Page 3 of Finding Solace
"Sorry," he turns his back to me, "I can help. I mean as long as you can keep your dick from slapping me in the face, I can help you get your clothes on." he puts his hands in his pockets and rocks back on the heels of hisfeet.
I know Quinn wants to help, but this is different, I'm a grown ass man. A few more attempts and I manage to get them the rest of the way then slip my shoes onto my feet. "I don’t mean to be such a dick. I'm trying to do this on my own. Except for these shoes," I point down my feet, "I can't tie the fuckers with onehand."
He walks over and kneels, "No judgment from me, Reid. If you ever need help, you ask. It goes no further than us. I won't say shit to noone."
"Thanks. Give me a minute to slide my ass into this wheelchair, and we cango."
A few minutes later I've got my shit pack and I’m rolling out the door with a nurse accompanying me down to the waiting truck that Quinn just parked. That's when I realize there is no way I'm going to be able to lift myself up into the cab of thetruck.
"I'm going to have to lift you into the truck, brother. You good with that," Quinnasks.
Time to suck it up as my old man would tell me. Suddenly, the full picture of just how hard it will be during my recovery hits me, "Do what you got to do, man. It looks like I'll be finding other means of transportation for a while. Something that sits low enough that I can get in and out of on my own." I tell him. Once I position my chair as close as I can get it to the opening of the truck door, I let Quinn lift me into the cab. He doesn't say a word, which I'mgrateful.
Sighing, I reach across myself and buckle my seat belt. I guess I'll be keeping that arrangement for home care afterall.
* * *
We finally pullup to my home. It's an old, historical two-story firehouse I converted into a two-bedroom loft apartment a few years ago. Quinn stuck around long enough to help make sure the guys that delivered the medical equipment got everything set up. Now that the repairman has the lift working, I wheel myself onto it and push the button taking myself to the upstairs floor to inspecteverything.
"Hey, man, if you have it from here I'm gonna get going. Logan needs me to close up the shop later, and I need to finish the oil change and tune-up on a bike before morning," Quinn says as he comes walking from the kitchen area with a sandwich in hishand.
"Yeah, I got it from here," I tell him as I make my way out of the elevator. It’s a little creaky as the gears kick in, but not bad considering they are part of the originalsystem.
On the ride home I gave in and called InCare to discuss my options and what I would require along the way for recovery. They suggested the best route to go would be 24-hr assistance, which means whoever they send would need a room to stay in for at least the next four weeks until I get this damn cast off myarm.
The last time I shared space with someone was with my brother when we were kids. I also have problems trusting people and even bigger issues trusting a woman. I just prefer being on my own. Having things precisely the way I like them… things done myway.
Quinn takes a bite from the sandwich he's holding in his hand and immediately turns, spitting it into the in the kitchen sink. "What the fuck, man? This tastes likeass."
"Yeah, I bet it does. That shit’s been in there for a month now. Your ass should have checked it first, shithead," I laugh at him. I watch as he walks over to the trash can and chunks the rotten foodinside.
"You need some groceries, man. Why don’t you call Bella and have her load you up?" Hesays.
"I'll deal with it," I tellhim.
"Alright. Call me if you need anything, brother, and let me know how things go in the morning. Seriously, I'm glad you decided to give the home care a try for the next fewweeks."
"Yeah, well, I'm not promising anything. I'll see how it goes. I'll see ya tomorrow, Quinn," I tell him as he waves and walks out thedoor.
Not having someone push me around is refreshing and it is much easier to maneuver around my place. The layout of my upstairs is an open concept. On one side is my kitchen and dining room area. The other side is a relatively large living room complete with the original wood burningfireplace.
I make my way towards the back, down the hall. At first, all this space was once separated into smaller-sized rooms, big enough to fit bunk beds into. I made sure to preserve as much of the original brick that I could throughout the remodel process. Keeping the industrial look and feel of the firehouse was important to me. I had the walls torn down and turned two of those bedrooms into a spare bedroom and the others at the very end of the hall became my master. It's not oversized or extravagant, but it's enough forme.
I wheel over to my king size bed. The trapeze lift I ordered to help myself get in and out of bed looks to have been installed correctly. I wouldn't have bothered with it but with the use of just one arm I felt it would come in handy. Turning, I head to the bathroom and find they've done an excellent job installing the extra handrails in my walk-in shower. It already has a built-in bench that I hope to have no problems getting myself on and offof.
Going back to the kitchen I rummage through the cabinets only to find a couple of boxes of macaroni and cheese, then I pull a pot out of the bottom cabinet, and fill it with water before setting it on the stovetop to boil. I'm not the best of cooks. I usually get something to eat in the clubhouse or order takeout from somewhere. Once I have my dinner fixed, I decided to take it downstairs to my office. The lower level hasn't been finished yet. The only renovations I've done are put up some walls to give me an office space. The rest of the area I'm not sure what I want to do with ityet.
Opening the door, I flip the light switch. If I had to describe my office, I would say it looks like something out of the TV showCSI. Several flat screen computer monitors cover the entire wall in front of me, and my desk which has two desktop computers sitting on top. Yes, I'm a computer geek… always have been. Sure, I love the club, my bike, my brothers and doing construction jobs on the side, but this is my obsession. Ever since I can remember besides wanting to be a club member is being fascinated with technology and criminology. If it's been written, I've read it when it comes to those two subjects. I don't hold a degree in any of it, but my skills have helped the club in more ways than one. Hell, even local law enforcement calls me on occasions to help. On a freelance basis that is. Let's just say my skills have helped make me money over theyears.
After spending a few hours down here, I turn everything off and head upstairs to bed. My first night alone, with no one coming in to bother me. Getting myself ready was relatively easy and pulling myself from the chair to the bed was not so bad either. As I settle in for the night, I try to get myself into the right frame of mind and ready for the following days tocome.
CHAPTER TWO
Mila
Good morning Mila," Brittany, a fellow nurse, greets me as she walks up to the nurse'sstation.
"Morning Brit," I respond with a smile while placing my purse on the counter. Looking at the clock on the wall, I notice I have ten minutes before my shift starts. "I'm going to run down to the cafeteria for some coffee. You want me to bring you backanything?"
