Jase tapped Thomas’s shoulder. “You got here with perfect timing.”
Luis heard the sound of sirens in the distance. He hugged Thomas and said, “I’d better call the police now.” He heard Camp still barking upstairs and said, “And I’d better let Camp out. He must be going berserk with all this excitement.”
Jase gestured toward the pumpkin patch where Darius was sitting up, moaning about his legs. He spoke with disdain.
“You’d better tell them to bring an ambulance, too.”
“Those sirens are for us,” Thomas said. “I called 911 on my way over here from the hospital. I memorized the address after what happened with Cory. I figured it best to have the police around. I was never so worried in my life, and neither was Cory. We all thought Darius might do something dreadful to you, especially with Darius knowing Cory’s breathing tube was going to be removed soon and he’d be able to speak. He knew his time was running out.”
Jase took a deep breath. “He said he was planning to take Hunter for a long ride this afternoon. He could have kidnapped him. Or, God forbid, even worse. He’s been scheming and planning for a long time, right down to the last detail.”
“I he had killed Cory,” Thomas said, “he might have continued indefinitely.”
“I think we have enough on him to have him locked up for a very long time,” Jase said.
The sirens approached and Luis heard the sound of gravel crackling in the distance on the easement road. Luis stood back and watched as the surreal image of police cars entered the peaceful driveway and Jase and Thomas walked over to meet them. Though he was still in shock about all that had happened, he looked up at the sky and smiled. For a moment, he even wondered about what might have happened to them if Roland and Josh hadn’t shown him the video that morning and Cory had been murdered by Darius. There was no way to predict what someone as unbalanced at Darius would have done. Thomas was right: Darius must have known his time was running out. Cory was coming off the ventilator and Darius knew he’d talk. When Luis thought about Hunter and about how close they had all come to experiencing a life-altering catastrophe, he made a vow he’d never be so trusting again with anyone.
Chapter Fifteen
On the day they discharged Cory from the hospital, Luis tossed a shoe across the bedroom and it landed on Jase’s legs. Luis was sitting on a white leather club chair beside the fireplace and Jase was still in bed sleeping. It was so early the birds had just begun to chirp and the sun hadn’t completely risen. Due to a cool front that had come down from Canada, the bedroom windows were open and the sheer white curtains were billowing into the room with a mild breeze. It was actually cool enough for a sweatshirt. But Luis wasn’t worried about remaining warm. He was sitting in the club chair naked, with his legs open and hanging over the arms of the chair. He knew Hunter was still sleeping soundly in his room. If Luis didn’t wake Jase up this morning with a nice surprise, it might be weeks before they would be able to do anything like this again.
Luis and Jase had agreed to take Cory back to Cider Mill Farm to convalesce. The doctors believed Cory had reached a point where he was well enough to be discharged, but not quite ready to be on his own. Although he would have a full recovery, it would take time. The doctors said for each day he was in the hospital it would take three days to recuperate after his discharge. He’d lost a great deal of weight, both broken arms were still on the mend, and he was working hard to regain his strength. So the doctors suggested a good rehabilitation facility, where Cory wouldn’t be put in any compromising situations that might cause a setback. The main problem was Cory wouldn’t have the use of his hands until his broken arms mended, which meant even simple things like making coffee would be impossible for at least another month.
Cory’s mother and father wanted to take him back to their home, but they were too old and disabled themselves to deal with his temporary disabilities. Jasper couldn’t afford to take off from work full time to give Cory the care he needed. The only alternative meant moving him to a good rehabilitation facility.
But when Luis heard this he drove to the rehabilitation facility to check it out firsthand. He saw it was really a nursing home and he had a long talk with Jase that same night.
Thomas’s insurance took care of all Cory’s hospital expenses and they were willing to pay for his rehabilitation expenses, too. Money wasn’t a problem, because Luis and Jase had both agreed to continue paying Cory his regular salary while he’d been hospitalized. When Luis gave Jase a detailed description of the rehabilitation facility, Jase frowned and suggested the same thing Luis had been thinking. They would take Cory back to Cider Mill Farm instead, and he’d recuperate in one of the guest rooms. Thomas’s insurance would cover visiting nurses, occupational therapists, and in-home physical therapy.
Each guest room in Cider Mill Farm had a private bathroom, so he’d have all the privacy he needed. When the nurses and therapists weren’t around, the rest of them would take turns caring for him. Between Thomas, Cory’s parents, and Jasper, Luis and Jase wouldn’t have much to do at all. Cory would be with people who loved him instead of total strangers.
In the beginning, Cory resisted Luis’s suggestion. He didn’t want to be a burden and he didn’t want anyone going out of their way for him. He set his jaw, clenched his fists, and said, “I’ll go to the rehab and that’s that.” Luis sat down on the end of his hospital bed and frowned. “You’re not going to be a burden. We all agree it’s the best thing. Besides, would you rather have some mean old nurse with rough, bony hands holding your dick when you have to pee, or would you rather have me holding your dick very gently?” Cory blinked and said, “I can sit on the toilet when I pee, thank you. My mind is made up. I’m not going to be a burden to Jasper, or my family, or to you and Jase.” Luis shrugged and glanced up at the ceiling. He said, “Hunter will be very disappointed. When we told him you’d be living with us for a while, he started bringing a few of his favorite books into the guest room so he could read to you.”
Although this mention about Hunter softened Cory more than anything else Luis said, it still took another two days to convince him going to Cider Mill Farm was the best thing he could do. And not because of anything Luis said or did. One of his nurses had been listening to Luis try to talk him out of the rehab. When Cory refused, the nurse put her hands on her hips and frowned. She gazed down at him and said, “If I were you I’d listen to my friends and family. If anyone in my family had a choice between going to a rehab or a place where they’d be surrounded by loved ones, I kick them in the ass if they chose the rehab.” She raised her eyebrows and sent him a confiding glance. “I used to work in one of those places.”