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bed?”  Nick came in with an arm full of beer and wine.  “Nothing says ‘I mean business’ like using a shopping cart at the liquor store.”  He put the alcohol in the fridge and headed over to the couch, smiling huge.
    “What’s with the shit eating grin Nick?”  I asked, shaking my head.  
    “Oh come on, tell me this face doesn’t make you smile!”  He laughed, motioning at his face.
    “Your face is just fine, but you'll have to put a bag over that personality.”  Talia said as she came and sat down with us, winking at me.
    “Nice.”  I smiled and nodded.  I loved her sarcasm, especially when it was aimed at Nick.  Trevor and I had spent years dealing with his obnoxious behavior, and it was so nice to see someone on his level.  I think he secretly liked the banter between himself and Talia.
    “What have you two been up to this morning?”  He looked between the both of us.
    I looked at Talia and smiled.  Nick would shit himself if I told him we had taken a shower together—even with bathing suits.
    “Not much.”  I shrugged.
    “Nice wheels Tom!”  Nick pointed at my walker.  “I bet you’ll be picking up all the girls with those!”
    I laughed.  “Yeah, don’t be jealous, their all mine.”  What are you doing here in the middle of the day?”  
    “It wasn’t very busy, so I took some work home with me.  I thought I’d come hang out here for a bit, make sure Talia was taking good care of you.”  He grinned and for a minute I thought he might have seen right through me.
    “Hey, if you’re going to be here for a bit, I need to run a couple of errands.” Talia stood and slipped down the hall.  A few minutes later she came out with her damp hair pulled up into a ponytail and a pair of jeans that hugged her ass like a glove.  Nick was blatantly checking her out.  She said her goodbyes and left, leaving us both staring after her.
    “Could you try not to ogle her dumbass?”  I hissed, feeling like a jerk when he looked at me with a shocked expression.
    “Okay, first of all, I’ve been ogling Talia since the first time we met her.  Second, when did you get so possessive of her?  Is there something I should know?”  He stood up and walked to the refrigerator, getting us each a bottle of water.
    “No.  Sorry man, I’m just a bit edgy.”  I blew it off, hoping he would buy it for now.  I couldn’t explain what was going on to him when I didn’t even know myself.
    We spent the next few hours watching TV, talking and me dozing in and out.  It was nice to have Nick here to just shoot the shit with and not have to worry about anything.  Nick and Trevor were the best friends I could have ever asked for.  We all just clicked, like we’d known each other our entire lives. 
    When my parents died, they stepped up when so many others stepped back.  They took me into their families without a second thought, and had stood by me in every aspect of my life.  It should be no surprise that this situation would be no different.
    “Knock, knock!”  We turned around to see Trevor and Ava come through the door with their hands full of food from the Italian restaurant down the street that we all love so much.
    “Thank god you’re here!  I’m starving!”  Nick stood up and rushed over to help them set up the table just as Talia came back in.
    “Hey! This is great! Tom will never feel better if he has to survive on my cooking.”  She jumped in and helped get everything ready as I sat there doing nothing.
    I pulled myself up and used my walker to roll to the table, clearly impressing everyone.  It was pathetic .
    ***
    The week had gone by without any huge issues.  Talia arranged for me to start physical therapy to strengthen my legs and arms to prepare me for my prosthesis eventually.  The exercises were tough and had made my muscles sore.  I tried not to complain, mostly because I was sick of Talia treating me like I was a child.  The whole situation had