Looking After Max
by David Heulfryn

 

I woke up to the sound of Max groaning and wincing. I looked at the time, it was still early, and Mum and Dad were still up. I got out of bed and went over to Max.

“What’s wrong?” I asked as I sat on his bed.

“My fucking shoulder hurts.” Max clutched his shoulder, and I noticed streaks of tears down his face. The drugs had finally worn off, and he was in pain.

“Is there anything I can do?” He started to writhe under his duvet. I felt useless. I wanted to take away his pain but was powerless to do so.

“Get Mum, see if they have given her anything for the pain.”

I was about to go downstairs when I realised I was naked. I pulled on my old briefs and went to see Mum. She came upstairs with some pills and a glass of water.

“Hello, Sweetie.” Mum cooed as she went into our bedroom. “How are you feeling?”

“It hurts so bad.”

Mum helped him sit up so he could swallow the pills. “They gave me these. They are stronger than normal Paracetamol. They may knock you out again.”

“As long as they take away the pain.” Max groaned.

Mum stroked Max’s hair and lay him back down again. She left the half-empty glass of water by his bedside. “You get back to bed, Finn.” She told me. She watched and smiled as I pulled down my tight briefs and slipped into bed. “Good night, Boys.”

“Night, Mum,” I said as she closed the door. I looked over to Max. “Do you feel any better?”

“They’ve not kicked in yet.” He said.

“What happened? We don’t know the full story yet.”

Max described how he caught the ball and charged for the try-line. He could see the boys in his way, determined to stop him from passing. The biggest lad ran towards him, and they collided. Max was forced backwards, his body twisted through the air. The other lads carried on their charge, and Max screamed in pain at the bottom of a pile of boys. James said he saw Max fly through the air, twisting as he went, his face contorted in pain. James ran over to help Max and grabbed the boys to throw them off his boyfriend.

Max was left alone on the pitch, lying on his back, clutching his injured arm.

“We were winning the match,” Max said, “We were thrashing them. After half-time, we noticed that they started playing dirty, trying to turn the game to their advantage. There were punches thrown at some of our team, and you don’t want to know what they did when there were rucks.”

“What?” I knew he wanted to tell me.

“Well, if you were lucky, you got a punch in the guts. If you weren’t, you got a punch to the nuts.”

“Did that happen to you?” I asked.

“Yep, I got a hard punch aimed at my balls. But I moved before he reached the target, and he punched my thigh instead.”

“Surely the ref saw this and did something.” I was astonished at how they could have got away with it.

“They kept him busy looking the other way. That team is renowned for dirty tactics, but  they played clean in the first half.”

“Still, I hope someone gets into trouble for what happened to you.”

“No idea. I’ll have to find out. James might know.”

“He won’t,” I told Max, “He went with you in the ambulance. Mum met him there. He stayed with you all the time, but they wouldn’t let him see you when Mum arrived. He was very upset, told them you were his boyfriend, but it didn’t matter. Mum was your next of kin, so only she could stay with you. He waited in the waiting area for hours while they patched you up. When Dad brought me, he went in with you, and I was left with James. They said only two could be at your bedside.”

“I must speak to James,” Max said.

“I’ve been in constant contact with him since you’ve been home. I’ve told him how you are and how you’re missing him. He misses you too. He got worried because you were like a zombie when you left the hospital. Whatever they gave you knocked you out.”

“I don’t remember much. It was like a dream or some out-of-body experience. I seem to remember James giving me a bath, and I felt better after that. Then I went to sleep and remember nothing until I woke up just now in agony.”

“You don’t remember Mum feeding you soup?” I wondered.

“No, I wondered why I could taste tomato soup when I woke up.”

“It wasn’t James that bathed you. It was me.” I told him.

“Thank you, Min. That was so nice of you. I wouldn’t have liked Mum or Dad washing me. But I really thought it was James.”

“Dad took James home when we left the hospital. He kissed you as he left. When we got home, you told Mum that you wanted me to wash you. Do you remember me bathing you?” I asked.

“No. I’ve just got the vague idea that James bathed me. Those drugs were really powerful.”

“They certainly were.” I agreed. I didn’t want to tell him what happened while he was in the bath. I didn’t want to embarrass him. If he didn’t remember, there was no point in bringing it up.

“Oooh!” Max sounded woozy. “Those pills are kicking in.”

“Has the pain gone?”

“Almost. But they’re making me feel so tired.”

“Okay, Max. You go to sleep, but let me know if you need anything.”

“I think I’d better have a pee. I’ve not been all day. Can you help me?”

I got out of bed and helped Max. I was by his good side as we walked to the bathroom. Both of us were naked, and I was worried he might expect me to hold his cock and point it at the toilet. But Max just asked me to hold him steady as he used his left hand to guide his stream of urine into the toilet bowl.

I helped Max back to bed and draped the duvet over him. I tucked it in under his chin. “Sleep well, Max.”

“I love you, Min.” He slurred his words.

I leaned over and kissed his forehead. “I love you too, Max.”

I lay in bed waiting until I was sure Max was asleep. Only then did I allow myself to drift off to sleep.

 

The following morning, Max woke me up. He was groaning as he struggled to pull on some sweatpants. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and watched.

Max collapsed on the bed with his sweatpants at his feet. I said I would help him, and I pulled up his sweats as he stood up. He wasn’t wearing underwear. Max told me he struggled to put them on. I looked at the floor and saw his discarded white briefs.

“I’m cold,” Max said. “I don’t see how I can get a t-shirt on.”

I saw his chosen t-shirt on the bed and picked it up. I fiddled with it, working out the best way to try and get it on Max. I scrunched it up, put his poorly right arm in, and slipped in over his head.

“Well, that’s a start.” Max joked.

I tried to pull it so he could get his other arm through, but it pulled against his right arm and made Max groan. I tried again, this time holding the shirt while I pulled his other arm through so it would put any pressure on his bad shoulder. It worked.

“Thanks, Min.”

“I’m here for whatever you need.” I picked up his discarded briefs, I was going to put them away, but they were clean, so rather than causing Mum more washing, I slipped them on. They felt more comfortable than mine. I wondered if I needed to tell Mum I needed a larger size now.

I dressed, and Max followed me downstairs. I realised how early it was when we went into the kitchen to get a drink. The house was quiet, and the streets were quiet. Mum and Dad were still in bed. I can’t ever remember being up this early on a Sunday morning.

After sitting Max in the front room, I gave him a glass of orange juice. He drank it and then slowly dozed off in the chair. I sat near him and just watched him.

When Mum and Dad came downstairs, they fussed over him.

James came round early to see how he was. Max took James up to our bedroom, and I gave them some time alone.

Mum said I did a good job looking after Max and was proud of me. She also hoped this meant Max wouldn’t be playing rugby again. But I knew Max, and he would be back on that pitch as soon as he was better. But now, every time he played, we would be worried.

After about an hour, Mum wondered if Max needed anything. I said I would go and ask. I didn’t want her walking in on anything. As it happened, they were just talking. They said they would come down.

“How sore is it this morning, Sweetie?” Mum asked, “Do you need any painkillers.”

“Those things the hospital gave me knock me about,” Max said, “they make me feel out of it like I’m awake but not. It’s like I’m sleepwalking.”

“I could give you some Paracetamol instead. See how they work.” Mum suggested.

“Okay, Mum. Is it okay if James stays for dinner?”

Mum agreed, Max took some painkillers, and he and James went back to our bedroom. James came down a short time later, saying that Max was asleep. James apologised for what had happened, but Dad told him it wasn’t his fault, and they were glad he was with him until they arrived.

“I wanted to be with him in A&E, but they made me wait. It was horrible.” I saw James’ eyes glisten with restrained tears. “They told me it was family only.” He couldn’t hold back his tears and allowed them to flow down his cheek.

“I’m so sorry, James.” Mum held his arm, “They never said. If I’d known, I would have said you could come through with us, but they made it sound like only I could be with him.”

“It’s alright. Just the not knowing tore me up,” James told her. “I love him so much. I didn’t want to lose him.”

“I see that, James.” Mum hugged him. I was surprised. But she saw how much James did love her son.

“What is it about Max? He’s got James and Finn competing over who loves him most. Personally, I don’t find him that loveable.” Dad thought we needed a little light relief.

We all laughed, but what James said made a tear escape from my eye. “You have two very special boys, Sir.” James held my hand and squeezed it.

With James and I around, Mum couldn’t do anything to help Max. Either one of us tended to his every need. Even toilet duty. But Max seemed to want me to do that. ‘I don’t want to spoil the romance’, Max claimed.

Slowly, Max got used to his cast and using his left hand rather than his right. He wasn’t allowed to use his broken arm, but his fingers still moved, and he could do simple tasks. I was amazed how quickly he became accustomed to his injuries and by the end of the day, he was able to go to the toilet on his own and even get undressed.

James left early evening. As he left, he kissed Max. Not a chaste kiss on the forehead or quick peck on the lips, they passionately kissed. I smiled as I saw their lips and tongues merge into one. As they broke apart, I saw that Max was hard. Without underwear, his hard cock caused a tent in his grey sweatpants. Thankfully I didn’t notice a wet patch.

Mum looked embarrassed, and Dad grinned, seemingly pleased his eldest son was experiencing first love and lust.

After a light supper and more painkillers, I took Max to bed. I helped to gently take his t-shirt off, but he managed his sweatpants himself. He was slower cleaning his teeth, but I didn’t mind.

Tonight, I waited by the light switch while Max got into bed and snuggled under the covers. When he settled, I turned off the light and snuggled under my duvet.

“Thanks for everything, Min,” Max said when I had finished fidgeting.

“It’s nothing you wouldn’t do for me. And James has been a great help. But I think Mum feels a little pushed out. She’s worried about you, but me and James won’t let her help.”

“She can help when you two aren’t around.” He said.

“If it was up to James, he would be with you twenty-four hours a day.”

“I’m so glad I’ve got you both, and Mum and Dad.”

“I’m glad I’ve got you,” I said seriously. “For a moment, I thought we might lose you. I know it’s stupid, but when you’re told that your brother is in hospital, your mind makes up all sorts of nonsense. I’m just glad it’s only a dislocated shoulder and broken arm.”

“I’m so happy to have a dislocated shoulder and broken arm, too. It’s all I ever wanted when I woke up yesterday.” Max chuckled but then winced as his shoulder jerked.

I burst into tears, releasing the pent-up emotion of the last few days. “I’ve heard about broken necks, concussion, brain damage, even young boys dying after having a heart attack on the pitch.” I blubbed. “I was so scared I might lose you. Last night when you went to sleep, we didn’t talk. It was horrible. It was like something was missing from my life.”

“It’s alright, Min. I’m fine, we’re fine. I’m getting better. I’m not taking any more of those dopey pills they gave Mum at the hospital. I’m going to feel pain and discomfort sometimes, but I’m not going anywhere.”

“I love you so much, Max.”

“And I love you, Min. But there will come a day when we can’t talk to each other when we go to bed. I would have moved out, most likely when I go to university. What will you do then?”

“I’ve thought of that.” I smiled. “We’ll talk to each other on the phone every night.”

Max chuckled. “I love you, Min.”

“I love you too, Max.”

 

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