Bad Ideas (First & Forever 4)

Theo smiled too and said, “Hey yourself, kiddo.” He was carrying a cardboard box, and he swung the rolling table over so both Oscar and I could reach the things he began unpacking.

I asked, “What’s all this?”

“There’s hot chocolate for Oscar,” he said, as he fitted a straw into the top of a paper cup, then handed it to the boy, “and coffee with cream and sugar.” He placed a large cup beside me. “There are also gingerbread cookies for both of you, and two sandwiches and two cups of soup. You shouldn’t skip dinner, Casey, especially since you’ve been working since eight a.m. and this is your first break. I brought double everything so Oscar can have some if it looks good to him. If not, I’m guessing you can probably finish it off.”

“Wow, thank you.”

He put down the cardboard box, then picked up the boy’s tablet as he asked, “Where are you in the book?”

“We’re about four pages into chapter twelve.”

I marked the page with the flap of the dust jacket before setting the book aside. Meanwhile, Theo tapped the screen a few times, then said, “This isn’t meant to replace you, but it’ll give you a chance to eat while both of you listen to the story. I’ll begin it at the start of that chapter.” He placed the tablet on the bedside table, and the audiobook of the story we’d been reading began to play.

As I unwrapped Oscar’s cookie for him and put it within reach of the boy, I told Theo, “You need to eat, too.”

He picked up the cardboard box, produced one more plastic-wrapped sandwich, and grinned as he stuck it in the pocket of his white lab coat. Then he took a second coffee cup from the box and winked at me as he left the room.

“I don’t know why I thought Doctor K was mean at first. He’s actually super nice,” Oscar said, before shoving a big piece of gingerbread cookie in his mouth.

As I reached for a sandwich, I murmured, “He really is.”

When I got off work at two a.m., I was delighted to find a text message from Theo waiting for me. It said: Please come over when you get off work.

I didn’t care that I was tired—there was no way I’d pass up the chance to see him. I quickly changed out of my scrubs and replied: On my way. Then I grabbed my backpack and practically ran out of the building.

Surprisingly, Theo was sitting on his front stoop when I pulled into his driveway. He smiled at me and got to his feet as I hurried over to him. I dropped my backpack on the ground and planted a big kiss on him before saying, “I’ve wanted to do that for two days.”

“Me, too. Come on in. I know you probably want to get cleaned up.”

“I do. I feel disgusting, especially after spending last night at the hospital.”

He locked up behind us and shut off the lights before accompanying me to the second floor. Then he gestured toward the bathroom and said, “I drew you a bath. I thought it might feel good to soak.”

“That sounds like heaven. Would it be okay to take a quick shower first, though? Otherwise, I’ll feel like I’m steeping in my own filth.”

“Do whatever you want.”

As I stripped, I said, “You’ll be joining me in the tub, right?”

He seemed surprised. “I can. I mean, if you want me to.”

“I can’t think of anything better.”

He grinned self-consciously and turned partly away from me as he started to get undressed. It seemed a little funny that he still felt shy around me, given some of the ways we’d been intimate, but I could respect the fact that his boundaries were different than mine.

I washed my hair and body quickly but thoroughly while I was in the shower, then shut off the water and padded naked across the bathroom, leaving a trail of water between the two bathmats. The big tub was filled with bubbles, and Theo sat curled up at one end, looking small and vulnerable. As I stepped in, he said, “I made it very hot, so it wouldn’t cool down too much before you got here. I hope the temperature’s okay.”

“It’s perfect.” I settled in at the other end of the tub, then closed my eyes and leaned back as I murmured, “This feels wonderful. In fact, there’s only one thing that would make it better.”

“What’s that?”

I placed my hand on my chest. “If your head was right here.”

He shifted around so he was straddling me and put his head right where I’d indicated. After a moment, I felt him relax, and as I rubbed his back he said, “Okay, I get it now. It didn’t make sense at first, the two of us taking a bath together. But this is nice.”