Chapter Text
For the past week, everything had been too quiet. Aidan could swear it would be impossible for Dean to bury any further into himself, and the silence was starting to wear on him.
It had started with the near-daily doctor’s appointments and checkups the first week they’d been home from the hospital. Dean wasn’t used to the constant attention, to having to depend on another person so wholly. Whether it was to keep track of the multiple medications he took every few hours, or to rely on assistance to just get around the house. Dean was a person who was constantly in motion, someone who spent the majority of his day outside, exploring, socializing, and now he’d been practically bed ridden.
It hadn’t been so bad at first, but during the second week Dean had developed new pain in his leg and a low-grade fever. The doctors had found a small abscess in the wound, and the JP drain that he’d been looking forward to being removed, was forced to stay in a few days longer. On top of that, progress during his physical therapy sessions was slow to null, and they were insisting the use of a cane during any trips longer than the length of his house. There were threats of permanent muscle damage if he didn’t keep up the exhausting rehabilitation, but without progress, it was hard for the blond to keep a positive attitude.
Dean just couldn’t seem to catch a break, and today was the straw the broke the camel’s back, because he was currently collapsed in a heap on the bathtub floor, having just slipped on the tile during his shower, and was lacking the wherewithal to move.
“I can’t do this anymore,” he said brokenly. Small hands furiously wiped away the tears slipping down his cheeks.
Aidan, having heard his boyfriend’s fall, had rushed into the room and pulled back the curtain, terrified of what he’d find. His throat tightened at what he saw, and he knelt down to the blond’s level.
“None of that. You can,” Aidan said as he shut off the water. “You’ve already come so far. The doctors are all impressed with your recovery.”
Dean choked out a laugh but didn’t respond as Aidan draped a towel over his shoulders. He looked on worriedly, because although his boyfriend was still distraught, he hadn’t actually moved.
“Did you pull your drain at all?” He asked hesitantly. The device was a touchy subject because Dean was repulsed by the way it looked. The only time he’d let Aidan near it or look was when he was too tired to empty it himself, and even then he’d go red in the cheeks.
Gently, Aidan shifted Dean’s calf to the side so he could see the wound, still red and incredibly painful looking. But the stitches that held in the drain in place were intact, and not pulled, so Aidan sighed in relief. “Looks good.”
Dean pulled his leg away and made a little sound. Finally, he looked up at him, green eyes round and pleading and rimmed with tears. “I need to get away, Aid. I’m going crazy here.”
Dean had mentioned it before a few days ago but Aidan had quickly shut him down. He’d still had a low-grade fever, and the risk of the infection worsening was too great. But the defeated look in the blond’s eyes right now undermined any of the potential risks, and Aidan acquiesced.
“Okay. But let’s get you out of this tub and dry off before we make any plans.”
The smile that broke out on the blond’s face helped to soothe some of the unease Aidan felt in his stomach, and he allowed himself to smile back.
____________________
On Friday, only two days later, they had packed Richard's truck with camping gear and food for the weekend, and along with Adam, squeezed into the cab and made their way deep into the West Coast of the South Island. Once they found a secluded place to make camp, they unpacked their tents, and began the short hike to the summit of the small mountain. Dean was so excited to get out of the house, that he was barely limping along the trail in his excitement, only partially depending on his cane. Thankfully, the winding trail quickly gave way to a rocky opening which overlooked much of forest and wetlands. Finally in his element, Dean dropped his cane to the side and began taking pictures of the beautiful landscape and his friends. Not even the dull pain in his muscles could begin to hamper the freedom he was finally feeling that he’d been craving for weeks.
Only when Aidan began to notice the emerging limp and wince in Dean’s face did he subtly mention to his friend’s that they should begin their hike back. They all quickly understood his suggestion, and they collectively trekked back to their campsite.
“Feeling okay?” Aidan asked as Dean collapsed into the fold-out chair by the campfire. Adam had just got the fire going, and the warmth emanating from it felt soothing in the cool evening air.
“Yeah,” Dean replied honestly. Though his leg was cramping from all the activity, his mind was finally at ease being around his friends and not confined indoors. “Perfect. Thanks for this, Aid.”
Aidan smiled and pulled over a spare chair, which he encouraged Dean to rest his bad leg on. The doctors were still advising him to keep it elevated as much as possible to reduce the inflammation, and Aidan wasn’t going to ignore their orders just because they were out camping. Once Dean had his leg up, he placed an instant ice pack against the wound, only feeling better when the blond sighed in content.
“Alright boys, what are you in the mood for, for supper?” Richard asked as he opened the full cooler and passed beers to Aidan and Adam. “Burgers or chicken?”
“Chicken!” Adam said.
“Chicken sounds good," Aidan agreed. "Dean? What are you in the mood for?”
“Not very hungry,” he replied. Shifting deeper into the chair, Dean closed his eyes, just enjoying the warmth of the fire. “You guys pick.”
Aidan quickly eyed the others who each held their own levels of concern, and he left to go inside their tent. “I’ll be right back. Chicken sounds good, Rich.”
Inside, the Irishman pulled Dean’s orange pill bottles from his bag and gathered each medication that was due into the palm of his hand. Of the many pills – pain medication, a muscle relaxer, steroids, and antibiotics – each held their own unpleasant side effect, including malaise and poor appetite. Knowing that Dean wasn’t hungry and would probably refuse to eat, he poured a bottle of vanilla Ensure into an opaque water bottle (for Dean's dignity), and then returned to his boyfriend’s side. Dean was already dozing, but he woke enough to take his meds, and sip off some of his drink.
With Dean now comfortable and settled, Aidan allowed himself to collapse into a chair next to him by the fire. He was drained, physically from the hike and mentally from cumulation of little sleep and stress for many weeks straight. He closed his eyes.
“You okay, Aid?” Adam’s voice came from across the fire.
Aidan cleared his throat and blinked tiredly. “Yeah. Just tired.”
“Drink,” Richard pushed his beer into his hands, and Aidan quickly downed a large drink of it. “You need some time to relax. Now’s the perfect time to.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“How’s he actually doing?” Richard asked as he put the chicken wrapped in tinfoil over the grill of the fire. “Today's been the first day I've seen him actually smile.”
Aidan stole a quick glance at the blond, who was clearly sleeping and oblivious to their conversation. Only then did he allow himself to be honest with the others, who looked on at the two with concern. “Not the best, honestly. He’s still not healed all the way, and he’s not making much progress in physical therapy. I think being cooped up in the house all the time has just made it worse for him.”
“No wonder he was so adamant to get out here,” Adam said.
“He’s an active person to begin with, I’m surprised this didn’t happen sooner,” Richard said.
“Well, he mentioned he wanted to leave earlier this week,” Aidan said. He glanced again over to Dean just to make sure he was truly sleeping. “But he’s been so sick, still, with the abscess and the fever. I was worried he’d relapse,” he swallowed hard, and took another sip of his beer, just to feel the coolness soothe the lump in his throat. “I don’t think I could take that again.”
Richard murmured in agreement as he flipped over the chicken. “I think you made the right decision bringing him out here, though. He seems to be over the worst of it now. I bet this will lift his spirits.”
“This is the happiest I’ve seen him weeks,” Aidan said. “I know this is what’s best for him, I guess I just need to convince myself that nothing bad will happen.”
“Well that begins by finishing off your beer,” Adam smiled at him, holding his own bottle up in cheers. “Peter gave us the whole weekend off, which never happens, so let’s make the best of it, yeah?”
An hour passed, where the mood lightened considerably and they finished their beers and dinner. Only when the moon was high in the sky and the stars shining bright did Aidan finally feel at ease.
“Hey,” Richard caught his attention suddenly, and he looked pointedly at Dean. Aidan shifted his gaze over to his boyfriend, where the blond was beginning to tilt to the side and was just about to spill his bottle of Ensure.
With reflexes that startled him even in his tired state, he caught the bottle just in time, which woke Dean. Green eyes sleepily peered up at him.
“Want to go to bed?” Aidan asked him, already standing up, ready to help him stand and go into their tent.
Dean nodded without any form of protest. Accepting his boyfriend’s help, they slowly entered the tent, and Aidan helped him lay down comfortably under the blankets. Knowing that the blond was too tired to take care of his drain, Aidan efficiently and clinically emptied it, mentally taking note of how much he drained into the small container, and then collapsed the grenade-like drain, plugging it to maintain its constant suction.
He walked a few feet into the woods and dumped the serosanguinous fluid into the brush. Pausing a moment, Aidan allowed himself to collect his thoughts and breathe. He knew how he must look – he could easily feel it through the tiredness in his muscles and puffiness surrounding his eyes. It was a direct reflection of the grief he’d felt since Dean’s accident, and he didn’t expect it to go away any time soon; not until Dean was completely healed.
Sighing heavily, Aidan walked back over to his boyfriend, who was already in a light doze against the pillows. He covered him, tucked in the heavy covers, and then pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead.
The faintest smile pulled against Dean’s lips, and it was still there when Aidan zipped up the tent.
“I’ll be in soon. Sweet dreams, Deano.”