Sons of the Tide (mlm)

Chapter 26: Happy Choices

Hi guys, thank you for being so patient while I took a break. I'm in a much better place now, and my mother is recovering very quickly, to everyone's relief. I'm working on the final chapters of this book, so expect updates regularly again! Love you all :)

Caleb

Caleb was back in his own hut, trying to take his pants of as slowly as possible to avoid moving the wrong way. Walking there had already been hard enough, but taking a bath was going to be more difficult since he could barely move his torso.

His hut was about the same size as his mothers, but it had three walls and less knickknacks. There was a hammock hanging along the open wall, which overlooked the ocean and had beads handing down as a barrier, and a dresser he'd made as a child with is mother. He didn't have much in the ways of furniture, but little wood carvings and windchimes he made were hanging from the ceiling on fishing wire. He also had a large curricular rug his mother had weaved.

He bent down too far trying to get the leg of his pants over his heal and sucked air through his teeth, hissing in pain. "Dammit."

"Do you need help?"

Caleb looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Joseph."

He was standing on the steps that led up to his hut, holding the beaded curtain to the side. He was in different clothes than before, and he had no shoes.

Joseph stepped into the hut and let the curtain fall back into place. "I can help you, if you need."

Caleb pushed himself back into an upright position and braced his arm on his dresser. "That would be nice considering I cannot get these fuckers off."

Joseph chuckled and walked toward him. "You shouldn't be moving so much. You might break your scabs."

Caleb shrugged as he knelt down and pulled the tight part of his pant legs over both his heals. "I'm fine."

Joseph looked up at him like 'really?' and stood. "You don't look fine. You look like hell."

Caleb looked down at himself. "I am pretty beat up, huh?"

"Yes." Joseph sighed. "Balance yourself on your dresser, I'm going to get these off."

Caleb smirked and opened his mouth to say something, but Joseph shut him up with a finger to his lips. "I'm going to help you wash yourself. Don't get any ideas."

Joseph took Caleb's pants off gently and folded them, then looked around. "Where do you bathe in here?"

"I don't." He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. "I bathe in the ocean."

"Oh. Well, come on. Can you walk?"

"Yes, I can walk. There's a bar of soap in the top drawer."

Caleb started to slowly limp toward the stairs and Joseph opened his drawer to get the soap. Once Caleb was on the sand, his balance worsened on the tougher terrain to walk on and Joseph had to offer his arm for support. Caleb was amused by the fact that Joseph was very obviously avoiding looking lower than his chest.

Once they were in the water, Caleb's body felt lighter and he could move better, but he still let Joseph lather the soap into his hair and scrub. Apparently he had blood just about everywhere, not just his chest and arms.

As Joseph scrubbed his hair, he asked, "Isn't soap bad for the ocean or something?"

"Not my mother's. She uses all natural ingredients so it doesn't harm the fish if they swim through it," He explained.