“Fella from New Orleans… believed in that voodoo nonsense. Crazy Crowly, we used to call him. He talked about black magic and eating snake venom and all that ridiculousness. But he was good at patching you up… assumin’ you didn’t have a dot.” Walter looked pointedly at Cam’s now-covered arm again.
“Admit it, you were worried about me,” Cam said with what I could only classify as puppy-dog eyes.
“Worried about cha? Son, I had my own problems yesterday.”
“Did something happen?” I asked. Walter’s doctor had assured us the man was on track to be released in a little over a week when his physical therapy was finished.
“Yeah, Nurse Ratchet showed up,” Walter scoffed. “He may have put a little ding in my dong but he ruined it when he started talkin’.”
I looked at Cam in confusion. He winked at me when Walter wasn’t looking.
“Not your cup of tea?” Cam asked.
“Fella don’t drink tea… drinks that chimichanga crap.”
“Do you mean kombucha?” Cam said with a laugh. “I hate to break it to you, Walter, but I think that stuff’s considered tea.”
Walter waved his hand. “Just make sure you don’t go acceptin’ his sponge baths or any of that hanky-panky when he shows up next week. I’ve got a plan to send him packing but if he gets a look at your dong, he’s never going to leave.”
I nearly choked on my own tongue at Walter’s words. I started coughing and then Cam was there to slap me lightly on the back. “You okay?” he asked.
“Why is Walter’s nurse interested in your dong?” I gasped.
“Well, just look at him, my boy,” Walter said as he motioned to Cam. “Even if his dong is only proportionate to his height, it’s gotta be a fine—”
“Walter!” I yelled.
“Are you sayin’ it ain’t?” Walter asked. He eyed Cam and tipped his head curiously.
“It is,” Cam assured him.
“It is,” I said at the exact same time and then realized I’d actually said the words out loud. Cam started laughing as Walter looked at me in surprise.
“I mean, it isn’t. I mean, I don’t know if it is or isn’t. Why would I know something like that?” I sputtered.
Walter eyed me for a moment. I could feel my cheeks coloring.
“I’m not interested in your nurse’s dong, Walter,” Cam said. He’d removed his hand from my back. He’d been careful not to touch me once we’d gotten out of his SUV upon arriving at the hospital. But up until then, he’d been touching me practically every chance he got. First by waking me up this morning with a blow job that’d had me seeing stars, then dropping kisses to my mouth while we’d made breakfast, and finally when he’d held my hand in the car. I hadn’t known what to make of his little displays of affection, but the second he’d stopped them, I’d missed them. Despite everything I’d said about wanting to try to embrace my sexuality, he must have known I wasn’t ready to do it in public because he hadn’t pressed the issue, even in conversation. It made me feel like shit that I couldn’t just reach out and take his hand, because he deserved that.
Cam deserved a lot of things.
What he didn’t deserve was another Carter who hid behind excuses.
I felt my stomach muscles draw tight with nerves as I looked at Cam’s relaxed hand. The urge inside me became more than I could bear and I found myself reaching for his hand. I kept my eyes on him and not Walter. When I touched him, Cam looked at me in surprise.
“He’s only interested in my dong,” I murmured softly. It was probably one of the weirdest things I’d ever said in my life, but no matter what happened, the look in Cam’s eyes would stay with me forever and I was suddenly glad for the strange little “gift” God had bestowed on me.
“I knew it,” Walter said as he clapped his hands together.
I waited for the fear and shame to overtake me as I accepted that I’d just publicly admitted to being something I’d been told my entire life was wrong, but it didn’t come. Cam squeezed my fingers and held them as I turned to look at Walter. “Wait, you knew?” I asked. “About me? Or him?” I pointed to Cam. “Or both of us?”
“Yes,” Walter said simply.
My brain felt like it was going to explode. “How long have you—wait… what did you mean your nurse put ding in your dong?”
Walter watched me patiently. He actually started to twiddle his thumbs.
“Wait,” I said as I climbed to my feet. “Are you…?” I snapped my head to Cam. “Is he…?” My eyes ping-ponged back and forth between them as understanding dawned. “Oh,” I breathed as I sat back down on the bed. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I finally asked Walter.