you see if they were delivered to the nursing station?”
Acknowledging the doctor with a nod, the older nurse hurried from the room.
* * *
RESOLVING TO MAKE this work for Rio’s sake, Binney slid her arm behind his back to give him support so he could ease his injured torso off the pillows. When her hand accidentally burrowed between his loosely tied hospital gown and the naked flesh of his muscular back, she and Rio both sucked in shocked breaths.
“Sorry about my cold hand,” she hastily mumbled. “My bad. But someone needs to tie your gown tighter. It’s only loosely done up at the top.”
Having quickly jerked back fingers that still tingled from touching him, Binney made sure to have cotton fabric between her hand and Rio’s smooth, warm back during the next attempt to sit him up. Her reaction made no sense. She was, after all, trained to see bodies as machines. In all her seven years as a registered nurse caring for young, old and in-between men and women of all shapes and sizes, she didn’t remember ever having experienced such an immediate visceral reaction to simply touching anyone’s skin.
A nursing aide entered the room carrying a set of adjustable crutches. “Janet got called to a patient having problems in another room. She said she may be a while.”
The surgeon huffed out an irritated sigh. “I could help you, Binney. But the object is to see if you can get him out of bed.”
“I’ll manage. Are the crutches set for someone Rio’s height?”
Dr. Layton took them from the aide, who quickly retreated. “I’m six-one and he’s about the same. These would work for me. Just see if you can help him stand, Binney. I’ll save ordering him trying to walk until tomorrow.”
Not in the habit of arguing with attending physicians, nevertheless Binney knew it would be a disappointment for Rio to have walking put off. He’d made plain earlier how he resented feeling like an invalid.
Lowering her voice, but speaking directly to him, she said, “This will be awkward considering you have injuries to both sides of your body. Might I suggest you try using one crutch? The one opposite your usable foot. Let me act as the stabilizer for your right side. I can keep you upright and guide the portable infusion hanger, while you sort of hop along on your good leg.”
“That’s risky,” the doctor said. “He must outweigh you by fifty pounds, and could bowl you right over.”
“I’m five-eight and stronger than I look.” Binney smiled encouragingly at Rio.
“All right. I’ll be here this time to catch any slip.” Dr. Layton walked over and passed Rio one crutch.
“Dang. The cast makes it hard to grip the handhold,” Rio muttered. “Are you sure you want to try bearing my weight?” he asked Binney, who’d settled his right arm over her shoulder, and this time had her arm firmly around his waist as she slid him to the edge of the bed.
“Trust me,” she murmured near his ear.
* * *
TOTALLY CAUGHT OFF guard by the force of tremors running from his toes to his head as he experienced her touch and warm breath at his ear, Rio tested his uninjured foot on the floor and stood. Determined he could do this, he nevertheless needed a moment to get used to the feel of Binney’s soft breast and other womanly curves pressed tight into his side and hip.
“I’ve got you,” she said in a sure voice from somewhere in the vicinity of his chin. “I know you want to use the bathroom. It’s about twenty steps to get you there. Are you game to try?”
Rio felt cool air from the room’s A/C blow across his exposed backside. His hankering to use the facilities warred with an ingrained manly pride that said it was wrong to show off his naked butt. He certainly didn’t pretend to be holier than the Pope, but neither was he in the habit of displaying his man parts to a woman he didn’t know.
“Is this enough for today?” Binney queried quietly. “I’ll help you back into bed and you can try again tomorrow.”
“No,” he grated. “When I get to the bathroom you don’t have to stay with me, do you?”
“I do until you can navigate better on your own and not require help getting up off the commode, Rio. Earlier you mentioned at least one older injury. Did all modesty not go out the window then?”
“Even when I had the concussion I walked on my own. So, no, I handled everything I needed to do in privacy.” Sucking in a deep breath, he took a tentative step forward.
“I’m glad to hear that solid breath,” Dr. Layton said from behind Rio. “That tells me your lungs are performing well. Tomorrow, Dr. Darnell, the orthopedic doctor I’ve asked to see you, wants an MRI on your neck. He’ll decide if you need cervical vertebrae four and five fused or not.”
Rio straightened swiftly, a movement that caused him to swear. “Uh, sorry. I don’t like the sounds of fusion. Will that mean I can’t turn my head?” His question came out in fits and spurts, because Binney gripped him tighter and they were inching toward the open bathroom door.
“That’s something you’ll have to ask Dr. Darnell.” Layton spoke over the sound of his pager going off. “Blast it all, I’m on call and ER is sending an auto accident victim to surgery. Binney, you seem to be holding up okay. Would you rather I help get Rio back to bed? I’ve already written orders to get him up in the morning.”
“It’s up to Rio. I’m good so far.”
Rio was close to choosing to return to bed rather than be left alone with Binney for such an intimate excursion, when Janet Valenzuela rushed back into the room.
“Land sakes! That looks painfully slow. Here, let me get on his other side. Ditch that crutch for now. I’ll support you so you can hop a little faster.”
“I’ll leave you in their capable hands,” Layton said, striding toward the door. “I will check you again on morning rounds. It’ll be after I consult with Dr. Darnell.”
Watching the surgeon dash out, Rio had no idea why he’d feel relieved to have a totally strange woman witnessing his humiliation. Possibly it had something to do with Janet being more the age of his mother. In fact he knew she had sons in their twenties. Maybe he could find a way to dismiss Binney without sounding ungrateful. Especially if, as it appeared, he was going to need to hire her for a while in order to leave the hospital. His fervent hope was that by then he could work the crutches enough on his own to not need help getting to the bathroom.
Between them, the nurses maneuvered their patient into the small bathroom. It so happened that Janet entered first. With her short but plump body and Rio’s six-foot-two-inch rangy frame filling the space, Binney was left unable to fit inside.
She disengaged her hold on Rio’s waist and slid her hand the length of his right arm so he could maintain balance as the older nurse helped him be seated.
“Here, I’ll close the pocket door to give you some privacy,” Binney murmured, backing fully out. “Holler when you’re ready for a return trek to bed. By the way, Janet, we noticed his gown needs tying farther down the back.” Her words were cut off as she shut the pair into the small space.
Rather than hover outside,
