“As for your shoulder, elbow, and hand,” he continued, “we’ve stabilized the whole arm so there is no movement. We’re keeping you here the rest of the night for observation and then in the morning, I believe your team’s doctors have arranged for you to fly to a hospital in California to have that arm looked at.”
“Doctor, what is wrong with my arm?” Tyler asked. His voice was rising, making the pain in his head pound even harder.
The doctor looked troubled. “Most of the lacerations to your hands are superficial. But there is one on your left hand that is quite deep. We inserted a few stitches and feel it should heal well and give you no problems. The two lacerations on your right hand are concerning. We did close them, but I believe that you will also be seeing a hand specialist in California.”
“What about the rest of the arm?” Tyler asked.
“Your right elbow, Mr. Hayward, has been broken in several places and will need surgery. Your right shoulder has also experienced major damage. I’m sorry.” The doctor proceeded to take a syringe out of his white coat pocket and insert it into a valve in his IV. “I’m giving you some medicine that should help you with your pain. Try to relax, and press the call button if you need anything. I’ll stop in one more time before you leave.”
Then the doctor left and Tyler was staring at the other four people in the room.
“Oh, Tyler, we were so afraid when the police told us you were in an accident.” His mother stepped forward next to the bed. “You’re going to be okay. We’ve all had a meeting with the team’s doctors and they have high hopes your arm will heal just fine. Once we’ve gotten you to the hospital in California, I’m sure the specialists will fix everything. It’s one of the best, and we’re all sure you’re going to be playing ball in no time.” Tyler could feel the drugs kicking in, but he still noticed his mom seemed to be reassuring herself just has much as she was reassuring him. Richard stepped forward, taking his attention away from his mother.
“Now that you’re awake, I’m going to leave. I’ll give you a few days to settle and then I’ll call you. Once we know more about the situation, I’ll fly out and we can talk.” Richard put his hand on the side railing. “Take care, Tyler.”
Tyler watched Richard leave and then slowly brought his eyes to rest on Vanessa. He could see she was hesitating in approaching him. As was her usual method, his mother stepped in and took charge.
“Tyler, Vanessa has been so worried about you. She even handled the reporters out in the lobby.”
Tyler watched a look of guilt cross the cold model’s face. He knew she had used the opportunity to get in front of the camera for her own gain, not out of any concern for him.
Tyler looked at his dad and said, “Dad, can you come over here?”
His dad immediately was at his bedside. Tyler put his free hand on his father’s shoulder and pulled. Tyler quietly spoke into his ear. “Dad, please get her out of here. I told her we were finished at the party. She doesn’t belong here.”
“Tyler, I know you’re in pain and the drugs are kicking in, but we have both let other people run our lives for far too long. I think you should thank her for coming and then I’ll escort her out and remind her you don’t want to see her anymore,” his dad advised. “I’ll also handle your mother on the matter.”
Glen gently kissed him on the cheek and straightened up. Tyler looked over at Vanessa and said, “Thank you for coming. As you can see, I’m all right. But you need to leave now. Like I said before, I’ll have your stuff packed up and sent to your apartment.”
Slowly, his eyes closed. He was getting so tired.
“Tyler, how could you be so rude?” Janice reprimanded him. Tyler’s eyes popped back open. “Vanessa has been nothing but supportive of you and this is how you treat her?”
Tyler’s father grabbed his wife’s arm and gave it a shake.
“Enough,” he said. “Tyler, we are going back to your apartment to rest for a couple of hours. We’ll be back before they check you out. Your mother and I will pack a few things for your trip west and make arrangements for the rest of the things you will need to be sent there.”
“Will you be going with me?” Tyler asked.
“Of course we will, dear.” That’s all Janice managed to say before her husband pulled her and the model from the room.
Then Tyler was alone, the drugs making him very relaxed and, thank goodness, taking the edge off the pain. So many things had happened in such a short amount of time. He wished he had someone special sitting by his bedside. Not to run his life, but to be by his side, living life together. He wondered if there was someone out there that would ever truly love him. Since he had made the biggest mistake of his life, when he had thrown Tony away, he wondered if that person even existed. The last thought he had before falling asleep was that now he was going to enter a battle alone.
Chapter Three
Graham Conner watched the guy wrapped in bandages sitting on the bench in front of the small, man-made pond. He had made sure he was at the park every day for the last two weeks, just to see the man come out here in the late afternoon and sit on that bench, enjoying the shenanigans of the ducks. From his own bench further back under a tree, he had a clear view of the pretty man.
Graham knew who the guy was. His face had been plastered all over those tabloid newspapers that were next to the checkout stations in grocery stores. Graham himself had read an article in one while he was waiting for his sister to get out of surgery a little over two weeks ago. It was an exclusive interview with some model that claimed she dumped Tyler Hayward because he was gay. According to her story, Tyler sustained career ending-injuries when, in his sorrow over their breakup, he had jumped into a cab, which was T-boned by a car that had run a red light.
In the article, she claimed to have waited the three months since the accident before telling her story, not wanting to impair Tyler’s recovery. She went on to describe how Tyler begged her to stay with him, that he would change just for her. She told the reporter, that with a heavy heart, she had to let him go. She made sure that the article included how she was now so very busy with the love of her life, MVP Craig Clausen.
Money-hungry people were nothing new to Graham and he saw all the signs in the model. He thought if it were true that Tyler had somehow been involved with her, it was a good thing he wasn’t anymore. Graham himself had been drawn to the handsome ballplayer from the first moment he had seen him coming out of the rehabilitation pool area at the hospital. Later that afternoon, Graham had been walking back to the hotel he was staying at and had caught a glimpse of Tyler in the park by the pond. Graham couldn’t stop himself from watching the attractive man with the sad aura.
Now Graham had decided it was time to approach the pretty man. His sister was almost ready to return to training full time for the Olympics and he was ready to head back home to Texas.
Graham walked over to the bench and sat down. “Do you mind if I sit?”
Big blue eyes looked up at him from under shaggy, light-brown hair. Graham wondered if his hair had even been cut since the accident that encased Tyler’s arm in a sling, with a belt strap that held his shoulder close to his body. Up close, Graham could see a deep, angry scar slashed across Tyler’s cheek under his right eye. To Graham, that didn’t take away how pretty Tyler was. Graham had heard the phrase pretty in a masculine way before, but never knew what that meant until just now, looking at Tyler Hayward.
A deep, gravelly voice ripped Tyler’s attention away from his favorite white duck with huge black splotches on it. Next to him sat a real cowboy, with worn cowboy boots, blue jeans, and a plaid, long-sleeve shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to reveal tan forearms with ropey muscles, covered in a pelt of dark hair that looked so soft, Tyler wanted to run his hands over them.
Tyler dragged his eyes away from those arms only to be caught up in how wide the man’s shoulders were. Knowing he was making a fool out of himself, Tyler couldn’t stop himself from enjoying the thick, muscl
ed neck, with a tuft of brown hair sticking out the top opening of his shirt. Lifting his eyes higher, he took in the chiseled, square jaw, full lips, and straight nose. Then he was completely caught in the warm gaze of startling green eyes with brown flecks in them.
Tyler had always been pretty good at reading people and in those eyes, he saw pleasure and possession, and then they started sparkling with humor. The humor brought Tyler back to the present.
“What did you say?” he asked.
“I wondered if it was all right to sit here next to you,” answered Mr. Green Eyes.
“Oh sure, no problem.” Tyler was completely flustered. That of course didn’t stop him from admiring the shiny, short, dark brown hair that framed the handsome, tanned face. Tyler had never been drawn to another person this strongly before, not even Tony.
It wasn’t until he felt a muscled leg pressed against his knee, that Tyler realized that he had been gravitating toward the handsome man. Embarrassed, he slid back quickly, trying to put some space between them. Of course, with his arm incased in elastic wrap and strapped to his body, he lost his balance and started tipping toward the ground. Long, muscled arms wrapped around Tyler and pulled him close. Tyler found his face pressed tightly into the crook of the stranger’s strong neck.
Tyler was in heaven, enveloped in those warm, secure arms and surrounded by a fresh masculine smell. For one moment, Tyler didn’t feel so alone anymore. But, he grimly reminded himself, this was a stranger. Lifting his head, he used his free hand against the man’s rock-hard chest to push himself away.
“I’m sorry. Thank you.” Tyler shook his head, trying to clear it. He was starting to wish the ground would open up and swallow him. He couldn’t believe what a dork he was being.
“Hey, it’s okay. Anyone would be a little unbalanced if their arm was all wrapped up like yours is.” A strong, tanned hand engulfed Tyler’s face, tipping it so their eyes met. Tyler had never seen such pretty eyes before and he found himself again becoming lost in them.
Blinking rapidly, Tyler jerked upright after catching himself leaning toward the handsome cowboy. Just a few more inches and they would have been kissing. Tyler wanted that kiss so much, but he wasn’t risking getting his ass kicked if the man wasn’t on the same page.
“Maybe I should introduce myself. My name is Graham Conner and I’m from Texas. I’m here in Los Angeles, because my little sister was injured while training for the Olympics and needed surgery.” Graham Conner still had his large hand on Tyler’s face and his arm around Tyler’s good shoulder. Tyler didn’t want to move away and could feel himself becoming lost again, just gazing at the man.
“I think I might have seen you at the hospital when I was there for physical therapy. Does your sister wear her hair in a long braid down her back?” Tyler thought he sounded pretty good asking about Graham’s sister. Of course, he was lying through his teeth. He had first seen Graham at the hospital two weeks ago and had been drooling over the way the man’s jeans hugged his tight ass every chance he could get. He just hadn’t known how to approach the larger handsome man without getting broken in half or something.
“Yep, that would be Cindy. She had surgery on her elbow after falling during a gymnastic program.” Graham took his hand away from his face, much to Tyler’s disappointment.
“I’m Tyler Hayward.”
“I know, I recognized you,” Graham admitted. When Tyler stiffened, Graham put his hand back, cupping Tyler’s cheek. Gently, he ran his thumb over the angry red slash.
Tyler brought his hand up and tried to push Graham’s arm away. Unfortunately for Tyler, it wasn’t moving anywhere Graham didn’t want it to move.
“Don’t worry, you’re still pretty,” Graham tried to reassure him.
“You’re making it hard for me to think when you do that,” Tyler confessed. “What do you want from me?”
“How about having dinner? I’m staying at a hotel just a couple blocks from here and they have a pretty nice restaurant. Maybe we could get to know each other better.”
Tyler had heard Graham ask something about dinner with him and “each other better,” and then he started drowning in those gorgeous green eyes again and lost track of the whole conversation. He kept wondering what it would be like to lick all over that strong, muscled neck.
“Tyler, did you hear me?” Graham asked.
“Yeah, sure that would be fine.” Tyler sure hoped that was the right answer. Then when Graham smiled, revealing straight white teeth, Tyler was lost again.
Graham leaned forward and gave Tyler a quick kiss and then stood up, leaving Tyler feeling empty and cold. He wanted back in that man’s arms with every cell in his body. Graham looked down at Tyler and chuckled, making little lines bracket his full lips and crinkles form around his eyes, and Tyler couldn’t help but feel good again.
“Come on, Tyler. Let’s go get something to eat.” Graham helped Tyler stand and as they walked out of the park and down the sidewalk, Tyler was delighted when the cowboy kept his arm around him.
The further they walked, the closer they came to the hotel Tyler was staying at. When the hotel came into view, Tyler said, “This is my hotel. Did you know I was staying here?”
“No, I didn’t. I know the rehabilitation ward has rooms for their patents and just assumed you were staying there. My sister has one of those rooms,” Graham answered. “I’m on the third floor at the hotel, where are you?”
“I’m on the second.”
They ended up being seated at a table near the back corner. Tyler was happy, hoping they would be able to have a nice, quiet meal. He also hoped to find out more about the mesmerizing man who had guided him to his chair and helped him slide it closer to the table. Tyler watched as Graham took the chair next to him instead of across the table.
Now that Tyler was sitting at the table with a man who he was very attracted to, he started to have doubts. Part of him was afraid he was going to make a fool out of himself. Being right-handed and having to use his left to eat was a challenge that he hadn’t mastered very well yet. Then there was the whole other set of problems if someone recognized him.
“You’re thinking awful hard over there,” Graham interrupted Tyler’s thoughts. Tyler kept his head down, watching his finger trace a pattern in the tablecloth. A large, tanned hand came down on his finger, drawing his attention to it. Tyler couldn’t stop himself from taking in the heavy blue veins that he could see running just under the skin. It was becoming a real problem for him not to keep staring at every different part of this man that caught his attention.
Graham was becoming concerned about Tyler’s inability to concentrate on anything he said to him. He thought they could have a nice meal together and get to know one another. Instead, Tyler seemed to keep getting lost in his thoughts. Graham was starting to wonder if he was taking some powerful pain medication for his injuries and they were having an adverse effect.
Graham squeezed the hand under his, trying to get Tyler’s attention again. Big blue eyes filled with confusion and desire looked up at him.
“Tyler, are you taking medication for your arm?”
“Huh? Ah, yeah. After this afternoon’s therapy on my shoulder I needed to take some meds for the pain. I usually grab something to eat after, but today I just wanted to get down to the pond and think for a while.”
Now Graham understood what was going on. He needed to get some food and liquid into Tyler. He wondered who had taken care of the man until now.
“Are you hungry for anything in particular?” He noticed Tyler hadn’t looked at the menu in front of him. He was just kind of moving his finger under Graham’s hand, watching it flex as it moved. Graham pulled Tyler’s hand to his lips, trying to get him to look at him. Tyler’s eyes followed their tangled fingers until he was looking at Graham’s face. Graham tried one more time, deciding if he couldn’t get through to Tyler this time, he was taking him back to the hospital.
“Tyler, honey, what are you hungry for?”
“Okay, strips sound good.” Letting go of Tyler’s hand, he picked up the glass of ice water next to Tyler’s place setting and handed it to him. Graham knew rehydrating Tyler was very important right now.
The waitress came by and after Graham gave her their orders, he sat back and watched Tyler, with a slightly shaking hand, drink the whole glass of water down. Pouring more water into the glass for him, Graham watched as he drank the entire second glass down. By the time Tyler finished, he was actually looking a little more alert.
“Feeling better, honey?” Graham asked.
“A little. I can still tell that the meds are messing with my brain. My thoughts are really all over the place.” Tyler didn’t want to tell him he was worried how Graham would react if someone recognized him. He also didn’t want him to know that Tyler wanted to sit there and just stare at the way Graham’s Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed.
The waitress set a basket that contained a mixture of deep-fried finger foods down on the table between them. Tyler immediately picked up a mozzarella stick and dipped it into a container of marinara sauce and ate the whole thing in two bites. Soon another cheese stick disappeared along with an onion ring and a mushroom. Slowly Tyler was starting to feel like he was back in the present, instead of floating through the air. Although he still wanted to stare at the gorgeous man sitting at the table with him.
Before Tyler could ask Graham any questions or start a conversation, the waitress brought steaming plates of chicken strips and French fries. Tyler knew his mother would have something to say about the lack of vegetables and all of the deep-fried foods, but Tyler hadn’t been eating well and had lost a lot of weight. It also was becoming apparent that the meds he had been taking the last few months were becoming a problem.
Tyler's Transformation [The Men of the Crazy Angle Ranch 1] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Page 2
