Chapter 30

William was freaking out. He knew he had royally screwed up when he accidentally hurt his husband during the playful scuffle. His wrist was dislocated and his muscles were twisted. If his parents found out, they'd probably have a fit. He felt awful for hurting Brian.

"I... I just wanted to playfully grab your hand, it was a spur-of-the-moment idea. I didn't mean to hit you, and I would never dare to. I can't believe I messed up this bad. Brian, my love, oh my love, please don't leave me," William blurted out.

The elderly doctor couldn't help but chuckle.

"You two are something else. Wanting to hold hands is such a simple thing, no need for antics. Just do it," she said.

Brian's face turned a shade of red. He realized how childish and silly William's intentions were, but it warmed his heart.

All the anger, the pain in his wrist, and the frustration caused by William's goofiness seemed to melt away.

He was both annoyed and amused.

What a dork, he thought. Who ends up in the hospital just trying to hold hands? If it were something more, would he have ended up in the morgue?

Falling in love is supposed to be beautiful, not this chaotic.

He looked at William, who was wringing his hands, full of regret and worry. Brian's wrist and arm hurt, but his heart felt sweet.

Leave him? How could he? William was such a lovable goofball.

"Take it easy for the next few days. Don't move your hand too much or it might get worse. Even if it heals, it might still ache when the weather is bad. Young man, take good care of him. Be gentle in your relationship; not everyone can handle your strength," the doctor advised.

William nodded like a bobblehead, vowing to himself not to be so rough again.

Next time he wanted to hold hands, maybe he should just read his palm.

"I always want to take care of you and be good to you, but I always end up making you mad. Whether it's making a meal you don't like or accidentally hurting you, something always goes wrong," William confessed.

It was true. He thought he was doing things to bring them closer, but they always ended up fighting. What went wrong? Wasn't everything fine? Why couldn't he just make Brian happy?

He had been so confident that winning Brian's heart would be easy.

Easy? He wished. This was harder than anything.

Falling in love was a real challenge.

Brian's right arm was bandaged from elbow to palm. He couldn't move it much.

Brian looked at William, who was standing beside him with a droopy expression, and couldn't help but smile. Oh well, he thought, I guess I'm stuck with him.

"Come here," Brian motioned.

He waved his left hand, but William didn't move.

"I'll stand on your right side to shield you from people. If someone bumps into your hand, it'll hurt like hell," William explained.

Brian sighed. He knew that beneath William's clueless exterior, there was a gentle and tender heart that he needed to discover.

"Come here," Brian repeated.

William finally moved to Brian's side.

"What's up?" William asked.

Brian held out his left hand, palm up.

William started patting his pockets. Did he have cigarettes on him? No.

"The cigarettes are in the car. We can smoke once we leave the hospital," William said.

Brian gave him a stern look and extended his hand again.

"What do you want?" William asked, still confused. Besides his wallet, all he had were car keys. How was Brian supposed to drive with one hand?

"Talking to you is like pulling teeth," Brian muttered. He reached out with his left hand, grabbed William's hand, and interlocked their fingers.

"There, happy now?" William was surprised. He never thought that Brian would want to hold hands, especially after the wrist incident. And he certainly didn't expect Brian to be the one to initiate it.

His eyes were glued to their entwined hands, and his heart was racing like crazy.

He glanced at Brian and swallowed hard, his face turning red.

He looked like a big, silly teddy bear. Clumsy and foolish, but endearing in his own way.

"Let's head home," Brian said softly.

The lights in the hospital were bright, but nothing compared to the gentle smile Brian gave him.

William grinned from ear to ear.

Yes, let's head home.