Page 20 of Leading the Blind
Mini leaned on him. “My head hurts, Bax.”
“Then you need a nap. Maybe a Coke.” He slipped off the earpiece Jason wore. “No more games today.”
“No. No more.” There was a loss, an exhaustion in those always-searching eyes.
“Come on.” He would find someone to give the tech to, and he and Mini would get some quiet time.
They could rest together, cover Mini’s eyes. Have an Advil, because Bax’s head was starting to pound.
It was Nate they ran into. “Y’all disappeared.”
“Yeah. Jase is beat. We’re going to the room for a bit.”
Nate opened his mouth to protest, but Bax just shook his head. He handed Nate the earbud. “We’ll give it another go tomorrow before the rest of the riders get to the arena.”
“I can do it tomorrow.” Jase was white as a sheet.
“Okay.” Nate gave Bax a sad look. “No problem, guys. You go on.”
Bax wanted to scream at them. No one got to feel sorry for Jase. Mini was the best of all of them.
Instead, he took Jason’s elbow and left. They needed space.
Funny, isn’t it? How spaces are getting smaller and smaller?
“Thanks, Bax.” Jason said it quiet, soft.
“Sure. I want you to come and lay down with a rag over your eyes, okay?” They had to hurt so bad.
“Yes, please.” Once they were in the elevator, Jase moved into his arms, leaning on him.
“Soon.” He’d turn off the phones and order up a pizza later tonight.
“Mmm. Feels better already.”
“It does, Mini. It so does.” He hugged Jason tight, not willing to let go, not even when the doors opened. Lucky for them, noone was there. One of these days, he was going to get them in trouble.
They hit the room, and he got Jason stretched out, boots off. “I’ll get that washcloth.”
“Thank you.”
“I know it has to help.”
“It does. It just makes everything less throbby.”
He believed it. Jason was always trying to see, fighting to make things make sense. The docs all said that was because his eyes still worked. It was his brain that didn’t process things no more. Still, he loved the way that just covering them could relax Jase to the bone.
The washcloths were nice and soft, so he wet one, then squeezed out the excess water. Bax took it back, sitting on the bed next to Jason. “Close your eyes, babe. I’m going to make it better.”
“Please.”
The washcloth folded, he placed it over Jason’s eyes, and his Mini relaxed, a soft sigh sounding. “There you go.”
He stroked Jason’s forehead. The first time he’d done this, he’d felt like all sorts of a girl, petting Jase’s head, but it had done wonders, so he kept it up.
“Mmm.” Jason’s happy little rumble kept him planted right where he was, touching, easing that pain. “I want to do this right, Bax, for us.”
“I know you do.” He took Jason’s hand with his free one. “You need to hear this from me right now. Ain’t no way you can do it wrong. You tell me today, right now, you want to quit and go do underwater basket weaving for a living? I’m with you.”
