Everything Changes Read Online Free PDF

like walks on the beach and snuggling by a roaring fire?”
    Carey laughed out loud at the cheesy line used at least once on every online dating site known to man, and he slung his arm companionably around Jase’s shoulders. Jase tensed for a brief second and then relaxed, reveling in the unexpected touch. He shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from wrapping his arm around Carey’s waist in return and pulling him closer. He wanted to, though. He ached with wanting to.
    They walked for several more minutes like that, and then Carey said softly, “We should turn back. I need to get my prosthetic off and rest my leg.”
    “Christ, Carey, I’m sorry. I didn’t think—”
    “Jase, I’m fine. I know my limits, okay?”
    Suitably chastened by Carey’s quiet words, Jase turned around, missing the warmth of Carey’s arm as he dropped it from Jase’s shoulders and let it swing loosely at his side.

C HAPTER 3
     
     
    C AREY WOKE the next morning and stretched lazily, enjoying the luxury of not having to be up and out the door immediately to face a busy day. He loved his work, but the schedule during the fundraising season could be brutal, and his duties there, along with the volunteer peer counseling he did, meant Carey didn’t have a lot of free time.
    As he wallowed there on Jase’s narrow guest bed, he could hear Jase moving about the kitchen of the tiny apartment, the smell of coffee penetrating even the closed door to his room, making his mouth water. The thought of hot, fresh coffee finally motivated him to get moving.
    Carey sat on the edge of the bed and carefully rolled down the compression bandage he’d put on his residual leg before going to bed, knowing the stump would probably swell during the night due to the prolonged sitting he’d subjected it to during his long drive from Colorado. If the limb was too swollen this morning, his prosthetic wouldn’t fit right, and that could mean painful abrasions or sores at the end of the day, and those were to be avoided at all costs.
    After the bandage was off, he massaged the surgical scar at the amputation site firmly, assessing the pliability of the skin before deciding he didn’t need to apply a softening cream. Carey leaned to the floor and pulled his “leg bag” up to the bed, the small duffle he kept close to hand at all times and that contained his daily stump care supplies. He took out a small hand mirror and assessed every angle of his residual limb, checking the scarring, looking for the telltale red patches and pressure marks that could lead to a dangerous, painful ulcer if left untreated.
    Seeing none, he grabbed a clean silicone liner from the bag and rolled it on directly over his skin, smoothing it as he went to force out any air bubbles. Using the edge of the small table next to the bed, he pulled himself up to standing, balancing easily on his support leg as he positioned the top end of the liner high on his thigh, making sure it was comfortable and not pulling anywhere on his skin. After that, Carey reached into his bag and pulled out a different liner, made of fabric this time instead of silicone, more of a sock-like material. He rolled it on over the first liner, then added another one to create the proper thickness before pulling his prosthetic to him and fitting the end of his stump into the socket of the artificial leg, bearing down until a vacuum seal formed before assessing the fit and comfort level. He then rolled up the thick outer liner that was attached to the pylon of the prosthetic itself, anchoring the leg in place, and he was done. After that it was an easy matter to pull on a pair of loose cargo shorts and then lace up his athletic shoe over his good foot.
    Yanking a clean T-shirt over his head, Carey followed his nose to the kitchen, where Jase was leaning against the kitchen counter, shirtless and wearing a loose pair of cut-off sweatpants, cradling a cup of coffee in his hands.
    “I knew the smell of java would get your