by E. M. Leya
"Whoa, wait." Heath glanced back and forth between them. "Why don't you start at the beginning? Why are you going to see another doctor? I thought you were healing fine."
Randy rubbed his palm down his face and took a deep breath. "I am, for the most part, but there is one issue we hoped would fix itself over time, but it doesn't seem to be improving." Randy glanced at Tevon for support. He wasn't sure how to explain it. Deciding to keep it simple, he looked back at Heath and bit his lip. "Since the accident I have been unable to get hard."
Heath sucked in a breath. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"If I may, it's not something he wanted everyone to know." Tevon smiled at Randy. "It's a patient's right to have privacy."
"But I'm his brother." Heath turned to face Randy. "You should have said something."
"I didn't want the others to worry about me. Now that they have left…" He brushed his hands down his robe. "I am healing. My body is going to be as strong as it always was. I just can't get a hard-on."
Heath blinked several times. "But you can't live that way."
"I may have to." Randy dropped his gaze to the floor. He didn't like the idea any more than Heath did, but it was his reality. He had to face it was a possibility.
"That is why I came to speak to him. I have a human friend who is a urologist inland. He might have the technology and training to help Randy. I've made an appointment with him to see if anything can be done." Tevon leaned forward and handed Randy a piece of paper. "Do you feel strong enough to make it inland? He wants to meet with you this Wednesday."
Randy's chest tightened. He hadn't been out in the ocean since the accident. He wasn't worried about sharks, but wondered if he would be able to handle the long swim. "I... I don't know."
Heath cleared his throat. "We could have Sage try and meet us with a boat."
Randy frowned. He didn't want anyone to have to help him. He used to be one of the strongest in the clan. Surely, he could make the swim. "No. I want to swim it. I can swim in on Tuesday and stay with Everest or Sage for the night. That way I won't be exhausted when we see the doctor." He glanced at Tevon. "You're still going with me, right?"
Tevon swallowed hard and glanced over at the king before looking back at Randy. "I want to be with you, but I'm worried about leaving the clan without a doctor for so long. What if something happens and I'm not here."
"No. You will go with Randy. You know his case better than anyone does. It's only right you are there to speak to the other doctor. We will be fine without you for a couple days. Melan can handle minor issues that come up. I have also asked Sage to find a place for us to open an inland clinic. I'll have you swim inland with him soon and you both can look at a few places."
"Anywhere will be fine."
"You will do a walk through on each place and see for yourself if they will work. I trust you to know what we will need. If they aren't big enough, let me know and we will find something else," Heath said. "I have put a call out to other clans for doctors who might wish to join us. It's time you had help. You will have first choice on if you wish to work here or inland, of course."
Tevon nodded. "Thank you."
"Now back to you." Heath turned a sharp glare at Randy. "Is there anything else you need to tell me?"
Randy shook his head. "No. That's about it."
"So you can't get hard, what does that mean?" Heath stood and sat on the corner of his desk, closer to Randy.
"What do you mean what does it mean? Just what it sounds like. My cock won't get hard. I can't come."
"Have you tried…?" Heath fisted his hand and acted as if he was jerking off.
"Fuck, yes I've tried. More than once. I've done everything I can think of to get hard." Randy shook his head, shocked his brother was getting so personal.
"Have you had someone else try? Maybe going inland and finding a female to suck you off, it might —"
"Heath, stop. Someone else has tried. Nothing works." Randy gripped his cane as he watched Tevon blush and lower his head. He wondered if Tevon was ashamed of what they had done. He sighed. "Trust me, I've tried everything I can think of to get hard. If this doctor can't do anything, then I'm just going to have to live with the fact that I won't ever be able to have sex again." He thought about what he and Tevon did. That was considered sex, but what man would ever want him if he couldn't do anything but receive?
Heath sighed. "Does it hurt?"
"No. It's just not responding to any stimulation. Tevon warned me with the damage there might be issues. He prepared me this might happen."
"I still can't believe you didn't tell me." Heath glanced over at Tevon. "This doctor, he is the best?"
"In the area, yes. I think I know right where the issue is, but I can't be sure. I'm just not trained to deal with something like this. Without the tools I need… It's best he sees a specialist." Tevon fisted his hands in his lap. "If he is going to swim inland, I would like to suggest some men go with us in case he tires."
Randy grumbled.
Heath laughed. "Of course. I will join you. Along with Sage or Everest."
"I don't want everyone to know." Randy pushed up from his stool to stand.
"Easy, big guy. I won't tell anyone. All they have to know is you are going inland. No one has to know why. I suggest you tell Sage and Everest, though. I know if I found out later that you kept shit from me, I would be pissed." Heath gently kicked at Randy's cane.
"I can hear the teasing now." Randy shook his head.
"Hey, I didn't tease you." Heath frowned.
"You're not Everest." Randy moved around the desk and made his way toward Tevon. "I'll think about telling them, but right now, I want this to stay between the three of us. I don't want anyone else to know I can't get it up."
Tevon reached for Randy's arm. "No one is going to tell anyone. We just want you to get better."
"Exactly." Heath came to stand beside them.
"I thought you might want to try swimming for a bit today." Tevon still held his arm. "If we could find someone to go out with you, maybe you could just swim outside of the caves for a bit to build up your strength."
"Why can't you go with me?" Randy covered Tevon's hand with his own.
Tevon's eyes went wide. "I shouldn't leave. What if I'm needed while we are out?"
"Then I'll send men to find you. Go. You both could use a break. It will be good for you to get out in the ocean for a change." Heath grinned. "Do you need another with you or are you strong enough?"
"I'm good." Randy linked his fingers with Tevon, ignoring the way Heath raised his brow when he noticed them holding hands. "Come on. We can feed. It'll be fun."
Tevon glanced at the Heath. "We won't go far. I will hear a call should you need me."
"I'm not worried. I'd rather you take care of my brother. It's not as if we have emergencies all the time. If anyone needs you, they most likely can wait for your return." Heath stepped back. "Let me know when you do return so I know you are safe."
"Thanks, Heath." Randy grinned at Tevon. "You heard the king. Let's go."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Tevon glanced back toward the main cave. He hated being away if he was needed, but even more, he dreaded being alone with Randy. How was he supposed to keep his growing emotions in check by spending more time with him? His plan was to see him only for medical attention, not swimming and feeding in the ocean.
He replayed the conversation with the king over in his mind, hearing repeatedly Randy saying he'd tried everything he could think of to get hard. That only confirmed in Tevon's mind that what happened between them was nothing more than Randy attempting to find ways to make his body work.
He fisted his hands at his side, angry he was being so stupid and letting his emotions get the best of him. He took a deep breath. A few more days and they would see the urologist. Once that was over, there wouldn't be much reason for him to keep seeing Randy. He was nearly healed. Once they hopefully got his cock working again, they could part ways and mov
e on with their lives.
He dropped his robe on the rock and glanced over at Randy. "You sure you're up to this?"
"Yeah. We won't go far." Randy lifted his robe over his head. "I'll let you know if I get tired." He reached out and pulled Tevon to him, brushing his lips softly over his. "I've wanted to do this for a long time."
"Kiss me?"
Randy laughed. "No, going swimming in the ocean. Ever since we started swimming in the pool, I've wondered what it would be like to swim beside you out there."
Tevon found it hard to believe anyone, let alone the king's brother, would want to spend time with him, other than to try to find new ways to solve his medical issues. The soft kiss left him even more confused. He pulled away and looked over the water. "You should have someone stronger."
"I want to swim with you." Randy touched his arm. "Why do I feel like you're always trying to pull away from me? Put distance between us?"
Tevon sighed. He didn't want to discuss this now. "I'm just trying to make sure you're safe."
"Just for today, will you stop being my doctor and be my friend? Have some fun with me while we are out there?"
Tevon frowned. He didn't know how to be anything but a doctor. It was his life, everything he lived for. He swallowed hard and nodded. "I will try, but you must be careful. The ocean is different than the pool, a lot can go wrong."
"I know, Tev. I promise to behave. Just some fun swimming around. We aren't going to do anything serious." Randy gripped his shoulders. "Stop thinking as a doctor. This is as much for you to relax as it is for me to get stronger."
With a nod, Tevon stepped back. "Meet you in the water." He dove into the ocean, shifting once he submerged under the surface. Part of him wanted to take off alone, put distance between him and Randy. The more time they spent together, the harder it was to hide what he was feeling.
Randy's fin brushed over his, and Tevon turned, smiling at him as they slowly moved deeper into the ocean. It was strange to be in the water without a goal in mind. He was used to coming out to hunt, returning as soon as he got his fill.
They swam side by side for a few minutes, before Randy stopped. "This was where I was attacked."
Tevon frowned. "You shouldn't have come back here alone."
"I'm not alone. You're with me." Randy looked around almost nervously. "He came from that direction. He was on us before we had any warning."
Tevon didn't want to imagine what happened in the water that day. "We should go. It's not good for you to be here so soon."
"Stop it, Tev. I need you to be supportive. For once can you stop worrying about my safety and just be my friend instead of my doctor?"
Shocked by the comment, Tevon froze, floating in the water. Being a doctor was all he knew how to be. He'd never had a friend. Melan was the closest thing to a friend, but even he only came to work. The two never talked much of personal things. "I'm sorry."
Randy paused and swam back to him. "I didn't mean to yell at you. It's just that everyone is trying to take care of me. It's like they all think I'm going to do something to hurt myself again. It's not as if I let the shark attack me because I wanted it to. I made a choice to save those boys. I wasn't out fucking around. My brothers have all been hovering. Heath wouldn't even let me walk to the bookshelf the other day. I want to get better, but that's not going to happen with everyone babying me. Don't you see? I needed to swim out here, come back to the place it happened. I'm not as tough as I seem, Tev. I was scared to death when that shark was coming for me."
Tevon stared at him, shocked by the declaration. How stupid had he been? All this time, he worried about how Randy was healing physically, but he hadn't thought about the toll everything must have had on his mind. It was his nature to worry about his patients, but he really hadn't allowed Randy to talk about it. He was just as guilty as his brothers in trying to protect him. He bowed his head and nodded. "You're right. We have all been trying to keep you from doing too much. It's because we care, but I see now that we have all been trying to coddle you. You aren't helpless. I just worry you're going to hurt yourself again. Your injury was bad, Randy. The worst I've ever seen."
"I understand that, Tev, I really do. But coming out here to face the ghosts had to be done. I needed to know I go in the ocean and swim again. That wasn't the first shark I've faced, and it won't be the last. I can't freeze up next time because I'm scared I'll get bitten."
"Then I'm glad we came. I'm sorry I didn't think about that. I worry so much about you physically, that I forget there is more going on." Tevon reached for Randy's hand. "You okay?"
"Yeah, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. I expected to be more nervous, experience some kind of PTSD I guess, but there really isn't any. When I think about the shark coming at me, my chest gets a bit tight, but it's not fear, more shock, like I'm surprised it really happened. Sometimes, when I'm not struggling physically, it all seems like nothing more than a bad dream." Randy kept their hands linked as he started to swim. "I was worried I wouldn't want to come back out here."
"Why didn't you say something?" Tevon frowned.
"You worry about me enough. I didn't want to add to it." Randy stopped, brushing his fin against Tevon's. "You're a lot more fun when you aren't worrying about me. Those few times where I can get you just to hang out with me, forget you’re a doctor and just be you. I like those times."
"I do, too." Tevon admitted. "I'm not used to having friends. You're the first person besides Melan that I've really spent any good amount of time with. Slowly, I'm seeing you're right about me needing to get out more. I just can't seem to escape the fear that something will happen while I'm away and someone will die because I wasn't there to save them."
Their bodies pressed together as Randy wrapped his arms around Tevon. "Life is too short not to live, Tev. I'm glad Heath is getting you more help. It's not right for you to worry all the time. You need to live."
Randy was finally calling him by his name, it was a little thing, but it was a big one to Tevon, like he finally had an identity outside being the clan's doctor. "You're slowly teaching me." He tried to ignore the way his body reacted to the soft sweep of Randy's fin against his own. He wasn't going to lie to himself, he wanted more between them, but he wasn't going to be used for Randy to experiment with.
"Come on. We came to swim. Not float here like two fools. We can do that in the pool." Randy released his hand and took off, deeper into the water.
Tevon watched him for a moment, pleased to see there didn't seem to be any issue with his hip or swimming. They weren't going very fast, but at least he was able to swim normally.
"You coming?" Randy stopped and looked back at him with a huge smile.
Tevon grinned. "Just giving you a head start." He dove hard, swimming as fast as he could, passing by Randy with a laugh.
"Hey!" Randy called.
The water pressure changed as they raced deeper, Tevon was careful not to push too fast. There was no doubt that Randy's competitive side would force him to try and beat him. The last thing he wanted was to injure him more.
Tevon always loved the ocean. The whales talked in the distance and schools of small fish swarmed around them as they swam through the water. The ocean was an amazing place, and at times, Tevon pitied the humans for not being able to enjoy the freedom of swimming free through the incredible world.
They swam for almost an hour before Tevon gestured toward the caves. "We better head back."
Randy frowned. "I was just getting started."
Tevon tugged on his tailfin playfully. "We can go out again. I've enjoyed this. It's been a long time since I just swam."
Randy pulled him into his arms, rolling their bodies through the water as he kissed him softly. "It's good to see you relax."
Tevon didn't know what to think about the random kisses Randy seemed to give him. He wanted to hope it meant more, but he reminded himself yet again, Randy was probably only testing his body, trying to force some sign of arousal. He had to
admit that it was the most fun he'd had in years, and he did feel relaxed. He'd forgotten about being a doctor while out with Randy, leaving the stress and confines of the cave behind while they shared the afternoon together. "I feel good."
"I agree." Randy rubbed their bodies together.
With a roll of his eyes, Tevon pulled away, afraid if they stayed close, he wouldn't be able to control his body's reaction to Randy. "Let's get you home and see how you feel once you're back on your feet."
"I feel fantastic." Randy glided through the water by his side, still holding his hand.
He might feel fantastic now, but once back on land things would be different. "You swim well. I didn't see any sign of your injury when we were racing."
"I'm still not sure I'll go back to training full-time."
"Give yourself time to heal. It's still early."
Randy shrugged. "Time will tell." He kicked his fin as he took off in the opposite direction of the caves. "I'm not ready to go back yet."
"Randy!" Tevon took off after him, laughing as they started to race again.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Nearly two hours later Randy walked beside Tevon as they headed back to his chamber. They'd spent most the time in the ocean, floating and playing with the dolphin. Randy hurt, but tried to hide his limp from Tevon as they moved through the cave.
"You okay?" Tevon touched his arm softly as they turned into Randy's chamber.
"Yeah, I will be. I'm just not used to doing so much. Thought I was stronger than I am. I need to start working out more, build up my muscles again."
"As long as you do it slowly. Until we know for sure what is going on with you, it's wise to not strain your hips too much."
"I'm sore. I won't lie to you about that." Randy sat down on his bed gently. "My leg muscles ache like I've ran a huge race."
"Would you like me to rub the muscle for you?" Tevon stood in front of Randy and nodded to his legs.
Randy nodded and lay back on his bed. "I'd like that, if you don't mind."
