Saving Teddy

by Kaci Rose

  By the time I get back to my room, I’m really feeling it and sorer than I have been in a really long time. I should take a shower, but I’m already too sore to stand anymore, so I head right to my bed and collapse on it.

  No sooner do I close my eyes, when Mia walks in.

  “You really are a judgmental asshole.” She says, seething like I did something wrong.

  I don’t try to sit up. I just turn my head to face her.

  “Are you really going to deny that you were flirting with Jake out in the open in the middle of the lobby?” I ask.

  “No, I’m not.” She says, which is not the answer I was expecting.

  “Then, there’s nothing else to say.”

  “Ask me why I was flirting with Jake.” She grits out.

  “I don’t think it matters.” I close my eyes.

  “A few friends are taking him out to a bar tonight, and he wanted to know what to look for, if a girl was flirting with him. He’s a virgin, not that it’s any of your business, and he’s nervous. Maybe, talk to your friend, before assuming the worst of both of us.” With that, she stomps out.

  Christ, how did I not know that about Jake. Of course, she was helping him. It still doesn’t curb my anger at seeing her touch another guy.

  I close my eyes and concentrate on my breathing, until my muscles stop protesting. At some point, I must have fallen asleep, because I wake up, and I know I’m not alone in the room. I look around and find Mia on the couch. Turning my head to get a better look at her, a groan escapes me. Muscles I didn’t know I have hurt.

  “I wanted to make sure you were okay. As mad as I was at you, you didn’t look good,” she says. “But of course, you overdid it, didn’t you?” She says, her voice flat, and she’s shaking her head, as she leaves.

  I want to call after her to come back and just sit with me, even if she is mad, but I don’t have the energy to even call after her. I’m trying to figure out things between us again, when she comes back with a small tin in her hands.

  “Kaitlyn is busy with a new transfer, but she gave me this stuff to rub on you. It should hold you over, until she can get here. Where does it hurt?”

  “All over, but mostly my legs.”

  With gentle fingers, she removes my shoes and socks I hadn’t bothered to take off. Then, she rubs the cream on my legs and under my loose shorts. Her hands get close to my cock, and he wants attention. I can’t stop from getting hard, no matter how sore I am.

  I don’t think I’d have the energy to make love to her right now, but he doesn’t seem to care about that.

  “That’s not happening, until you stop overdoing it.” She says, in flat voice.

  “It’s a natural reaction to a sexy woman rubbing so close to him. Not just any sexy woman, but my sexy woman.” I try to flirt with her, but she gives me the forced smile that I hate. Then, she rubs the cream on my back and arms.

  She goes to wash her hands, and when she comes out, I hold a hand out to her.

  “Mia?”

  She looks at me, and then takes my hand and comes to sit on the edge of the bed.

  “I was an idiot, but I didn’t like you touching someone else. There has been this distance between us, and I just thought it was because you were into him. Someone who’s not broken. I’m sorry,” I tell her.

  I just need to know where we stand. I can fix this, if I know what I’m up against. It’s what I do, I fix things.

  “Even though you have apologized for walking off on me like that, I just can’t seem to get past it. One moment, I can feel so close to you, and then I’m shoved away the next. I of all people get it, if you don’t want to talk. I’ll be the first one to say you’ll talk, when you’re ready and not a moment before. But you can’t keep pushing me away, either.”

  I don’t get a chance to reply, because Kaitlyn walks in with Vince and my doctor in tow.

  “What did you do?” Vince asks.

  “I went for a jog.”

  “After the intense PT workout we had?” Vince asks.

  I don’t answer, because he already knows.

  “Where to?” He sighs.

  “The barn and back,” I tell him.

  He starts talking with my doctor, and my eyes search for Mia. She’s standing on the other side of the room by the door, looking upset. I don’t like that look on her face, especially if she’s worried about me.

  I just need to get out of this place, figure out my next steps, and it will all be better. Then, I can fix things with us and get that look off her face. Her life is in Knoxville, so I know that’s where my next chapter is going to be, but beyond that, I’m not sure.

  I sure as hell will figure it out, because losing her isn’t an option. That’s something I know I couldn’t come back from. In such a short amount of time, she has become my everything.

  “Well, it looks like you overdid it big time,” Vince says. “I’d say you set yourself back by at least three weeks.”

  “What? How? All I did was go for a jog, not even a run!”

  Three weeks! He has to be kidding. Working out is good for me. He said so himself. It’s not like I went and ran a marathon, even though it feels like that’s exactly what I did.

  “You had just had a hard workout from me. You needed water and rest. When was the last time you had some water? Then, you go for a jog, come in here, and pass out. Your muscles not only are overworked, but they’re locked up, and you’re dehydrated.”

  That’s when I notice Kaitlyn setting up an IV next to my bed.

  “What is that?”

  “The quickest way to hydrate you,” my doctor says. “You’re on bed rest, until further notice, and we need to get some fluids into you and get your muscles to relax, before we can even talk about letting you up for simple things, like using the restroom.” Then, he goes and messes with something on the back of the headboard that I never even knew was there.

  “What are you doing?” I ask.

  “Bed alarm. It will go off, if you try to get up. Follow the rules, so we don’t have to have someone in here babysitting you, and maybe, just maybe, we can get you back to where you were sooner rather than later,” he says.

  I’m under house arrest. More like bed arrest. All because I wanted a bit of exercise to clear my head.

  “I’ll be in tomorrow to check on you. We might be able to do a few things, while you’re in bed if you rest. But only if you take resting seriously.” Vince says, before leaving.

  Kaitlyn finishes with the IV and gets it set up how she wants it, and then adds a few things to her tablet, where she keeps all her notes. Finally, she turns to leave as well.

  Watching her go, is when I finally realize Mia is gone, too.

  I don’t remember the last time I felt so completely alone.

  Chapter 18

  Mia

  Tonight, is a girl’s night at Lexi’s, but Noah and Easton are crashing with us, before we eat to talk some Oakside stuff.

  I’ve been helping Lexi cook just to get my mind off Teddy. I know Lexi can tell something is wrong. She keeps giving me that look, but thankfully, she hasn’t asked. Before the night is through, she’ll want answers, but for now, she lets me be in my head.

  As everyone starts showing up, Noah and Easton begin getting the table ready, and then Jake joins them.

  Paisley is in the kitchen with me, and I know I need to speak to her. We haven’t talked, since the night Teddy walked out of here.

  She looks at me tentatively, and I sigh.

  “We’re good, Paisley, I promise. I was upset, and I wasn’t able to take it out on the person who deserved it. For that, I’m sorry.” I tell her.

  A huge smile comes across her face, and before I know it, she’s pulling me into a hug. A hug I needed more than I realized.

  “Take a look around. Everyone in this room has been there. We’ve helped these guys, and we’ve been yelled at, snapped at, and we’ve been the ones doing the yelling and snapping,” she says.

  “Honestly,
if you didn’t yell or snap at some point, we’d think something was wrong with you,” Lexi says, as the guys walk in.

  “I owe you an apology, too,” I say, turning to Easton.

  “No, ma’am. Like Paisley said, we expected it, and it’s already forgotten.”

  I step forward to hug him, but then stop. I know he’s still not a fan of people touching him. For a long time, he couldn’t even handle his doctors touching him.

  But seeing my hesitation, he opens his arms, and I give him a brief hug. Then thankfully, that’s the end of it, as Mandy, Brooke, and Kaitlyn show up.

  Brooke is the head nurse at Oakside and friends with Lexi. Kaitlyn was Easton’s nurse and is now Teddy’s nurse. Mandy is the charity coordinator. She sets up all the fundraisers and deals with the donations.

  “Okay, let’s eat and talk business. Then, we girls are having a girl’s night. Mia needs it, even if she doesn’t want to talk.” Lexi winks at me, and we all carry food to the table and sit down.

  Lexi’s table is made for entertaining. Even with all nine of us, we barely fill up half the table.

  The menu for tonight is Lexi’s fried chicken, biscuits, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob. She also made her own honey butter, which I helped with. It was easy mixing honey into soft butter, then letting it sit in the fridge. As I mixed, I was able to think, so preparing it was soothing.

  “So, as you all know, this last fundraiser was more than we expected. The barn and horses are taken care of, and the barn is good for a year. So, we need to decide where to focus next,” Mandy says.

  “I had a few ideas,” Lexi says. “I was reading about music therapy. But we’d have to use an outbuilding, so the noise didn’t bother the other patients. Also, what about doing a haunted house type thing here for Halloween to raise money?”

  “I don’t think doing it in Oakside would be a good idea,” Easton says.

  “Maybe, we could do something here or set up the gardens for a nighttime thing. Guys who want to help out can. It’s far enough away that the noise shouldn’t bother them, and we can keep the cars and crowds over by the barn and out of sight of most rooms,” Lexi says.

  “I like the garden idea,” I say. “You can set up temporary walls and do a lot with it.”

  “I think it could work”, Easton says. “I set up security, as to not allow people to wander to the main building. We’d have to bring in some guys, but we could make it work.”

  “I’m game to do a haunted house here too, if we can limit it to weekends. We can stay downstairs, where Mia is, giving us a place to escape, too,” Noah says.

  We talk a bit more about some fun ideas for the haunted gardens, before Mandy switches the topic.

  “So, at the fundraiser, Owen got a few guys to agree to be on call sponsors,” Mandy says.

  “What does that mean?” Kaitlyn asks.

  “Well, we have had several people who needed help, but their insurance didn’t cover some or all the cost. Even with our stripped-down cost and monthly payment plans, it was too much for them. Most were out of work, living on nothing, but their VA disability. So, these guys are on call, when we get someone like that, and they will sponsor their care,” Mandy says.

  “The more money we make, the more people we can help, so we don’t cycle between the sponsors too much,” Lexi adds.

  “Can we do a campaign around that? We have stuff set for the barn, so maybe take the time between now and Halloween to line up some fundraisers to talk about this?” I ask them.

  I’m thankful they included me in this talk, because I love Oakside and want to help in any way I can. It’s my hope to make this a yearly thing, coming out each summer. Ellie said she and Owen talked, and they will be doing the summer adventure thing each year, taking the girls somewhere new. So, the timing is perfect.

  “We could bring some of the guys in and give them the full tours and hands-on meeting with the men,” Mandy says.

  “Suggest it on their way to a weekend at Hilton Head, and you’ll probably hook them,” Brooke suggests.

  We talk and hash out some of the details for the sponsorships, as we finish up dinner.

  Right before dinner is over, Paisley speaks up. “I want to talk about something not charity related.” She says her eyes sparkling and a huge smile on her face.

  We all turn to her, and Easton reaches out to take her hand.

  “Well, you know Easton and I are getting married. We have been looking at places all over from here to Savannah, and there’s only one place that keeps coming to mind.”

  “Where?” Noah asks, taking another roll.

  “Here at Oakside. Just something small. Neither of us have big families, so we’d ask each person to donate to Oakside in lieu of gifts. Any of the guys and staff here, could come and have food and cake and dance and…”

  “Whoa, whoa. Calm down there, speed racer,” Jake laughs.

  “I think it would be a great idea,” Lexi chimes in. “Will you let us maybe use some of the photos on the website about your story? It would be amazing.”

  “Really, you’re okay with it?” Paisley asks in shock.

  Lexi looks at Noah, and they have another one of their silent conversations, before they both smile.

  “More than okay with it,” Noah says.

  We talk about wedding plans, as everyone finishes eating. Once dinner is done, the guys insist on doing the dishes, as us girls head out to the sun porch with some wine.

  “Okay, ladies, night rules,” Lexi says and holds up one finger. “One, no drinking and driving. There are guest bedrooms upstairs and downstairs and couches around the house, so crash anywhere, as you’re always welcome.”

  She holds up a second finger, “Two, we’re friends first. We’re not boss and employees, we’re friends, and we’re here as friends. Venting about work is okay, venting about patients is okay, and venting about guys is encouraged. We’re here to support each other,” she says.

  Then, she holds up a third finger, “Three, what’s talked about at ladies’ night stays at ladies’ night. This is a safe place, and what’s talked about in this room doesn’t leave this room. Got it?”

  We agree, and Kaitlyn is the first one to jump in. “My best friend back home is getting married. She wants me to be the Maid of Honor. Of course, I said yes, but that means I have to go home at Christmas for the wedding. I haven’t been home in over five years.”

  “Why not?” Lexi asks.

  “My stepmom and stepsister are horrible. My stepsister even told me she slept with the guy I was seeing, who had just left for deployment, which caused me to leave town early. I found out a year later that she lied.”

  “What happened to the guy?” I ask.

  “When I found out she lied, I was already dating someone else, and he and I haven’t talked since.”

  “Will you see him at the wedding?” Mandy asks.

  “I doubt it. He was military and is probably stationed elsewhere by now. It’s the ‘steps’ I don’t want to deal with.”

  “So, get a small cabin or room to stay in, so you have your space to escape to each night. Besides, you’ll be busy with wedding plans,” I say.

  “True,” Kaitlyn says, sipping her wine lost in thought.

  “My brother has a new girlfriend, and I want to like her, but I keep having flashbacks to his last girlfriend, and the way she treated me, and I can’t seem to open up to her,” Paisley says.

  I know a bit of her story. Apparently, her brother was in a weird place and let the woman treat Paisley like shit. She attacked Paisley, and then came after Easton here at Oakside. Lexi felt guilty, because she didn’t know who the woman was, and it was a big mess.

  Apparently, it’s also what made Easton accept the position, as lead security guy here. He has a few people under him, including Jake, another veteran that Paisley trained a dog for.

  “It will take time. If she knows anything about the last girl, she’ll understand.” Brooke says, and we all agree.

  T
hen, they look at me. I roll my eyes and finish my glass of wine.

  “I’m not sure what to say that you all don’t already know. He pushed himself so hard he set himself back. It’s like he’s on this path to get better physically, but he doesn’t think his mind needs to be healed, too. Ever since his blow up, when we were here last, I haven’t been able to get past it.” I shrug.

  “Easton didn’t get better, until we were apart, and he knew he had to move forward for us,” Paisley says.

  “Noah talked about it from day one, but our situation was much different. I was there with him from the beginning. We were friends first,” Lexi says.

  “In my experience, the guys need a reason to break through on the mental end of it. Because either they’ll lose something or gain something. They just don’t do it on their own.” Brooke says, and Kaitlyn agrees.

  “Well, Teddy might get his sooner than he thinks. I head home to Knoxville in a few weeks.” With those words, we all pour some more wine.

  The conversation gets lighter after that, but it still hangs in the air.

  Change is coming.

  Chapter 19

  Teddy

  My first day back at PT, since I overdid it and I could tell I set myself back. Things like the stair stepper were pretty easy for me last time, but now, it and some of the other machines are a struggle.

  I’m beating myself up, because I know how much further I could be right now, if I hadn’t pushed. That’s on me, and it just means I’m stuck here that much longer. I still don’t have a plan in place, so maybe, this is a blessing in disguise.

  I get a break to eat lunch. Several guys try to talk to me, while in line to get food, but I just nod and give one word answers, before I take my food to the back corner of the room; out of the way of most people. From here, I can look out of the window to the barn, or people watch the entire room. It’s one of my favorite spots.