LOST - PART I
BATTLE LINES
CHAPTER 5
Thea's life and home settled down into a steady routine that completely revolved around the bitter man lying impatiently in the huge bed. His temper had steadily worsened during that four weeks, but he never once went back on his word. Even though he did everything reluctantly, he obeyed her instructions to the letter.
She would come to his room first thing in the morning to examine him. Then she would sit in a chair next to the bed and explain whatever treatment would be started or discontinued. She made sure her explanations were complete and she always asked if he had any questions. His answer would always be a flat "no" and he would turn his head away as though he couldn't bear to look at her anymore.
Glory and Abner noticed this of course and as time went on they found themselves becoming reluctantly irritated with Adam. They admired his strength and intelligence, but while they admired him, they loved Thea and felt he was being unfair. Neither knew what to do besides continue to give him the best care possible and hope he would come around eventually.
Matters came to a head a few days before he was to have his large casts removed. The finger splints and the half cast on his right arm were gone and he was in a fever of excitement to have his other three limbs freed.
Adam was having a bad day, the itch from the casts was driving him crazy and the pain in his back from being immobile for so long had been increasing all week. Thea had reduced the doses of morphine as far as she could, but didn't stop the injections - she knew he just could not handle the affects of the drug being withdrawn as well as his injuries yet.
The sun had just set and Adam was lying still while staring at the ceiling. Abner and Glory were both sitting by the fireplace and trying to be quiet so their patient wouldn't become disturbed or annoyed. So far that day he had snapped at Abner, barely eaten anything, and knocked a glass full of an herbal mixture on the floor when he pushed it away. Unfortunately, Thea chose this evening to make an unexpected visit.
Adam's head whipped to the side the second she walked in the door and his eyes narrowed when she only spared him a quick smile before walking over to Abner and Glory. The three people began to discuss their plans for removing the casts while Adam's irritation grew and bloomed into anger.
"I want you to take these damn casts off tonight!" he yelled across the room at Thea's back. She slowly turned around.
"What?"
"Wasn't I clear enough for you? Take these casts off right now."
"You have two more days before the six weeks is up," Thea said tightly while moving toward the bed.
"Look doctor, I'm the one living in here and I'm telling you the bones are knit. Take them off."
For the first time Thea's anger got the better of her. "No."
Adam's jaw clenched and his face tightened. "Then I'll do it myself," he said flatly and threw the covers back. Then she watched in horrified fascination when he made a fist with his right hand and slammed it down on the part of the cast covering his right thigh. The cast cracked. Without thinking, Thea darted to the right side of the bed and grabbed his arm just as he was about to slam his fist down on the cast again. He couldn't stop the movement quickly enough and she found herself thrown on her back, across his legs.
They stared at each other with wide eyes as Abner came running. Thea turned her head to give him a look that said, "Back off," then sat up with her hands still holding Adam's right arm. She quickly ran her hands over his forearm, worried he might have fractured it again then breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn't.
Abner and Glory exchanged a knowing look when Thea didn't move. She just continued to sit on his legs while her hands slid over the warm skin of his right arm. Then she looked up startled, into Adam's face when he cleared his throat. Her face turned red and she scrambled off the bed.
She took a deep breath and tried to summon up a professional expression, but when she turned to see Abner and Glory's over bright, innocent smiles, she had to swallow back an embarrassed laugh.
"Well, you heard the man Abner - let's get these casts off!" Abner hurried off with a hand over his mouth to get the special cutters needed. Glory just stood there with her eyebrows raised and her lips folded in. Thea couldn't help but grin at her friend's expression, then crossed her eyes and stuck her tongue out. Glory almost choked.
Taking another deep breath, Thea straightened her shoulders and turned back to the man lying in the bed. His eyes were hooded and she had to clench her teeth when she saw the half smile he was giving her. Mentally groaning, she resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and gestured for Glory to come over. The two women swung into action, stripping the top covers off the bed, then rolling Adam from one side of the bed to the other to spread a piece of canvas beneath him. They had just finished when Abner returned, carrying the long handled, angle-bladed cutters.
Thea put a hand on Adam's shoulder. "I'm going to give you a little more morphine just in case," she said and went to the other side of the room to prepare a syringe. She came quickly back, gave him the injection, and then nodded at Abner. The black man chose to start on the right leg, easily slipping the blades through the crack Adam had started. When he was finished cutting he slipped the fingers of both hands into the crack while Thea and Glory did the same on the other side. They pulled as hard as they could and suddenly the cast broke into two halves. Abner went to take hold of Adam's ankle and carefully lifted as the two women slid the remnants of the cast off the bed.
A quick examination showed the leg to be whole again and Thea grinned as she patted Adam's knee. "Let's move on, people," she said in a very pleased voice and they tackled the other leg, and then his left arm. All four of them breathed a sigh of relief and the three people standing grinned at each other for a few moments.
"Abner," Thea said quietly, "would you mind taking Adam into the bath now?"
Adam quickly turned his head to look at her and she was surprised at the first genuine smile she had seen on his face. She patted him on the shoulder, then stepped aside to let Abner pull Adam up into a sitting position. Then he took his patients ankles and slowly swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Thea mentally nodded when she saw him wince. Bending his knees would no doubt be rather painful for a while.
Glory had hurried to bring over a wheel chair and held it steady while Abner put his arms around Adam, lifted him to his feet, then swung him around to lower him into the chair. Then the black man knelt to put the other man's feet on the footrests before standing to meet Thea's happy gaze. She gave him a quick nod so he moved around behind the chair and pushed it carefully from the room.
When the two men finally returned Adam was completely exhausted, but deeply pleased at finally being free. The process of getting him out of bed and into the tub had shown him just how weak his legs were. He was already dreading what was coming - the painful process of getting back on his feet.
Abner had slipped him into a warm robe after his bath and the two women had changed his bed. He was surprised that he was actually looking forward to getting back in. He shook his head at himself then looked up when Thea appeared. She helped Abner get Adam up to sit on the edge of the bed before drawing him aside for a whispered consultation. Then the black man came back to swing Adam's legs up onto the bed, then rolled him over to lie on his stomach.
Adam was so tired he had almost nodded off, but was startled awake when Abner removed his robe, then spread a towel over his backside. He turned his head to give the black man a startled look.
"Just relax," Abner reassured him so Adam rested the side of his head on his forearms and waited.
He was almost asleep, but his eyes snapped open when he felt cool, thick liquid make contact with the skin of his right calf. Then strong, long fingers began to slide up and down, spreading the liquid and digging deeply into the muscle. He knew immediately the person touching him was not Abner and his head snapped up when he heard Thea's voice.
"This will help with the itching and the muscle cramps you will have the misfortune to experience for a while," she said quietly as her hands continued massaging up his leg and to the back of his thigh. Then she moved to the other side of the bed and started on his left leg.
Adam was clenching his teeth at this point and she was perfectly aware that the tension in his muscles was increasing instead of lessening. She smiled as she finished with his left leg and moved on to start on his back.
Thea couldn't help but wince at the mass of scars and her mouth tightened in a grim line, hating the men who had done this with every fiber of her being. Then she noticed Adam shift his hips uncomfortably and she smiled as she stepped back.
"Abner? Would you come and turn Adam over?" she said and almost laughed when she saw his entire body stiffen. "And do you think you can take over? My hands are starting to tire," she added and heard Adam breathe a sigh of relief.
The black man resisted his urge to laugh when his warm brown eyes met Thea's sparkling hazel. He knew what she had been up to and was aware of the reason why. He briefly thought that things would be much more interesting now that her self-imposed exile was over.
Thea bent down to look at Adam again. His eyes were closed, but she knew he wasn't asleep. "Get a good night's sleep," she said softly. "Tomorrow the real work begins."
She straightened up to hand the bottle of lotion over to Abner with a wink and a wide smile. Then she caught Glory's eyes and nodded at the door. The two women left together.
Glory had a hard time keeping her laughter in check until they reached the kitchen. Then she sat down and laughed until she cried.
"Oh God!" she gasped, "I can't believe you did that?"
"Did what?" Thea feigned ignorance as she moved around the kitchen, putting the kettle on and bringing a plate of cookies to the table.
"Come now," Glory was using her apron to dry her eyes. "You know exactly what kind of reaction you were getting from him. Don't deny it, I know you too well."
Thea sat down across from her friend. "Maybe I did, but you have to admit he deserved it."
"It was the look, right? That smug, arrogant, 'You can't resist me,' look."
The other woman's eyes darkened. "Exactly!" she said and stood when the kettle started to whistle.
"He IS very handsome, even with that beard."
"Yes he is and he knows it," Thea said sharply as she filled the teapot and brought it back with her. "If there is one thing I can't stand its arrogant, insufferable men," she continued.
"Mmm...hmmm," Glory murmured and tried to keep a straight face.
"I mean, who does he think he is? I'm his doctor, not some silly twit fresh out of the schoolroom."
"Right."
"He'll find out the hard way that I am not in the least bit interested in him."
Glory grabbed a cookie and crammed it into her mouth, hoping to keep from laughing and offending her friend.
"And he's not only arrogant, he's bad tempered, ungrateful, sarcastic, and a know-it-all."
The other woman sputtered slightly, spraying a few cookie crumbs on the table as she desperately grabbed her cup of tea and took a swallow. Tears sprang to her eyes; the tea had burned her tongue.
Thea looked at her with concern. "Are you alright?"
Glory stared back at her helplessly with tears rolling down her cheeks, and then nodded, not daring to open her mouth again for anything.
"You don't look alright," Thea persisted and her friend just couldn't take any more.
"I'm fine," she managed to choke out as she stood. "I think I'll turn in," she sputtered as she fled the room.
Thea watched her go, honestly puzzled about her friend's odd behavior and could only shake her head as she listened to Glory's retreating footsteps, a door slam, then muffled laughter.
Lifting her teacup to take a sip, Thea thought over her friend's odd behavior and groaned when she finally figured it out. Her eyes narrowed and her teeth clenched as she stared furiously at the opposite wall.
"Oh no you don't, Mr. Whoever you are. You are NOT going to get under my skin," she said softly to herself, and then stood to go back to Adam's room and discuss her plans for tomorrow with Abner. The battle had just begun.
BATTLE LINES
CHAPTER 5
Thea's life and home settled down into a steady routine that completely revolved around the bitter man lying impatiently in the huge bed. His temper had steadily worsened during that four weeks, but he never once went back on his word. Even though he did everything reluctantly, he obeyed her instructions to the letter.
She would come to his room first thing in the morning to examine him. Then she would sit in a chair next to the bed and explain whatever treatment would be started or discontinued. She made sure her explanations were complete and she always asked if he had any questions. His answer would always be a flat "no" and he would turn his head away as though he couldn't bear to look at her anymore.
Glory and Abner noticed this of course and as time went on they found themselves becoming reluctantly irritated with Adam. They admired his strength and intelligence, but while they admired him, they loved Thea and felt he was being unfair. Neither knew what to do besides continue to give him the best care possible and hope he would come around eventually.
Matters came to a head a few days before he was to have his large casts removed. The finger splints and the half cast on his right arm were gone and he was in a fever of excitement to have his other three limbs freed.
Adam was having a bad day, the itch from the casts was driving him crazy and the pain in his back from being immobile for so long had been increasing all week. Thea had reduced the doses of morphine as far as she could, but didn't stop the injections - she knew he just could not handle the affects of the drug being withdrawn as well as his injuries yet.
The sun had just set and Adam was lying still while staring at the ceiling. Abner and Glory were both sitting by the fireplace and trying to be quiet so their patient wouldn't become disturbed or annoyed. So far that day he had snapped at Abner, barely eaten anything, and knocked a glass full of an herbal mixture on the floor when he pushed it away. Unfortunately, Thea chose this evening to make an unexpected visit.
Adam's head whipped to the side the second she walked in the door and his eyes narrowed when she only spared him a quick smile before walking over to Abner and Glory. The three people began to discuss their plans for removing the casts while Adam's irritation grew and bloomed into anger.
"I want you to take these damn casts off tonight!" he yelled across the room at Thea's back. She slowly turned around.
"What?"
"Wasn't I clear enough for you? Take these casts off right now."
"You have two more days before the six weeks is up," Thea said tightly while moving toward the bed.
"Look doctor, I'm the one living in here and I'm telling you the bones are knit. Take them off."
For the first time Thea's anger got the better of her. "No."
Adam's jaw clenched and his face tightened. "Then I'll do it myself," he said flatly and threw the covers back. Then she watched in horrified fascination when he made a fist with his right hand and slammed it down on the part of the cast covering his right thigh. The cast cracked. Without thinking, Thea darted to the right side of the bed and grabbed his arm just as he was about to slam his fist down on the cast again. He couldn't stop the movement quickly enough and she found herself thrown on her back, across his legs.
They stared at each other with wide eyes as Abner came running. Thea turned her head to give him a look that said, "Back off," then sat up with her hands still holding Adam's right arm. She quickly ran her hands over his forearm, worried he might have fractured it again then breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn't.
Abner and Glory exchanged a knowing look when Thea didn't move. She just continued to sit on his legs while her hands slid over the warm skin of his right arm. Then she looked up startled, into Adam's face when he cleared his throat. Her face turned red and she scrambled off the bed.
She took a deep breath and tried to summon up a professional expression, but when she turned to see Abner and Glory's over bright, innocent smiles, she had to swallow back an embarrassed laugh.
"Well, you heard the man Abner - let's get these casts off!" Abner hurried off with a hand over his mouth to get the special cutters needed. Glory just stood there with her eyebrows raised and her lips folded in. Thea couldn't help but grin at her friend's expression, then crossed her eyes and stuck her tongue out. Glory almost choked.
Taking another deep breath, Thea straightened her shoulders and turned back to the man lying in the bed. His eyes were hooded and she had to clench her teeth when she saw the half smile he was giving her. Mentally groaning, she resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and gestured for Glory to come over. The two women swung into action, stripping the top covers off the bed, then rolling Adam from one side of the bed to the other to spread a piece of canvas beneath him. They had just finished when Abner returned, carrying the long handled, angle-bladed cutters.
Thea put a hand on Adam's shoulder. "I'm going to give you a little more morphine just in case," she said and went to the other side of the room to prepare a syringe. She came quickly back, gave him the injection, and then nodded at Abner. The black man chose to start on the right leg, easily slipping the blades through the crack Adam had started. When he was finished cutting he slipped the fingers of both hands into the crack while Thea and Glory did the same on the other side. They pulled as hard as they could and suddenly the cast broke into two halves. Abner went to take hold of Adam's ankle and carefully lifted as the two women slid the remnants of the cast off the bed.
A quick examination showed the leg to be whole again and Thea grinned as she patted Adam's knee. "Let's move on, people," she said in a very pleased voice and they tackled the other leg, and then his left arm. All four of them breathed a sigh of relief and the three people standing grinned at each other for a few moments.
"Abner," Thea said quietly, "would you mind taking Adam into the bath now?"
Adam quickly turned his head to look at her and she was surprised at the first genuine smile she had seen on his face. She patted him on the shoulder, then stepped aside to let Abner pull Adam up into a sitting position. Then he took his patients ankles and slowly swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Thea mentally nodded when she saw him wince. Bending his knees would no doubt be rather painful for a while.
Glory had hurried to bring over a wheel chair and held it steady while Abner put his arms around Adam, lifted him to his feet, then swung him around to lower him into the chair. Then the black man knelt to put the other man's feet on the footrests before standing to meet Thea's happy gaze. She gave him a quick nod so he moved around behind the chair and pushed it carefully from the room.
When the two men finally returned Adam was completely exhausted, but deeply pleased at finally being free. The process of getting him out of bed and into the tub had shown him just how weak his legs were. He was already dreading what was coming - the painful process of getting back on his feet.
Abner had slipped him into a warm robe after his bath and the two women had changed his bed. He was surprised that he was actually looking forward to getting back in. He shook his head at himself then looked up when Thea appeared. She helped Abner get Adam up to sit on the edge of the bed before drawing him aside for a whispered consultation. Then the black man came back to swing Adam's legs up onto the bed, then rolled him over to lie on his stomach.
Adam was so tired he had almost nodded off, but was startled awake when Abner removed his robe, then spread a towel over his backside. He turned his head to give the black man a startled look.
"Just relax," Abner reassured him so Adam rested the side of his head on his forearms and waited.
He was almost asleep, but his eyes snapped open when he felt cool, thick liquid make contact with the skin of his right calf. Then strong, long fingers began to slide up and down, spreading the liquid and digging deeply into the muscle. He knew immediately the person touching him was not Abner and his head snapped up when he heard Thea's voice.
"This will help with the itching and the muscle cramps you will have the misfortune to experience for a while," she said quietly as her hands continued massaging up his leg and to the back of his thigh. Then she moved to the other side of the bed and started on his left leg.
Adam was clenching his teeth at this point and she was perfectly aware that the tension in his muscles was increasing instead of lessening. She smiled as she finished with his left leg and moved on to start on his back.
Thea couldn't help but wince at the mass of scars and her mouth tightened in a grim line, hating the men who had done this with every fiber of her being. Then she noticed Adam shift his hips uncomfortably and she smiled as she stepped back.
"Abner? Would you come and turn Adam over?" she said and almost laughed when she saw his entire body stiffen. "And do you think you can take over? My hands are starting to tire," she added and heard Adam breathe a sigh of relief.
The black man resisted his urge to laugh when his warm brown eyes met Thea's sparkling hazel. He knew what she had been up to and was aware of the reason why. He briefly thought that things would be much more interesting now that her self-imposed exile was over.
Thea bent down to look at Adam again. His eyes were closed, but she knew he wasn't asleep. "Get a good night's sleep," she said softly. "Tomorrow the real work begins."
She straightened up to hand the bottle of lotion over to Abner with a wink and a wide smile. Then she caught Glory's eyes and nodded at the door. The two women left together.
Glory had a hard time keeping her laughter in check until they reached the kitchen. Then she sat down and laughed until she cried.
"Oh God!" she gasped, "I can't believe you did that?"
"Did what?" Thea feigned ignorance as she moved around the kitchen, putting the kettle on and bringing a plate of cookies to the table.
"Come now," Glory was using her apron to dry her eyes. "You know exactly what kind of reaction you were getting from him. Don't deny it, I know you too well."
Thea sat down across from her friend. "Maybe I did, but you have to admit he deserved it."
"It was the look, right? That smug, arrogant, 'You can't resist me,' look."
The other woman's eyes darkened. "Exactly!" she said and stood when the kettle started to whistle.
"He IS very handsome, even with that beard."
"Yes he is and he knows it," Thea said sharply as she filled the teapot and brought it back with her. "If there is one thing I can't stand its arrogant, insufferable men," she continued.
"Mmm...hmmm," Glory murmured and tried to keep a straight face.
"I mean, who does he think he is? I'm his doctor, not some silly twit fresh out of the schoolroom."
"Right."
"He'll find out the hard way that I am not in the least bit interested in him."
Glory grabbed a cookie and crammed it into her mouth, hoping to keep from laughing and offending her friend.
"And he's not only arrogant, he's bad tempered, ungrateful, sarcastic, and a know-it-all."
The other woman sputtered slightly, spraying a few cookie crumbs on the table as she desperately grabbed her cup of tea and took a swallow. Tears sprang to her eyes; the tea had burned her tongue.
Thea looked at her with concern. "Are you alright?"
Glory stared back at her helplessly with tears rolling down her cheeks, and then nodded, not daring to open her mouth again for anything.
"You don't look alright," Thea persisted and her friend just couldn't take any more.
"I'm fine," she managed to choke out as she stood. "I think I'll turn in," she sputtered as she fled the room.
Thea watched her go, honestly puzzled about her friend's odd behavior and could only shake her head as she listened to Glory's retreating footsteps, a door slam, then muffled laughter.
Lifting her teacup to take a sip, Thea thought over her friend's odd behavior and groaned when she finally figured it out. Her eyes narrowed and her teeth clenched as she stared furiously at the opposite wall.
"Oh no you don't, Mr. Whoever you are. You are NOT going to get under my skin," she said softly to herself, and then stood to go back to Adam's room and discuss her plans for tomorrow with Abner. The battle had just begun.