Independence

The rest of the week Nathan spent at the Carlins went much the same. Normally, he was able to enjoy Lisa's cooking but Amber insisted on making him a few more types of sandwiches with rather bizarre combinations while he was there too. They weren't bad…just different. He might actually want to make a few of them himself once he was back home.

He couldn't do much since he was supposed to stay away from screens and bright lights. Getting dressed and showering was terrible too. Moving his arm in general was awful. It was incredibly embarrassing relying on Jake for help but it wasn't like he could do it himself.

How was he supposed to do this when he got home and didn't have anyone helping him? He might have to live in the same smelly clothes for a week at a time and use dry shampoo with his good hand. He could potentially use baby wipes on his skin instead of showering too.

Look how far he had fallen. His dignity was completely in shreds.

At least once his concussion was better Nathan was able to get back to his editor and apologize about the delay, explaining that he had been hit by a bus. Rather than emailing him back he got a phone call immediately.

"You got hit by a bus?!" Jordan Meyer screeched into the phone.

He sighed. "Yeah. I broke my shoulder and had a concussion. I only have one chapter left to write but I couldn't do it until my concussion got better because I was supposed to avoid screens."

"Geez, Nathan! You should sue the city. They'd cover your medical bills and then some. Find yourself a good personal injury lawyer."

That wasn't a bad idea. The medical bills weren't cheap because he was an independent contractor and had to buy his own insurance, which wasn't all that great.

"What do you think my odds are of winning a case like that?"

"Excellent. Especially if you do it while you're still wearing your sling or whatever. You'll look pitiful in court and people will feel sorry for you. How did you get hit by a bus, anyway? That's not something you hear about every day," Jordan said in a disbelieving voice.

"…I was pushing someone else out of the way. The bus was slowing to a stop in front of a bus stop and I guess the driver didn't see us to slam on the brakes in time. Or he did and the bus simply didn't stop fast enough. There is a whole lot of force behind those things, you know."

"No kidding! How do you feel?"

"Like I got hit by a bus," Nathan said dryly. "How would you feel, Jordan? Every part of me hurts. I can't do anything by myself either, which is totally embarrassing. I'm used to taking care of myself."

"That makes sense…Don't worry about the manuscript too much but do you think you'll be able to get it done in the next couple of weeks?" the editor asked.

Always so concerned with work. This was exactly why he tried to get things done long before his deadlines! He would never put things off until the week before again, no matter how unlikely it was that he would get hit by a bus a second time.

"Provided I can get someone to type for me, yes. I have someone I might be able to ask," Nathan said reluctantly.

"No problem! I'll cover for you with the publishers. I can't believe you actually got hit by a bus though…that's completely insane," Jordan said in wonder.

"Yeah. Was there anything else you needed from me?"

"No, you're good. Feel better, Nathan!"

He hung up and Nathan wondered who he would actually be able to ask. Technically, there was always Lisa or Jake but they actually read his books and probably wouldn't appreciate being spoiled. Amber didn't yet but that's because her parents said she was too young. She planned to once she was older.

That was the problem with only talking to three people. He should have asked Jordan to send someone from the publishing company over to do it. Trying to type one-handed was going to take him forever and a day.

Lisa helped him pack his things up to go home with a concerned expression. "Are you sure you want to go back on your own so soon? You know you can stay with us as long as you need to."

Nathan smiled at her. "Thanks but I prefer being in my own space. I'll let you know if I need anything though. I'm sure I'll be fine."

He would have to be more of a hermit than usual and pay to get his groceries delivered to him since he would be so gross from avoiding the shower and could only use one arm but he would survive. Probably. He had never had a terribly high pain tolerance.

When he arrived back at his apartment complex Lisa helped bring his things in for him and he sighed as he sat down on the couch and leaned his head back. Alone again at last. He might cave and go back to the Carlins' place before he got full movement of his arm back but he had to at least try being independent again.

Nathan's phone rang and he briefly wondered if it was Jordan again before seeing Sierra's contact picture light up the screen. Oh! He had forgotten she offered to help him with anything he might need.

She could potentially be his transcriber. Her sister was the fan, not her, so it was unlikely she would get spoiled. Why had he forgotten that?

"Hey, Sierra," he said eagerly.

"Hi! I wanted to call and check on you. You said you would only be with your family for a week and it's been a week. Are you doing alright?" she asked.

"I'm in a lot of pain and can hardly move but at the very least my concussion isn't bothering me so much anymore. I only have a slight headache. Thanks for checking up on me."

"Of course! I've been worried about you. Getting hit by a bus is no joke. Um…do you need anything? Is there anything I can do to help you out? I work 2-10:30 every day but Mondays and Tuesdays so if you need me in the morning or anytime those days, I've got your back."

"Actually…I have kind of a strange favor to ask. Could you transcribe the last chapter of my manuscript for me? I really can't type one-handed. It'll take me forever and be harder to create anything coherent if I'm going that slow," Nathan admitted a bit embarrassedly.

Sierra was surprised but agreed quickly. "Sure! I've never done anything like that before but I'm happy to help. When do you want to do this?"

"It might take a while but I want to get it all done in one go. Could you maybe come by Monday morning?"

"You got it! Is there anything else you need?"

"Not right now. Lisa sent me home with a ton of leftovers so I should be good on food for a while. Thanks though," he said with a slight smile on his face.

No one outside of his family had ever worried about him like this. Even if it was guilt-motivated, it was still kind of nice.