Katy Perry.”
“You were singing Katy Perry?” Dec snorted. He’d heard that part of the story from Gemma, but it tickled him to think of Rem belting out one of her songs.
“Gemmy wanted me to sing with her, so I did. That’s all I remember.”
“The doctor said that you might not remember the accident.”
“Feels like I was run over by a truck.”
“You sort of were. You were turning left onto Low Street and an SUV ran the red light and hit you. The car spun into the guardrail. Gemma only had minor cuts from flying glass and she was a little sore from the impact, but she’s perfectly fine. She stayed with Peg and Mitch last night, while I stayed here with you.”
“So I didn’t tell you that I still loved you and wanted you back.” Rem sounded disappointed.
Dec shook his head. “No you didn’t, but that’s okay. We’re both saying it now. I got an unexpected visit from Peg McKinnon, she handed my ass to me over the way I treated you. I was hurting so bad and she made me realized how much I missed you and wanted you back.”
“She’s a smart woman.”
“She sure is. So, she cooked me a lumberjack breakfast and I took a shower. Put on your favorite aftershave and drove to the florist over on Federal Street. When I showed up at the school, everyone was in a panic because you and Gemma hadn’t shown up yet.” Dec sucked in a shaky breath. “God, Rem, I’ve never been so scared in my entire life.”
Rem squeezed his hand. “Am I gonna be okay?”
“You are. It was touch and go for a while yesterday. The doctors put you in a medically induced coma because your brain was swelling. He said you’ll make a full recovery although you may never get the memories back from the accident itself, which is a blessing if you ask me.”
“Having you at my side and telling me that you love me is the blessing, Declan.”
XX
Rem felt like he’d been run over by a bus. Everything from his head to his toes ached. It must have been a pretty severe impact for him to be hurting like this. He had to agree with Declan that not having memories from the crash was for the best. “Does Gemma remember what happened?”
Dec nodded. “She told me she remembered that you were singing Katy Perry together.”
Rem snorted. “She listens to that damn Roar song all the time. Says it’s Blackie’s favorite song. Only a five-year-old could think a cat has a favorite song. It’s a catchy tune, kinda hard not to tap your feet or maybe sing along.”
“Don’t ever be ashamed of loving your daughter, Rem. I think this accident is going to end up changing a lot of things for the better, which is why I’m moving back in with you.”
It must have been the head injury, but Rem thought Declan said he was moving in. “What?”
“Well, unless you’ve got Deadpool’s healing powers, you’re going to be in the hospital for about a week. I thought it would be easier on Gemma if I stayed with her at your house, that way she and Blackie can get back to their regular routine.”
“No super healing powers here.” Rem shook his head. He and Dec had only been talking for a few minutes and he was feeling dog tired. “I think you staying with Gemma is a good idea. Since you stayed with us before, you know her schedule and how she can be a bit of a diva in the morning.”
“I’m glad we agree on that, Rem.”
“We agreed on a lot of things, you know.”
“I do know. Rem, I just…” Dec sighed. He got up from the bed and paced around the room. “I sat here for two days not knowing if I was going to lose you. It made me realize how petty and stupid I’d been before and how short life can be. All of the things we squabbled or fought over are just so small in comparison to living my life without you. I don’t care if you hog the blankets or get insecure from time to time.” Dec laughed. “I’ll just come to bed with an extra blanket and will do everything I possibly can to make you feel secure about our relationship. I love you, Rem and I don’t want to spend one more day without you.”
“Does that mean you’re staying with me when I get out of this place?”
“I would love nothing more that to move in permanently, but I will totally understand if you think that’s moving too fast.”
Rem considered what Dec was saying for about thirty seconds. “I want you to move in permanently. I want you in our lives full-time, Dec
lan. I thought a lot about what you’ve said too. I was wrong to treat you like you were some kind of employee helping me out with Gemma. You are the one who’s responsible for bring our family together.”
Dec shook his head. “No, Rem. That little girl loves you so much. She just needed some time to get used to the fact that her life would never be the same. In her shoes, I would have been a little crabapple too.”
“She may love me, but you were the balm that healed her soul and made her open to loving again. Are you responsible for her calling me Daddy too?”
“No, that was all her, Rem. I can’t tell you how many times over the last few days that kid has totally broken my heart.”
Rem narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Before you woke up, she asked if you were gonna die before she could call you Daddy.”
“Jesus Christ.” Rem felt tears building in his eyes. He wasn’t too proud to let them fall. “That poor kid.”
“I don’t mind telling you I was crying too after she said it. I told her that you could hear us talking while you were asleep and that if she wanted to start calling you Daddy, now would be a good time.”
“It’s the greatest gift ever, aside from having you back in my life.”
“No, babe, Gemma calling you Daddy is definitely the greatest gift. Having your daughter accept you as her father is extraordinary. I’m just some guy you like to kiss.”
Rem couldn’t help feeling humbled by Dec’s words. The old Declan would have never said anything like that. He never would have put another person before himself. Rem wasn’t going to say anything now, but Dec had all the makings of a good father too.” Rem yawned, caught off guard by how tired he was.
“Okay, Superman, time for your nap.”
“No arguments here. Are you gonna be here when I wake up?”
“You bet, babe. I love you.”
Rem grinned, already half asleep. “Love you more.”
23
Rem’s house had run like a finely oiled machine while he was in the hospital. Declan had created an iron-clad schedule for him and Gemma to follow and it had worked like clockwork. Dec knew from dealing with kids who had more serious issues than just a speech impediment that having a schedule did wonders for them.
It had certainly done wonders for Gemma. There had been no “diva” behavior from the five-year-old in the mornings when it was time to get up and go to school. She didn’t once throw a tantrum when it was time to leave Peg and Mitch’s house when Dec finished with work. Better still, there were no bedtime shenanigans with Gemma begging for one more drink of water or one more book.
During Dec’s spare minutes of time when he wasn’t visiting Rem in the hospital, working or taking care of Gemma, he’d somehow managed to whip the house into shape as well. He’d done mounds of laundry, scrubbed the toilets and found homes for Rem’s clutter. He wanted the house to be spotless when Rem came home from the hospital today.
During their last night of what he’d called “Gemmy and Dec time,” he and Gemma had made welcome home decorations for Rem. Blackie had even “helped” by spilling some blue paint and then walking through it. Her little cat prints were a perfect decoration on the banner.
The last order of business was for Declan to swing by the hospital to pick up the unwilling patient. Over the last two days, Rem had been itching to get out of the hospital and back home to his family. The only way Dec had managed to convince Rem not to check himself out of the hospital against medical advice was to tell him that his insurance wouldn’t pay for his care if he left before the doctors sprung him.
Only God knows why that worked, but it had. Rem had stayed the full week. On the one hand, Dec was so excited to be able to bring Rem home to sleep in his own bed. On the other hand, if Rem was as impatient and grumpy at home as he’d been the last few days in the hospital, Dec might just have to smother him with a pillow.
“Here we are!” Dec grinned brightly as he pushed the wheelchair into Rem’s hospital room with Gemma as his passenger.
“Christ, it’s about time!” Rem folded his arms over his chest. “Did you bring those stretch waist shorts I asked for?”
“Yes, Prince Remington. Everything you need is in my magic bag.” Since Rem’s leg was still in a cast, he couldn’t wear regular pants. He’d need to wear something with an elastic waist with legs that would fit over the cast. If he hadn’t found what Rem was asking for he would have had to take his irritable man home wrapped in a blanket, like a newborn. Dec could only hope Rem wouldn’t be as needy, especially in the middle of the night.
“Magic bag my ass,” Rem grumped.
“Don’t tempt me, Rem. Aren’t you going to say hello to your daughter?”
Rem’s hard look softened. “Hi, Gemmy. How was school today?”
Gemma climbed up on the hospital bed with Rem and immediately went for the bed controls. She liked to make the foot end of the bed come up as high as possible. Thankfully, Rem was sitting with both legs hanging over the side of the bed. “It was good. Nash read us Dragons Love Tacos, the sequel. I thought Tucker was gonna lose his mind when Nash showed us the book.”
Rem smiled. “Do those dragons still hate spicy salsa?”
“Yup they do! Are you excited to come home, Daddy? Dec and me have lots of surprises for you.”
“Surprises, huh? I hope no one messed with my stuff. I know just where everything is.”
Shit! That spelled trouble. “Here comes the doctor.” Thank Christ. The last thing he needed was for Rem to get bitchy while they were still in the hospital.
“Bon voyage, Rem.” Doctor Cassiday was all smiles. “Here are your discharge papers and we’ve already discussed the challenges and limitations you might face in the weeks to come. If you have any questions or concerns, call me anytime, but with any luck, I won’t have to see you again.”
“In other words, don’t let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya.” Dec burst out laughing.
“Funny, George Carlin.” Rem raised an eyebrow at Declan. “Let’s just get me home.” Rem hopped around on his good leg until he was able to seat himself in the wheelchair.”
“Looks like you’ve got your hands full and not in a good way,” Doctor Cassiday whispered to Dec on his way out the door.
Declan agreed, but wasn’t about to say that out loud. The last thing he needed on such a happy day was the eruption of Mount Saint Remington.
XX
The first thing Rem noticed when he hobbled through the front door of his house was that Declan had moved all of his stuff. The second thing he noticed was the “Welcome Home” banners and homemade cards. He felt a twinge of guilt at missing Gemma’s attempts to make his homecoming a happy one, but he was going to kill Dec for moving his shit to God only knew where.
“What do you think of the decorations, Daddy?”
“Very nice, Gemmy. Where did the cat prints come from on the banner?”
“Blackie walked through blue paint! There were blue kitty paws all over the kitchen!” Gemma hugged Rem’s good leg and ran off toward her bedroom yelling for the cat.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Declan! Blue paw prints all over the kitchen? What the hell are you? Five years old?” Rem could feel his blood start to boil while a headache built behind his eyes.
“Don’t make me break your other leg, Captain Crabapple. We used washable paint. The kitchen is fine. Do you want to call out for dinner? Or would you like a sandwich?”
“I’ve been eating shitty hospital food for a week. The last thing I want is a sandwich.”
Dec shook his head and seemed to be mumbling something under his breath. Rem saw him grab the take-out menu for Italiano’s before he started scrolling through the contacts on his phone for the number.
“Aren’t you going to ask what the hell I want?”
Dec set the phone down and sucked in a deep breath. “You want tortellini carbonara with an order of garlic knots. It’s the same damn thing you’ve ordered from there si
nce 2010!”
“Christ, lighten up. You don’t have to be so bitchy about it. Tell them to make the garlic knots extra garlicky.”
“I live to serve.” Dec gave him a mock bow and picked up the phone.
Christ, what the hell crawled up his ass and died? Rem shook his head and used his crutches to get to his usual spot at the dinner table. Declan had sorted all of the mail for him into neat little piles. One stack was bills, another magazines and the third junk mail. “Declan! Why the hell did you save all the junk mail? It’s called junk mail for a reason.”
Dec was carrying a stack of plates and silverware. He set them down on the table with a clatter and scooped up the entire pile of junk mail, dumping it into the trash.
“What the fuck, Dec? I was gonna read that.”
Dec looked furious. “Read the junk mail or don’t read the junk mail. For all I care, you can shove it up your ass! I’ve done everything possible to make this homecoming as easy on you as possible and all you’ve done since we walked in the door is complain.” Declan stalked out of the kitchen.
“Well, shit,” Rem said to an empty kitchen. He hadn’t meant to get so angry at Declan, but he felt like he wasn’t in control of anything. It was almost as if this wasn’t his house anymore.
Looking around the kitchen, he could see a chore chart hanging up on the fridge, not to mention that Declan had moved the drying rack that Rem always used for his wet dishes. Hell, even Blackie’s food and water bowls were in a different spot, granted a more convenient spot, but still. This was his house and it should be up to him where the damn cat’s food bowl was placed.
Hoisting himself out of his chair, Rem managed to seat his crutches under his arms and moved toward the trash can. He was balancing precariously on his good leg and rooting through the barrel when Declan came into the kitchen.
“Go sit. I’ll get the flyers out of the trash.”
Rem muttered a “thank you,” and managed to make it back to his place at the table.
“Here you go.” Declan set the pile of junk mail back where it had been when they’d gotten home. “I’m sorry I was so testy with you. It’s been a long week going back and forth between work, the McKinnon’s, the hospital and home.”
