Lieutenant Robert Edward Grayson leaned back into his reclining chair, and grimaced as excruciating pain shot down his spine.
The pills that they had given him last week weren't doing shit. He had been enduring the lasting effects of his injury for almost ten years now, and almost nothing seemed to ease his suffering.
Sleep, and the occasional bottle of whiskey were the only things that allotted him any relief. He had already attempted to end his life at least a half dozen times, but each and every instance had ended in complete, and utter failure.
The bottle of pills he had taken had been pumped from his stomach.
The razor he had used to slice through his wrists hadn't been sharp enough to create enough damage, but he had resiliently hacked away at his skin until his brother had found him sitting in a pool of his own blood on the bathroom floor.
He had even tried to crawl through the upstairs window in order to jump from the roof of the house, but his day nurse had found him long before he was able to pull himself all the way through it, and had promptly called the police.
He had spent two weeks in a psych ward after that attempt. Why couldn't they just let him die?
What was the point of him continuing on this way? He couldn't work. He could barely walk, and any time that he needed anything someone had to bring it to him.
What kind of life was that? It wasn't one that he wanted to live, and he just wished that everyone would leave him alone so that he could end things in a dignified manner like a man.
Reaching towards the end table, he grasped onto the television remote, and swore as it slipped through his fingers to land on the floor beside his chair.
Taking a deep breath to brace himself, he leaned slightly to the right, and nearly cried out in agony when the movement pulled at the vertebrae in his back. He knew that he wasn't going to be able to reach it, but the stubbornness in him made him try regardless.
The remote was nearly a foot out of his reach, but he managed to bend a little closer by pivoting his waist as he leaned. His fingers were dancing back, and forth willing it to come to his hand when it was abruptly snatched from the floor, and out of his sight.
Collapsing back into his seat, he lifted his harsh blue gaze to glare at his older brother.
"Why didn't you just call me? I was right there in the kitchen," he said with a sigh.
The question only made Robert's expression darken. "Fuck you, Louis."
With a shake of his head, his brother set the remote on the end table. "You really need to let go of this hostility, Bobby. It's not helping anyone. Least of all you."
Robert's lips pinched together, and his jaw tightened. "When you've spent a day in my shoes then you can tell me how to feel. Until then I would appreciate it if you would keep your little tidbits of advice to yourself."
Expelling an aggravated breath, his brother shrugged. "Fine. You've got it. Your new nurse is here. Do you think you can be civilized enough to say hello, or do you plan on scaring him off like you did with the last one?"
Robert's mouth tilted in cynical amusement. The last one had barely been strong enough to lift him from the bath tub. After dropping him twice, Robert had sunk beneath the water, and had refused to come back up.
"That last kid you had here was an idiot. If you've found another one just like him you might as well just send him on his way now."
Louis rolled his eyes at that sentiment before shaking his head again. "It's times like these that I wonder why I haven't put you in a home," he said in exasperation.
Robert grinned at his older brother. "Fuck you, Louis."
Running his slender fingers through his greying hair, Louis shifted so that he was peering out the window of their living room.
"I'm glad our mother isn't alive to see what you've become, you know that? She's probably rolling around in her grave."
"Probably," Robert agreed. "I doubt it's from this. If she's rolling around then she probably got an eyeful of that beast you brought home with you last week."
His brother turned to look at him in surprise, and then he scowled. "Selma Jensen is a very nice lady."
Robert smirked with spite. "I'm amazed that your bed didn't come crashing through the ceiling. I would assume that thing has a weight limit."
Turning his head, he reached for the remote, and clutched onto it tightly before facing his brother once again. "She would have been doing us both a favor if it had since I sleep in the room right beneath yours."
Louis's only response was to cluck his tongue in disgust.
Waving the remote at him, Robert urged him to move. "I want to watch television. You want to get your scrawny ass out of the way?"
"Gladly," Louis spat out.
With his fingers curled into fists, he moved from the spot in front of the recliner, and marched back towards the kitchen. He was several feet from the doorway when a young man walked past the threshold, and paused in front of him.
Turning back to face his little brother, Louis sneered. "This is your new nurse, Joshua." Craning his neck, he glanced towards the man in question. "Joshua, this is my invalid brother, Bobby. Have you worked with children before?"
A small smile passed across the nurse's features as he looked from one of them to the other. "I have an array of experience in a lot of different areas," he stated pleasantly.
Robert frowned as he inspected his new nurse. It was another kid, and this one appeared to be even more useless than the last. He couldn't be more than twenty years old, and by the look of him he hadn't worked a hard day in his life.
He looked like he belonged in some fashion magazine. Not in the pale, blue surgical scrubs that he was wearing. His honey colored hair was too long for military standards, and it seemed as if a comb had never passed through it before. His face was also too pretty.
How was he going to rely on a man who looked like he spent most of his days moisturizing rather than doing the things that men should be doing?
"I see you hired me a Backstreet Boy," Robert grumbled in disdain. "Does he sing?"
Before Louis was able to answer, Joshua took a step forward. "Quite well, actually. Although I haven't had reason to do so since college."
The directness of his gaze, and the crispness of his response made Robert pause momentarily. "Is that so?" he finally replied.
Joshua smiled politely in return without breaking eye contact. He simply nodded while clasping his hands at his back.
Robert noticed the familiarity of the stance immediately. "Ever been in the military, kid?"
With a slight shake of his head, Joshua stood fast. "My father was stationed at Fort Leavenworth, but I knew from an early age that I wished to pursue a career in the medical field."
"How's that working out for you?" Robert wondered with disinterest.
Joshua smirked at the question. "I guess we'll see."
When Robert only grunted in response, Louis took the opportunity to interject. "I need to get to work. Are you going to behave if I go?" he asked his brother crossly.
Robert glared as he turned his head to look at him. "I'm thirty two years old. What do you think?" he spat.
"I think I had better call to check on you during my lunch hour. You have an amazing capacity for causing trouble."
Robert grinned snidely. "Fuck you, Louis."
Ignoring the goad, Louis turned towards the nurse. "Remember to keep sharp things out of his reach, or you're going to have a mess on your hands."
Joshua nodded solemnly before reaching out to place his palm on Louis's arm. "Your brother is in good hands. I don't want you to worry." He followed the statement with a reassuring smile, and Louis expelled his breath before nodding.
"I should be back by three. Feel free to call if there are any... issues."
Nodding curtly, Joshua turned to walk with him to the door. Once they were out of earshot, they spoke for a brief moment, and then Louis glanced towards the living room nervously before turning to leave the house.
Robert watched them suspiciously from where he sat in the recliner clutching onto his remote. When his brother turned to peer in his direction, he quickly looked away, and lifted his hand to turn on the television.
After a moment, he heard the sound of the front door opening then closing, and he knew his brother had left.
A few seconds later the Backstreet Boy returned, and Robert made every attempt to ignore his presence.
"Have you had breakfast yet this morning?" he inquired.
"Breakfast is coffee," Robert bit out. Steering the remote towards the end table, he pointed towards a mug that sat near the edge.
"That sounds extremely nutritious," Joshua divulged. "In order to build your strength back up, you need to eat. What would you like me to make you?"
Robert frowned, but refused to look away from the television. "I'm not hungry."
Joshua's voice remained cool, and calm as he responded. "I didn't ask if you were hungry. I asked what you would like to eat."
Lifting a disparaging brow, Robert finally turned his head to look at his keeper. He couldn't keep the scowl from his visage. "Are you deaf? I said I'm not hungry."
In return, the nurse perused him dispassionately. "I know this must be very difficult for you," he finally stated.
Robert squinted with irritation before glancing away. His eyes became riveted to the television screen, and he stoutly refused to comment.
"It doesn't have to be this way," Joshua informed him. "You are not paralyzed. Not yet. You can still come back from this."
Robert's eyes widened in blatant disbelief, and his lip curled slightly in disgust.
"You don't know shit about shit," he angrily growled. "You're just a stupid kid that still thinks wishes come true if you believe hard enough. There aren't enough birthday candles in this world to fix me. So, why don't you get the hell out of here, and just leave me alone!"
Joshua wasn't about to relent. "I can show you how different it can be, Bobby. If you give me the chance."
His words only infuriated Robert further. "Don't call me that. Only my mother, and my idiot brother call me that. You can address me as Lieutenant Grayson, or sir. Whichever you prefer."
Joshua's steady grey gaze didn't falter as he looked into Robert's hostile blue eyes. With a tilt of his head he acquiesced. "As you wish, lieutenant. Your breakfast will be ready shortly."
Without another word, he turned on his heel, and entered the kitchen leaving Robert staring in mystification at his departing figure.
