Saving Grapes (Cable's Bend Book 1)

by Madeline Kirby

  He must have gotten the pressure just right, if Thom’s reaction was any indication. He started thrusting and grinding back against Ben with more abandon than Ben had previously seen from his quiet lover, sober anyway, then threw his head back against Ben’s shoulder and shuddered to a silent climax. Ben pulled him close, holding Thom’s legs together as he came, coating the back of Thom’s balls with his seed. He looked down to see it dripping down the front of Thom’s leg and groaned.

  “We made a mess,” Ben whispered, turning Thom to his back so he could kiss him properly, morning breath be damned. “I’ll be right back.”

  Ben was back in a couple of minutes with a warm damp cloth. Thom took the cloth from him and started to wipe himself off.

  “I would have done that.”

  “I know, but why don’t you go get us some coffee while I clean up?”

  “Brilliant!” Ben headed downstairs for coffee and found some donuts that were still edible. Putting everything on a tray, he headed back upstairs for the rare treat of breakfast in bed.

  * * *

  Ben was in the kitchen chopping onions while his father prepped a chicken for roasting and Thom tried not to get in the way. Jon had come over for lunch as he had started doing on Sundays, although given Ben and Thom’s limited cooking skills, he often wound up giving them a cooking lesson. He said he didn’t mind, and Thom knew Ben was enjoying spending time with his father. Thom’s cell phone rang, and he stepped into the mudroom to answer it, straining to hear over the sound of rain hitting the windows.

  “Thom,” Chuck’s voice crackled over the iffy connection. “Thom, it’s looking pretty bad… flooding to the north… storms… getting worse.”

  “You think it’s going to be like ninety-six?” Thom asked, repeating himself and raising his voice when he heard static on the line.

  “Maybe. It’s bad. You okay out there?”

  “We’re good. But do you want to send Lorraine and the girls out here to higher ground?”

  There was more static, then, “Yes – I’ll send… I’ve got to… in town with the emergency team.”

  “What happened in ninety-six?” Ben asked when Thom ended the call.

  “Major flooding in the Valley, especially to the north. I was just a kid, but I was big enough to fill sandbags and water bottles. There was a lot of damage. Lorraine and the kids are on their way here in case it floods in town.”

  “It won’t flood out here?” Jonathan asked.

  “Shouldn’t,” Thom shook his head. “Never has as far as I know.” They all looked at each other as their voices were drowned out by a deafening rumble of thunder. “We might lose power, though. There’s a couple of cots in the basement, if you’ll bring those up. Ben, you know where the linens are. Fill the bathtubs with water, just in case. And any bottles or jugs you find in the kitchen. I’m going out to the shed to get some lanterns and other supplies we might need.”

  Ben was upstairs pulling quilts and sheets from the linen closet when he heard the boom and felt the house shake. He dropped everything and ran downstairs, meeting his father in the kitchen.

  “What was that?!” Jonathan asked, his eyes wide.

  “I don’t know. Lightning strike maybe – where’s Thom?”

  “I don’t think he’s come back inside.”

  “Shit.” Ben ran outside and down the steps. “Thom! Thom!!”

  He ran to the shed, but the door was closed and Thom wasn’t inside. The smells of smoke and ozone were heavy in the air, confirming his suspicion of a lightning strike.

  “Ben!” He heard his father calling his name and ran towards the house, seeing Jonathan kneeling over Thom, lying on the grass behind the house where Ben hadn’t been able to see him as he ran past. The strike must have thrown him against the house. Ben’s stomach clenched at the smear of blood on the white paint. He ran to kneel at Thom’s side, checking for signs of life.

  “Don’t move him, son,” Jonathan said. “We don’t know if there’s any spinal damage. I’m calling 911 now.”

  Ben nodded, gripping Thom’s hand. He could see Thom breathing, and the bloodstain on the wall was small. He should probably check for any other damage, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Thom. The whole vineyard could burn down for all he cared, as long as Thom was safe.

  He heard his father on the phone, giving the address and telling the operator that the injured person was unconscious, possibly struck by lightning. He didn’t hear the rest of what was said as Jonathan moved towards the front of the house.

  “Ben,” he heard his father say a minute later, “Ben, I’m going out where the ambulance can see me, okay?”

  Ben nodded. He heard the crunch of tires, but no siren. It must be Lorraine, but he trusted Jonathan to take care of getting her parked out of the way and bringing her up to speed on what was going on. He heard several voices – his cousins – and Lorraine sending them all indoors. Then Lorraine was at his side.

  “Ben, honey. I can hear the ambulance coming. It’s going to be okay.”

  Ben just nodded again. He was afraid that if he tried to speak he’d just scream.

  “Jonathan and I will take care of things here. You go with Thom, okay?”

  Ben took a deep, shuddering breath. “Thanks, Aunt Lorraine.”

  Ben was forced to step away when the EMTs arrived and started checking Thom over. They put him in a neck brace, maneuvered him onto a back board, and loaded him into the ambulance. Ben could still smell smoke, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Thom. He heard more sirens, and saw a fire truck heading up the drive, but then he was climbing into the ambulance, his entire focus on Thom. If something was burning, the professionals would deal with it. His place was at Thom’s side.

  * * *

  Ben was prowling a circuit around the waiting area when Chuck arrived. He didn’t have his cell phone with him and he didn’t know Chuck’s number by heart, so Lorraine must have called him.

  “Uncle Chuck!” He called out, and Chuck grabbed him in a big bear hug.

  “How is he?” Chuck asked.

  “I don’t know. He’s in surgery. His leg is really messed up, but I don’t know what else. I think he hit his head. I haven’t had a report in a couple of hours.”

  “Have you had anything to eat?”

  “No, I left the house without my wallet or phone or anything.”

  “Okay, I’m going to go find us something to eat and some decent coffee. You sit down before you wear yourself out.”

  Ben sat in one of the chairs lined up against the wall. It was uncomfortable, and felt too small to hold him. He felt like he was about to explode out of his skin and the waiting was driving him crazy. Chuck came back about twenty minutes later with some sandwiches, bottled water, and huge cups of non-hospital coffee. He sat the food down on a small table next to Ben’s chair.

  “Any news?”

  Ben shook his head.

  “Okay,” Chuck picked up one of the coffee cups and sat down next to Ben, cradling it in his hands. “Now we wait.”

  “How do you stay so calm?” Ben eyed the sandwiches, trying to decide if he could keep one down.

  Chuck shrugged. “You don’t raise six kids without spending some time in the emergency room.”

  “I’ve never had to. I’ve never had anyone close to me get this hurt before.”

  “You’re doing okay,” Chuck patted him on the knee. “If it was Lorraine in there, I’d probably lose my shit.”

  “I guess she called you? Is that how you knew we were here?”

  “Yeah. It was on the scanner, too. Got over here as soon as I could.”

  “What about the emergency team? Don’t you need to be at the town hall or something?”

  “They’ll be okay without me. This is family. This is more important.”

  Ben leaned over to bump his shoulder against Chuck’s. “Thanks, Uncle Chuck.”

  He unwrapped a chicken salad sandwich and took a small bite. He still didn’t know what was going on wit
h Thom, but he could breathe better knowing Chuck had his back.

  * * *

  Ben must have dozed off. He jerked when he felt his uncle shake his arm, and looked up to see a middle-aged man in blue scrubs standing in the waiting room entrance.

  “Are you here for Thomas Caldwell?” He asked. He looked tired, but Ben didn’t think he looked like someone about to deliver bad news, and he allowed himself to hope.

  “Yes,” he choked. He cleared his throat and stood. “Yes, we are. How is he?”

  The doctor turned to Chuck and smiled. “Hey Chuck, haven’t seen you since your youngest fell out of that tree. I saw in the notes that you’re Mr. Caldwell’s emergency contact.” He turned back to Ben. “Are you family?”

  “He’s my nephew, and Thom’s partner.” Chuck told the doctor. Ben didn’t say anything. He wasn’t sure Thom was ready to call them partners yet, but Chuck was the one who said it, not Ben. And if it got him the information he wanted, he wouldn’t contradict his uncle.

  It seemed to satisfy the doctor, who nodded. “Okay, he’s in recovery. The surgery went well. He was very lucky there were no internal injuries or spinal cord trauma.”

  Ben’s knees gave way and he sank back down to the chair, exhaling a breath it seemed he’d been holding for hours.

  “What else?” Chuck asked.

  “There’s no evidence that he was struck by lightning. If there was a strike nearby, the shockwave may have thrown him against something, which accounts for his injuries.”

  “He hit the side of the house.” Ben said.

  “What kind of injuries?” Chuck asked.

  “He has a concussion, a broken collarbone, and his right hip was broken. It was a clean break, and we were able to stabilize the bone without having to do a full replacement. There were also some minor scratches, he needed a few stitches, and he’s going to have a hell of a shiner, but nothing more serious, and no internal injuries. It’s the concussion we’re most concerned about. We’ll need to keep him here for a few days, and we’ll need to have some conversations about recovery and physical therapy, but for now I suggest you both get some rest. You won’t be able to see him until tomorrow morning. Let’s go to the nurses’ station and I’ll make sure you’re both on the ICU visitor list.”

  After thanking the doctor again, and making sure the nurse had all the information she needed from them, Ben and Chuck headed out to the parking lot. It was dark out and Ben realized he must have been at the hospital all day.

  “What time is it?” he asked his uncle.

  Chuck looked at his watch, “Nine-thirty. Come on, I’ll take you home.”

  Ben climbed into his uncle’s truck. They drove without speaking for a few minutes before Ben decided he had to break the silence. He’d been putting it off, but now that he knew Thom was out of danger he needed to know.

  “What’s going on at the vineyard?”

  Chuck stared straight ahead, chewing his lower lip, and for a minute Ben though he might not answer.

  “I don’t know for sure,” he said. “But there was a fire.”

  “Was anyone hurt?”

  “No, but there was a lightning strike. It hit the north field. Even with all the rain, well, lightning is lightning. I haven’t seen it, but it sounds like there may have been a lot of damage.”

  Ben groaned. He wished he hadn’t asked.

  “There’s insurance, right?” Chuck asked.

  “Yeah, we made sure everything was covered to the max. It had to be, for the loan. It’s not the money, though. It’s the time, the work, Thom’s dreams… This will devastate him.”

  Neither man spoke again until they reached the house. They sat in the truck, looking at the white farm house. Ben wondered whether anyone had cleaned Thom’s blood off the wall. He didn’t want to see it. All the lights were on – his aunt and cousins must still be here. His father’s car was parked next to Thom’s truck. It was too dark to see anything beyond the house, but it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t be able to do anything about it, and it would still be there in the morning.

  “Let’s go in,” Chuck said at last. “My guess is Lorraine’s probably made chicken and dumplings – that’s her go-to when there’s trouble. Let her take care of you tonight, so you can take care of Thom, right?”

  Ben nodded. “You’re a good man, Uncle Chuck.”

  Chuck clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a little shake. “So are you, Ben. So are you.”

  Chapter 17

  Ben was already at the hospital, waiting, when visiting hours began the next morning. Because his name was on the list, he had no difficulty getting in, even though Thom was still under observation and had not regained consciousness. He pulled a chair up to the bedside and took Thom’s hand in both of his.

  He was sitting there, stroking the back of Thom’s hand, when Chuck arrived.

  “How’s he doing?” Chuck asked as he came in and stood on the other side of the bed, looking down at Thom’s bruised face.

  “I don’t know. He hasn’t woken up yet. The nurse said the doctor will be by on rounds soon.”

  “How are you doing, then?”

  “Scared as hell. And how am I going to tell him about the vineyard?”

  Ben had gone out to inspect the damage as soon as it was light out. He hadn’t slept well and had finally given up, taking a hot shower and reading about lightning damage online until the sun came up.

  A professional would have to come check it out for insurance purposes, but based on his research it looked as if the strike had hit just northwest of the center of the field, and the powerful charge of the lightning had vaporized all the water nearby, turning it to steam. Because it had been raining all week and everything was soaked, the result was that the vines in the immediate vicinity of the strike had basically exploded. Shockwaves had carried the damage out to surrounding plants. The current had traveled along the support wires and jumped, and despite the rain and waterlogged conditions, a fire had started.

  The emergency crew had not been able to do anything other than contain the fire – they couldn’t get closer without damaging the untouched vines near the house. The fire had burned itself out fairly quickly, but even so, about two-thirds of the north section was gone.

  “I called Steve last night.”

  “His grandfather?”

  “He managed to get on a flight this morning. I’m off to Portland to pick him up at the airport. We should make it back here before visiting hours are over.”

  “Will it be okay if I’m here?” Ben asked, not sure if he should be there when Thom’s elderly grandfather arrived.

  “You’d better be. That old man’ll be right pissed off if his boy wakes up all alone.”

  Ben nodded and turned all his attention back to Thom as Chuck left the room. He had to step away from the bed for a few minutes when a nurse came to check Thom’s vitals. She smiled at Ben as she left and told him the doctor would be by in just a few minutes.

  “Ah, good morning Mr. – uh – Loomis, right?”

  “Yes. Good morning, Doctor, um?” Ben stood, keeping hold of Thom’s hand.

  “Sterling. Chuck not here this morning?”

  “No, sir. He’s gone to the airport to pick up Thom’s grandfather.”

  The doctor moved to Thom’s bedside and took a look at the notes the nurse had made in the chart. Ben remained silent while the doctor completed his examination. When Dr. Sterling had finished making his own notes in the chart he turned to leave the room, motioning for Ben to come with him. “Let’s talk out here.”

  “How is he, Doctor?” Ben asked as they stepped into the hall.

  “Everything appears to be as we would expect. The surgery to repair his hip was straightforward and went smoothly. His collarbone is likely to be the most difficult and painful part of his recovery.”

  “Why isn’t he awake yet? Is he… is it a head injury?” Ben forced himself to ask.

  “He did hit his head – you can’t see it, but there was
a gash on the back of his head requiring four stitches. However, a CT scan showed no signs of intracranial swelling and his pupils react normally to light. Judging by the pattern of his injuries, I would say that his hip and shoulder absorbed most of the impact.”

  “So why isn’t he awake yet? Should we be worried?”

  “I wouldn’t worry at this point. His body has been through a severe physical trauma, and when he wakes up he’s going to be in a lot of pain. If he isn’t conscious by this time tomorrow, then we’ll take steps, but at this point rest is the best thing for him. I’ll be by again this evening.”

  Ben thanked the doctor and turned to go back into Thom’s room. There were a couple of orderlies tending to Thom, so he headed to the cafeteria to get a snack. He thought about calling Uncle Chuck to tell him what the doctor had said, but then remembered that he would be driving, so called the house instead, not sure if anyone would still be there.

  “Hello?” Ben recognized his father’s voice.

  “Hey, it’s Ben,” he answered.

  “Ben! Any news? How is Thom?”

  “Still unconscious, but the doctor says it’s nothing to worry about. Everything else looks pretty good. Chuck has driven up to Portland to pick up Thom’s grandfather at the airport.”

  “Yes, Lorraine told me. She and everyone but Mindy have headed home. It looks like the worst of the rain is over and the danger of flooding has passed.”

  “Why is Mindy still there?”

  Jon lowered his voice, “Lorraine says she’s the most responsible and volunteered her to stay and help out.”

  “Help out with what?”

  “So far she’s gotten both of the guest rooms ready, for her and me. We moved your stuff into the master. Right now she’s making a grocery list and a hardware list so I can go shopping while she finishes getting the house ready. She’s like a general, drill sergeant, and quartermaster all in one. I’m a little intimidated, actually.”