Resurfaced

Chapter 1-1

Chapter 1

“Deepan?”

Deepan jumped when someone prodded him in the side. He spun around and saw his colleague standing beside him with a deep frown. It was then Deepan realized he had been standing at the nurse’s station and designation board for the past five minutes, and hadn’t noticed one of his fellow nurses talking to him.

He flushed and cleared his throat, putting the lid back on the pen that had been forgotten in his hand.

“Sorry, Steph. I was miles away.”

“I noticed that.” Steph Flanagan tilted her head to the side. “What are you doing? I’ve been trying to get your attention. You can’t afford to go into your own thoughts right now. Not with a full ER.”

Deepan knew that. But he was also the charge nurse for the shift and he was aware of the paperwork piling up on the desk behind Steph. He sighed and gestured at the board.

“I was trying to figure out who’s going into what bed, which department, or just go home. I only just realized someone’s messed up the paperwork when I was talking to one of the patients.”

That had been embarrassing. The board hadn’t got the patient’s name on, so Deepan had assumed the man in question was going home. But going into the cubicle in question and seeing that the patient was in no fit state to leave and should have been taken to X-ray half an hour ago told him something else. Deepan felt about two inches tall as he scrambled to sort out the patient, sending him off to X-ray within two minutes of finding out the mistake.

Someone had f****d up and this wasn’t the night to do it.

“Don’t we just do it as we go?” Steph asked. “We all talk and bounce off each other. That’s why the ER’s normally so smooth.” She grinned and nudged Deepan. “You and I, for example, don’t even need to speak.”

“If you’re got people who work regularly together, yes.” Deepan saw a discrepancy and took the lid off the pen, wiping away the mistake and writing over it. “But some of the newer nurses we’ve had come in haven’t kept up the paperwork.”

“It is busy in here?”

“Are you trying to defend girls you were ranting and raving about the other day?”

Steph shrugged.

“You’re scarier than I am. And I thought you were happy with them.”

Deepan had been. Five recently qualified nurses had arrived in the ER and, for the most part, they were doing well to keep up with the stress and pace of the job. Three of the girls were doing brilliantly, and Deepan had no issues with them. But the remaining two were starting to show their laziness, and both were working on that shift.

Paperwork had to be kept on top of, no matter what. And everyone knew it. The charge nurse oversaw everything, and Deepan wasn’t in the mood to finish all the paperwork at the end of his shift when he didn’t know what had happened to half of them. Those nurses needed to buck up or they were walking out the door with Deepan’s boot up the backside.

“Well, just to mess things up for you, there’s another one coming in. Don’t worry,” Steph added as Deepan groaned. “He said he’s happy to sit out in the waiting room while things are sorted, as long as he can go home afterwards.”

“A calm patient.” Deepan muttered. One of the few tonight. “Depends on how bad his injuries are.”

“Someone he was trying to arrest slashed him with a knife.”

“The guy’s a cop?”

“Yep.” Steph took the pen from Deepan’s fingers, snagging the lid before pushing him away from the board. “Go and treat him. I’ll take care of this. My brain’s not fried, and you need to remember you’re a nurse, not a paper-pusher.”

“But…”

“Go, you idiot.”

Deepan didn’t argue. He was too tired to argue. Instead, he headed into one of the side rooms, recently vacated by his broken arm patient. He yawned loudly as he got things ready, making sure everything was clean. He loved his job, and he didn’t mind doing the shifts, but there were only so many shifts in a row he could do without suffering.

He needed a break. A long one. As long as he could hole up in his apartment with just his roommate to bother him, Deepan didn’t care. That was as good a holiday as anything.

The door to the room opened, and Deepan didn’t look up as he washed his hands, soaping his arms up to the elbow.

“Just take a seat on the bed. I’ll be with you in a moment.”

“Deepan?”

Deepan stilled. He knew that voice. It was one he hadn’t heard in a long time. He looked around, and saw a tall, dark-haired man in the doorway. He was holding a towel over his arm, which was soaked with blood. Blood also splattered his jeans and his pale green shirt. But Deepan couldn’t help but stare at the overall physique of the guy. Tall, slim, but with obvious firm muscle in the compact body. There was a dusting of a silver beard across his jaw, and his hair was splattered with silver, giving off a salt-and-pepper look.

Dammit, he was gorgeous. Even more so than when they last saw each other. Time had certainly done well on him.

Deepan realized he was staring with his mouth open. He cleared his throat.

“Karl?”

Karl Fletcher grinned.

“I was beginning to think you had forgotten me.”

“I…sorry.” Flushing, Deepan reached for the paper towels, wiping down his arms and dropping them into the trash can. “I wasn’t expecting the patient to be you.”

“And I wasn’t expecting you to be my nurse.” Karl’s eyes drifted over Deepan. “It’s been a while.”

“Yeah.”

Fifteen years, to be exact. The last day being their high school graduation. Karl had been celebrating with the baseball crowd, and Deepan had gone with his small group of friends to celebrate elsewhere. Next day, he went off on holiday with his family for the last time. By the time he got back, Karl had been drafted to play for the Seattle Mariners and was deep into the season.

Now he stood across the room, looking better than he ever did before. Deepan felt the old arousal stirring again, settling deep in his belly. Swallowing hard, Deepan beckoned Karl over.

“Sit on the bed. I need to check your wounds.”

“It’s not that bad.” Karl protested even as he hoisted himself onto the bed with one hand. “It’s just a scratch.”

Deepan snorted as he put on his gloves.

“If it was just a scratch, you wouldn’t be here.” He approached the bed, aware of his pulse picking up in his throat. “Now, let’s have a look at it.”

“Are you flirting with me?”

Deepan started. Karl was watching him with a smirk. Damn, that smile had the same effect on him as it had done when they were sixteen. Whenever they were in class or when Deepan tutored Karl in algebra or geometry and Karl used that smile, Deepan had almost been on his knees. The man—boy, back then—could have said jump, and Deepan wouldn’t have argued.

A school crush clearly hadn’t gone away even after fifteen years apart.

“You want me to flirt with you? I’m easy.”

Deepan fought back the building desire to grab the man. His c**k was starting to wake up at the thought of physically touching Karl for the first time in over a decade, and scrubs wouldn’t be able to hide that. He cleared his throat and scowled.

“One thing I know about you, Karl, is you’re never easy.”

He began to peel the towel off Karl’s arm. His sleeve was saturated with blood. Deepan unbuttoned the sleeve and then picked up the scissors.

“I’m going to need to cut off the sleeve. You okay with that?”

Karl shrugged.

“Never liked this shirt, anyway.” He was watching Deepan with a curious expression. “When did you get back?”

“About six months ago.” Deepan didn’t look up as he began to slice through the cloth at Karl’s shoulder. “A higher-paid job came up here, so who was I to refuse when it was offered?”

“I thought you said when we were kids, you’d never come back once you got out.”

Deepan paused. He hadn’t realized Karl had remembered that. He had more bad memories of high school than good ones, and Deepan had vowed to go elsewhere, start a new life and forgot what he had gone through. Being a gay Muslim had been tough enough, especially when his family found out. Thankfully, they were more accepting of the situation, but there had been a long period of time where Deepan hadn’t spoken to his family at all.

So much for acceptance of your children no matter who they were.

He went back to carefully peeling the sleeve down Karl’s arm. His muscles, tattooed arm. Whoa. Deepan had to resist the urge to lick his lips.

“Sometimes there are moments when you wish you could come home, but not all the time. And this is a good job. Keeps me busy.”

“Happy as well?”

“I wouldn’t call being a nurse a happy job.” Deepan snorted.

He carefully picked the cloth off the wound, dropping the sleeve into a tray. Then he looked more closely at the wound. It was a deep, jagged gash across his forearm, six inches long and half an inch wide. Just one look had Deepan knowing it was going to need stitches.

“You okay with needles?”

Karl shuddered.

“Not really, but if I have to have stitches, I’ll manage.”

Deepan grinned.

“You still not a fan?”

“Never.”

“I’ll be gentle.” Deepan placed the trolley between him and Karl, settling down on a stool on the other side. “Put your arm on the trolley and stay still. It won’t take long if you don’t wriggle.”

Karl grimaced, but he put his arm down. Deepan filled up a syringe, not looking around as he talked. Doing his job was what he could do. Talking to Karl about personal things was something else.

“When did you become a cop? I thought you were going to be a baseball player for many years to come.”

“I was planning to.” Karl made a face. “But eight years ago, I was sucker-punched during a game when it got volatile between the Mariners and the Twins. One of the twins was being a s**t and we didn’t like that. I got hit hard enough that my jaw was fractured.”

Deepan stared at him.

“You were taken out by one punch?”

“Pretty much.” Karl chuckled. “Few people get the opportunity to claim they could taste spinal fluid.”

“Fuck.” Deepan knew how dangerous that was. Karl was lucky to be alive. “And you’re now a cop? Are you sure you’re in the right job?”

“I recovered well enough. And you know I always said if I couldn’t be a baseball player, I would be a cop. So that’s what I am.”

Deepan had to admire that. Karl never let anything get him down. He held up the syringe.

“This is just something to numb your arm so it’ll be easier to stitch you up. You okay with that?”

Karl grimaced.

“No, but let’s go. I want to get out of here.”

“Fed up with me already?”

“Not a chance.” Karl nodded towards the door. “I’m just glad it’s you treating me and not the nurses. Everyone here knows of my baseball career and they ask multiple questions and gush over me. I just want to have a normal conversation that doesn’t involve baseball.”

Deepan laughed.

“You’ve got that fed up with baseball?”

“When I’m talking to groupies, yes.”

He was safe with Deepan. Deepan could tolerate baseball but he preferred not to watch it. Athletics, swimming and triathlon were more his sports.

He stuck the needle into Karl’s arm, waiting as Karl’s arm jerked when he winced, and administered the injection. Putting the syringe into the medical waste bucket, Deepan then began to clean the wound. Hopefully, this wouldn’t take long. His stitching skills weren’t catwalk-level, but they were good enough.

And also because Deepan was aware of the aroma around Karl. He had always worn Lynx and smelled like he practically bathed in it. It had been a little overpowering at times, but Deepan could handle it if it meant being around Karl. You could always tell when the guy was coming. Now, it was more subtle. But it was still there, and Deepan resisted the urge to close his eyes, lean in and take a deep breath.

Fuck, his behavior was going to go off the charts if they were in close quarters for much longer. Deepan tried to concentrate on the stitches.

There was a moment of silence, a very comfortable silence. Karl was happy to talk the hours away or just sit there in silence. Much like Deepan. They had read each other really well as teenagers. But they had never really hung out in the same circles. Karl was a jock, pure and simple. Deepan was more of the intellectual type, being the primary tutor for everyone to go to if they needed help. Deepan was the brains.

Brains and brawn. Muslim, albeit lapsed, and non-religious. About as opposite as you could get.

“Have you seen any of the old gang?” Karl asked.

Deepan paused and glanced up. Karl was watching him.

“My group of friends or anyone from school?”

“Both.”

Deepan sighed and went back to his work. His mind needed to be settled while he worked.

“I keep in touch with my old friends, but we haven’t seen each other in some time. I’ve been too busy working. My job has been so hectic right now and I’m just trying to find my feet.”

“How are they?”

“They’re doing okay. Life is getting in the way of everything.”

Karl’s mouth twitched.

“Sounds about right.”

“What about you? Are you in touch with them?”

Karl shook his head.

“Not anyone from high school. My current hangout buddies are my former baseball mates from the Mariners.”

“Didn’t you get married a while back? One of the Mariners physios?”

Karl winced.

“Yeah, I did. Ten years ago.”

“Why the grimace?”

Karl looked away. Now he was looking unsure of himself.

“Because Robert left me last year.” He mumbled. “He cheated on me and allowed me to walk in on him.”

Deepan lowered his hands and sat back. Whoa, he hadn’t been expecting that. While he hadn’t spoken to Karl over the years, Deepan had to admit he had kept up with Karl’s early career during nursing, until life got in the way and he was neck-deep in work. Karl had been the first baseball player to disclose his sexuality in the Mariners, and his wedding had been publicized.

Deepan had remembered that because he was surprised Karl was declaring he was bisexual. Karl had always said he was strictly for the ladies, so to hear he was dating a guy had been a revelation. But Deepan hadn’t had a good feeling about Robert. There was something not quite right about him, but Deepan couldn’t put his finger on it.

“I’m sorry.”

“You were right, though.”

“Eh?”

“Robert’s a bastard. A racist, pigheaded bastard.”

Deepan was confused.

“I didn’t say that to you. We haven’t spoken in years.”

Karl smiled.

“I found out through mutual friends that was what you said. I wish you had reached out back then and told me.”

“Would you have paid attention to me back then when you’re deeply in love with a man you thought was going to be your forever?”

Karl’s cheeks went bright red.

“No.”

“There you go, then.”

Deepan went back to the stitching in silence. He finished them, sitting back to admire his handiwork. Not too shabby. He put the needle and thread aside and reached for the sutures.

“You do know the school reunion weekend is tomorrow, don’t you?” Karl asked.

Deepan sighed. He could feel the knot in his stomach tightening, and this wasn’t arousal. It was like that every time he thought about school.

“I do know. I got my invitation. And before you say anything, I’m not going.”

“Why not?”

Deepan snorted.

“Are you serious? Why would I want to go back to a school that I hated? I got away as soon as I was able. I’ve just got rid of all the bad memories here, so why would I want to go and relive them again?”

Karl was silent. Then Deepan realized how sharp he had been. He sighed and eased back.

“Sorry, Karl, I shouldn’t have gone off on you like that.”

“I figured that would be your reaction. I just hadn’t realized it was that strong.” Karl paused. “I’m on duty so I won’t be going, but I was just checking if you were. Then maybe we could meet up, catch up and all.”

Deepan blinked. Was he asking him on a date? That wasn’t possible, was it? Karl had never shown anything beyond friendship towards him. Deepan inwardly told himself to stop thinking like that. They were friends. It was a friendly catch up, not a date. He had to get his head back in the game.

Friends, not potential lovers. Although Deepan wouldn’t have objected if it ended up that way. He smiled.

“Sounds like an idea. I know I’ll be working this weekend, but I’ll let you know.”

“As if a cop and a nurse’s timetables are going to ever match up.”

“I’m sure you’d make it work somehow. As long as you don’t go having knife fights again.”

Karl frowned.

“You make it sound like I went looking for trouble.”

Deepan laughed.

“How long have we known each other, Karl? You always managed to find trouble.”

That was an understatement.