Page 19 of The Road Home
"It will though, right?"
"Yeah, it will. Just take the pills, and this time, take them all. I'll check it again next weekend. That is if you still want to help out around here and I didn't scare you off today."
"All I've done is mow the lawn."
"Figured we'd start slow." Jared smiled. "I actually could use your help in the shop for a minute. I just need to turn something around and it's too big to move alone. I can show you what I do in there and see how interested you are in helping me there too. Then next weekend, we can work together on the flowerbeds and get them weeded. I'm hoping we won't have to mow weekly, but this time of the year it's a high possibility we'll have to."
"That's okay. If you're paying me, I want to keep busy." Orson finished off his tea.
"Want another glass?" Jared asked, glad to see Orson seemed more comfortable.
"Nah, I'm good. Thanks though."
"Come help me in the shop, then when we're finished, you can shower and get your laundry done. I'll make us a late lunch while you do that." Jared stood.
"You don't have to keep feeding me. I didn't come here for that."
"I know, but I'm hungry. If I'm going to eat, you might as well join me." Jared didn't want to seem pushy, but he really wanted to make sure that Orson had a good meal while he could. He was way too thin.
As they walked into the shop, he watched Orson closely, wanting to see his reaction to his work. He was prouder of his woodwork than he was about being a doctor. If he could make a living off what he made, he'd quit being a doctor in a second. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy his career, but he loved working with wood, and it was the only time he was truly happy.
Orson stopped as they entered the shop. It was nothing more than a second garage that he'd converted into space to work. It was a two-car garage, giving him plenty of space to do his jobs and store things. One side was where he kept things he'd finished and was trying to sell, the other side was where he worked and kept his tools and all the fun toys he needed.
"Wow, you made these?" Orson walked over to where he had a table and chairs sitting. He ran his hand over the top of it. "This is amazing."
"Thanks. I've always enjoyed doing this kind of stuff. I used to make things when I was a kid. I started small, making step stools or stuff like that. Then people asked if I could make them things. I liked the challenge." Jared was proud of the work he did.
"I can see why people would ask you to build things. You do amazing work. I can't even imagine how you do this, how you piece it all together."
Jared came to stand beside him. "I'd be happy to teach you. It's really not that hard once you know how." The thought of having someone to work with was actually exciting. He'd always enjoyed the time alone, but there was something about Orson that made him long for company — his company.
It was odd how he hardly knew Orson, yet there was some kind of connection with him. He didn't feel out of place around him, like he had to be more than he was. Around most of his friends he was always trying to live up to an image, be it one created in his own mind or one that he assumed they created about him. With Orson, he was able to just be himself without any expectations. It was like for once someone wasn't going to judge him for being flawed.
He wasn't sure where that feeling was coming from. He didn't know him well enough to know all this for sure, but it was how it felt around him. Orson didn't have his guard up, wasn't careful what he did or said around him.
"Maybe. It looks hard." Orson moved to a small stool that was one of Jared's more popular items. "I had a stool kind of like this when I was little to reach the bathroom sink. It wasn't this cool though." Orson traced the engraved elephant on the top of the stool.
"I sell a lot of those for just that reason. Kids love them. I do custom engravings on them for people. Sometimes it's a name, others it's animals or trains and stuff. They are really easy to do." Jared moved around the table and lifted a large tarp. "I tend to make a lot of these because they are quick." He nodded to a stack of stools he had finished.
"Oh wow." Orson came around, kneeling to look at some of them.
"I can usually do one a night. When I have had a bad shift at the hospital, I'll come home and start one. It helps me to relax and let go of the stress from work."
Orson looked up at him. "You must have to deal with a lot of bad things."
Jared shrugged. "It's part of being a doctor."
"Yeah, but it doesn't make it easier. You're still human."
"Sometimes it doesn't feel like I'm supposed to be." He sighed as he set the tarp back in place and moved across the shop. "Anyway, this is what I need help moving." He needed to change the subject. He wasn't comfortable talking about his emotions, and the things he had to deal with as a doctor triggered a lot of them. Even though he tried not to get attached to his patients, he still was affected by the things he'd see come into the emergency room.
"Oh, this is cool." Orson was at his side beside the large hutch.
"It's a wedding gift for my friend Richard and his boyfriend, Tyler. I've been working on it for almost a month now."
"You have gay friends?" Orson slapped his hand over his mouth. "Sorry, that was rude."
Jared blinked. "Why wouldn't I?"
