Chapter Seventy-One
"Eliot" He nearly panted as he tried his best to catch his breath. "Eliot slow down." He was pretty sure his heart would give out if he continued at this pace. "El" With no other warning he nearly doubled over as he gasped for air.
"It's only another few blocks." Eliot attempted to motivate as he backtracked to rejoin Nate.
"You said that a few blocks ago." His fingers gripped his knees firmly as he tried to ease the burning in his chest. He had no clue how Eliot had the energy to go this far. Hell, even now he was jogging in place.
"Come on now." Eliot chastised as he slowed to a stop. "You've got this. It's all in the mind."
"Well my mind has been telling my knees and my back" No sooner than it took to straighten out was he feeling a soreness that had him rubbing that very back. "a very different story."
"Nate, it's called endurance for a reason." He knew exactly where Nate's limits lie and they'd yet to come close.
"Haven't I endured enough?" He wasn't there yet but he'd pout if necessary.
"Are you really done?" He wasn't accusing just looking for confirmation.
"I'm old" Nate almost did whine that excuse.
"That's right" Eliot rolled his eyes with a huff as they started walking back the way they'd come. "I forgot I was dating a grandpa."
"Very funny" He couldn't be too angry with the old jokes though seeing as he'd opened that door.
"You know," Eliot glanced to Nate with amusement. "Aaron asked me about your age once."
"Oh really?" He'd be lying if he said that didn't amuse him. "Guess he wanted to know if I really would be dating a grandpa." The sudden sound of rustling leaves echoed Eliot's words.
"Well" Nate hadn't really given it much thought up until now. "I guess you will be technically." He didn't really feel like it needed to be said but a glance from Eliot had him voicing it anyway. "I'll be pushing sixty before you're even really considered middle aged."
"Give or take a few years." Eliot tossed in for good measure; Nate was exaggerating just a bit.
"I'll take as many as you give." Nate joked and Eliot smirked, though he was quick to make a point. "We're only factoring in actual age though. We've yet to calculate health" He paused to make sure Nate was following. "Then add in lifestyle and that leaves us pretty well matched."
"In other words by the time I need a cane they'll be fitting you for a walker." He couldn't help the smile as Eliot complained, "Why do I get the walker."
"You know babe" Once more Nate reached for his back in discomfort. "Another run like this and I will be needing a walker."
"Was it really that bad?" Sure he had some aches of his own around the knees and ankles but he was nearly positive it was just because he was extremely out of shape.
"You were a man on a mission." They'd still be at home had it been up to him, but Eliot had insisted so here he was.
As if reading his mind Eliot said, "You didn't have to come ya know."
"I wanted to" Nate was quick to reply. Because as much as he hated running, he liked being by Eliot's side and knowing that the man was okay. He liked not being controlled by fear that constantly had him watching the clock with worry.
And once more Eliot was in his head. "How long's it gonna be before you stop worrying about me dropping dead or unconscious on one of these roads?" He could understand Nate's fear because somedays he shared it, but that didn't mean he'd allow Nate to make him live it. Eventually he'd have to go out on his own whether Nate liked it or not.
"Maybe in another week… or ten." It was humorous but he definitely wasn't joking. He still had trouble refraining from waiting outside the bathroom door.
"Well in that case, you better start getting used to running," He knew Nate wouldn't like that. "Because I've got a shape to get back to."
"You've got a good shape now," Nate paused to exaggerate a wandering eye. "Very admirable."
"Well you just go on and admire from afar."
"Ooo" Nate feigned hurt with a cringe. Eliot was pulling all the stops today. "Seriously though," Nate continued when Eliot gave him a very unamused look. "I want you to take your time with this." He could already tell Eliot was about to go on the defense so he hurried to further his point. "Now I'm not saying that you shouldn't do these morning runs or that I don't want you lifting weights. I just want to make sure you go about it the right way."
"The sooner I can get back to normal the better." Eliot didn't think he could stress that enough.
"El you didn't get to this point overnight. It's gonna take some time to bounce back and that's alright." Eliot didn't really seem to be hearing him though and it made his words a tad harsher, "Frankly Eliot I'll take you any damn way I can get ya because I'd rather have ya be a scrawny buck twenty soaking wet but healthy than be built like a wall but one that's crumbling because ya pushed yourself too far too fast."
"How 'bout" Behind the worry he could see actual fear in Nate's eyes and it had him feeling extremely guilty. "I promise to slow down and have a pancake or two in between the weights and the run."
"And a muffin in between some of those crunches?" Eliot seemed to be amused by that but Nate was being absolutely serious. Eliot's weight and calorie intake still very much worried him. "Look babe, I know I'm nagging but look at where we are, we've come so far." And he hated that Eliot didn't acknowledge this accomplishment. "I just don't want to take any steps back."
Even in the cool fall air this conversation was getting too heated for Eliot to handle. He just hadn't gotten that much control back over his emotions yet. So instead of furthering things unnecessarily he tried his best for a reasonable compromise and said simply, "I've got nothing against muffins."
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"As far as I know." Sarah hummed into her phone as she pushed her buggy down another of the grocery stores' aisles. "Well anyway," Aaron would whine for days if she let him. "Ashlee's gonna have last say so there's no point worrying about it." She was glad to hear Aaron agree as she stooped to grab some flour. "What you really need to be worried about is reminding people of their fittings next weekend." She rolled her eyes as he gave her the, 'There's plenty of time' line. "Aaron you ain't even got everybody's measurements yet, and with the group of guys you've got lined up that in itself could take all day."
'What's that supposed to mean?'
She found his insult amusing, "That if they ain't big and tall, or short and dumpy, then they're odd and hairy. It's gonna be hell finding a suit that y'all can agree on AND fit." Well at least have made to fit, because none of the fools her brother called friends were the off the rack type.
'We're guys Sarah. We'll have an order placed before you girls even settle on a color.'
"First off," She tossed oatmeal into the cart without care as she moved to correct her brother. "Ashlee will no doubt kill you if you put in an order without showing her something and secondly I don't know where you've been but she's had her colors picked out for months now."
'Who all's going next weekend anyway?'
She could literally hear him resisting the urge to say something snarky and it had her grinning deviously. "Well whoever you REMIND" She stressed just to annoy him; for some reason he was letting her get away with it today. "And Pete, he agreed to wear anything that would get him back home in time for the game, so please don't take his opinion seriously." Her husband was incorrigible sometimes.
'What about Eliot? Have you heard from him?'
"Not since we all had lunch. I called a few times but I always seem to miss him."
'Me too, Hardison said he was at therapy.'
"Yeah, last time I called Parker said he was at the nutrionists and the time before that it was the clinic." She stated as she started a search for bread. "I'm starting to think he might not be telling us something."
'What do you mean?'
She could hear the faintest of worries behind his skepticism. "I don't know," She sighed as she lifted one wheat and one white loaf. "I'm probably overthinking things but I just think that it's odd that for a week now we've tried to get a hold of him and haven't been able to. I mean his friends are saying he's basically at a different doctor every day but…" Another sigh. "I don't know. I just think that it's weird that he's yet to call back. But neither has Nate so…"
'If that's the case they really might just be busy' Aaron's reminder was a comfort. Eliot she knew too be a sneaky little hermit but Nate, she was learning, was good at keeping people informed. He talked to both her and Aaron frequently, especially over the last few weeks, and that alone had built a decent level of trust between them. So if he had inadvertently left them in the dark it was probably because there was nothing to be enlightened on. "In any case Eliot already said he'd be there and I left Nate a message with the details so I'd say it's probably safe to expect them."
'I'll try to REMIND him again later' Sarah laughed as Aaron gave her a taste of her own medicine.
"That's if he answers" She reminded him; she was more than annoyed with the fact that her older brother wasn't currently doing that.
'He has to eventually or else I'll just have to stop by and check up on him.'
"Oooh" Sarah was quick to jump on the reminder. "Mentioning checking up on people. You'll never believe who's been calling me to check up on Eliot."
'Don't tell me.'
She could tell just by his tone that he knew but still she voiced it. "Ma seems genuinely interested to know how he's doing. I seriously think she was worried about him Aaron."
'I'm sure she was.'
Sarah couldn't help but feel frustrated with his sarcasm. "So am I, and yes I know right now she's one of the ones that everyone loves to hate but can you just show her a little understanding."
'Give me one good reason why I should.'
She paused her search for bananas as quickly as she halted her tongue. She had a good reason all right and the words were more than ready to slip out of her mouth, heck they almost had, but honestly she wasn't so sure if she should tell him. She didn't know if she wanted to deal with his reaction and that brought up the main question. How would he react?
'Well?'
The near gloating in his tone had her mind made; they had promised not to keep secrets anyway. "She went to visit him while he was still in the hospital Aaron." A little voice was yelling at her for not staying out of it like she'd already said she would, but there was a bigger one saying maybe she could be the one to begin the mending process.
'Why didn't El tell us?'
She was almost positive there were hints of betrayal in his voice and it had her hurrying to further, "I don't think he knows. According to ma he was awake but he wasn't really grasping what was going on."
'Well did she try explaining it to him?' And there was the anger.
"Aaron she's scared."
'Sarah I thought you took your blinders off at Easter.'
"Aaron stop that." He was purposely being a jerk to avoid confrontation. "I'm not daydreaming about some happily ever after or a big ol' family reunion, I just think it's time to make amends."
'Why should we do anything for them?'
"That's the point Aaron," She began pushing her cart towards the checkout. The grocery store was a heck of a place for this conversation. "It ain't about them, and the more we try to play it off like it is the worse off we're gonna be." Silence. "Damn it Aaron, ain't you tired of living with all this hate in your heart?"
'You should tell Eliot?'
"What?" It was so soft she wasn't sure she had really heard him.
'I think Eliot should know that ma was over there.'
"She asked me not to though, she thinks y'all will say she only went because she was supposed to."
'Well did she?'
"You know her as well as I do. If she was going just for show she would have made a production out of it. We wouldn't be barely finding out a month later."
'If she really cared she'd make her intentions known no matter what we thought. Eliot and I have the right to know things first hand; it's ridiculous having you play mediator.'
"Exactly! So pick up the phone and tell her these things!" She knew she was dreaming.
'I'll think about it.'
She sighed at that. She just knew nothing would come from those words. "Do you really think I should tell Eliot though?"
'No secrets remember.'
"I'll try calling him again tomorrow." She relented as she moved up a space in line. She couldn't help but wonder how Eliot would take the news. Would he be angered or had he taken the very advice he had given long ago and left it all in the past? No matter his reaction though, he had the right to know.
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"This is getting old." Eliot sighed as he bounced his knee impatiently, Nate beside him in another waiting room's chair.
"That's what video game apps are for." Nate barely glanced over his magazine to voice.
"Alright then, HARDISON." Eliot glared at, the sympathy he was not getting from, Nate.
"I'm sure it won't be much longer." Nate did his best to smooth over as he placed a hand on Eliot's forearm. It was ridiculous how good he was getting at backpedaling.
"We've been here almost a half hour already!" The speed he had picked up in his knee bouncing screamed of agitation.
"He probably can't decide between cream or sugar." Nate joked at the nephrologist's expense; he'd never know anyway.
"God" Eliot huffed. "I'd seriously kill him for that coffee."
Nate took a minute to laugh that off. "Just think," And it seriously looked like Eliot was thinking about just that. "In a few months you can have just as much coffee and beer as your heart can handle."
Eliot sighed wantonly as he swore, "Hell, I'd kill you for a beer right now."
"And here I thought you liked keeping me company on the band wagon."
"Ha" Eliot snarked. They both knew he'd be on that wagon with Nate for a long while though.
"You can just shush" Nate joked, though a serious voice within reminded him of a certain doctor's words.
Eliot was to keep to a strict diet and any acid that didn't hold nutritional value was not to enter his digestive tract. Basically, between medication and the after effects of Eliot's ordeal, there wasn't a cell, tissue, or organ that hadn't already been pushed to its limit. Eliot adding any unnecessary toxins would surely spell disaster.
"How 'bout I don't." Eliot challenged.
"Well then read this." Nate passed over his magazine, already reaching to retrieve himself another from the table.
"I want that one." Eliot was quick to pull the book from Nate's hands.
"What's the difference?" Nate was skeptical of the smug grin Eliot was wearing.
"Well" Eliot lifted both fitness magazines so that Nate could see the covers. "You see" he gestured to the magazine in his right hand. "He's hot, and well" He took a second glance at the one in his left hand. "Frankly… she's not." With that he tossed "her" back to the coffee table.
Nate's mouth was agape.
He was sure he should be saying something but he didn't know what. Eliot was now flipping through pages and he found himself staring at the red head that was holding up her shirt to show off her abs on that cover. She was fit and pretty enough, but apparently not to Eliot. No Eliot thought, "He's hot?" Nate pulled the book from Eliot to get another look at the cover.
"Yeah" Eliot's brow was raised at how quizzical Nate sounded. "He's sexy as fuck."
"H-"
"Spencer Elliott" A nurse's page cut his words short.
"Let's go" Eliot tapped Nate's shoulder as he stood.
"Right behind ya." Nate assured as he tossed the magazine to the side with a last look of, dare he say, disdain.
E/N: Hey guys! I know it's been a bit but life happened and health issues have kept me pretty exhausted lately and all thoughts and ideas other than sleep have been nearly non-existent. I'm finally getting things figured though so hopefully we can get updates in high gear again and get things moving. Hope you guys enjoyed the update and stick around for more to come!