InsaneJournal

Who: Lloyd, James, OPEN to other visitors
When: Saturday evening
Where: The hospital
What: Lloyd proposes
Rating: Low for now
Status: Incomplete (?), open

It felt so good to get up and move around. At the same time, though it was really difficult. A lot more difficult than Lloyd had expected it might be. Aside from the drugs that were still in his system, his legs were still weak after the surgery, and he was a little dizzy from being horizontal for the past few days.

The nurse and the physical therapist both told him, though, that until he was able to get up and go to the bathroom by himself, they wouldn't even consider letting him go home.

Not exactly what he wanted to hear.

"Almost," he said as he finally reached the bathroom door. He had to drag his IV along with him when he went anywhere, and this time it got caught on the door handle. "Stupid contraption," he grumbled.

It was then that James arrived. Lloyd's mother had taken Emily out for pizza and a movie to keep her from worrying so much, but all James wanted to do was spend the night by Lloyd's side. When he entered the room and saw Lloyd walking, his eyes widened and he immediately appeared beside him, untangling the cord.

"Are you OK?" He knew he was a little over protective, but he couldn't help it.

Lloyd was grateful for the help. "I'm fine. Just trying to get to the toilet," he said as he re-secured the tape on his hand that held the IV in place. "I need to be up and moving around as much as I can, or they won't let me go home."

He steadied his breathing and made his way into the bathroom. "You know, you don't have to stay here every day. I think you should go back to work on Monday. If nothing else to reassure everyone that I'm still alive and will be more than happy to give them extra work when I get back if they slack off in my absence."

"Lloyd, you know I wouldn't be able to focus if I didn't always know how you were doing." James kissed Lloyd gently on the cheek.

"Do you need any help?" he asked, not wanting to be pushy but wanting Lloyd to know that he was there to help.

"I'd rather not admit to needing help for this sort of thing, but if you wouldn't mind, I think I'd like help getting up when I am done," he said as he pulled down his pajamas sat on the toilet. At least he didn't have to wear one of those silly hospital gowns. They let him change into his favorite flannel pajamas and his bathrobe as soon as they took the tubes out of his torso.

"So, when will mom and Em be back?" he asked, reaching for the toilet paper.

"The movie ends around 8:00, so they should be back around 8:15," James said, leaning against the door frame. He gave Lloyd a smile. "You don't have to feel bad about asking for help. Not with me."

Lloyd finished up and washed his hands. Well, as well as he could with the IV still stuck in there, anyway. He slowly, and with the aid of the railings, made his way back to James. "You're too good to me," he said, leaning in for a quick kiss.

He took James' arm and nodded toward the bed again. "Unless you're just here so that I don't cling to the male nurse who works in the afternoons."

"How did you guess?" James teased, kissing Lloyd again and then helping him towards the bed once more. He helped him onto the bed and then took a seat beside him, stroking the hair from his face. "I love you," he said seriously.

Lloyd smiled. "I know. I love you, too. Thank you so much for everything. Really, I don't know what would have happened if you weren't living with me." With his free hand, Lloyd reached up and touched the side of James' face. There was so much more he wanted to say, but somehow the words were stuck in his throat today.

James turned his face to kiss Lloyd's hand gently. "I would do anything for you." He meant it.

"Will you get me something to drink? I'm not supposed to have caffeine ever again, and they've already given me a list of foods I can just forget about." Lloyd sighed. It was going to be hard as hell to keep to their diet, but if it meant staying alive, he'd do whatever he had to.

"No more fatty foods, smaller amounts of meat, more fish, less bread unless it's whole grains. No salt if I can at all help it, increase fiber, more fruits and vegetables - preferably raw, fresh, or blanched," he said as if he was reading a list. "And I need to buy us a pair of rings," he added as if he was continuing the list of doctor's orders.

After he said it, he felt as if his insides had flipped and were all mixed up. He looked up into James' face, hoping he would somehow catch on to what he'd just said.

"Rings?" James asked, assuming that it was some medical thing that he didn't understand. He got up and poured Lloyd a glass of water from the pitcher beside his bed and then brought it back, taking a seat on the edge of the bed once more and handing it to him. "What sort of rings?"

Lloyd took the glass and without taking a drink set it on the table. He took James' hand in his own and gently rubbed the man's ring finger with his thumb. "Matching ones," he said softly, staring up into James' face.

When James finally understood what Lloyd meant, his eyes widened and he bit his lip, a little shy smile on his face.

"Really?" he asked. He already knew that he would be with Lloyd for the rest of his life, that rings were just symbolic, but the idea still made his stomach flutter happily.

"No pressure, of course. I mean, if you don't think you're ready, then just let me know. I just think..." Lloyd's words trailed off as he saw James bite his lip in that adorable way he always did. "Yeah, really. And in the most sappy and romantic way. You had to know I'm a sentimental old fool. And one who wants to be a good husband even if he can't be an official one."

"Yes, yes," James said, leaning in to kiss Lloyd firmly on the lips. "Yes," he murmured into the kiss, stroking Lloyd's hair back gently.

Lloyd almost laughed at James' reaction. He supposed there was no way of answering this sort of proposition that didn't sound silly and girly. Still, his insides warmed up the instant James leaned in to kiss him.

"So, was that yes to me being an old fool, or yes to the idea that we need to get a pair of rings?" he asked, teasingly.

James rolled his eyes. "Yes to the rings. And you are not old, or a fool." He kissed Lloyd on the lips again.

Of course, he was just baiting him. And he really didn't have any doubts about the fact that they could make this work out. After all, Emily practically considered James her other dad anyway. And even after the first few weeks they were together, Lloyd felt that this was "it."

It was one of the reasons he was so cautious about him at first. He needed to make sure James would feel the same way.

"And you're not just doing this 'cause you know I've got a heart condition and you're next in line to inherit, right?" he joked, pressing his forhead against James'; all the while, holding James' hand and gently running his thumb along his ring finger.

James laughed. "That's been my plan all along, didn't you know?" he teased, sighing happily as Lloyd massaged his hand gently. He leaned down and kissed Lloyd again. "Do you want to have a ceremony?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter to me one way or another, but I think Emily would be terribly upset if I denied her a chance at "flower girl." And it will give my mother something to fuss over, too." As he talked about his own family, he realized that he had no idea what James' family would think of this.

"What about your folks? Do you think... that is, are you going to tell them?"

James ran a hand through his hair. "I'll tell them, of course. Elizabeth will want to come, of course, but I'm not sure about Samantha and my parents..."

He sighed and then gave Lloyd a smile. "You're right. Emily should definitely get the chance to be a flower girl. I always wanted to be one," he said with a laugh.

They never really talked much about James' family. Apparently he wasn't born of two people from a free-love, free-thinking flower generation. Still, it was nice to see he was light-hearted about the situation.

"Well, if you'd rather be the flower girl, I'm sure we could use two." Lloyd leaned back in the bed, suddenly a little tired. They'd warned him that he'd get weak and tired pretty easily for a while, and that if there was any pain, he should lie down, relax, and let them know immediately.

"Would you mind calling for the nurse? The stitches are hurting a little, and they said to - well, you know."

It was probably all the excitement. He knew he should have waited. "Not the most romantic setting for a proposal, is it? I'm sorry about that."

"Mmm, don't worry about it," James murmured, kissing Lloyd on the lips. "Anything is romantic with you."

He got up and left the room, returning the with nurse a few moments later.