Touch Me Gently (16 page)

A change came about a week after the teen was hospitalized: his hand twitched, the one Logan held. Logan looked at him in hope and eagerness, pleading for Kaden to wake up. Logan watched as Kaden’s eyelids slowly lifted, revealing dull violet orbs. “L-Logan,” Kaden whispered, bewildered and confused.

“Kaden. Oh, thank God!” Logan surged out of his seat, leaning over to hug Kaden carefully and press a gentle kiss to the teen’s lips.

“Where am I?” Kaden asked, still unsure as to what had really happened.

“Livingston Memorial Hospital. You were admitted due to massive blood loss and injuries. You don’t remember?”

Kaden searched his mind for what had happened. It took a minute, but then his eyes widened in remembrance, and tears welled up “He… he was going to….”

“Shh. It’s all right. He didn’t get the chance. He’s rotting in jail right now. And I swear on everything I am that he will never touch you again.” Logan tenderly caressed Kaden’s cheek, a small encouraging smile curving his lips.

The doctor came in then and realized Kaden had awakened. He spent some time doing tests and asking Kaden questions. He informed him about his injuries and the surgery, as well as the fact that he might not be able to walk again. The kind doctor also gently suggested that Kaden might think about possibly speaking with a psychiatrist regarding his previous abuse and the current situation. Kaden sat there in stunned silence, staring at the doctor as though he’d suddenly grown another head. His eyes moved to Logan, and the pain he saw in the emerald orbs he adored. Once the doctor left, Logan returned to his side, holding his hand again. “Don’t you dare get upset, Kaden. You’ll walk again, and no matter what happens, I love you, and that will never change. Do you hear me?”

He’d seen the shift in the teenager’s features as the doctor spoke, and knew the thoughts going through Kaden’s mind. That he was going to be a burden on them, but he would never let Kaden leave him. “I won’t let you go, no matter what. I have faith in you. You will be able to walk,” Logan said fiercely.

Kaden gave him a strained look, turned his head away, and began to cry. Why did God do this to him? Why wasn’t he ever allowed to be happy? He felt the big cowboy slide onto the bed beside him, gingerly moving him into his arms and holding him. “I love you, Kaden. That’s all that matters. Hush, now. Get some sleep, and we’ll take it one day at a time, baby.” His tears slowly subsided, and he drifted back to sleep, exhausted from the emotional upheaval and the worry that plagued him.

The first to wake, Kaden lay there, resting close to Logan’s large, warm body, and stared up at the ceiling. The doctor had said he’d be back by this morning to check for any sensation in his legs, and to make sure that everything seemed to be healing all right with his back and shoulder. His eyes flooded again, and he stifled a sob as tears trickled over one by one. Silently, they treaded their way down his cheeks, dripping into his hair and soaking into the pillow. He turned his head to look at Logan through blurry eyes. His handsome face had slackened in sleep, his lips parted, and his long black lashes rested against his cheeks. Kaden couldn’t believe that such a beautiful man would really want someone like him, with his scars and now possibly paralyzed.

He started in surprise when Logan’s sleep-coarse voice issued from his lips. “Stop thinking what you’re thinking, little one. You aren’t going anywhere, no matter what the outcome.” Those green eyes slowly opened, still glazed slightly from sleep, but Kaden’s breath hitched in his throat when he saw the depth of love and affection shining out at him. Logan smiled sleepily and lifted his hand to cup Kaden’s cheek, running a thumb over it. “You don’t understand at all, do you? I love you, and no matter if you lose an arm, a leg, grow a second head, or whatever, that will never change.”

“But—” the teenager went to protest, but Logan stopped him with his lips, crushing Kaden’s beneath his. Logan’s slick, wet tongue flowed along Kaden’s bottom lip.

“I love you.” Logan kissed him again. “I love you.” And he kissed him again. “I… love… you.”

Kaden couldn’t resist smiling between kisses, wrapping his arms around Logan’s neck. The sound of a voice clearing in the doorway brought their avid attention away from each other. Kaden blushed hiding his face in Logan’s chest, but Logan merely grinned and greeted the doctor. The man moved closer to the bed. “Good morning, Kaden. How are we feeling today? Any pain?”

“No,” the teenager muttered, warily watching the doctor approach.

“Good. Now, Mr. Michaels, if you would be so kind as to give me some space, I need to do a few small tests.” The doctor hinted at Logan to move off the bed, and Kaden watched him with wide eyes. Logan moved to stand nearby, watching intently.

The doctor pulled the sheet back, revealing Kaden’s legs, and he touched his right leg. “Do you feel that?”

Kaden shook his head in the negative. The doctor moved to his feet, trying to tickle Kaden and intently watched for a response. “And that?” Another shake of the head answered his question. The doctor made a few notes on his board before picking up Kaden’s right leg and resting his foot on his shoulder near his ear. He ran his fingers along Kaden’s leg and up to his thigh. “Anything there?”

A sad look entered Kaden’s eyes as he shook his head no. The doctor did several other tests before he finished and placed Kaden’s leg back on the bed, covering him with the sheet. “How’s it look, Doc?” Logan asked, immediately stepping back to the side of the bed to pick up Kaden’s hand.

“Well, the good news is that, even though Kaden did not feel anything personally, his skin twitched several times. That’s a very good sign. If his legs were entirely paralyzed, there would be no response in any form. Now, we’ll have to get you started on physical therapy once those wounds heal and see where it goes from there. Don’t lose hope, Kaden. If you lose hope, it will impede your recovery and the possibility that you may be able to walk again.” The doctor patted Kaden’s ankle before exiting the room.

Logan felt relief at the doctor’s words, and reached out to grab the chair nearby to pull it closer. He settled his long frame in it, never releasing Kaden’s hand. Kaden lay there without speaking, and struggled to move his toes. They did not respond in any way to his attempt to move them. A nurse came in a short time later to bring him his breakfast which Logan forced him to eat most of. The big cowboy made it hard to be depressed. Talking to him, constantly telling him that he loved him, and more.

Three days after Kaden woke up, Logan had to return to the ranch. “As soon as roundup is finished, I will be back. Shea will be staying here with you during the days. And I’ll call you every night. Don’t go giving the nurses a hard time about eating, Kaden.” The big man gave him a stern look, to which Kaden smirked slightly because he knew it didn’t contain any real anger. “They’ve had express instructions to call me if you do, and I’ll be back up before you can spit to make sure you do.”

“Yes, sir!” Kaden saluted him, having a hard time keeping the smile from his lips.

Logan laughed, leaning down to kiss him again. “Don’t ever forget that I love you, Kaden. No matter what. Do you hear me? Please do your best to get well. I want to take you home soon. Promise me?”

The emerald eyes hovering above his were concerned, affectionate, and pleading. Home. That word echoed in his mind once Logan had left with his promise to try his hardest to stay positive. The cowboy considered him part of their family, and he kept trying to remind himself that if the situations were reversed, he would still feel the same about Logan.

A sound
brought his head around, and he saw a little girl standing in the doorway of his room. Adorable, she had big blue eyes, bright red curls, and wore a hospital gown while clutching a ragged teddy bear. “Hi,” she said solemnly, staying close to the doorway.

“Hi,” Kaden responded, curious as to where the little girl had come from.

“Are you sick?” she asked.

That brought him up short. What did he tell her? He supposed the truth never hurt. So with a deep breath, he said, “I guess you could say that. I was hurt very badly, and my legs aren’t working right now.”

The girl edged into the room a little farther, still clutching the teddy bear. “I’m sick.”

“I’m very sorry to hear that. What’s wrong?”

She moved closer to him and climbed up into the chair near the bed, folding her legs underneath her. The air of innocence around the little girl made it almost hurt for Kaden to look at her. He smiled encouragingly at her. She grinned back suddenly, nearly blinding him with the brilliance. “The doctor says I gots cancer, in my head.” She pointed at the shiny red curls.

Kaden’s breath caught, and he felt sadness fill him that such a beautiful little girl should have to suffer like that. It astounded him that the little girl didn’t seem to be sad or upset about being sick. It humbled him. “I’m Kaden. What’s your name?”

“Becca Thompson.” She introduced herself proudly and stuck out her tiny hand in greeting.

He smiled as he engulfed the small appendage in between his own, marveling at the difference in size. “It’s nice to meet you, Becca. Where’s your mommy?”

“She’s in heaven with my Grammy. My daddy had to work so he can pay for the medicine to fix me.” Her blue eyes were guileless, and it made Kaden feel ashamed about the way he’d been acting. It made him realize that he was lucky to be alive.

“I’m sorry to hear that. My mom’s there too. Along with my dad.”

“You don’t have a mommy or daddy?” Becca asked, her eyes wide. “Then who takes care of you?”

Kaden couldn’t help but smile as he thought of Logan and Shea. “My friends take care of me.”

“Oh. That’s good. Can I be your friend too?” the little girl asked timidly, almost seemingly afraid that he would reject her. Kaden nodded and she grinned, bouncing on the chair.

“There you are, Becca!” A young woman in a candy-striper outfit stepped into the room. “I’ve been looking all over for you.” She scolded the little girl gently, giving Kaden an apologetic smile. “She got away from me.”

“That’s all right. If it’s all right with you and, of course, her father, I wouldn’t mind her coming to visit whenever she wants,” Kaden encouraged, wanting to be around the little girl and help her if he could.

Becca started chattering to the candy striper eagerly as they left, the little girl giving him a small kiss on the cheek before grabbing the woman’s hand and allowing her to lead her from the room. Kaden lay back against the pillow with a sigh. It didn’t seem fair that such a beautiful, innocent child should be afflicted by such an illness. It made him want to do whatever he could to get better so that he could help her. But the doctor had said that physical therapy would have to wait until his wounds had healed for the most part, which could take weeks. He grimaced, looking around the sterile room. The flowers from Logan and the balloons from Shea offered the only splash of color. His eyes settled on the various colors of the daisies, pansies, and daffodils that were in the bunch. They were beautiful, and he felt his lips curve up slightly in the corners at the thought of the man who’d given them to him.

By the time Kaden healed enough to allow physical therapy, he’d grown impatient and ansty. The little girl came to visit him almost every day, telling him about herself and her friends. He told her some of his childhood, nothing of his abuse, but he did speak about his mom. Becca gave him hope and made him see that he had a long life ahead of him, so he needed to enjoy it and live life to the fullest. Logan had met Becca one day, and Kaden couldn’t help but break down to Logan after she left, telling the cowboy about the girl’s illness. Logan had comforted him, and held him while he cried, whispering soothing things to him.

Kaden was watching a comedy show on TV when the physical therapist came in. A very large, very tall man pushed a wheelchair into the room, accompanied by the doctor. “Good morning, Kaden. How are we feeling today?”

“Good.” Kaden eyed the big man warily, watching while the man locked the wheels on the chair and approached his bed.

“This is Sam. He’s going to be your physical therapist while we try to get those legs of yours working again.” The doctor made some notations on a chart for Kaden and then exited the room, leaving them alone.

Kaden watched the man nervously. “Hello, Kaden. I hope that we can be friends while we work at getting those legs of yours moving again.” Sam smiled, sensing the teen’s trepidation.

Sam, almost two inches taller than Logan, had a broad smile, big muscles, dark-auburn hair, and twinkling green eyes. The eyes reminded him slightly of Logan’s, and Kaden felt himself relaxing slightly. “Now, I need to pick you up to put you in the wheelchair, all right?” Kaden tensed again when Sam slid one arm under his knees and the other under his back before hefting him up against his chest.

Sweat beaded on Kaden’s forehead as he tried to control the panic flowing through him. Sam settled him gently into the wheelchair, unlocked the wheels, and started rolling him from the room. The large man began to chat easily to him on their way to the elevator, urging Kaden to answer him. By the time they got to the physical therapy ward, Kaden started smiling and laughing, looking up at the taller man when they stopped.

The therapy began slowly, Sam only putting him through about an hour’s worth of movements. Kaden still felt nothing, but he pushed his despair from his mind, trying to remind himself that even if he couldn’t walk again, Logan would be there for him, no matter what. Exhaustion nipped at him by the end of the session, and his head dipped close to his chest when they entered his hospital room. Sam had picked him up to put in the bed when the cowboy arrived, stopping abruptly at the sight of another man with his hands on Kaden. “Who are you?” Logan demanded, glaring at the man.

“I’m Sam, Kaden’s physical therapist. You must be Logan.” Sam approached the cowboy, sticking out his hand to shake.

Logan carefully grasped the paw in front of him, still angry at the thought of this man touching his little one. But he couldn’t do anything about it because this man would help Kaden walk again. He quickly let the man’s hand go, moving over to Kaden’s side and dropping a kiss on the boy’s temple. “How are you feeling? And how did the first session go?”

Kaden launched into an animated description, neither of them noticing when Sam slipped from the room. Their eyes were locked on each other’s, and Kaden instinctively reached for Logan’s hand the second the cowboy had stepped up to his bed. It made Logan feel good to know that Kaden still wanted him near, and he smiled indulgently as the teenager talked, brushing his fingers over the side of Kaden’s neck. “It sounds like you had a good day, then. That’s good. I’m glad to hear that. I am so happy to see you smile, Kaden.”

“I’m glad you’re here, Logan. I’ve missed you.” Kaden leaned into Logan’s hand, closing his eyes and sighing contently. “I can’t wait until I can go home. How’s everything at the ranch? Has Shea poisoned anyone yet?” Shea had taken over cooking meals for the regular hands now that the ranch had gone back to its normal routine.

“No, she hasn’t poisoned anyone yet. But I’ll be sure to let her know your faith in her,” Logan said dryly. “The food’s not half-bad. She’s been following the recipes from the books, and some of the ones you wrote down for her. It’s nothing like yours, but once you’re home and well, we can rotate the cooking duties. You’ll have enough to do when you get home that I don’t want all your attention on food.”

Kaden gave him a quizzical look. “What do you mean by I’ll have enough to do when I get home?”

A lusty shine entered Logan’s eyes, and the big cowboy leaned down to whisper close to his ear, “Once you’re home, I’m not letting you out of the bedroom for a week. So you’d better be prepared to be in bed ‘recovering’ for a while.” A breathy sigh issued from Kaden’s lips, and his cheeks grew heated, not just with embarrassment but also from anticipation.

The physical therapy continued, Kaden spending most of his time with Sam over the following weeks. There hadn’t been any results reached, no response to the therapy, and Kaden began to get discouraged. Becca visited less and less, becoming sicker and weaker as time went by. She’d grown very pale and unable to sit up for long periods of time. Now Kaden visited her instead. He would read stories to her or make up his own, trying to amuse her and see her smile, making faces while telling the story and using different voices for the characters. The father came by only once during the time Kaden visited, and the man acted very cold toward his daughter. It made his heart ache for the little girl.

The house of cards they’d built around each other as friends came tumbling down one day when Kaden went to visit her, only to find that she’d gotten very sick over night, vomiting up blood and losing consciousness. Kaden waited anxiously by her side, praying that God would help her.

“If you don’t start trying harder, Kaden, you’ll be stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of your life! Do you want that?” Sam glared at Kaden, at the boy sitting mutely, unmoving and uncaring, in the pool before him. They’d been working for almost thirty minutes, and Kaden remained stubbornly unenthusiastic and spaced out.

Kaden stared at Sam, battling the tears that always seemed to be just beneath the surface these days. Still in a coma, the doctors said it would be unlikely for Becca to come out of it. For the past week, he had been at her bedside almost constantly, talking to her and encouraging her to get better. His own depression kept coming forth, dampening his once almost blinding spirit toward getting better. Sam noticed it getting increasingly worse over the past few days, and he knew the reason why, but it frustrated him that the teenager wasn’t using the situation to push himself harder. It had been almost four months since Kaden’s accident, and his legs still hadn’t responded, no matter how hard they worked. “Do you want to have someone help you do everything for the rest of your life? Now start working!” Sam used a harsh tone in the hopes of getting through to Kaden.

“I don’t feel like it today,” he replied listlessly, his eyes dull and lifeless.

“That’s too bad! Because you’re going to do it whether you like it or not. Now push!” Sam picked up Kaden’s right leg and bent the knee in toward his thin chest.

Kaden sighed and willed his leg to push toward Sam, almost crying out when pain shot up through his body as his leg shoved forward, forcing the man’s arms backward. “Excellent,” Sam cried. “Again!”