A Decision for Jarren - 28. Chapter 28

Nash fidgeted with his fingertips as he and Jarren sat in the waiting room of the orthopedic specialist that Lex’s stepdad Seth had recommended. They had been able to get an appointment rather quickly with the pull that Seth had. Dr. Corten was one of the leading orthopedic doctors specializing in amputations in the entire Northeast. Nash had filled out all of the forms online and uploaded the insurance info so he didn’t even have that to keep him occupied while they waited. They had arrived in Boston that morning, wanting to get there in plenty of time to get some lunch before his two o’clock appointment.

The previous week had been really busy. Mazen and Bill had come over, and they had managed to install a permanent ramp to get into the house in two days. Liam’s bathroom was now a shell, waiting for materials that they had ordered to arrive. Liam’s phone had arrived on the previous Wednesday and Nash and Jarren received plenty of texts from him, plus they Facetimed every night. Jarren had told him which website to go to so he could look at different tiles for his bathroom. They sent him a computer mock up of how the bathroom would be laid out for him and he was excited.

Nash and Jarren had done a lot of research and had decided to limit Liam’s choices to materials that would be safe for him. After looking at all the options they decided to go with vinyl plank flooring in the bathroom that was slip resistant. Liam finally chose an ash color that was a nice blend of gray with a little black mixed in as well. The shower floor was called a sliced pebble design. The tiles looked like someone had cut stones in half and laid them down, flat side up. The ‘stones’ that Liam picked were a mixture of grays, black, blues and a few sand colored ones thrown in. The shower itself would have 3 x 12 glass tiles done in a cool mix of different blues and greens with some gray thrown in for good measure. Nash thought that Liam had pretty damn good taste.

Nash was pulled out of his inner musings by the nurse calling his name. Jarren held out his hand to steady him as he got up and got his crutches under his arms. Together they followed the nurse down the hallway with a brief stop to get Nash’s current weight. The nurse was pleasant and put Nash at ease right away. She confirmed the information that she had for him and got the standard set of vitals for his chart. Once done she asked Nash to sit on the exam table after she pulled one end of the table upright so he could rest his back against it. She told them that Dr. Corten would be in shortly.

True to her word the nurse was back in less than five minutes with Dr. Corten right behind her. He introduced himself to both of them and Nash was immediately comfortable. Dr. Corten was average height, about 5’10”, he had an athletic build for an older guy. Nash pegged him to be in his mid to late 40’s. His brown hair had a touch of gray threaded throughout and his eyes were starting to show a few wrinkles at the corners.

“So, Nash, I’ve reviewed all of your records that were sent up from your doctor in Atlanta and I think I have a pretty good picture of where you’re at. What I’d like to do is examine the stump and take some measurements if that’s OK with you.”

Nash assured him it was OK, and then followed his instructions as the compression sock was removed. Nash was really happy that the swelling had completely disappeared and it no longer looked like a penis. The end was a healthy, normal pink color and the scar wasn’t quite as rigid as it had been before. Dr. Corten poked and prodded, testing for sensitivity and any abnormalities such as internal scar tissue or calluses. He also took a tape measure to measure circumference in different areas and noted everything in his laptop.

Once he was finished he looked at Nash and asked “So what do you say we get you walking again on two feet?”

It was exactly what they had wanted to hear. “When can I start?” was his immediate reply. Jarren’s grin nearly matched Nash’s.

Dr. Corten continued, “I’m going to refer you to a prosthetist in your neck of the woods. He’s excellent. I’m a little annoyed that he moved out to the wilds of western Mass. He’s one of the best I’ve worked with. His name is Karl Penders and he used to work in the center here at the hospital. He just recently opened his own prosthetic and orthotic center in Springfield. As far as prosthetics go, there are several different types that will work, but my recommendation, and I think Karl will agree, would be what’s called a dynamic-response foot. It suits people who are active, able to walk quickly, change directions easily. It is much better for long distance walking than most of the other types. It can actually store and release energy to help make movement more natural. It mimics the normal types of movements the human ankle and foot make. You should be able to adjust to it relatively easy. It will take practice though. I can’t tell you how many of my patients tell me they’ve taken a spill because they forgot that they were missing part of their leg.”

Nash and Jarren laughed at that, thinking of Nash’s little mishap back at his bungalow.

“Ah, I see you’ve already experienced that, if your laughter is any indicator.” Dr. Corten guessed.

“Yeah, it’s kinda embarrassing when you’re face down on the floor, butt naked.” Nash admitted.

Jarren added “I liked the butt naked.”

Nash just shot him a look while Dr. Corten laughed.

Dr. Corten asked then if they had any questions and he assured Nash that he would in all likelihood be walking on his own in a few weeks, as long as he practiced as instructed by Karl. Nash was told to make a follow up appointment in four weeks and they could make an appointment for Liam at the same time after they brought up his situation as well. Nash and Jarren thanked the doctor and headed out to the reception area to make the necessary appointments.

Once they were back in Jarren’s truck, which had been delivered last Friday, they decided to head out of town to try and beat the evening commuter traffic. It was nearly four o’clock when they got on the Mass Pike headed west and already the cars were pretty much bumper to bumper. They slowly made headway as they crawled along at a steady 30-40 mph. It picked up a bit as they got past Newton, then slowed again as they approached Framingham. Once they passed Framingham it was pretty smooth, with just the normal slowing around the Worcester area. Once they were through there it was smooth sailing. Jarren cruised along at a steady 75 mph.

Nash saw Jarren smile as they passed the ‘Welcome to Wilbraham home of ’ sign with the landscaped evergreen hedges spelling out ‘Friendly Ice Cream’ beneath it. Jarren glanced back at Nash and said “Every western Mass native knows that they’re almost home when they see that sign on the Pike. It’s been there forever.”

Friendly’s was a restaurant chain that was an icon in the New England. It had started in the 1930’s in Wilbraham and was family owned until sometime in the 80’s when Hershey’s bought them out. The company had gone through several changes since then and Jarren’s parents said that it’s not the same as it was back in the 70’s and 80’s. Burgers, sandwiches and ice cream were still the mainstay, but Jarren said the quality wasn’t as good as when he was a kid, except for the ice cream. Their butter crunch was the bomb.

Nash laughed at that. Jarren’s food gauge was often measured up against his local favorites from when he was growing up, just like all homemade meals were always measured against how his Mom made the same thing.

They arrived back at Jarren’s, wait, no, their house, a little before seven. The sun was still warm and just starting to dip down behind the trees. Sunset at this time of year didn’t happen until almost eight-thirty. Jarren quickly fired up the grill and threw two burgers on for each of them. Nash pulled a couple of beers from the fridge and opened them both, leaving one on the counter for Jarren. He set out some cheese and while Jarren tended to the grill, he quickly diced some onions and threw them in a skillet with some butter to saute while the burgers cooked.

Jarren came back in and said “Let’s eat on the deck, it’s a nice night. Grab the chips in the cupboard and I’ll get some paper plates and silverware.”

Once the onions were sufficiently cooked Nash put them in a covered plastic bowl, then grabbed the chips and another couple of unopened beers, put it all into a grocery tote bag and managed to get out to the deck without dropping anything. Before too long, Jarren was bringing over the burgers, all goey with melted cheese, three slices on each patty. Nash covered both his burgers with the cooked onions. Jarren added ketchup and mustard to his, and tossed on a few pickles from the jar he had brought out. He had converted over to bunless burgers, discovering that he really didn’t miss the bread. The burgers had been seasoned and were juicy and quite flavorful.

While they ate they discussed plans for the upcoming weekend. Liam was done with school on Thursday and he and John would be flying up on Saturday morning. Jarren and Nash had sprung for first class seats to ensure that Liam was comfortable on the flight. Overkill, maybe, but what the hell, it wasn’t everyday that you got to fly to your boy home. That’s exactly how they thought of Liam. He was their boy.

“We need to call Grant and see how all the legal stuff is progressing.” Nash told Jarren as he finished swallowing a bite of the juicy beef.

“Yeah, I think we need to get an idea of how long everything will be drawn out. I really don’t want to be stuck in a legal no man’s land forever. We need to sit down with Dad this week too. He’s had a work contract drawn up for you. Your references were all amazing, by the way. I think Dad was really impressed. He wants you to be the project manager for contracted services. I agree with him. I think you’re a perfect fit for the job.” Jarren told him.

Nash’s eyebrows furrowed slightly before he said “Did your dad interview anyone else for the position?”

“Stop. Now. Just stop what you’re thinking. No, he didn’t interview anyone else, BUT,” Jarren said, holding up his hand so Nash couldn’t protest, “It was because he didn’t get any resumes that were qualified. Troy told me they got over 50 resumes and most were a joke. You can’t exactly go from burger flipper at McDonald’s to managing contractors for a major development project. They got twelve of those types of resumes. You have everything that he’s looking for. It’s not favoritism, you’ve earned this. I know I told you way back when that Dad would give you a job, and I meant it. If you weren’t qualified for a project manager position he wouldn’t put you in it, you’d be doing something else. I’ve known all along that you can do it. So there.” Jarren stuck his tongue out.

Nash smiled, his feelings at ease and retorted, “So what are you good at?” leering at Jarren sexily.

Jarren’s eyes narrowed slightly and he lowered his voice and stared right at Nash “As if you didn’t already know, I guess I might have to remind you later on.”

“You do that.” replied Nash huskily.

That of course started a sexual undercurrent that permeated the rest of their evening with each of them doing his damndest to rile up the other. They had been busy ever since their arrival and sex had been put on the back burner for the past week. They both knew it was time to change that, which is exactly what they did later that evening. Jarren decided that going to bed in a post-orgasmic daze was the best way to fall asleep.

The remainder of the week they focused on working on all the things on their to-do list that seemed to expand, rather than shrink. It seemed like as soon as they crossed something off, they added something else, or two something elses. Nash met with Bill Dalton, and after two hours they had come to an agreement on the management position. Bill had assured Nash that he was getting the job because of his credentials and work ethic. Jarren had only been a referral source. Sitting down and talking with Bill placated Nash and he finally realized that Jarren’s dad would never compromise his ethics and hire someone on pure favoritism. He had high standards and Nash hoped that he would be able to live up to those standards. Jarren was confident that he would and that confidence bolstered Nash.

Lex and Ian’s house was completed. The furniture that Lex had ordered for Liam’s room had been delivered. Lex had even paid the extra fee to have the delivery guys assemble everything. Liam would have a double platform bed that had plenty of storage underneath that he could access easily. Ian had gotten a sturdy bench for the shower stall in the bathroom. They had added some shower caddies that were within reach for Liam’s convenience, and put in an adjustable hand-held showerhead as well. Keon could move it up to accommodate his height and Liam could move it down better suit his needs.

Keon was getting used to Jarren and Nash’s presence at the house and seemed more comfortable with them. He had started to participate in their conversations and was even inquiring about Liam. He got a kick out of the penis stump story.

Nash had been able to get an appointment with Karl Penders, the prosthetist on Friday morning so he and Jarren took a break from the work they were doing on their house to head into Springfield. Karl had opened the facility about six months ago, with the intent to create a one-stop center for amputees. He was still in negotiations with a few orthopedic specialists and had office space available for their use. He had picked a location that was within easy proximity to both Baystate Medical Center and Mercy Hospital. There was also a VA Medical Center close by as well as Shriner’s Children’s Hospital.

They didn’t have to wait long after they arrived at the center. They were greeted warmly by the receptionist and then another staff member came out to give them a tour before meeting with Karl. The lobby was warm and inviting. The building was an old Catholic school that had closed several years earlier due to declining enrollment. It was two stories and designed in a T shape. The long part of the T had originally been the cafeteria and gymnasium. Karl had it converted to a therapy center. There were separate areas that focused on lower extremity rehabilitation and another area that focused on upper extremities. The Leg Center, as it was called, was impressive. It housed equipment that one would expect to see, parallel bars, stairs and leg press machines. It also had what looked like a cross between a mini golf and an obstacle course. There were various walkways of different lengths and surface types, asphalt, grass, tiles, rugs and a rutted dirt pathway as well. Chairs and benches were scattered throughout and intermittently there was a putting course like you would find at a mini golf place. Their guide explained that the walkways were for training someone with a leg or foot prosthetic to walk on different kinds of surfaces. The mini golf course helped to establish balance, there were six holes all together, spaced intermittently throughout the walkways. It was also used by those with arm prosthetics get used to movement, and besides it was fun.

They were shown the lab where all of the artificial limbs were created. That took up the entire second floor of the facility. The first floor housed the main office and exam rooms. The tour wrapped up and Nash and Jarren were shown into an exam room. The girl who had shown them around said that Karl would be in shortly.

It wasn’t long before there was a knock on the door and a nice looking man stepped in and introduced himself. Karl Penders was about the same age as them. He was short and stocky, not fat, but rather bulky like someone who worked out a lot. His manner was quite pleasant and he quickly put Nash at ease. Dr. Corten had already sent him all of the pertinent information that he needed to know. Karl spent a good amount of time with them discussing the various options available.

“What about the new biometric prosthetics? What can you tell us about them?” Nash inquired. He and Jarren had both done some research over the past several days.

Karl answered “Technology has come a long way over the past few years. The robotic feet that are available now are really good, but the type of amputation that you had doesn’t allow for proper sense of proprioception. That’s the inner ability that everyone has that lets you know, without looking, where your limbs are. Um, like when you touch your fingers together with your eyes closed. It’s the ability to know how much pressure to place on the gas or brake pedal in response to an event like a light changing. The doctors and scientists over at MIT have been developing a combined surgical and prosthetic procedure that places nerve endings in the right position to allow for the interaction between the limb and the robot sensors to respond more naturally. There are other robotic options out there but the movements are more limited. You would probably need revision surgery if you decide to pursue the robotic angle. Plus it’s more expensive, the cost could exceed $70,000 for a robotic leg. It can be a battle to get insurance companies to cover it.”

Nash absorbed all of this information. The technology was out there now, but he wasn’t sure that he wanted to deal with the hassle of another surgery and recovery time, not to mention the cost.

Karl and Jarren gave him a few minutes to digest all of the information. Finally he came to a decision and said “I think I’ll go with the dynamic response foot. As much as I like the idea of a more natural ‘feeling’ sensation that the robotic one could provide, I think for now I’d be more comfortable with the other one. I’m sure the technology will evolve further in the next several years and who knows? Maybe in a few more years they will develop something that is more efficient and less expensive and won’t require additional surgery. If it wasn’t for having to go through more surgery I’d probably do the robotic option, but at this point getting Liam home is what’s more important. Surgery would only delay that.”

Jarren’s eyes reflected the love and pride he held for Nash. One more day and they would see Liam again. They still had to get furniture for his bedroom, but they wanted to let Liam pick it out. Lex had already informed Jarren that they were welcome to stay the night tomorrow so they could be there for Liam. Mazen and Cassie had closed on their house which was across the street and catty corner to Lex and Ian’s and they offered their spare room for John to sleep in. He was flying back Sunday evening, after he made sure Liam was settled in OK.

Karl broke into their reverie and said “Your choice makes perfect sense. I think it’s the right one from everything you’ve told me. So let’s get the ball rolling. I’m going to make a cast of your stump so my crew can start creating your foot.”

Karl’s center was equipped with all of the fabrication materials and machinery that was needed to create prosthetic limbs, with the exception of the robotic ones. He led them to another room and gathered up the necessary supplies. Nash was entertained watching Jarren’s fascination with the process of his stump being molded. Karl took his time and explained each step to both of them. He made careful notations while he worked, marking the different areas where the tendons and muscles were located.

It took awhile for the plaster to dry and Nash discovered that it made him itch, as in his missing foot was itching. He still couldn’t get used to the phantom sensations that hit out of the blue. Most of the time he just felt like he still had a foot, occasionally he would have to deal with the phantom pain. Those instances sucked. No matter how many times you looked at the empty space, sometimes the brain just refused to register the fact that there was nothing there. He had used the mirror trick a few times when the pain had been particularly bad and it had helped. They had taught him at the hospital to place a mirror between his legs so that it reflected his intact foot, which would trick his brain into ‘seeing’ a whole foot and in return stop hurting. Weird, but effective.

Karl was finally satisfied with the results of the mold and Jarren helped Nash wash the residual plaster off of his leg. Karl told him to keep using the temporary prosthetic which could handle partial weight bearing. The new foot should be ready in about a week. Karl told him he would call once it was done and Nash could come back for the final fitting before starting with physical therapy. Nash thanked Karl and said he was looking forward to the next phase in his recovery.

He and Jarren headed back to the house to make some more headway on the necessary renovations. They had gutted the bathroom with help from Bill and had started rebuilding the shower stall. The permanent bench was done and they had the flooring installed as well. Once they were back at the house, they ate a quick lunch and resumed working on getting the tiles installed in the shower area. Nash loved the blue and green blend of colors that Liam had chosen. It reminded him of the ocean. He wondered if Liam had ever seen the ocean, if not then they would have to take him.

He and Jarren worked well together. Nash strapped on knee pads and worked on the lower half of one wall while Jarren started at the top of another wall and worked down. They switched when they got halfway done each wall, Jarren took over from Nash and worked his way up to the top and Nash worked from the middle down to the bottom of the wall that Jarren had started. Several hours later, grouted and caulked, the shower was done. They left it alone to dry, sealing everything into place. Now all that was left was to install the new toilet and vanity and then finish the floor. Nash figured it would take another day or two.

They cleaned up the mess and made sure all of their tools were put away. Jarren had made lasagna the day before so all they needed to do was to heat up some leftovers. He and Jarren discussed what the next steps were in the process to foster Liam. Both men were anxious and now that Nash has established residency and had a job offer they didn’t see any reason why they wouldn’t be able to move forward with the process.

Jarren said he would call Ryan on Monday and get his opinion and Nash agreed. After cleaning up their plates from supper they watched a little TV before getting bored with the selection. Nash had been inhaling Jarren’s scent all evening and the aroma had fired him up. He decided that it was playtime and by Jarren’s reaction as he teased his nipples, Nash wasn’t going to get any protests whatsoever.

“Bathroom. You. Naked. Now.” was the order that Nash issued and Jarren didn’t hesitate. This was going to be fun.