About Oil Change

by Anah Crow and Dianne Fox
18 pages / 8600 words
Available file types - html, lit, pdf, prc

Denny's out of surgery, and Sully has never been more helpless. He wants to make everything better, but he's not sure how. The one good thing about the hospital stay is how accepting folks seem to be of his relationship with Denny. Back home, Denny knows the whole situation has been a huge stress on Sully. He wants to find a way to be less of a burden, but will he come up with a foolproof plan to make Sully happy?

Pit Road Reading Order:
"Support System" in Toy Box: Slings
"Home Team" in Toy Box: Kitchen Sink
Percussive Maintenance
Heating Up
Oil Change
Out to Lunch
Southern Comfort
Training Wheels

Sample

It didn't take much to get things set up so that Sully could be there after Denny's surgery, what with Denny not having any family around and all. That didn't keep Denny from being petrified through the preparations, though. The nurse kept offering him something because of him being scared of the surgery coming up, but Sully knew that wasn't it. It was the way the nurse looked at them, sweet as could be, in a genuine way that should have put anyone at ease. Anyone but Denny. When she talked him into taking the pills, it was something of a mercy that they put him half to sleep.

Now, fresh out of surgery, Denny was trying to wake up again, fussing and whimpering in a way he never did when he knew what he was doing. A recovery nurse checked him out and then tugged the drapes closed a couple feet on each side. The staff seemed relieved Sully was there. They were run off their feet already, and Denny never took kindly to anything keeping him down, including anesthesia.

Sully petted Denny's lank hair back from his face. This -- all of it -- was the goddamn worst experience of his life. He wanted to be able to fix things, to fix Denny, but all he could do was sit here and wait. Wait, and hope those doctors'd done their jobs and maybe, just maybe, Denny'd be able to walk -- maybe even drive -- after all this.

"Hush, baby," he murmured, trying to soothe Denny's little whimpers. Denny needed his rest. That, at least, Sully could help with.

"Nah bayee," Denny said adamantly. A frown lined his pale forehead and dragged down the corners of his dry mouth.

Sully couldn't help smiling. Whatever else the doctors had done, they hadn't changed Denny's stubbornness one damn bit. "You want some ice chips, sugar?"

"'Top it." Denny's frown turned into a scowl, and he swung his fist like he wanted to take a shot -- a drunken shot -- at Sully for calling him 'sugar.'

Sully pushed Denny's hand back down to the bed and let Denny have his way, though it hurt some to do it, to keep his mouth shut, after sitting and waiting and wondering so long if Denny would be okay.

Surgery was dangerous, always. Things went wrong. Not this time, though, and Sully reminded himself of that as he scooted a little further back from the bed. He'd have plenty of time to cuddle Denny up and call him sugar later, when they were home.

Denny subsided back into sleep for a while, leaving Sully alone to wonder if his boy was okay. After what seemed like way too long, Denny raised the hand that didn't have the IV in it and rubbed at his throat, pawing at it a little.

"Can't breathe," he said clearly enough. He was breathing fine, but the nurse had said something about the anesthetic making his throat and chest feel rough.

"Hey, sugar." Sully moved in close so he could touch Denny's shoulder, cautiously. When Denny's gold eyes opened up, Sully felt like he could finally breathe, himself. "You're breathin' fine. Nurse said them drugs'll make it feel funny is all."